My 15-mo-old is tiny- ped says to wean.

[Lovin Learnin]

My suggestion would be to offer her solids before bfing but continue bfing. Not all children grow at the same rate.

 

My dd (9 yr in 2 weeks) was teeny tiny like your daughter. She was 14 lbs at 6 mo., barely 16 lbs at one yr, and just over 17 lbs at 24 mo. The dr was concerned and didn't want to miss any illnesses/genetic diseases so we did run a battery of tests but she was/is perfectly healthy. Dr. never suggested I wean her. Dd has always made healthy food choices but she just doesn't eat a lot. At nearly 9 yrs old she is now 49 lbs and 49 in. Perfectly fine.

 

Offer her healthy food regularly but let her make the decision on how much to eat. She'll be fine.

[MelanieM]

If I had a pediatrician that told me to wean my baby because of slow weight gain (or for most any other reason) I'd take that to mean the doctor was not well educated on the subject of child nutrition, and I'd seek out another practitioner.

 

If I had a child that wasn't gaining well, I'd be inclined to increase the amount of breastmilk rather than decrease it. In fact, if one of my older children were having health issues I'd probably start pumping for him or her.

 

A previous poster mentioned the difference between foremilk and hindmilk, and I think that's very wise advice. I would try to increase nursing sessions to increase the amount of hindmilk consumed.

 

I also want to add that cow milk is *not* a substitute for breastmilk. It is a beverage, not a food. The only acceptable milk replacement that would offer a comparable nutritional intake to breastmilk would be formula. I always hear of people weaning babies and moving them to cow milk, and it makes no more sense to me than weaning from breastmilk in favour of orange juice.

[Sugarfoot]

This topic makes my blood pressure rise; it makes me so nervous! I followed all of the advice from the pediatric specialists with my oldest. I weaned, started formula, switched to soy, more tests, medications, which is to say that there were legitimate medical issues (although I'm not 100% convinced they weren't at least partially initiated by weaning/soy/meds in the first place, kind of a "chicken or egg" thing, IYKWIM).

 

Long story short---following that advice got us NOWHERE with his growth. It would have been impossible for him to have done any worse if I'd continued to breastfeed. Impossible.

 

Your baby is bigger than all 4 of mine were at that age. Right now, my older 2 DC, including my oldest, "failure to thrive" tiny son, are testing at karate. They're 2nd degree black belts on their way to 3rd degree. Totally healthy. Still thin...

[Terabith]

Oh yes, we had 3 different appointments concerning this. We were 4 weeks away from going to the first specialist too. A variety of medical conditions were discussed. Believe you me, I was an avid breastfeeding proponent since my son was born - I did not go into weaning with a blind eye. It was an extremely emotional and hard decision for me. I wasn't ready one bit. But my body had worn down and my son was no longer thriving from my efforts of trying to plod along with breastfeeding.

 

Not in all children. I had a daily bottle of milk till well after 6 years of age (I will never admit that in real life though).

 

But seriously, how many doctors would you want to go to when your instincts tell you that weaning would be the best thing because your daily interactions with your child shows you he does not accept table food because of his strong attachment to breastfeeding?

 

I understand what you're saying. I think the key here is that your instincts told you that weaning would be best. I can't emphasize enough how much I trust mama instinct. :D And it sounds like your milk production was going down, because you were pregnant. That would be a different story, I think, if a child wasn't able to get enough milk. I *might* keep nursing for the comfort, but I'd definitely start thinking differently in that case.

 

(My six year old still often has a bottle of milk before bed..... She wants to drink milk and/ or water while we read stories cuddling in bed, and the cups leak all over. They aren't in her mouth long enough to cause any mouth issues, but I am sort of embarassed about it. But, it works....)

 

That must have been so hard for you, to wean when you were so emotionally committed to it yourself! :grouphug: Weaning is just so hard, especially when you start feeling like you aren't ready or like you've failed. But it sounds like you made the right decision for your son! Go instincts! I think we just are trying to support the OP whose instincts are NOT telling her to wean. Just bc a pediatrician said it, doesn't make it gospel. (Why on earth do pediatricians not get more information on nursing? It seems like such a basic thing......)

[TN Mama]

At my youngest dd's 12 month appt she wasn't growing like our ped had hoped and he asked me to continue breastfeeding. She was just a small baby.

