Help

[brienicole]

I dont even know where to begin. okay so Delilah is 9m old and today at our wic appt I got alot of crap about how small she was. and that Im harming her by just bf her! oh and a snarky comment that somehow Im making her small purposely because Im overweight and have issues obviously because I had lap band surgery! anyhow.. shes 14lbs and 24in tall. She is a 100% bf baby!

so my questions would be

1) how much should she be nursing at 9 months, and how much table food should she be getting?
(shes pretty much only bf and gets occasional snacks of table food)

2) shes now doing this whole trying to roll over on her stomach while nursing, and its painful as she takes my boob with her!

side notes would be that Im really wanting to be successful at nursing because with my son I only made it to 5 months before giving up! so this is a big thing for me. (and my son by the way is small too.. hes almost 4 and weighs 30lbs)

tia!
Brie

[whitnessforhim]

My DD was just about the size of yours at that age. Now at 19mo. she's only 22lbs. She's a small thing but perfectly healthy and exactly the size she should be. Is she developing normally, meeting all of her milestones? If so, then I wouldn't worry much about it.

I think you are feeding her as you should be. Breastmilk should be a babies main source of nutrition throughout the first year (some go beyond which is perfectly fine) and solids should be introduced slowly and when baby is ready. Also remember that breastmilk has more calories and fat than any solid you could offer her, even more than whole cow's milk. Doctors get use to the way formula fed babies grow and tend to use that as their norm.

Sounds like you are doing a fine job!

[StillSingingMom]

Congratulations! It's lovely to hear that your breastfeeding relationship is going so well.

I'm sorry the WIC office personnel were so rude. That sounds unprofessional and annoying.

What does baby's pediatrician say? Has her weight and height always been in this range? She is very small for her age. Is this a recent development? Was she a full-term baby?

If she was a full-term baby and she's falling off the growth chart, that actually is a reason to start looking at what is going on. A healthy breast-fed nine month old can certainly get everything she needs from mommy milk, if you feed her on demand.

However, you really want to make sure that there isn't a hidden problem going undiagnosed here. I would take my baby to the pediatrician PDQ and make sure there aren't other issues.

[brienicole]

nope the ped has no issues with her weight. I have small babies and Im rather small too. Im only 5" tall! (my weight is not a hereditary issue either my whole family is small.. I was a size 3 in HS etc..) she was "full term" and was 7.7, I had a scheduled c section and she came exactly on the day I hit 38 weeks. and since her birth has had a consistent growth pattern.. small but consistent. not a huge change all of a sudden or anyth

[Nipple_nectar]

Welcome to the boards, it sounds like you are doing a wonderful job:) Please don't let someone who is obviously uneducated about the benefits of BFing dissuade you from continuing. For the most part, babies at her age do tend to stall or even lose a little weight as they have increased mobility and a decrease in nursing as distraction is a real problem for some. A nursing necklace can help your little one stay at the breast longer and will also help with the twisting and turning, some babies do enjoy the rolling thing and upside nursing is not unheard of!

Breastmilk needs to be the primary source of her nutrition for the entire first year, solids are for practice with taste and texture only. As a general rule, if you always offer the breast first and solids after, you will do fine.

Don't be fooled by baby's insatiable curiosity as it may appear she is hungry but remember that food is a source of entertainment right now. Small portions will keep her from over filling on solids.

[crystal555rose]

As other have said, breastmilk is the most calorie rich and nutritious thing you can offer so continue to do so! Small people have small babies, that is not a complicated concept. It is unfortunate that they felt the need to take a jab at your weight. That is unnecessary and unprofessional.

Babies get mobile and curious at this age, although mine always had time and attention for breastfeeding! My son is a blankie boy so he would rub that, he is also really into a mole on my ear. He always reaches for it and rubs it.

Keep up the good work!