Worried mom!

Xiomara - posted on 01/20/2010

i think she fine my son is 5 months and he weighed 15 pounds

Brittany - posted on 01/20/2010

It really depends on what your doctor thinks. She could be growing slowly and as to the throwing up i have no clue since your breastfeeding but my son pukes if he dont burp him well enough...she could be getting too much gas or some babies do have a condition where the flap over their stomach is too long and doesnt close properly causing a lot of spit up...some they have to fix with surgery and some they just grow into and it's fine. We're not doctors though, you may want to call your Ped.

Jennifer - posted on 01/20/2010

What did the doctor say? Some babies do grow slower so I would just talk to her Ped. or get a second opinion if you're still worried. She's 4 months now so you can actually add some cereal with breast milk and feed it to her. That sould help with the spitting up. I didn't want to give my daughter formula so at 4 1/2 months I just added 1 tablespoon of rice cereal with water or breastmilk once a day and she loved it and was a lot happier and spit up a lot less. I still nursed her for that feeding she she still got plenty of breast milk I just added a little food on top of her nursing schedule. Good luck :)

Tanya - posted on 01/20/2010

hi my daughter from 1 month old to 4 and half months had gastrick and acid reflux which cause baby to be sick all the time it may be because she has this try going to ur gp or hospital they gave us gaviscon infant but it gave her constipation so ask for domperidone and omperzole helps keep the milk down but my girl is still under weight but its a small weight gain and they may have to put a tube down her noes she is 13lb and 15oz born on the 31st aug 09 at 957 am and good luck with it

Melanie - posted on 01/19/2010

My Mum used to call it a 'compulsory cuddle'. My first baby was diagnosed with reflux and all the doctor told me to do was burp her, upright, over my shoulder for 20 mins. It worked out well. We went for walks around the garden and to the neighbours. The only problem is, when to stop. Once they start sitting themselves up, the reflux resolves itself. Also, it's probably time to start drawing out the time between feeds. And I ended up sleeping my daughter on her tummy.

Renata - posted on 01/16/2010

As long as the baby is content and still putting on weight then don't worry about it.

My little girl was born on the 20th August at 3.2kg and 50cm. At 4 months she was still under 6kg and 63cm long. So tall and thin. I breastfed for 3 months and then she was throwing up a lot, eating every hour or two... long story short... my milk was like water and had nothing of value in it. I used up the rest of the breastmilk I had stored and formula as well. But she still wasn't very happy so just before 4 months I started her on solids and since then she has been very content and eating and sleeping well. She is still classified as tall and thin, but she is happy, so thats all I care about.

All babies are different and as long as they are content, don't worry about size charts.

Rebecca - posted on 01/15/2010

oh...and if it's actually vomit instead of spit up, (vomit's more chunky) it could be an intollerancy to dairy or wheat..or somethin' like that. try skim or soy milk instead. good luck :)

Rebecca - posted on 01/15/2010

your baby will be fine. spitting up is more of a worry for your washer than anything. try burping her between breasts(they say breastfed babies don't need to burp, but i think that's all a pile of poopie. all babies get air in their bellies one way or another be it crying, eating from a bottle, etc.) both of my neices were "happy spitters" and they're just as heathly as any other baby. when she starts to sit up by herself, the spitting up will stop. 11lbs is a healthy weight for a 4month old. she's just going to be tall and skinny. don't listen to anyone. they're crazy. atleast that's what i tell myself :P. my daughter was 13lbs at her 4month check up and 26inches. so they're pretty much the same size. keep up the good work and don't worry yourself over just a little spittums.

Shanna - posted on 01/14/2010

My daughter had a problem with spitting up alot of what she ate after eating it and when I started cereal which I am assuming you might be starting soon.. that really helped her .. she completly stopped.

Erin - posted on 01/14/2010

Don't worry - as long as she is growing on her own scale, she should be ok. My 2nd daughter was a teeny one. She ate a lot - but was only 11lbs at 6 months. The Drs weren't too worried - because she was gaining and growing and happy. Now at 2 she's 28 lbs. I didn't add formula either - she was BF until 9 months and I added baby cereal and foods at 6 months. Adding other things didn't make her gain weight more - she stayed on her own little curve. Only been sick once, too - so she's healthy! Good Luck!

Kimberly - posted on 01/13/2010

Hi. She may just be eating too much. By the completion of one month, your baby can tell you when she is hungry. You do not need to feed her on a schedule.