[Coleroo]

this didn't happen to me but I have heard of some other mothers starting to have trouble making enough milk after long term nursing. How can you tell if the mother is producing enough milk or not to keep the child at a good weight? I'm talking about enough for a toddler, not a little infant which I do know about. If the mother doesn't produce enough milk even though the child demands it, then I can see how it would be better for the child to switch his hunger away from breastmilk to solids.

 

I can't speak for anyone else, but for us... I could tell...by..well.. by how much milk my breasts put out vs. how my son began responding to nursing sessions. For the first year of his life, I had an abundant supply...then it began to disappear. As the months passed, I noticed a correlation between how often my son nursed, how demanding he became, how light(er) my supply was compared to each previous months, pain in my breasts when he nursed (due to lower supply) and his overall attitude change. Nothing I did increased my supply. He was constantly hungry & cranky, even after nursing.

 

And here's the stinger.... He would refuse to eat solid foods even when he was obviously hungry. We tried everything, offered solids every 2 hours, offered variety, offered the same food over & over, calorie rich, warm food, cold food, liquefied, everything. He simply would not swallow more than 1-2 tablespoons of solid food on any given day. He had always done that, from the moment I began rice cereal (4 months) until I finally weaned him. (It was only after I weaned him that it "clicked" that hunger and solid food go together.)

 

The same period was when my son's personal curve dropped drastically. There was a huge dip in his curve....he had always done well...I don't compare him to other kids as we're "genetically small", but the dip in his personal curve is what concerned me most.

 

Weaning was the only way to get my breast-addicted son the nutrition he needed (since I was no longer producing enough milk to satisfy his growing body), by "forcing" him to finally take in solid foods.

[calandalsmom]

All of my kids went from 50% down to about 10% over the course of their first yr. The curve is baloney too.

 

Weaning is unnecessary, as everyone else has said. The weight loss is concerning and I'd want to look into it but nursing has nothing to do with it.

[Coleroo]

I understand what you're saying. I think the key here is that your instincts told you that weaning would be best. I can't emphasize enough how much I trust mama instinct. :D And it sounds like your milk production was going down, because you were pregnant. That would be a different story, I think, if a child wasn't able to get enough milk. I *might* keep nursing for the comfort, but I'd definitely start thinking differently in that case.

 

(My six year old still often has a bottle of milk before bed..... She wants to drink milk and/ or water while we read stories cuddling in bed, and the cups leak all over. They aren't in her mouth long enough to cause any mouth issues, but I am sort of embarassed about it. But, it works....)

 

That must have been so hard for you, to wean when you were so emotionally committed to it yourself! :grouphug: Weaning is just so hard, especially when you start feeling like you aren't ready or like you've failed. But it sounds like you made the right decision for your son! Go instincts! I think we just are trying to support the OP whose instincts are NOT telling her to wean. Just bc a pediatrician said it, doesn't make it gospel. (Why on earth do pediatricians not get more information on nursing? It seems like such a basic thing......)

 

:D Hurray for mommy instincts! Yes! I'm all about the instincts. :) :) One reason I'm so passionate about the issue of looking at all options (even weaning if necessary) was because I was so dedicated to extended breastfeeding before that I almost let other's opinions of breastfeeding override my mommy instincts. All of the "facts" about breastfeeding had me truly convinced that my instincts were wrong. It was very hard to go against the "facts" and follow my gut...even when I could feel it was the right thing for us. I received absolutely no support in my choice to wean from any of my breastfeeding friends. And I felt like a sheer failure....

 

Nowadays, I hate to think of any other mom out there feeling like a failure if she has to wean her child for any reason. I also heard a bit of myself in the OP's first post....if that would have been me posting when I was going through this, I would have adamantly said I wanted to keep breastfeeding no matter what. I never ever told anyone I had thoughts of weaning so soon (b/c I was soooo adamant about the benefits of extended BF'ing to begin with). It would have made the transition soooo much easier for me if I would have had just one breastfeeding advocate tell me "It's OK to stop if your private instincts tell you to!". Unfortunately, I never heard that from anyone.

