Baby Needs To Gain Weight Need Suggestions Advice Please!

[mmcc54]

My daughter was diagnosed 2 months ago..she is just soo tiny..at birth she was 8.14lbs shes 14 months today and 18.6lbs she hasn't gained much weight since 6 months old (at 6 months she was 17.6lbs) she goes for bi weekly weigh ins at the drs sometimes she loses weight sometimes its the same..its been such a battle. Shes been gluten free for 2 months and I was really hoping to see some improvement in her weight gain by now! I feel like im doing something wrong...the thing that I don't understand is she eats like a 300lb man..she out eats her 3 year old sister!!! What gives?!? I cant posiablly feed her any more then I am if shes up shes eating!! any one with celiac babies have this issue??

[cyclinglady]

My daughter (who does not have celiac disease to my knowledge) weighed only 17 pounds at one year.  She didn't hit 20 pounds until her 2nd birthday.  She was always in the 5% bracket on the weight chart until she was about 7 years old.  Now, a teen, she's at 25%. 

 

Based on family history, she's right on target.  She came from a family of little people (not overweight).  Her Ped thought I wasn't feeding her enough!  He was just used to big babies!  He later acknowledged that her medical chart was so thin.  She was so healthy and that's the only time she saw him until she hit preschool.   She just followed the same weight gain pattern as my siblings and nieces and nephews.   Only one grandchild is over the 50% bracket in weight.

 

Is your daughter's head and height showing signs of growth? 

[StephanieL]

If she's hitting all her milestones and gaining, even a little, I wouldn't be overly concerned. She's gluten-free now and it may take some time for her gut to start absorbing things like it should. You can increase overall good fats (avocado, olive oil adding to things). Whole milk is another thing that may help if she can have dairy.

 

My DS is very thin. Was a chunker at birth but he thinned out considerably over the first 12-18 months. Some kids are just thin. If you know she's gluten-free and getting adequate nutrition, I wouldn't worry just yet.

[tommysmommy]

My little guy was normal weight until rapid onset celiac caused him to drop 1/3 of his body weight in 2months (he was 20months at diagnosis). Celiac damages the intestines which makes it difficult to absorb the nutrients the body needs. The intestines will heal & normalize in a few months to a year - but in that time, she might need to eat A LOT, way more than you would ever think she needs because she's only getting a fraction of what she needs from what she's eating. My Tommy ate a MEAL every 3 hours (including overnight :-( ) for a month or two, then slowly needed less & less. He would eat so much, sometimes it felt like he was eating all day & all night long. We did a lot of filling foods like bananas & baked potatoes, meat, etc. No dairy! So try more frequent full meals & let her eat until she doesn't want to anymore, she'll start gaining & all will normalize soon. Also, be sure there is no cross contamination in your kitchen, one crumb can be a serious setback! I made my home all Gluten-Free at first & to my surprise, all 5 of us felt better...little did I know we all had a problem!

[tarnalberry]

My daughter was diagnosed 2 months ago..she is just soo tiny..at birth she was 8.14lbs shes 14 months today and 18.6lbs she hasn't gained much weight since 6 months old (at 6 months she was 17.6lbs) she goes for bi weekly weigh ins at the drs sometimes she loses weight sometimes its the same..its been such a battle. Shes been gluten free for 2 months and I was really hoping to see some improvement in her weight gain by now! I feel like im doing something wrong...the thing that I don't understand is she eats like a 300lb man..she out eats her 3 year old sister!!! What gives?!? I cant posiablly feed her any more then I am if shes up shes eating!! any one with celiac babies have this issue??

 

this is a tough time for them to gain weight period.  they're starting to walk, they're going through cognitive leaps... they're busy!  they're burning a lot of calories!  if you're not seeing her regress regularly, I wouldn't freak out.  though I do understand you're concern!

 

what are you feeding her?  a lot of toddlers this age end up eating a lot of crackers, and cereal, and freeze dried fruit and so forth.  these are not calorie dense foods, and so she may need more things like avocado (if she can do it), nut or seed butters, eggs, cheese/full-fat yogurt (if she can do dairy), rich fish (salmon) and meats, veggies cooked in lots of olive oil, nutritious pancakes (flax meal and almond flour!!) with lots of butter, things made with coconut oil, etc. 

[smilla]

My daughter had not grown for a year when she was diagnosed at age two. She didn't grow for another six months after going on gluten-free diet and iron and multivitamin supplements. Now she has had a little spurt and we are all feeling much happier. It felt like forever though!! Still, if you are concerned always check. Totally worth being labelled a neurotic parent if it helps your little one be healthier.

[nvsmom]

When kids are malnourished from celiac disease, their growth hormone (GH) may be low, and that will result in a low insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) which is released from the liver and causes growth.  You might want to check that her IGF-1 levels are okay for her age. Don't check GH as it is released in short pulses and can really vary throughout a day - IGF-1 is like an avergae of her GH released and is more reliable.

 

Dairy is known to raise IGF-1, and protein is thought to help. Exercise is another factor that helps as does sleep. L-glutamine is a supplement that I believe is thought to bring it up too.

 

I'm not medically trained, and am just learning about this myself, so you might want to do some googling to see if this is something to bring up with your doctors.

[1desperateladysaved]

A couple of my 5 children did not gain weight from 6-12 months.  If you are nursing, your children may not be as large as bottle fed babies.  Mine just took a break and have gained weight and height over the years.  I wouldn't worry much, but I would be careful to feed and rest them as needed.  Growth spurts are no myth and you may find when growth starts it will go fast for a while!

 

My children are small, but so are extended family members on both sides. 

 

It may take some time, if the celiac hindered growth, for growth to start.  Damaged villi need to heal, so nutrients can be absorbed.

 

D

[cyclinglady]

All excellent suggestions!

 

I went to this link to check the Child's Growth Chart.   You can plug in the numbers and get the percentile bracket  and compare her to other toddlers.  I just plugged in her weight from at 18.6 pounds when she was 14 months old.  The results indicated (without head or length) that she was in the 20 percentile -- that's perfectly fine and (15 percentage points higher than my daughter ever was!)  As long as she's reaching other milestones (e.g. walking, crawling, etc.) she's probably on target.  

 

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If the diarrhea does continue, I agree that she may have some food intolerances.  

 

Good luck and hang in there, Mom!

[Rebekka's mom]

Hi, our Rebekka didn't gain weight from she was 6 months 18 lbs until 18 months old, still 18 lbs. at 18 months she got diagnosed with celiac. Getting on the gluten-free diet slowly helped, but our biggest help was talking to a nutritionist. We wrote down every food she got for a month, she looked at the list and helped us find find the potential gluten containing foods. 

I really recommend it, this can be a jungle and when it applies to your little one that can't really tell you anything it is really hard.

Rebekka is now 5 years old thriving eating and GROWING.

 

good luck

Dorde