Christina - posted on 01/13/2010

hi..my baby girl was born on august 28th. I breastfeed too. I actually started supplementing her with formula starting at 4 pm with a little bit of rice cereal. She weighs 12 lbs 13 oz.. so i think its working. it also fills her tummy so she sleeps longer through the night. try it :)

Sabrina - posted on 01/12/2010

well she sounds healthy to me. my son was 15 lbs and 25 inches at 4 1/2 weeks. but boys always weigh more than girls. I know a little girl that is 5 months older than my boy and weighes the same and is the same height. unless the dr said they are worried about her weight i think your fine. besides the dr should have told you her percentile as well.

Tiffany - posted on 01/12/2010

Not to worry if her vomiting is due to acid reflux (both my daughters had it) - just keep a good watch on her weight/growth. If you don't know the source of her vomiting you need to find out. My oldest one was always between 25-50 percentile on height & weight however she's a happy, healthy 11 yr old who is in the gifted program :D

Jackie - posted on 01/12/2010

my daughter will be 5 months in 4 days and at her last dr. appt. 2 weeks ago she was 12 lbs 6 oz. she drinks formula and eats baby food. she has gained weight since she was born so the dr. wasnt concerned. some babies are just smaller than others. my daughter threw up a lot too when she was first born until we switched her to enfamil ar. it has been a godsend!!!

Deborah - posted on 01/12/2010

Some babies are just tiny...my little one is a puker too, my first wasn't. Both were/are exclusively breastfed. My doc put J on rice cereal at 2 months to help with the spitting up and weight gain and hes doing great hes been off the rice cereal and eating baby food for about a month now. Since she is 4 moths you may want to try rice cereal (I made mine with breastmilk) or 1st step baby foods! Formula is one option but there are ways to help your baby without using formula. Breastfed babies are generally a bit smaller than formula babies because they are less likely to overeat. The most important thing is that your doc says your baby is healthy. My son was barely over 12 lbs. at his 4 month but healthy as can be...my daughter was already 18 lbs. at her 4 month. Some babies are chunkers while others are models from day 1 lol :)

Romancia - posted on 01/12/2010

my 4month old weighed 16lbs, she is only breast fed and drinks alot! if she wasnt so big people would think i don't feed her the way she gets on when its feeding time, she sleeps alot also... what i do is i express milk so i know that she gets about 4-8 oz 5dasy a week plus whatever she takes from me when i breast feed her (i express and freeze because i'm a full time student) but when shes sick i give her expressed milk so i can be sure shes getting a good amount after she spits up after being breast fed

Crystal - posted on 01/11/2010

I tried breastfeeding but my daughter spit up alot too and the doc put her on enfamil soy formula and now she is doing great! the spitting up has almost completely gone away and she seems happier

Athena - posted on 01/11/2010

My son was born August 22, 2009. He is exclusively breatfed and has not started any soilds yet. He spit up a lot and was gassy quite often. I found out last week that he is allergic to the cow's milk in my diet that is passing into my breastmilk. Before I consider weaning, I am eliminating all dairy from my own diet. So far he isn't spitting up as much. Before you consider formula, talk to the doctor about treating the baby for reflux with medication and consult a lactation specialist. There are so many reasons a baby could be experiencing reflux, and weaning does not have to occur if you are dedicated to finding a solution that will work for your child. I would never have considered an allergy to be the culpret behind my baby's reflux. Good luck!

Latoya - posted on 01/11/2010

To me that seems very low. My baby girl was that weight at 2mths. She's 4mths now and weighing 16pds.

Lindsey - posted on 01/11/2010

Quoting Allison:

My child is 11.2 pounds and 25.5 inches tall. she was born August 23. It is not unusual. as long as she is gaining shes fine. My daughter has been diagnosed with extreme reflux. She throws about almost everything she eats. she is not able to breastfeed due to complications after delivery with me and the fact that she didnt want it. You could try Enfamil AR but all that is, is formula mixed with rice cereal. which is what they tell you do to anyway. It is a somewhat expensive formula. its easier to just put a little rice cereal in with the formula or breastmilk in a bottle. Also talk to you doctor about doing an ultrasound or an upper GI. My daughter had both to rule out pyloric stenosis but if shes not losing a dramatic amount and shes not projectile vomitting it wont be that, which my daughter was but it was still just reflux. Also, you could ask about meds. The first one they will start her out on is zantac. it is given in a liquid. Next they will try prevacid if that doesnt work. The hard thing about that is it is only offered in capsules so we have to open the capsule and dump it in her formula. I hope this helps. I know it is very frustrating and worrying. We have been dealing with this since day 1 and it can be very stressful. Just hang in there it will get better. My daughter has been on every formula and every medicine they have and nothing has worked. She is still on prevacid and it mainly just is helping with the pain caused from the reflux. I hope some of this helps.