 

That's what I wanted to offer her. She may have wanted to hear it, or may not. But at least I could put it out there in hopes it may help in the teeniest way... :)

 

Oh, and I agree completely - the pediatrician isn't always the God that they sometimes pretend to be. You should have heard my pediatrician's views on co-sleeping! haha :001_smile: :lol:

[Peela]

I haven't read the other replies so I may have missed something....but I would breastfeed her more, not less, and not worry. But then, I never went to a ped even once, and I only went to the health nurse once for my first child's wellness check. I rely mostly on instinct and common sense.

Does you dd suffer from allergies at all? She may not be absorbing her nutrition well...I would take her to see some sort of natural therapist before I would listen to a pedaetrician with barely any training in diet.

[SnowWhite]

Listen to your instincts for sure. Coleroo, sorry about what you went through with your ds.

 

My horror story was a dr who insisted I push solids on my lightweight oldest ds early and often... the lower caloric value (in contrast to the calorie packed breastmilk) caused him to nurse all night long trying to make up for the stuffed feeling all day which made him ingest fewer breastmilk calories during waking hours.

 

I agree with everyone who said it makes no sense to cut back on feeding a calorie dense food in favor of more difficult to digest solids.

 

I would work on more calorie dense foods, like eggs, and the aforementioned peanut butter and avocados. I'd avoid any "rabbit food" at this point, such as green beans, even though they are healthy. They'll fill your dd up without giving her any "bang" for her "buck".

 

I let my second ds nurse till he was 32 months, and when he contracted an awful stomach virus (rotavirus or similar) at age 2 I was thrilled to be able to breastfeed him in lieu of a hospital stay with intravenous fluids. He could keep nothing else in his stomach, not even water.

[Lovedtodeath]

I let my second ds nurse till he was 32 months, and when he contracted an awful stomach virus (rotavirus or similar) at age 2 I was thrilled to be able to breastfeed him in lieu of a hospital stay with intravenous fluids. He could keep nothing else in his stomach, not even water.

I am scared to death of that happening now that I have to wean.:(

[The Governess]

My dd's both had a hard time accepting cow's milk at first (dd3 still doesn't drink much). Dd3 is tiny as well and her weight fell off the chart at one point. One thing that helped her was teaching her to drink from a straw cup (not the kind with a valve because it was too hard for her to get the liquid out, more like a lidded cup with a regular straw that goes through the lid). It was much easier for her to drink from than a sippy cup and required less effort. I gave her smoothies in this cup, made with plain full-fat yogurt, a jar of pureed baby food (carrots, squash, applesauce, spinach, peaches, etc.), and enough juice/milk/water to make it thin enough for her to drink easily. She loved these and after a couple months of drinking one of these a day for her afternoon snack she had put on some weight.

 

In her case her oral muscle tone was low and so eating was hard work for her, so choosing high calorie, nutrient-dense foods so that she could eat less and still get the nutrients she needed made a big improvement. Now at 3.5 she is still a little peanut but has overcome all of her eating issues (and can eat more pasta in one sitting than I can). :D

[CactusPair]

I haven't read all the replies, so some of this may be a repeat.

 

I agree with the others that I would definitely not wean. Breastmilk is a perfect food. You may have to avoid discussing the issue with the pediatrician.

 

I would offer her high-calorie, fat dense foods for her solids. Avocado comes to mind. Lentils, peas and other beans might be a good addition as they contain iron, protein, carbs, and lots of vitamins, etc. You could also add a little olive oil or organic butter to her foods for extra fat and calories. Little cubes of organic tofu might be fun for her to pick up.

 

You could try to warm up her some of her solids or cook her eggs in an iron skillet as this method adds iron to the foods.

 

I would wonder about food allergies if she has any sign of tummy aches or loose bowel movements, or even dark circles under the eyes, red ears, or sinus problems. My ds had trouble gaining weight after he started eating solids more often.

 

It turned out he was allergic to almost everything I was feeding him. He never had a formed BM until he was 3 and I took him to the allergist and eliminated the offending foods. He was a changed child within weeks.

 

I don't have a lot of faith in pediatricians' knowledge about kids and nutrition. I received enough bad advice, skepticism, and out and out hostility from them regarding my ds. I had to beg to get a referral to the allergist bec. our ped. insisted that ds did not have any food issues. Any trouble he may have had was simply due to my "bad parenting".

