Question for Voodoo and the other moms...

[Val]

I took Kieran to the Dr. today. He was feeling bad all night and had a fever, moaning etc... He's a few days shy of 6 months and when they weighed him I was SHOCKED!!! He's only put on 3 oz. since his 4 month appt. but grown a lot in length. How much should he be eating at this point. I'm still giving him over 32 oz of milk a day plus two bowls of cereal that are about 1/4 cup. The main problem with feeding him other baby food is his reflux. He spits up large quantities of food all day long and when I've tried jar food everything we own ends up that color. I'm so upset and concerned for my little guy. He is 26 1/4" and 15lbs 12 oz. Is this normal? He was 15/9 at 25" at 4 months. Any ideas on packing on some baby fat for my little man?

[Janus]

I hope he puts on some more weight...

[McKenzie]

Was the physician concerned about his reflux/spitting up? Babies tend to have rapid growth spurts, where they might put on half a pound or two inches in a month. Other times they may gain only an ounce or two and grow half an inch. But the doctor is looking for an overall pattern on his growth chart. What percentile was he in for height and weight? I believe 14-20 lbs is average/healthy for a 6-month-old.

I saw his pic...he's a cutie pie.

[Val]

Thanks McKenzie, I think so too. He's been on medication for the reflux, but it's never seemed to help at all, so I stopped giving it to him. He's just so little, I hate to medicate him if it's not having a positive effect. I know a couple of other mothers who have had babies w/ reflux and they say that it just has to run it's course and usually by 9 months or so, it subsides a bit. The Dr. didn't say a word about him not growing,or what percentile he was in b/c it wasn't a "well-baby checkup". I'm just surprised that she didn't seem at all concerned. He's not unhappy, so I guess that's all I have to go by.

[FelineCougar]

Hi Val,
From the sound of it your baby is on formula. I am sorry that I am not an expert on babies who are weaned, but want to offer this info that we hold true for breastfed babies. Your baby is not much different.

Weight increase is a small part in the assessment of your son's health. If your baby is eating well, smiling, peeing, pooping and meeting most of the "textbook" milestones for his age, he is almost definitely healthy and getting enough food in spite of not sticking to any particular curve or line on the growth chart. If the opposite is occurring, it really doesn't matter how big he's getting or how much weight he's gaining.

Increase in head circumference and height might actually be more important numbers than weight. Neither, however, play as big a role in assessment as the underlined "measurements" in the preceding paragraph.

If you have been told that weight gain is not acceptable, look hard at this list of questions:

Is your baby eager to eat?
Is your baby peeing and pooping well?
Is your baby's urine either clear or very pale yellow?
Are your baby's eyes bright and alert?
Is your baby's skin a healthy color and texture?
Is your baby moving its arms and legs vigorously?
Are baby's nails growing?
Is your baby meeting developmental milestones?
Is your baby's overall disposition happy and playful?
Yes, your baby sleeps a lot, but when your baby is awake does he have periods of being very alert?
If you have answered yes to the above questions, you may want to progress on to two important questions which the "charts" seem to ignore.

How tall is mom?
How tall is dad?
If someone were to ask you what weight a 33 year old man should be, you would laugh. The range of possibilities varies according to height, bone structure, ethnicity and many other factors. Yet babies are expected to fit onto charts distributed throughout the country with no regard to genetics, feeding choice or almost anything else.

Older babies, 2 to 12 months of age, grow at varying rates. Weight gain should not be used as a major criterion of good health. Developmental milestones and interaction with parents and others are more important.

Is there allergies in your family? If so is the baby on cows milk baby formula. Why not try soy? Are you feeding the baby natural organic baby cereal? Most commercial baby cereals are to highly iron fortified. What does iron do to us in artificial form...back up everything. Oats being good for us is great first food for your baby too. Toss dry oats in food processor and grind it up. Is your baby getting that nasty VitD sup? Stop that crap. Was your baby on Reglan? In Canada we have domperidone not reglan. Maybe hook up with an online pharmacy in Canada for it.
I use to say spitting up is a laundry problem. More shit to wash. Only once a new mom asked me, "you mean it's my laundry soap causing this?" LOL
Merconium happens- so does puke.

(side note)..my 14 yr old is only 92 lbs and wears a size 24 jean. She only started her period last year. Yet my 23 yr old was my size..125 lbs at 14 and she was wearing my clothing back then. She started her period at 11. Sigh...They do grow up healthy inspite of charts and our worries.

[Voodoo]

Val, I have not made it to her 6 month check up yet. That is scheduled on the 11th of April, so I am not sure of the change in her weight/height. I wish I had some advice to offer but I have just started feeding her rice cereal this week. She hasn't had anything other than breastmilk. She seems to hate the rice cereal as she spits it all out. But she has never had the reflux problem your little guy has. I agree with you 100% about not wanting to medicate such a young baby. My heart goes out to you. I wish I could offer you some comfort. I am so glad that FC has given a wealth of information. Please let us know how he is.

