She is 28 inches tall and very active. She breast feeds and is a very picky eater. Please guide as to how I can make her to gain some weight. I am really very worried for her as she falls in the 3 percentile for weight at her age.
2007-10-04 03:54:26 · 8 answers · asked by worriedmom 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
First thing you need to do is start adding more to your diet - she's still getting everything she needs from you and should be eating simple fruits, veggies and oatmeal and rice. However, a nine month old baby doesn't need to be on much table food - breastmilk can still totally support her.
I wouldn't increase your fat intake a whole lot - but adding some more healthy fats might help enormously. I would think that you're not eating enough to support her because she should still be bigger than this if breastfed. You also need more lean protein (have an extra yogurt, grilled or baked chicken breast, 2 more eggs a day, serving of cheese, something! Kashi bars with nuts, peanut butter). Healthy fats would include extra virgin olive oil, safflower oil (either of these could be added to salads or marinades for chicken or salmon), avocado (guacamole - ADD IT).
I'm including a site with a list of all the things you need everyday - so you should do this and add a little extra and that will help her gain weight too.
Best Wishes
Go to the site I listed below
2007-10-04 04:15:18 · answer #1 · answered by Lamont 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This is not because you breastfeed. You need to take your daughter to her pediatrician and ask him if she needs to see a pediatric gastroenterologist. Has she always been in the 3rd percentile, or has she fallen from a higher percentile? If she has always been in the 3rd percentile then I wouldn't worry about it. Some kids are just small and that is ok. But I would have the doctor check things out. Be prepared. One of the first things they will test for is cystic fibrosis. She probaly doesn't have that, but when a child is failing to gain weight, that is one of the first things they will rule out. Don't let it scare you. My daughter stopped gaining weight when she was 2 and she actually fell off of the chart. We took her to plenty of doctors to find out what was wrong. She ended up having to have a feeding tube for about 3 years until we could get some weight on her. She is now a healty 14 year old in the 10-15% for weight. We talked to lots of diaticians too. One of the suggestions they gave us was to add wheat germ to her food to add calories. We also gave her pediasure, but I would talk to your doctor since she is under 1 year old. And if they tell you to supplement her with formula, don't feel bad. You just do whatever you can to help her gain weight, but dont' stop breastfeeding, that is the most nutricious thing for her. If she is active and growing then that is a good sign. I would take her in to the pediatrican and talk to him about her weight and her eating habits though. Good luck. And don't pay attention to the first poster. It is not because you breastfeed. That is the best thing you can do for your child.
2007-10-04 04:24:40 · answer #2 · answered by kat 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The first answer is totally wrong. So many people say babies don't gain weight with breastmilk, well they're wrong. My son is 5 mos now and weighed 16 lbs at 4 mos. I suggest maybe getting her to eat cereal with fruit added in. You are just gonna have to try all the different foods till you can find what she likes. My daughters favorite was the one called Hawaiian Delight. Right now my son is only on cereal once a day.
2007-10-04 04:14:25 · answer #3 · answered by Beth 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Go with what Lynae is saying. She has hit it on the head with good information!
I'm assuming you are taking your baby for her check-ups since you know the percentile for her. What does your doctor say about this? Did you ask?
How about you or the dad? Are you smaller/shorter people? Could be normal if you both are..she could be following in your footsteps, so to speak.
When you breast feed it's very important for you to eat right and as I said, Lynae hit the nail on the head with her information!
Good luck!
2007-10-04 05:01:43 · answer #4 · answered by 317bossyaussie 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just keep trying different foods. You know they always say it takes 10 tries before they like it. At 9months she shouldn't really have developed a picky-ness for food- she just hasn't tried the food enough. You may have to feed her soilds 6times a day just so she'll finish 1 jar. Make it fun, you can even destract her with a toy or something while you are feeding her so she doesn't even realize she's eating.
2007-10-04 04:08:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Feed her table foods like mashed potatoes. You can also try this formula "Enfamil extra calories". You can feed this to her before bed or just mix it in with the baby cereal. You can do this and continue to breast feed.
Talk to the Pediatrician as well.
2007-10-04 04:07:01 · answer #6 · answered by redbone_lds 5 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Well, what did the pediatrician recommend?
2007-10-04 04:20:19 · answer #7 · answered by ad 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YOU SHOULD CONTACT A DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY! I THINK SHE REALLY IS UNDERWEIGHT! THAT'S WAHT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ONLY BREAST FED! I GIVE MY BABIES FOOD ALONG WITH FORMULA AND THEY'RE HEALTHY NOT FAT!
2007-10-04 04:03:53 · answer #8 · answered by zul 5 · 0⤊ 8⤋