Allison--- My daugheter is on Prevacid and she was prescribed the solutabs, so if you don't like the capsules ask your doctor about the solutabs!

Lindsey - posted on 01/11/2010

My daughter is also at the small end of the scale, at 5 months she weighs 13.5 lbs. She has reflux and had colic when she was younger. She used to throw up entire feedings in one gag during middle-of-the-night feedings. The reflux medicine and age helped a lot with this! Did you discuss the spitting up with your doctor? Prevacid has been a life saver for us! And keep up with the breastfeeding! Even if you have to try elimination diets (yes I did them) to rule out possible food allergies, it is worth it to give your daughter the best food possible!

JANA - posted on 01/11/2010

hay youve had heaps of great ideas from ppl already but i must agree with using a rug under the sheet of her cot folded to prop her up a bit and to feed her a bit less burp then feed, my boy had it for a few wks and it helped. also formula once a day on top of breast helped. good luck x

Jessica - posted on 01/11/2010

My son weighed about the same amount when I had him at the doctor' s not too long ago. He said that it wasn't too much to worry about that maybe he was slowing down because he wasn't going to be a large child especially since I am petite. Spitting up after every feeding is normal, and she still is getting everything that she needs. Try burping her more often while you are feeding her, and making sure she isn't upset and crying when you go to feed her because that will cause her to spit up more. Then keep her upright for at least 15 min after every feeding even if she falls asleep to allow the food to settle and begin to digest in her stomach. If you are concerned that it may be reflux you may want to talk to the doctor about maybe altering your diet to see if it helps.

Joanne - posted on 01/11/2010

My second son was born 29th August and he throws up a lot after every meal. It is just starting to get better this week since I've given him a little bit of solids. He always seemed perfectly happy after bringing the milk back (if not a little bit hungry!!) but I was feeding (and still am sometimes) every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. He now weighs nearly double his birth weight. As long as your little one has gained weight and continues to gain weight steadily then I wouldn't worry. They all develop at different rates.

Rebecca - posted on 01/11/2010

My first son had the same problem and the doctor told me that he has a protein allergy, but me on a "milk-free" diet and prescribed a baby formula that is for babies with allergies. 3 years later, he can eat almost anything, he is still small, but healthy.

Wisal - posted on 01/10/2010

my daughter was 12 pounds at 4 months, I asked the doctor if she was small but she said she is average..so I don't think you should worry.

Kelly - posted on 01/10/2010

Don't pay too much attention to weight and height charts. Not every baby is the same. As long as she is still putting on weight, as long as she is happy and content, thats all that matters. I have 3 year old twin girls who are little (they were 8 weeks early, 2lb 11oz & 2lb 12oz) and still little, but they are happy kids. I never paid too much attention to all that stuff. Now I have a 5 month old (born 1st August, 8lb 1oz) who is a cubby round thing but he isn't that long (about 62cm). None of it matters. I breast fed twins for 6 months and I am still feeding 5 month old. At night I express and put farex in his bottle cause he needs a bigger thicker feed of an evening to sustain him through the night. But during the day he feeds between 3-5 hourly. Let her tell you when she is hungry. Relax and don't go too much on "Standard" heigh and weight charts. My 5 month old spits up every feed ( not so much now ). You'll find when she starts to sit up more and gets stonger her esophagus will strengthen and the spews will become less frequent and less of an amount. Talk to your doctor.

Allison - posted on 01/10/2010

My child is 11.2 pounds and 25.5 inches tall. she was born August 23. It is not unusual. as long as she is gaining shes fine. My daughter has been diagnosed with extreme reflux. She throws about almost everything she eats. she is not able to breastfeed due to complications after delivery with me and the fact that she didnt want it. You could try Enfamil AR but all that is, is formula mixed with rice cereal. which is what they tell you do to anyway. It is a somewhat expensive formula. its easier to just put a little rice cereal in with the formula or breastmilk in a bottle. Also talk to you doctor about doing an ultrasound or an upper GI. My daughter had both to rule out pyloric stenosis but if shes not losing a dramatic amount and shes not projectile vomitting it wont be that, which my daughter was but it was still just reflux. Also, you could ask about meds. The first one they will start her out on is zantac. it is given in a liquid. Next they will try prevacid if that doesnt work. The hard thing about that is it is only offered in capsules so we have to open the capsule and dump it in her formula. I hope this helps. I know it is very frustrating and worrying. We have been dealing with this since day 1 and it can be very stressful. Just hang in there it will get better. My daughter has been on every formula and every medicine they have and nothing has worked. She is still on prevacid and it mainly just is helping with the pain caused from the reflux. I hope some of this helps.