 

Seek another doctor's opinion if you need to.

 

Best wishes

[mohop]

I haven't read all the other posts (I'm new the boards and wow, you guys are active, and it's hard to keep up!), but feel free to PM me if you'd like. Your DD's growth seems very similar to my DD. My DD was born very small and growing great while we were exclusively breastfeeding, but her weight gain slowed after about 6 months (which I believe is normal for babies), but it slowed a lot after about 9 months. She was just over 17 lbs at 12 months, but did gain about a pound between 12 and 15 months, but she's 18 months now and I don't think she's gained much at all since then. The pedi had me do blood tests and all that jazz, and nothing really seems out of the ordinary. She wanted me to do some follow-up allergy tests, but I've heard that it's really hard to get accurate allergy testing done with a very small child. My DD is a really picky eater and not that interested in food all of the time (she has good days and bad days). We are also still nursing. Anyways, like I said, feel free to PM me if you want to talk more.

[lotsofpumpkins]

Wow, lots of great replies!

 

I'm feeling a lot better about all of this. Tonight at church she ate a good supper, told me when she was all done, and then she nursed for bedtime. She is acting like she is starting to feel a bit better (teething/fever). That's been going on a few days, so hopefully the weight loss was because of that.

 

One of the things the ped said to me was this:

"nursing for 6 months is good, 9 months is wonderful, 12 months is fine, but at 15 months we need to talk". I wonder if he would have told me that if dd weren't having weight issues? I think next time when they ask if she's on cow's milk I'll just smile and nod and leave off the breastfeeding detail... :)

 

I know many of you had said to find a new ped, but in this rural area that's difficult to do without driving an hour. Plus, this ped is very pro-homeschooling, doesn't push medication when it's not necessary, etc. So, i can ignore the breastfeeding advice!

[mohop]

Wow, your pedi's comments lead me to think you should disregard any instruction or advice he gives you about breastfeeding.

 

My DD won't touch cow's milk. She just is not interested in drinking anything out of a cup except for water. She even will not take chocolate milk. So one of the reasons I will not wean anytime very soon is because I have no idea whether she'll drink anything else if I wean her, and I don't want to take that chance.

[Slartibartfast]

 

One of the things the ped said to me was this:

"nursing for 6 months is good, 9 months is wonderful, 12 months is fine, but at 15 months we need to talk". I wonder if he would have told me that if dd weren't having weight issues? I think next time when they ask if she's on cow's milk I'll just smile and nod and leave off the breastfeeding detail... :)

 

I know many of you had said to find a new ped, but in this rural area that's difficult to do without driving an hour. Plus, this ped is very pro-homeschooling, doesn't push medication when it's not necessary, etc. So, i can ignore the breastfeeding advice!

 

Your ped is kind of dumb. Maybe you could bring in some breastfeeding articles and other information so they could be more educated?

[lotsofpumpkins]

Wow, your pedi's comments lead me to think you should disregard any instruction or advice he gives you about breastfeeding.

 

My DD won't touch cow's milk. She just is not interested in drinking anything out of a cup except for water. She even will not take chocolate milk. So one of the reasons I will not wean anytime very soon is because I have no idea whether she'll drink anything else if I wean her, and I don't want to take that chance.

 

Mine will drink water from a cup, and only recently will drink a tiny amount of milk. If it's chocolate milk (especially if it's warm), she will drink that. She is my only child who never took a bottle; I think it just takes her a LONG time to warm up to the idea of drinking things other than breastmilk!

[sarahli]

Mine will drink water from a cup, and only recently will drink a tiny amount of milk. If it's chocolate milk (especially if it's warm), she will drink that. She is my only child who never took a bottle; I think it just takes her a LONG time to warm up to the idea of drinking things other than breastmilk!

 

If she likes warm chocolate milk, you could try blending a banana and peanut butter with it, and possibly adding a little coconut oil to it (I used olive oil because my son is allergic to coconut). That's how I got my son to gain weight, he was too distracted/ rambunctious to sit through an entire meal.

My son was always weighed unclothed until 2 years old. Clothing can make a big difference on infants/toddlers if weight is a concern.

