Failure to Thrive - Newborn

amother

Hyssop

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 10:03 am

Quote:

small bean wrote:
What is NAET?

This is not regular medical protocol.
Don’t do anything without the approval of your doctor.

NAET is an allergy elimination program. Allergies are not defined as you and I are used to for NAET. It can be anything a body is not processing correctly. The treatment is harmless. No supplements, etc.

I did it out of desperation for 2 of my kids. One is anaphylactic to a bunch of common foods and couldn't touch the foods he was allergic to. His school was not being responsible and I was scared. I heard about NAET and decided it couldn't hurt. We had to stop for outside reasons after a few months, but it definitely helped. As we didn't finish, he still has food allergies, but now can eat some of the foods he was allergic to (actually a non-anaphylactic food, but still allergic to) in the past. My other child has asthma and was in the ER every few months. After NAET treatments, he hasn't been on any steroids or had any trips to the ER for asthma in over 10 years.

amother

Daylily

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 10:34 am

Why would cardiology be so related to FTT?

Ema of 5

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 10:41 am

amother Daylily wrote:

Why would cardiology be so related to FTT?

If the heart is not working correctly, then the body has to expend extra energy (use more calories) to make everything work properly. So baby might be burning too many calories.

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 11:16 am

amother Mustard wrote:

Hi.

My 6mo was/is like this. We started doing weighted feeds and discovered that the problem was poor intake. I don't know why. It just is.

I STILL do weighted feeds and I also pump. One side he doesn't latch well so I pump that side, and for the other side I nurse, weighing him before and after. We have a heter to do this on Shabbat as well, but AYLOR.

He is still at the dropped percentile (3rd) but he is sticking to it BH and not dropping more. For height and head circumference BH we recently saw an increase in percentile. Not for weight yet.

He was never a big spitter, usually happy after feeds, slept well, enough dirty and wet diapers. No real indication of an issue but I had this feeling so when he was 2 weeks old I asked to use the scale to weigh him during a different child's pedi appointment. That's how we discovered the issue.

Why is he like this? I don't know. Not tongue tie.

Do speak to an LC.

Disclaimer: I didn't read the whole thread.

So how many ounce was he taking on weighted feeds? Did it increase over time?

amother

Poinsettia

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 11:42 am

Ema of 5 wrote:

If the heart is not working correctly, then the body has to expend extra energy (use more calories) to make everything work properly. So baby might be burning too many calories.

Exactly. In my baby's case she was eating well but her heart was not working correctly and therefore burning too many calories. She gained in the beginning and then stopped. She was born 6.11 and by two months was 9.8 and stayed between that and 10 pounds until she was about 5 months old. She had heart surgery at 4 months and gained faster afterwards. She was always small but bh is now 2 years old and about 23 pounds. She is gaining on her curve and everyone is super happy with her weight and progress. She also lost all her tummy time due to her heart issue and was in pt from early on. Bh bh she started walking four months ago and you wouldn't be able to tell that by just looking at her today.

I hope you have a simpler answer to your babies poor weight gain but just know bh doctors today are amazing and with the right shaliach your baby will iyh start growing nicely.

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 11:55 am

I just spoke with my doctor and he said he doubts it's a heart issue, based on the way my baby is developing, but I can rule it out with a cardiologist.

amother

Bronze

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 11:59 am

Can you please see dr shanik

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 12:08 pm

amother Bronze wrote:

Can you please see dr shanik

Why is Dr shanik better than gittleman?

amother

Bronze

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 12:10 pm

small bean wrote:

Why is Dr shanik better than gittleman?

He is probably the best at diagnosing in the country

amother

Alyssum

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 12:25 pm

small bean wrote:

I just spoke with my doctor and he said he doubts it's a heart issue, based on the way my baby is developing, but I can rule it out with a cardiologist.

