Similar Questions
Member
Member
Member
Hi Leanne,
my 4 month old son has just started Farex on the advice of our community health nurse as he has been only gaining weight very slowly (he`s just 5.8kg - his birth weight was 4.2kg). However I remain a little concerned about his weight as he has dropped a percentile band within a month, but at 66.5cm long he is in the higher percentile bands for length. Is it unusual for babies to be in the higher bands for length and the bottom for weight? I realise it`s very early on but it does worry me.
Is it likely feeding him the Farex once a day will make a significant difference to his weight? I am still breastfeeding him 6 times a day and as mentioned offering him a small tablespoon of Farex at around midday (he eats it all). My GP has suggested I also start giving him formula at night as he is still feeding several times during the night. Would this option also help to increase his weight?
I feel like I shouldn`t be so pre-occupied with his weight but I just want to be reassured I have been doing the right things in order to ensure he actually develops to his potential.
Kind regards
Shan
I have to say that to me your intuition is on the right track. We can get so much advice that our own inner knowledge gets `over talked`. You are on the right track that Farex isnt very sustaining. Rice cereal is very easy to digest (deliberately for young bubs), but if you compare it to the same amount of breastmilk which has 54% fat it is in no way sustaining or ideal for weight gain. Rice cereal is very high GI so is rapidly absorbed and used by the body, it has no fat and little protein. To be honest avocado puree would be a more ideal starter.
Yes, formula would most likely add weight to baby. Formula fed bubs tend to be plumper than breastfeed bubs and formula is more dense and sits longer in baby`s tummy.
So with this information I `pass the ball` back to you to decide if you want to continue with solids (perhaps something a little more dense though), which tend to be less sustaining. An extra breastfeed is likely to offer baby more nutrition and calories for a 4-month-old than solids. And you may also like to decide if you are going to aim to exclusive breastfeed or complimentary feed with formula. I think it is worth keeping in mind when you decide that as you have trialed solids, formula is not much of a different `food` to introduce and you have in a sense already moved away from exclusive feeding as advised.
I hope that helps your decision, I think to me it sounds like you have good instincts and may be best served by those. Yes, it does happen that you have long and lean bubs, like adults babies come in all different shapes and sizes. If you or your partner are long and lean baby may just be heading towards a genetically determined weight. What most health care professionals tend to look for is consistency on each of the growth markers, that baby remains on about the same percentile for each not the same percentile for all of them. They do shift over the first 6 months most but can make small adjustments over 2 years.
All things with babies are important so I think it very natural to be concerned, I don`t think it is a pre-occupation at all. You cant help but watch these markers after all we are told they are important to track.
So I hope this eases or mind and helps with going forward.
Fingers crossed.
All the best to you both,
Leanne