[Scarlett]

Haven't read all the replies but wanted to say my ds was 18 1/2 pounds at his 2 year check up. He had been sick the week before, vomiting, and the doctor had me bring him back in for a weight check in 3 weeks....she was mildly concerned...but he was up to 20 pounds in 3 weeks. She said bf babies often are lower weight until age 2 and then catch up. She said the charts were created in the 50s when everyone was bottle feeding. She was spot on....he began to gain weight after that and NOW he is in the 75 percentile and he has been since about age 4.

 

I wouldn't wean. If she is healthy otherwise.

[Lawana]

The only red flag I see is weight loss. If, in fact, she has actually lost weight NOT DUE TO ILLNESS, I would insist on a blood sugar test. Although very rare in this age group, Type 1 diabetes does result in weight loss. Be very sensitive to other symptoms such as increased urination. Soaking diapers now, when previously they were only moderately wet, would be a sign to rush to the doctor's for a blood sugar test. Also, anything else that sets off the "Mommy radar," including personality change.

BTW, I nursed a son, who had almost no interest in solid food until well into his second year, midway into his 3rd year. And my dd has Type 1 diabetes.

 

Lawana

[tdeveson]

I would keep nursing but not tell my ped.

 

I would never recommend to someone to lie to their pediatrician, not even by omission. If you don't trust yours, get a new one, but omitting information you know he needs doesn't seem fair to the child. Just my opinion.

[Ellie]

I disagree with your pediatrician, mainly because of the comment about 15 months nursing being too long. This might be a good time to find a new ped.

 

If you are nursing on demand, and not withholding solid food in any way, then whatever your baby weighs is how much she's supposed to weigh.

[Veritaserum]

If she's not getting enough nutrition, it's a bad idea to remove from her diet what amounts to the only perfect multivitamin in existence.

 

:iagree: If anything, I'd see if she'd nurse longer to make sure she's getting the richer hind milk. My 2nd and 4th children both dropped in the weight charts (which are based on formula-fed babies), but their doctors were not overly concerned because they were proportional, healthy, and meeting developmental milestones. My 4th is still petite (3 years old), but she is healthy. Some kids are just small. :)

[Barb_]

I don't know if this helps, but I had one like this 14 years ago. To this day, she eats like a hummingbird and fills up quickly only to get hungry again an hour or two later. She is 15, fully grown at 5-feet-1 and weighs 97 pounds. Maybe you could try feeding her solids more often? Actually, that is such good advice I may need to follow it with my 14mo old who weighs about what yours does.

 

Barb

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

I would never recommend to someone to lie to their pediatrician, not even by omission. If you don't trust yours, get a new one, but omitting information you know he needs doesn't seem fair to the child. Just my opinion.

 

Well, in a way you're right. He should be dumped if he thinks 15 mos. is too long. What I meant is that I don't think he needs to know or not know whether a 15 month old is still bf, as I don't think it's at all relevant to the dd's size. A ped who questions bf at a mere 15 months is probably not truly pro-nursing and having to endure the back and forth over that (non)issue, for me, wouldn't be worth giving out the info. IMO, what's not fair to the child is to have nursing discontinued because of a knee-jerk blame of bf for a meager (could be height spurt, could be difference of full belly and no bm at previous appt, etc.) weight difference.

 

But, again, we agree because she should probably find someone more supportive of her parenting decisions anyway. :001_smile:

Edited December 17, 2009 by Alte Veste Academy

[IsabelC]

It's very simple. If there is nothing wrong with her, there's no need to do anything different. If there is something the matter (extremely unlikely), in 99.9% of cases continued breastfeeding according to need is the best possible thing you can do to help her (in addition to any other supplemental foods or medications, if required).

 

Re weight loss, there is always going to be variation in weight. Did you use the same scales each time? Are the scales regularly checked and calibrated? Was she weighed either naked or in the exact same clothes? Was she weighed at exactly the same time of day? And if so, had she eaten/drunk/eliminated the exact same amount over the preceding 24 hours? Had she had any minor illnesses recently? Any sudden change in the weather? All these things and more can influence weight, so unless the apparent weight loss is very large or a continued trend over several months, it's probably due to natural variations or inaccuracies.

 

Also, it's probably worth checking that your paed is using the new improved growth charts (the old ones were based on artificially fed babies in the 1950s, and normal breastfed babies tended to start out growing faster than the charts and then get comparatively slower later - which is actually a healthier pattern).