Maybe he’s right that it’s not a cardiac issue (and maybe not) but either way is he not concerned that your baby weighs almost the same as he did when he was born at 2.5 months old????

amother

Ghostwhite

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 12:25 pm

small bean wrote:

I just spoke with my doctor and he said he doubts it's a heart issue, based on the way my baby is developing, but I can rule it out with a cardiologist.

Did he give you next steps?

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 12:47 pm

amother Ghostwhite wrote:

Did he give you next steps?

He wants me to continue increasing calories.

Ema of 5

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 1:32 pm

small bean wrote:

He wants me to continue increasing calories.

How did he suggest you do that?

amother

Crimson

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 1:57 pm

small bean wrote:

I just spoke with my doctor and he said he doubts it's a heart issue, based on the way my baby is developing, but I can rule it out with a cardiologist.

Is he not concerned about the weight issue at all?

amother

Mustard

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 2:10 pm

small bean wrote:

So how many ounce was he taking on weighted feeds? Did it increase over time?

Initially (like at 2-4 weeks) anywhere between 40-110ml per feeding (40 is TINY, way lower than what he needed). But per day he was getting around 400. And he needed to be getting around 480-495, at least. So the doctor told us to make sure he got that amount. And we tried and he still wasn't gaining well - he was gaining, but very slowly, and no catch-up growth as is expected for a baby whose percentile falls due to lack of nutrition, so the doctor told us to try for at least 600. And THEN he started to gain the minimum 150g per week. But still no catch-up growth. However as we kept coming back and there was still the same exact pattern, no catch-up growth but yes the required number of grams per week (plus/minus) the doctor calmed down and said maybe he is just small.

Only around five months, when things settled and he started getting closer to 700ml each day (between 625 and 685, I set a high aim for myself without telling the doctor) did we start to see catch-up growth. But again that doesn't include weight, just height and head circumference, but that's enough for me.

I want to note that breastfed babies' intake doesn't usually change or increase the way formula fed babies' intake does. It usually settles at baby takes Xml per day and that stays pretty stable. Because as they grow they need less per kilo, and breastmilk adjusts to their needs (unlike formula).

So the fact that my baby is now taking more, I think is because he is bigger and stronger, and what he is taking now maybe was what he always needed to be getting each day. This is my first baby I am counting ml with, even the tongue-tied baby I only made sure to feed every two hours (until we clipped the tongue), but I never counted milliliters. So I am really clueless as to what to expect. But BH what matters is that we are now stable.

Also the amount I get pumping has stayed pretty stable and it's a routine now. But sometimes nursing the baby will take 130, 140, 160, and a couple times we even got 170-180. Don't ask me how. But yes it has increased from fighting for everything past 60ml at a nursing, to fighting for everything past 70ml at a nursing, to fighting for everything past 80ml at a nursing. I don't put him back and insist he take more if he's had at least 100ml that feeding.

Also I asked in the neighborhood if anyone had extra breastmilk and a few women gave to me. That is what I used when I realized I needed to top off his meals but didn't have enough pumped to do it, and couldn't pump enough to get enough. I really did not want formula (health reasons, it does have risks) and I felt like another frum woman who had pumped milk to give her own baby, there's not really a risk in taking that milk and giving it to my baby. If the mother would've given it to hers then it is almost certainly safe. I definitely credit those women with the fact that I was able to get into a routine pumping and produce enough to make sure my baby would have enough to eat without formula.

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 3:08 pm

amother Mustard wrote:

Wow. Thank you for writing this up.

What scale do you have?

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 3:09 pm

amother Crimson wrote:

Is he not concerned about the weight issue at all?

He is. But he doesn't just send to specialists until he rules out regular stuff.

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 3:11 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

How did he suggest you do that?

Adding more formula to his diet

amother

Mustard

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 3:12 pm

small bean wrote:

Wow. Thank you for writing this up.

What scale do you have?

I'm in Israel, so we borrowed a digital baby scale from Yad Sarah. (You pay a deposit and get it back when you return the item.)

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 3:15 pm

His head circumference is fine. It's on the curve.