Nahla - posted on 01/10/2010

Thank you everyone :) Amber, she was 8.95 Pounds at birth. Doc once said that she should double her birth weight at 6 months and im thinking, no was will she gain almost 6 pounds in 2 months. after posting my question, i tried giving her formula but she just hated it and we had a horrible night of constant pain and crying :( i have also introduced a spoon of orange juice and she LOVED IT!

Amber - posted on 01/08/2010

How much did she weigh when she was born? I don't understand the concern. As long as she is steadily putting on weight.... My daughter is almost 5 months... also 23 inches, and 13 lbs.

Joelle - posted on 01/08/2010

I have a friend thats son kept throwing up as well, he thought that he was never full and kepted taking milk (too much) Her doctor told her too start him on solids. Maybe its something you could talk too your Dr about.

Nichole - posted on 01/08/2010

I wouln't worry. When my LO was born he was 8lbs 19" At 5 months he is 18lbs and 26 1/2". All babies grow at their own pace. I BF and supplement. Your LO is just right. Don't worry. All babies spit up too. ;)

Kristin - posted on 01/08/2010

My daughter was born on the same day and i had her 4 mont appt today and she was 12.8 pounds and 24 inches...so just about the same as your's. I have about the same feeding schedule as yours and i breastfeed. My dr. said Lexi is doing great. As long as your daughter is progressing, i wouldn't worry. Remember the top percentile of the growth chart is really overweight. Big really isn't always better!

Haley - posted on 01/08/2010

My son was born August 3rd. He was 6lb 1oz, 19.5 inches at birth. At his 4 month checkup he was only 10lb 11oz & 23 3/4 inches long! He to is exclusively breastfed! My doctor was a little worried at his 8wk checkup when he only weighed 7lb 14oz but after going every 2 weeks for weight checks, for about 1 month, the doctor now realizes he's just a small guy! He doesn't worry about him at all now! He has not suggested I supplement, which is good, b/c I don't plan on it if possible!! My mom went with me to one of his appts & reassured his pediatrician that, as a baby, I was the same way & so was she! My mom breastfed me for 8 months & I was just small!! I wouldn't worry about her! Enjoy her being small, they're much easier to get around!!

Carrie - posted on 01/07/2010

i had the same problem with my breastfed baby. she would throw up and had really runny bowel movements. i had to stop breastfeeding and try formula. it took me a while to find the right one, but i ended up leaving her on enfamil gentle ease. She is HUGE now. It helped her soooo much. ask your pediatrician about formula or rice cereal.

Melissa - posted on 01/07/2010

I have read that sometimes breastfed babies are a little on the "skinny" side when placed on most percentile charts; however, when you put their weight on the World Health Organization scale (which includes nations that have higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding) they are closer to normal. My baby is exclusively breastfed and at her 4 month well-child exam she was just over 14 pounds and 25 inches long, so yours doesn't sound too terribly off. As for the throwing up, it's totally normal for babies to spit up and it's usually less than it looks like. I'd say if your doc didn't say anything was up, your baby is just fine! Try not to let this scare you away from breastfeeding... formula companies spend a LOT of time capitalizing on nervous moms who are scared their baby isn't getting enough to eat!

Tracy - posted on 01/06/2010

As long as your daughter is still on her same growth curve there is nothing to worry about. She can be at the 10th percentile for height and the 5th percentile for weight and as long as she is staying at this same rate from birth she is still growing and is perfectly fine. Don't worry until she falls out of her growth curve. Secondly I have 2 daughters one is just shy of 5 months and the other one of 15 months. Both of them spit up a lot and drooled starting around 4 months it was a lot worse. They were (and are) teething. They chew on their hands and there is so much spit and everything they spit it back up because the valve at the bottom is not developed enough to stay closed on its own, it tends to be worse in preemies. My doctor instructed me to keep them up right for 30 minutes after eating, could try over the counter gas drops (actually had me try Mylanta too), also if bottle feeding try the ventaire bottles or dr. brown's, or the drop-ins in order to reduce the air intake. Overall keeping them upright helped and buying stock in a bib company LOL as soon as the oldest cut her first tooth she stopped spitting up. So don't worry unless the doctor does.

Kaylah - posted on 01/06/2010

Could it be possible that she has acid reflux? That would explain the weight and the throwing up alot- ask your doc what he thinks, and if writes it off, maybe get a second opinion.

Shawna - posted on 01/06/2010

Your babies weight sounds very similar to my daughter who was born Aug 4th and is exclusively breastfed. I would talk to your dr about your concerns about her size as she may just be a petite little girl who is on a lower growth curve. Also mention the "spit up" and your concern about the amount. As long as she is consistently gaining weight and growing there is no need to switch to formula. Breastmilk is best for your baby unless your doctor advises otherwise. Talk to professionals.