FC, the doctor told me to give Sofia Enflamil's Tri-Vi-Sol (Vitamin A, D & C) I really only give it to her about once a week. He told me to give it to her daily, but I heard that too much vitamins can cause food allergies. Is that the reason why you say to stop giving it? Or are there other reasons its not good?

[FelineCougar]

DOES A BREASTFEEDING INFANT NEED EXTRA VITAMINS?


"I have a 4-month-old boy, who is exclusively breastfed and growing perfectly. At his 4-month visit to the pediatrician, the doctor told me to start him on a vitamin supplement (Tri Vi Sol), since he's breastfeeding. I thought the best thing I could do for him was to breastfeed? I don't understand why I need to give him extra vitamins. (Not to mention that this product has coloring and flavoring added - WHY?) My husband is worried about not getting enough vitamin D in the winter without supplementation. Is he right? Please advise!"

Unless their doctor determines otherwise, exclusively breastfed term infants do not need extra vitamins. Human milk contains all of the essential vitamins. As long as your infant is getting enough milk, he or she is getting enough vitamins. Commercial formulas also contain all the essential vitamins, providing your infant consumes the entire can of formula each day. If your infant averages thirty-two ounces of formula (one liter) a day, extra vitamins are unnecessary unless he needs extra nutrition – for prematurity, for example. If and when your infant drinks less than this amount of formula each day, supplemental vitamins are advised depending on the consistent intake of solid foods. Regarding vitamin D: unless you live above the artic circle, you will get enough sunlight for your body to make the needed amounts of vitamin D.


A good site Voo to check out all the anti Mead Johnson info at is
INFACT CANADA.

La Leche League International’s THE BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK, 3rd Edition, lists the following risk factors for vitamin D deficiency:

Dark skin
Consistent coverage of skin with clothing or sunscreen when outdoors
Live in areas where there is little sunlight for parts of the year or do not go outdoors
Live in areas of heavy air pollution, which blocks sunlight
Mother is vitamin D deficient
Other risk factors include:

increased birth order
exposure to lead
and the replacement of human milk with foods low in calcium or foods that reduce calcium absorption

[Voodoo]

Oh geesh.....I live in Florida....we get tooo much sun... YAY, I'm throwing that shit in the garbage! I also hated giving it to her becasue she hated it so much...her little face would get all squished up and she'd look at me like WTF!?

FC....what about the rice cereal....I can't get her to eat it. I even mix it with breastmilk to make it sweet and she still spits it out!

[FelineCougar]

Vooo, Take your long cooking oats and toss the dry stuff in the blender. Process it till it's oat flour. Cook it up for her, more or less like cream of wheat. White processed rice is what we feed to people in 3rd world countries. It's the taste that is god awful. I call that shit that Gerber makes "wall paper paste". My dog would not eat it. Why give it to my baby for her first taste of food with substance?

Take some ripened banana and smash it in to to oats. Banana taste like breastmilk..sweet. ...give me a min to find first food ideas on the net.

[FelineCougar]

Baby cereal is made from refined grain that has been processed and precooked. Refined grains have nothing to offer but carbohydrates. Whole grains, on the other hand, contain not only carbohydrates but also protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and essential minerals...
...perhaps playing to the fears of conscientious parents, baby food manufacturers typically fortify their infant cereals with electrolytic iron. Unfortunately, this is one of the least absorbable forms of artificial iron. It will, however, stick to the flakes without settling to the bottom of the box. Ferrous sulfate, a more absorbable form of iron, can affect the flavor and appearance of the cereal.
Artificial iron wouldn't be required at all if the companies used whole grain for their cereals, especially such nutrient dense varieties as quinoa and millet, which have naturally occurring iron. If you are breastfeeding your baby (Babies absorb iron from breastmilk better than from iron-fortified formulas,) eating a well-balanced diet, and using whole grain cereal for your baby, you should not have to worry about iron.



Whole Grain Baby Cereal
These grains were chosen because they were the least allergenic and the easiest to digest.
Choose one: 1 cup short-grain brown rice
1 cup millet
1 cup quinoa
1 cup sweet brown rice

Toast grain: Place grains in a fine strainer; rinse and drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread grains on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until they give off a nutty aroma. (12 to 15 min.) Let toasted grains cool and then store in a covered container.
You can also toast the grains in a skillet on med. heat, stirring constantly, until grains give off a nutty aroma. (5 to 8 minutes)
Grind grain: For optimum nutrition, grind the toasted grains in a small electric grinder or food processor just prior to using; once a grain is ground it begins to lose its nutritional value within 24 to 48 hours.
Cook ground grain into cereal: Mix together 2 to 3 tablespoons of ground cereal and 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water in a small pot. Bring to a boil. reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 5 min.

Note from FC ...Feed your baby what you would eat....I don't eat Hamburger Helper...why should my baby? No time to make home made baby food...shop the organic aisle of stores or shop at WHOLE FOODS stores. I so wish we had Whole Foods Stores in Canada!