A Breastfeeding, Solids, and Baby Weight Question:
Pepper2185
Posts: 994 Member
Hi MFP Mommies!
Max had his 9 month appt yesterday. He weighs 18lbs 11oz. At his 6 month appt he weighed 18lbs 2oz.
He's only gained 9oz in three months.
This also drops him from 50th %ile to around 25th %ile for weight. He's 100th %ile for height.
The doctor said it's probably because he's so active (crawling, standing, dancing all the time). She asked how much I breastfeed and I said about 6 times per day. She suggested that I breastfeed less and increase the amount of solids he gets. She was also a doctor I have never seen before (mine's on vacation).
My mom was with me at the appt, and on the way out she said "I wouldn't listen to the advice about breastfeeding, breastmilk is more important, especially in the hot weather"
Do you guys have any thoughts? I can practically hear my mother-in-law saying "maybe your breastmilk just isn't good enough..."
Max had his 9 month appt yesterday. He weighs 18lbs 11oz. At his 6 month appt he weighed 18lbs 2oz.
He's only gained 9oz in three months.
This also drops him from 50th %ile to around 25th %ile for weight. He's 100th %ile for height.
The doctor said it's probably because he's so active (crawling, standing, dancing all the time). She asked how much I breastfeed and I said about 6 times per day. She suggested that I breastfeed less and increase the amount of solids he gets. She was also a doctor I have never seen before (mine's on vacation).
My mom was with me at the appt, and on the way out she said "I wouldn't listen to the advice about breastfeeding, breastmilk is more important, especially in the hot weather"
Do you guys have any thoughts? I can practically hear my mother-in-law saying "maybe your breastmilk just isn't good enough..."
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Replies
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Food before 1 is just for fun. I would continue breastfeeding the same amount. It's normal for breastfed babies to lean out after 6months.0
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WRONG this makes me so angry, a lot of doctors aren't informed on breast feeding, the WHO recommends breast feeding till a minimum of 2 because of all of its benefits. PLUS they simply aren't getting a TON of food at that age, decreasing nursing/increasing solids could actually make weight go down more. Your breast milk is best!!0
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Im so glad you posted this!!! Olivia had her 9 month (even though shes almost 10 months,i lagged) and she dropped from 80th% to 50th%(98th% for height,she's 19lbs). My doctor didn't seem to concerned but I am because I know my supply SUCKS. I feel like I nurse her all the time and i've started giving her more solids,3x a day. How much solids are you giving him? I think breast milk IS most important,though,with my "online search",says 50/50 is good at this age. What kind of food is he having? I make Olive's eggs (whole egg),with butter,. It's good for their brain. I give her cheese (whole fat,of course),and yo-baby yogurt. If you load up on those things I think he will be gaining more weight. Squash with butter,sweet potato with butter.
It's hard to determine how much breast milk they're getting. I stress about this on the daily. Do what you think is best,that's what those maternal instincts are for
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It's entirely normal to gain less once they're active and burn more. Chubby little things even out once they're on the move! Keep up with the breastfeeding and do it as much as he wants it. Offer more solid food if he's interested as maybe snacks through out the day - fruits, cheese, yogurt, baby rice, baby pasta, veg, (cooked/raw/bars/mashed/whatever!) that sort of thing rather than processed foods like crisps and biscuits, etc. Little ones don't generally overeat so don't worry about offering too much. Let him lead in how much he wants, you just make sure what he's choosing is healthy. It may be that he's getting plenty from the milk still and isn't yet that interested in solids as such, but don't worry. Babies won't generally starve themselves either and he would be making a terrible fuss if he was hungry all the time. Go with what he wants at this stage, IMO.0
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Scratch most of what i said. I forgot Max just turned 9 months,right? Id say keep nursing like you have been but try to get in those extra calories
Im so glad you posted this!!! Olivia had her 9 month (even though shes almost 10 months,i lagged) and she dropped from 80th% to 50th%(98th% for height,she's 19lbs). My doctor didn't seem to concerned but I am because I know my supply SUCKS. I feel like I nurse her all the time and i've started giving her more solids,3x a day. How much solids are you giving him? I think breast milk IS most important,though,with my "online search",says 50/50 is good at this age. What kind of food is he having? I make Olive's eggs (whole egg),with butter,. It's good for their brain. I give her cheese (whole fat,of course),and yo-baby yogurt. If you load up on those things I think he will be gaining more weight. Squash with butter,sweet potato with butter.
