15mth old dropping weight

[Xine]

I've just come back from an appointment with the nurse for DD 12mth immunisations and a weigh and check etc. I don't normally worry about charts and tend to not take too much notice of them but was absolutely horrified to see that DD has dropped from the the 50th percentile to abou the 7th.

Th first thing I did when i got home was check the updated WHO breastfed only charts and she is still only on about the 10th there - she was on about the 75th last time I checked ( about 7 mths old).

Should I be worried? I must say that I had been feeling a bit uneasy about her size lately and was interested to see what she weighed but now I am panicked.

And who do I take her to see if it is a problem? It was a nurse practioner at the local GP's today and she didn't seem worried - should I see a MACH nurse, a nutritionist, a GP or paed for a more informed assessment?

[starbuckozzie]

Ditto for mine! It happened when DS was 12 months old, in the US. The paed (okay, ped) asked me to bring in a list of what he ate over a week because she was concerned. She couldn't believe how good it was (she was used to kids on Heinz and Gerber and formula). Anyway, now at 5 he is still slim but very tall and all that worry was for nothing, I believe.

I suspect it was because he was dropping off the breastfeeding at that time (suddenly got very interested in solids around 10 months) and I wasn't giving him cow's milk or anything else full fat apart from yoghurt. After he started on the cow's milk and eggs at 1 year he got a bit more solid. I stopped weighing him regularly after that because we moved country and I got disillusioned with the average paed. Once we were in Asia nobody blinked at his weight!

[starbuckozzie]

Forgot to add: I don't know who you'd see here in Australia as I have no experience here (yet) but I would say find someone you trust and listen to them. See how it goes over the next few months and above all, use your instincts to judge whether your daughter is healthy. Both my paed and Dr Sears' website said that weight dropoff at this age is quite normal for breastfed babies.

[tamarab30]

My youngest son has big issues with weight gain as a result of his disabilities. He is not even on the chart at all! I suggest if you are overly concerned you would see a paed first who would then refer you to a dietician.
If you are breastfeeding perhaps express and see how much you are giving per average time of feed? I'm not a breastfeeding expert but there are plenty of mummas on here who I'm sure will point you in the right direction.
Hope everything turns out ok for you and dd

[0BleSseD0]

I think they do slim down a little once they start walking, crawling or RUNNING!

I think its just the side-effect of exercise!

This is one of the reasons I don't go to see them any more.

[Dorasmum]

One more idea to think on, I had a problem with DD2 at 11months with a dramatic loss, I had to go to the doc for tests and checkups, got her weighed a week later and she was up 500gm..I think the MCHN weighed her wrong and she hadn't had a huge loss at all, a only a small fluctuation, she wouldn't admit as much though.

Em

[learnermum]

I had the same expereince as Dorasmum, but noticed it was way out myself at the clinic.

Not only had Ds lost a lot of weight, but according to her he had also got 5cm shorter!! So I had her redo it and watched it myself.
It may not be what happened to you but it does happen.

[Jakaluma]

The only thing of concern is

I must say that I had been feeling a bit uneasy about her size lately

Why were you feeling concerned? Is she healthy, sparkling eyes, shiny skin? Going to the toilet regularly? Full of energy, not constantly grumpy? If there is a reason for your concern, why not take her to your GP (is your GP pro breastfeeding? If not, make sure you have all your facts with you).

This is an age when weight gain often slows from increased movement, other things being more interesting than food etc. So if she is healthy and happy, there is probably no need to worry.

[emd]

ITA with Jakaluma. Address the other reasons you were concerned, not just the number on the scales.

I go through this with every baby, every time they get weighed by a health professional (Australia Post staff seem unconcerned about charts when I use their scales). Keep in mind that the charts in the book are for formula fed babies from the USA last century: babies who are fed the same amount on a set schedule, and may have a very different genetic background than your baby.

Billy is eleven months old and has done similar things on the charts to your child - dropping from 75th to 10th percentile for weight but staying the same for height. But because he is hitting developmental milestones as normal, breastfeeds heaps and eats lots of other food too, and is happy, I don't mind that he's not following lines on a graph. He's just the shape he is, and weight is not in itself something I am going to panic about anymore.

[Xine]

I was getting a little worried about her size as she has recently started dropping feeds. she is down to one or two feeds a day (huge ones mind you) and refuses to have anymore by biting me (one nipple is blue from bruises and has two cuts on it atm : (). I suppose I feel that when they are having alot of breastmilk their nutrition isn't such a worry.

In saying that, she eats like a horse (literally all day) and I am particular about what she eats so it is all fresh, healthy and given with nutrition in mind - she is not fussy at all.

I am loathed to see a mainstream health professional as I am yet to find one tht is pro breastfeeding and won't recommend bulking her up on butter an cream and formula (I am a total cynic : )). But I am still unsure whether to get her checked out.She is healthy happy meeting develpmental milestones like her peers...........

I might get her weighed again though, if there is a chance that the scales were wrong.