[Spy Car]

I agree with those who think that breast-feeding is the best thing you could continue to do for your child, and I'd be looking for a new doctor.

 

Bill

[Bonnie in VA]

My sister breastfeeds her children. Two of my sister's children had a growth pattern like the one described by the original poster, and it turned out to be a kidney-related issue. The condition does not normally appear until the age of 1 year, is easily diagnosed with a blood test, and is easily treatable with oral medicine. Her child is still on the small side, but the rate of growth is following a normal pattern.

 

If you'd like me to find out the exact name of the condition, please pm me! It would be very easy to at least rule it out.

 

Blessings,

 

Bonnie

[Laura Corin]

And is there someone very thin in the family? Calvin lost weight when he started to walk. He was thin at birth, got plump as a baby, then became thin again (around 90th percentile for height, 25th for weight). He's been thin ever since, but healthy - just like one of my brothers.

 

Laura

[Cammie]

My kids were tiny, I nursed them until they were 2 1/2. They didn't magically start gaining weight once they weaned and they're still at the bottom of the growth chart. I have a friend who has one kid who takes after his dad and is at the top of the growth chart, the other 3 kids take after her and are at the bottom of the growth chart.

 

Size is largely genetic.

 

I cannot tell you how frustrated I get when it comes to this topic. All 3 of my kids have been to the pediatric gastroenterologist, a geneticist and a nutritionist because of their size. Once we get the expert they tell us what we already know-there's nothing wrong with them, they are just small. That doesn't stop the pediatricians from sending us to experts. :glare:

 

 

I can't tell you how much I needed to read this! I have a small son - he is and has been below the charts for the last few years. He looks two but he is four. He intelligent, full of energy, healthy, etc. I have also been to gastroenterologist and a host of other doctors. I keep thinking that if we were home in the US maybe they would check something else. do something else. But I think you are right...he is just small and I am fine with that!

[stripe]

One more thing. Your child may or may not be interested in drinking cow's milk. One of my children began eating cheese and yogurt before the age of 2, and ate with great relish. The other did not, and did not want to (in fact still eats less dairy than the other child). Not all kids like a big glass of milk! If you are trying to introduce dairy, something like a custard (made with eggs and whole milk) would be nice, and there's always ice cream. ;)

 

Anyway it's funny, there came a point when kids' pediatrician just stopped assuming I breastfed at all. I think it might have been around 15 months. But I would not hesitate to argue with him/her, politely. I was told by a (previous) pediatrician that once a child gets to 10 lbs, s/he should sleep through the night (12 hrs actually); he told me to have him sleep in another room and "cry it out" until baby learned to sleep alone, etc., AND that all medical advice is basically disproven 5 years later. He could tell I had no intention of following my advice -- especially given that it immediately followed a serious health incident in the middle of the night requiring a trip to the ER, so I changed pediatricians over that one. So I completely sympathize with how difficult this is.

Edited December 17, 2009 by stripe

[MelanieM]

One of the things the ped said to me was this:

"nursing for 6 months is good, 9 months is wonderful, 12 months is fine, but at 15 months we need to talk". I wonder if he would have told me that if dd weren't having weight issues? I think next time when they ask if she's on cow's milk I'll just smile and nod and leave off the breastfeeding detail... :)

 

So he doesn't even go by the standard recommendation, which is to breastfeed for two years. It sounds to me like he just isn't in favour of nursing in general, and is using low weight as his excuse to support his opinion. That's bad doctoring, right there.

 

And why in the world does it matter if she's on cow milk? That is not a substitute for breastmilk, nor is it necessary for any child to have. It's fine if she wants it, but it really shouldn't matter if she doesn't.

[Lovedtodeath]

Also, it's probably worth checking that your paed is using the new improved growth charts (the old ones were based on artificially fed babies in the 1950s, and normal breastfed babies tended to start out growing faster than the charts and then get comparatively slower later - which is actually a healthier pattern).

 

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/index.html

 

Growth Charts based on Breastfeeding, along with answers to questions such as "How can I get my baby to gain more weight".

 

This OP makes me so glad that my kids rarely see the doctor.

