7 month old baby not gaining weight, constipated, stomach cramps???

Sarah - posted on 11/13/2009

Quoting Jenny:

I breastfeed him for the first four months. I had to pump it, and that got old. He spent the first 48 hours in the NICU for swallowing fluid. He never had a good suckle. I feed him gentlease now. He goes to a pediatric dr, and like you, I think they think I am crazy. He is my 3rd child and I know when something is wrong! He is -5%. Not even on the chart. At 7 months he doesn't sit on his own, he will not even put pressure on his arms to push up. He will reach for things. What formula worked for you? My middle daughter is on miralax, so I am very familiar with it. I have given it to him occasionally. Do you remember where your son was at this age? Thanks for the info. I am going to continue to fight for him until I am satified with his progress.

My son spent the first 48 hours in the same situation.....you are the first mom I have talked to who has a child with similar issues. Your son has similar symptoms as well..like the refusal to put pressure on his arms..my son did the same. He didn't sit on his own until after a year old, my son has gained strength and did certain things like sit up, roll over ect. and then would have a major medical issue and would regress. I read one of the moms on here say that "all babies catch up" and thats not always the case. My son cannot walk or talk and he is 5 years old...some children never catch up, and thats why its so important for you to get some answers now. Has he ever had any CT scans or MRI's done to see if his brain has developed normally? Did they check him for pyloric stenosis (spelling?) My son went onto the Infamil AR ..(antireflex), and gained some weight...but it wasn't until they put him on Nutren Jr. with Fiber that he gained some real weight (24lbs in a year and a half) It is similar to a Pediasure, and its a medical grade formula..we get it through Apria health care..ask your Dr. if you can give it a try..they may make you wait until he is a year...but it also helped with the constipation issue..because of the extra fiber. Also have you contacted Early Intervention in your area yet? If your child is showing symptoms of developmental delays..they can bring out physical therapist to work with your son..to help him learn to put pressure on his arms , strengthen his muscles. As well as teachers and advocates for your son. They start all that at birth if your son isn't already in Early intervention. Call the local school district and ask about it, or call your Dr. and ask them to refer you to one.....you can refer your son yourself if you need too. I will add you to my circle of moms if you like and we can continue to talk and keep in contact. All my love to you and your son, and the rest of your family. May you find the answers you are looking for, and your son gets the help he needs. You are doing the right thing in asking questions and you are not crazy.....you know something is wrong and you are your childs advocate since he cannot do it for himself. Sarah R.

Kristin - posted on 11/12/2009

the ultrsa sound is a great idea but I wouldn't be too concerned about his weight my son is a year old and only weighs 20lbs and all my kids were right around 20 lbs at a year, some babies development is slower but they all catch up, my son didn't crawl until 10 months but at a year he is right on target so just do what the Drs say it will all work out for the best

Deborah - posted on 11/12/2009

Just a suggestion, is get some allergy testing done. It could be that the formula has something in it that he's reacting to. Beyond that, push your doctor to do some basic
response testing to see what other developmental issues you may be dealing with. If you aren't getting anywhere with your current doctor, then find another one who will listen to your concerns!

Leone - posted on 11/12/2009

It could be reflux. Our son vomited most things back until he was put on medication. At 18 year old he is still on reflux medication and has trouble maintaining his weight.

Jenny - posted on 11/12/2009

I breastfeed him for the first four months. I had to pump it, and that got old. He spent the first 48 hours in the NICU for swallowing fluid. He never had a good suckle. I feed him gentlease now. He goes to a pediatric dr, and like you, I think they think I am crazy. He is my 3rd child and I know when something is wrong! He is -5%. Not even on the chart. At 7 months he doesn't sit on his own, he will not even put pressure on his arms to push up. He will reach for things. What formula worked for you? My middle daughter is on miralax, so I am very familiar with it. I have given it to him occasionally. Do you remember where your son was at this age? Thanks for the info. I am going to continue to fight for him until I am satified with his progress.

Sarah - posted on 11/12/2009

My son had similar problems, and is extremely important that you take your son to the Dr.... Make sure you are seeing a pediatric doctor for this and not just a family Dr.....he has some thing wrong with him, and a pediatric Dr. would be best. My son did the same thing and was diagnosed as failure to thrive at 2 months.....how far down on the growth chart is he? Is he breast feed or bottle feed? I don't want to scare you but my son has major developmental delays because of lack of proper nutrition. I kept taking him in to our family Dr. and they actually wrote in his chart that the mother is "over paranoid". I knew something was wrong from birth..and I kept telling them and they wouldn't listen to me. I have almost lost him 5 times! A pediatric Dr. finally found a formula he would tollerate, and he gained SOME weight...but not enough..at age 3 he finally got a feeding tube..he was below the 3rd percentile..and now is at the 95th percentile. If you know something is wrong...keep fighting for your little boy! Plus they told us all the extra fiber we could give him is helpful, mixed into baby foods ect. ..plus he may be refusing to eat because of being so constipated. They told us to give our son Miralax....it used to be prescription, but is over the counter now...my son has to take a full adult dose of it every day ....but it does work for him. Ask your Dr. if that is safe for your son...but make sure you read the directions...it has to be mixed with water to be most effective.........I hope you find the answers you are looking for and your son is better soon.

Alleah - posted on 11/12/2009

You definitely need to see a doctor. That sounds like it could be gastroenteritis, but I'm not an expert. That definitely seems serious. My daughter is smack in the middle percentile, and at seven months, she was almost twenty pounds. I don't know if you're nursing or not, but if you are, let him nurse as often as possible. Also, try and get lots of water down him, with a medicine dropper if you have to.



Good luck! :)