It's hard to determine how much breast milk they're getting. I stress about this on the daily. Do what you think is best,that's what those maternal instincts are for0 -
Mine did that. One had zero interest in solids and the other eats as much as me and after starting solids, they weigh the same amount at the same age. My oldest dropped from 50% to 5% and leveled out around 20% around 2. My youngest dropped less but is still around 20%.
With my oldest I did focus on high calorie foods and I mixed avocados in with all her cereal and put it on her toast.0 -
Awesome question, I've been wondering about this stuff, too. I always thought the amount of nursing would go down as solids increased, but it doesn't seem to be true! I think what cocolo89 said is right about food before 1 year being more for fun, and it's basically what my doc said when I asked food questions a few months ago at Rose's 6 month check up.
Our current daily feeding schedule looks like this:
7am - nurse
9:30 - nurse
Noon - 2 Tbsp cereal, 1 food cube or something else of equivilant amount, nurse (more of a pre-nap top up)
3:30ish (post nap, time depends on when she wakes) - nurse
5:30 - 2 Tbsp cereal, 1 food cube, 1 hunk of frozen fruit in the mesh bag thing or soft bits of food on her tray
7pm - nurse
She seems pretty satisfied on this schedule, and it is set by her. If she seems to have more of an appetite I tend to lean towards more nursing instead of more food.
I think she's growing okay. My doc doesn't do a 9 month check up, but I may book one anyway just to have her weight/height checked (I weigh her at home, but the doc's scale is more accurate).0 -
If you go to kellymom.com and other pro-breastfeeding websites, it does state that this is a normal age for baby's weight to kind of taper off. And as someone else stated, it's true that many pediatricians do not know what they are talking about when it comes to breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is a high calorie food with healthy fats and it's all that baby needs for the first year of their lives. Are you also doing vitamins? That might help put your mind at ease.
Encourage solids, but don't attempt to use it as a way of replacing nursing if that's what your baby prefers.0 -
My daughter fell off the growth chart at 9 months. It was bad. We tried to introduce formula but she wouldn't take it. We had to work really hard to get her to eat solids. Pouches helped. So did full fat yogurt. We mixed extra BM or formula into her cereal and other foods. We also had to stop homemade baby food because texture was an issue. I kept nursing and stopped trying to diet to preserve my milk supply. I had her evaluated for mouth/sensory issues. We did 3 meals and 3 snacks rather than grazing. It was very stressful for me especially because I was her primary food source. Good luck! My daughter is now a happy, smart albeit skinny 3 year old.0
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Thank you all for your awesome replies! You all made me feel SO much better. It's nice to know that your babies went through the same thing!
Max is a good eater. In addition to getting breastmilk 6x per day, he eats solids for breakfast (3 cubes) and dinner (3 cubes of baby food or whatever we're eating). He also eats puffed rice and other little snacks throughout the day.
I make his food and I've always put an emphasis on good fats and high nutrient veggies.
I'm going to start giving him a solid lunch, too. I'm sure he'll be happy to eat it.
But I'm not going to slow down the breastfeeding.