Edited December 17, 2009 by Lovedtodeath

[stripe]

And why in the world does it matter if she's on cow milk? That is not a substitute for breastmilk, nor is it necessary for any child to have. It's fine if she wants it, but it really shouldn't matter if she doesn't.

What a good point. What is the exact nutritional benefit to drinking cow's milk over breastmilk? Given that human milk is presumably more nutritious for humans, and cow milk for calves/cattle. There are plenty of human cultures where little or no milk is consumed by adults, so it's clearly not a requirement for life.

[MelanieM]

What a good point. What is the exact nutritional benefit to drinking cow's milk over breastmilk? Given that human milk is presumably more nutritious for humans, and cow milk for calves/cattle. There are plenty of human cultures where little or no milk is consumed by adults, so it's clearly not a requirement for life.

 

There isn't a nutritional benefit to cow milk over breastmilk. Look at it this way... would you tell the rest of your family that instead of dinner this evenning you're serving milk? Of course not, because milk is a beverage, not a meal. Breastmilk is a meal. The only acceptable replacement for breastmilk is formula (meal replacement) or a well-rounded diet of solids.

[Lovedtodeath]

I don't know if this helps, but I had one like this 14 years ago. To this day, she eats like a hummingbird and fills up quickly only to get hungry again an hour or two later. She is 15, fully grown at 5-feet-1 and weighs 97 pounds. Maybe you could try feeding her solids more often? Actually, that is such good advice I may need to follow it with my 14mo old who weighs about what yours does.

 

Barb

I was 4 foot 10 inches at 14, (and the doctor said I was done growing) 5 foot 4 inches at 15, (size 3) and now I am 5 foot 7, my normal healthy size is 12, about 145 pounds. I wouldn't assume that your daughter is done growing.

[Lovedtodeath]

Oh, the dentist will also tell you that you must brush your child's teeth after nursing before going to sleep and not nurse them in the night. That is false.

 

Breastmilk by itself strengthens teeth. In addition, breastfeeding does not cause milk to pool in the mouth the way a bottle at bed time does.

 

Now, I did find that if your child has not brushed their teeth before breastfeeding that other food in the mouth can cause the breast milk to be very bad for teeth. Some other type of food sugar + breastmilk is like giving your baby soda pop as far as their teeth are concerned.

[Ottakee]

The only thing I would say would be to possibly check with an endocrinologist to test blood sugars, thyroid, and growth hormone.

 

I never nursed as my 3 are all adopted but I would keep that up while giving her lots of good healthy snacks, etc.

 

The endo could help you rule out any health issues. The other thought is food allergies if she has any bowel, stomach, congestion, etc. issues.

 

Did anything change in your diet about 9 months old? How about her--when did she start solids? That is the point where it seems like her weight really stopped increasing.

[hornblower]

I was 4 foot 10 inches at 14, (and the doctor said I was done growing) 5 foot 4 inches at 15, (size 3) and now I am 5 foot 7, my normal healthy size is 12, about 145 pounds. I wouldn't assume that your daughter is done growing.

 

Umm, well, this might be too personal but were you menstruating by then? I wonder because I hear that once girls start full cycles their rate of growth drops off abruptly and they grow little after that, and they do most of their growing in that 12-18 mos before cycles start. Just curious if this was your experience.

[Lovedtodeath]

Umm, well, this might be too personal but were you menstruating by then? I wonder because I hear that once girls start full cycles their rate of growth drops off abruptly and they grow little after that, and they do most of their growing in that 12-18 mos before cycles start. Just curious if this was your experience.

Hornblower, you should know by now that nothing is too personal when you are asking me. :lol:

 

I grew 6 inches the summer before I turned 15. I started menstruating right at turning 15. I grew a couple of more inches after I was 18 though.

[hornblower]

Hornblower, you should know by now that nothing is too personal when you are asking me. :lol:

 

 

:D

 

thanks. Sorry for the hijack. Just curious about how tall my 15yo might end up :)

[kmacnchs]

My dd2 was born at 9 lbs 3 oz (my biggest thus far) and continued to be big until 4-6 mo and then (once food was introduced) did not gain as much and is now our smallest. I only bf her until 12 mo (I was pg w/#3) but to put some pounds on, I made whole milk yogurt, a sugarless strawberry cheesecake (I would give it to her in the evening if she did not eat much that day to pack on the pounds), bread w/flaxseeds, milkshakes, olives... I just tried to find as many high-fat but healthy foods to give to her to make the calories count.