Dory - posted on 01/06/2010

My breastfed son is also very small. 10lb 11oz a week before 4mo. He does spit up a lot but it has slowed down a bit in the last month or som. My Dr. wasn't terribly concerned since he hasn't dropped weight at any checkup and it otherwise healthy and happy. Do you have a local LLL. They might at least be able to provide some moral support. If she is meeting her developmental milestones and having lots of wet diapers, I don't think you need to worry.

Hannah - posted on 01/06/2010

It depends on how she is in herself. This sounds like reflux - BUT if she's happy and gaining weight (as others have said it's not the amount that matters it's if they are consistently gaining) then I wouldn't worry about it. If she isn't gaining well or is frequently unhappy then I woudl consider talking to your doc and getting treatment - that doesn't have to mean formula. my son is five months adn has suffered with silent reflux (less messy but if anything more distressing) since about 6 weeks - he is exclusively breastfed wiht gaviscon after every feed plus other reflux medications, which is helping some. ETA he increasingly struggles to gain weight well and at five months is 13lb 5oz, a centile line or two lower than at birth (7lb)

Dawn - posted on 01/06/2010

this is the same as my baby hun he is 21 weeks and only 10lb9oz hun

he sick with every bottle he now has gaviscon with every bottle and it works a treat hun

he all so had to go on stay down milk as well

xxx

Heather - posted on 01/06/2010

my son was born the same day and he is small too. He's adopted and he is eating formula and that is 6ounces every 4 hours and he's 12.8 pounds and only 22.7 inches. the Dr's say he's too small. I don't have any advice I am sorry but I am glad to know I am not the only one that has a small baby. The weirdest thing is my friend had her little girl on August 31st as well and she is very small too! Maybe it was the day?!

Meagan - posted on 01/06/2010

My little girl was born 24 August & at 4 month check up she was 6.26kg & 63cm. I only breastfeed for about a week and a half after she was born and then my milk just dried up which meant I wasn't producing enough. She also was a colic baby with reflux, the colic is gone now but I still have the reflux. I would burp her 3-4 times during a feed, tilted the mattress & change table, hold her upright after a feed for at least 30 minutes. But I found even on reflux formula, it didn't help. The doc advised her to go on Soy formula and I must admit, the reflux is barely there some days, but others can just be like a fountain that you just can't turn off, lol. I also found that sleeping her on her belly was good for her as for some reason, it gave her relief and she stopped crying from being in pain especially with the colic & I found that she wouldn't spit up as much. Hope this helps. Good luck

Rachel - posted on 01/06/2010

My son is 4.5months old and he also has the same problem. I usually give him expressed breast milk as he has decided he doesn't like the boob (unless I can sneak it to him half asleep). What I do with the expressed breast milk is put a sachet of gaviscon in the milk and when I was boob feeding I followed the box and gave him a sachet after the boob. I found this helped. He was also on the thicker formula for 2 weeks which worked very well but i dont like formula as I think it stinks. Gaviscon for infants is almost as good and Im very happy with it as it also helps with the burning when he vomits (which I admit he still does but not as much).

Sarah Aka Sandy - posted on 01/05/2010

Our 4.5 month old is only 13-14 lbs. She is healthy & active though. Breastfed babies don't really get overweight. Enfamil AR was recommended for our son with GERDs. It helped him gain if that concerns you. Keep in mind most babies outgrow reflux by around 6 months also.

Molly - posted on 01/05/2010

I don't think that formula is necessary at all. Was your Dr. concerned? Each baby has their own growth curve, and your baby might just be a small one. I know you're concerned about spitting up -- to put it into perspective, my 2nd daughter spit up constantly, and she weighed 20 lbs at 4 months! Does your baby seem upset when she spits up? Babies with reflux are often really upset and uncomfortable most of the time. If you are concerned, you should really talk to your Dr. who will either be able to reassure you about your baby's growth, or talk to you about solutions. I do not think the solution is to stop breastfeeding, and would definitely exhaust all other possibilities before even considering it.

Rachael - posted on 01/05/2010

formula might help. they have special kinds that help keep food down. Also you may want to try burping her a little bit extra and keeping her upright for half an hour after she finishes eating. Try burping her halfway through the feeding too

Melanie - posted on 01/05/2010

Sounds like reflux, easy to deal with just need to see doctor and they'll perscribe different remidies taht are safe to help, my 3rd child had it and she was fine once she got to about 8 months, hope this helps x