MFP mommies rock :flowerforyou:0 -
My (almost)10 month old slowed down in weight gain between 6-9 months too. I was told this is normal as long as he is still following healthy growth curve. Babies become so much more active and get busy playing during these months, so I wouldn't worry at all! Also, I would keep breastfeeding just as much and maybe increase solids as well. My son breastfeeds 6-8 times a day and has 3 meals and 1-2 snacks. He is eating all regular foods now, chopped up finely so he can feed himself 0
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I agree with the other mommies. Nursing is best! Most babies drop percentiles when they get active. It will balance out. If they are hungry they will let you know. Keep up the nursing, keep up the offering of other foods like you already do. If you are really concerned about it you could choose higher calories foods like avocado, yogurt, raisins, etc. Otherwise, just keep going. As long as their energy levels and levels of alertness are good, I wouldn't worry about it. If they get oddly fussy and lethargic then that is something to be concerned about.0
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Good question and replies! MFP mamas do rock!0
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I agree with most of the ladies. I just wanted to add that I pump and bottle feed so I know how much Miles gets. He would drink 36+oz per day. But since around 6 months it's been more around 30. So even if he is nursing the same he might not be drinking as much, which is normaL, especially with the solids. Keep up the boobs and give him more solids if he's interested. I'm pretty sure Miles's weight has slowed quite a bit too. But Max is still growing tall!0
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Although i am huge supporter of breastfeeding, I partially agree with your dr. A 9 months old baby should be eating ( offered) much more solid than a couple of ice cube size twice a day. I exclusively bf both my kids until 6 month. Plus I nursed my firstborn until he was 2 yrs old and hopefully I will able to nurse my 2 nd kid just as long .
I am not suggesting to reduce bfing, no way! However you should offer solids more often and maybe look into what you are feeding to your baby. You mention that you are focusing on veggies and good fat and give him puffed rice as snack. Since 50% of Breastmilk calories are fat, your son gets plenty of fat from nursing. (It will be more important once the bfing goes down. ). Puffed rice is just empty carbohydrate without much nutrient. The number 1 nutrient that babies run out and need from solid is IRON. That is why recommended to start with iron fortified cereal or meat at 6 months. You should make sure he eats high iron food every single day. Babies with low iron often drop on the growth curve and also they look pale.
Babies growth slowes down , but dropping on the growth curve is a warning. It tells you that you need to change something, maybe the amount maybe the type of food you offering to him, maybe both.
I find the Canadian recommendation very useful: " Keep in mind that it is your job to provide the right food for your baby. It is your baby’s job to decide how much she eats."
Offer him a 3rd meal. If he eats it, he was ready for it. He won't eat it if he do to need/ ready for it. Also my advice is switch the puffed rice to iron fortified rice cereal. Also start to offer meat especially beef or liver for their iron content. If you blend it into a fruit purée , your son will probably eat it happily.0 -
Yes, I agree on the importance of iron. It's often overlooked with all this focus on DHA (which is also important). My dad was HUGE on pushing iron, especially because studies are coming out showing possible links between iron and learning disabilities - in other words, iron is also important for brain development.
Cereals and meats are the best way to get those. My older son LOVED Gerber Bananas and Oatmeal. It has a ton of iron, and I felt like it had nutritional value as opposed to rice cereal. You make it with breast milk or formula, or if your child is over age one, you can use cow's milk.
But as far as weight gain, it definitely tapers off after the first six months. My older son was 20 or 21 lbs at six months and then took till he was 2 to hit 30 lbs!0 -
We didn't start fetting serious about feeding solids until DS was almost 1. Wait and talk it over with your regular doctor.0
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It was her regular dr at the regular checkup who suggested more solids at the first place. Babies differ a lot and some ready earlier than others. If the baby is thriving on Breastmilk alone for that long, it is all good. However when a baby gain next to nothing bettwen age 6 and 9 months, it is a good indicator for a change.We didn't start fetting serious about feeding solids until DS was almost 1. Wait and talk it over with your regular doctor.0 -
I'm all for breastfeeding but there comes a time when it IS important for baby to be getting enough solids, especially for iron. Some babies also just get bored with bm all the time. My dd for example will stop a nursing session and not latch again so I'd assume she's full. But then I get her solids ready and she devours it like a madwoman. So obviously she wasn't full, she just wanted something else in addition to the bm.
I would also be concerned with only a 9oz gain in 3 months.0