 

Another word on the subject - check to see what you are doing while she is eating. I realized that b/c her sister ate REALLY fast and I got housework done while they were eating, my dd2 did not want to sit still and eat all of her food (she is a SLOW eater). So, I started sitting down with her while she eats and make her sister sit even after she is done (kinda to keep her company) so she will not stop eating just because everyone else has left the table but when she is truly full.

 

Good luck! :)

[Lovedtodeath]

Another word on the subject - check to see what you are doing while she is eating. I realized that b/c her sister ate REALLY fast and I got housework done while they were eating, my dd2 did not want to sit still and eat all of her food (she is a SLOW eater). So, I started sitting down with her while she eats and make her sister sit even after she is done (kinda to keep her company) so she will not stop eating just because everyone else has left the table but when she is truly full.

 

Good luck! :)

Good point! I have to feed my lil guy bites or he hardly eats. He is 2 and a half.

[MissKNG]

Sorry, I haven't read all the posts...

 

Is the 4 times a day nursing her main substance for the day? Though I believe breast milk is the perfect food nutrition-wise, I have a hard time believing it will substantiate an active 15 month old calorie-wise.

 

My baby dd was actually 17lbs, 15 oz at her 12 month check up (and 75% for height) and I started her on solid food a week before she turned 4 months old because nursing alone didn't keep her satisfied for long. Now, at 13 months, she is very (very) active and still very skinny and off breast milk completely.

 

Personally, I would wean her breast milk feeds gradually and increase her solid intake and see what happens.

 

Sorry but the suggestion to keep nursing and NOT tell your pediatrician is terrible advice. :glare: Withholding information or lying to maintain your own agenda is not a good idea. How can her doctor properly recommend options and treat your daughter if you aren't telling him/her the truth?

Edited December 17, 2009 by MissKNG

[Lovedtodeath]

My daughter was always large for her age and she had food allergies, so she hardly at any food at all until she was 19 months old. Really.

[Stacy in NJ]

Lisa, Your advice based on your own experience is really sensible, IMO.

[Parrothead]

If you go with trying to increase calories, be careful about it. My dd lost a lot of weight the year and a half before she had her tonsils out. Because of that when she was able to eat again after her surgery, I put her on an increasing diet. She increased, just a tad too much.

 

Just saying, keep an eye on it.

[lotsofpumpkins]

Oh, the dentist will also tell you that you must brush your child's teeth after nursing before going to sleep and not nurse them in the night. That is false.

 

Breastmilk by itself strengthens teeth. In addition, breastfeeding does not cause milk to pool in the mouth the way a bottle at bed time does.

 

Now, I did find that if your child has not brushed their teeth before breastfeeding that other food in the mouth can cause the breast milk to be very bad for teeth. Some other type of food sugar + breastmilk is like giving your baby soda pop as far as their teeth are concerned.

 

At bedtime I brush her teeth, THEN breastfeed her, then put her to bed.

[lotsofpumpkins]

Sorry, I haven't read all the posts...

 

Is the 4 times a day nursing her main substance for the day? Though I believe breast milk is the perfect food nutrition-wise, I have a hard time believing it will substantiate an active 15 month old calorie-wise.

 

 

 

 

No, she eats quite a bit of solid foods too. She is in her highchair for 3 meals a day, plus has a couple of snacks each day too.

 

I'm really starting to think that the weight loss was from running a fever for a couple of days before the appointment. Although she was still eating, I guess it wasn't much. This morning she's feeling a lot better and ate 2+ scrambled eggs, tator tot casserole, and part of a banana (plus she had nursed a couple of hours before breakfast). Now, even if she hadn't been feeling poorly for a few days, I don't think she would have weighed a lot more than she does. But my sister said that her children both lost at least a pound when sick like that (hers are small too). So, maybe she would have weighed a little over 18 lb. That probably would have been enough for them not to get concerned. The way she's been eating today, I bet she's going to gain some back pretty quickly. I'll probably stop in there and re-weigh her after Christmas and see how she's doing!