Failure to Thrive - Newborn

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 12:21 am

amother Catmint wrote:

Geneticist. Did many, many tests including genetic testing, blood and urine organic acids, lactate, pyruvate, ammonia levels. Ended with skin biopsy and muscle biopsy for confirmation of diagnosis.

FTT at the level you’re describing is not something to wait on.

Thank you.

amother

Lightcoral

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 12:28 am

small bean wrote:

I did not and I can't be sure. But I do also feed him via bottle and if I feed right after he breastfed than he will spit up -as it's too much at a time.

I highly recommend you do this first before running to check your baby into the hospital. According to your recent post, your baby is gaining about 1/3 of an ounce per day, which according to 2 lactation consultants that I've seen is the bottom of what they consider acceptable. A baby will only gain as much as it's fed. If you don't know for sure what baby is taking in, you don't know what he's gaining is ok according to that.

Mommyg8

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 1:04 am

I can't believe nobody mentioned this yet...

Some babies have a high palette (or something similar) which causes them not to suck well and they don't get enough milk/calories. I'm not saying this is the issue, but I wonder if there's a way to check it out through a lactation consultant who's trained in this area (I used Rivkah Schwartz many, many years ago. I have no idea who does this now).

amother

Butterscotch

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 4:09 am

My baby was FTT, he was born 90th percentile and at 2 months was in the 9th percentile.
One day when he spit up a few times, I took him to the ER and exaggerated a bit in order to get him hospitalized. Told them he spit up so much and was lethargic. We were admitted and in 3 days they were able to do every test imaginable to find out the problem. There was a whole team of pediatric GI specialists and nutritionists trying to figure it out, with blood and milk tests and ultrasounds and lactation consultants. In those 3 days they did tests that would have taken me months if I had to get him to each one separately. And in the long run it was cheaper.

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 8:05 am

amother Lightcoral wrote:

Thank you. I will look into it

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 8:12 am

amother Butterscotch wrote:

And what was it in the end?

amother

Hosta

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 8:24 am

Ema of 5 wrote:

Not spitting up, projectile vomiting. Like need towels to clean it up, not paper towels. Like 1015 times a day, 2-3 times each time. It’s awful. Yet somehow, BH he is an overall happy baby. He will sometimes have some of his bottle, throw up, then have more as if nothing happened. He’s also very congested, since birth, which is from reflux.

How old is your baby?

Have you ruled out pyloric stenosis?

Ema of 5

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 8:42 am

amother Hosta wrote:

How old is your baby?

Have you ruled out pyloric stenosis?

My baby is 7m. BH we ruled out pyloric stenosis and any physical issues. He has super duper, heavy duty, hard core reflux. I just want to point out that we wouldn’t have gotten here without the GI. My ped, at 4m, told me to start solids, which my baby absolutely refused. First he told me not to add oatmeal to his bottles, and then he told me to add oatmeal but didn’t tell me to increase the amount of formula. He also had him on a very low dose of Pepcid. The GI sent us immediately (like within a day or two of our initial appointment) for an ultrasound to rule out pyloric stenosis. Last Friday we went for an upper gi series to see if there were any issues there. BH it was negative. So now we are trying solids again, and his bottle have 5oz water, 6 scoops of formula, and 5 tsp of baby oatmeal. We go through a container of formula every 1 1/2- 2 days. He said I don’t need to switch him to a sensitive formula because it’s not a stomach issue, so it likely won’t make a difference. He will also be getting feeding therapy, hopefully starting in the next few weeks.

amother

Electricblue

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 8:46 am

This thread is making me so anxious. OP, I'm probably old enough to be your mother. I've been through lots of medical stuff with some of my kids and learned quick not to trust doctors to be on top of everything. They see a lot of patients and have a lot on their plates. They can miss things, especially if you seem calm and unworried. Please please please don't rely on your doctor. I could tell you stories that would make your head spin about my kids' doctors missing major things. I learned not to trust a doctor who takes a "wait and see" approach. You need to drop whatever else you have going on today and take your baby to a good children's hospital. You can't wait for specialists' appointments that are going to be weeks or months away.

Ema of 5

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 8:53 am

amother Electricblue wrote:

With all due respect, I disagree. I agree that less aren’t always the most well versed, but there is a time and place for “wait and see.”
With regard to specialists, I got an appointment for two days after I called the GI, because my baby was an infant and wasn’t gaining weight. He also got an immediate appointment for the ultrasound and upper gi series, again because of his age and the concerns. I made both appointments, the GI didn’t have anyone work us in. I don’t think OP needs to panic and run to the hospital, but I do think it’s time to move beyond the pediatrician. Find a very good cardiologist and a very good GI. At the same time, also find someone well versed in ties. I went to an ENT who came highly recommended by the ladies in my community. There is a difference between panic and being on top of things.

amother

Cornsilk

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 8:59 am

Ema of 5 wrote:

Have you ruled out allergies? My daughter had reflux until we got her allergy tested and eliminated those foods from her diet.

Ema of 5

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 9:03 am

amother Cornsilk wrote:

Have you ruled out allergies? My daughter had reflux until we got her allergy tested and eliminated those foods from her diet.

The only allergy that would affect him at this point would be dairy, because he doesn’t nurse and he only had food for the first time yesterday. There are no foods in his diet. Oh wait…he sucks on bamba 😂

small bean

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 9:34 am

Ema of 5 wrote:

I had a baby like this. We ended up in the hospital for a week because even with the extra calories and thickening, he didn't gain adequately, due to projectile vomiting. The hospital stay did not give us any clues. I ended up taking him to an allergist somewhere else and he had ulcerative colitis, which he grew out of at around age 7. Once we got that diagnosis things changed for him. It's really tough.

My baby now does not have any signs that indicate GI issues or allergies.

amother

Mustard

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 9:42 am

small bean wrote:

My baby is 2.5 months old, born full term at 7.5lb - He is now 7.13

My doctor has not been helpful so I'm looking for someone whose baby, did not seem to have any underlying cause for FTT and what they did.

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.

Ema of 5

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 9:46 am

small bean wrote:

BH my baby is gaining, just very very slowly. I was all excited because he didn’t throw up yesterday at all, but I just gave him a bottle, and he covered himself, the high chair tray, and the floor….

amother

Daisy

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 9:46 am

sorry don't have time to read through the whole thread. But I went through this with my oldest daughter. first baby. thought I was nursing great. but it was inadequate. wasn't latched on well enough so wasn't getting enough. finally got a lactation consultant in when she was about 2 months old and doctors were getting very concerned. lactation consultant help me adjust what I was doing wrong. baby started to gain a lot fast and started to thrive BH.
Call a lactation consultant asap!