Celiac Mom Breastfeeding

[jennyfspotten]

I'm new on this site and I was hoping someone out there would be able to offer advice/similar stories...

I'm a diagnosed celiac (June 08) and have been gluten-free since. I now have a 9 month old son who has been exclusively breastfed up until 6 months when we started to introduce solids (fruits/veggies/rice cereal). Recently my son has been losing weight and I was wondering if MY diet (I've been losing weight again too) could be affecting him. Has anyone gone through something similar to this?

Please help! I'm so worried about the health of my baby boy! He is only 16 pounds at 9 months old and is super tall (at 6 mo appt he was in 75% for length).

[seezee]

I'm new on this site and I was hoping someone out there would be able to offer advice/similar stories...

I'm a diagnosed celiac (June 08) and have been gluten-free since. I now have a 9 month old son who has been exclusively breastfed up until 6 months when we started to introduce solids (fruits/veggies/rice cereal). Recently my son has been losing weight and I was wondering if MY diet (I've been losing weight again too) could be affecting him. Has anyone gone through something similar to this?

Please help! I'm so worried about the health of my baby boy! He is only 16 pounds at 9 months old and is super tall (at 6 mo appt he was in 75% for length).

I just saw this today - I am not sure it's true though since I breast fed until my daughter was 14 months old and she didn't have solids until she was six months. She came down with it at 10 six months ago. I had never heard of it when she was a baby.

Open Original Shared Link

See the front page of the 2010 newsletter for the article on breastfeeding.

[nmlove]

I'm new on this site and I was hoping someone out there would be able to offer advice/similar stories...

I'm a diagnosed celiac (June 08) and have been gluten-free since. I now have a 9 month old son who has been exclusively breastfed up until 6 months when we started to introduce solids (fruits/veggies/rice cereal). Recently my son has been losing weight and I was wondering if MY diet (I've been losing weight again too) could be affecting him. Has anyone gone through something similar to this?

Please help! I'm so worried about the health of my baby boy! He is only 16 pounds at 9 months old and is super tall (at 6 mo appt he was in 75% for length).

Hi there. Wanted to throw some thoughts out. Take them as you will. I'm assuming you've been eating the same as when you had your son. So if it was something in your diet, you would think that you would have noticed by now, since he's 9 months old. Now, if you've been eating something new that could be another story.

Also, babies grow fast. They start to slow down as they near 12 months. However, you said he's losing weight. Not a good thing. If it were my child, I'd be getting him in to see the doctor to figure out what's going on. Some weight loss with an illness is normal but continued weight loss? Perhaps it'sth our chi something he's eating?

I hope you figure outwwhat's going on. It's never easy with our children.

[tarnalberry]

You being gluten free shouldn't make any difference. If he otherwise seems healthy, I wouldn't worry too much, but would look and see how much he's getting to eat. My understanding is that calorie count can go down in the transition to solid foods, because it can be hard to keep track of how much a kid is eating, and they don't eat quite the same way as they did when they were getting only breastmilk.

[lizard00]

Personally, I would take him to the doctor. 9 month olds shouldn't be losing weight. Even when they start walking, they slim down, but continue gaining. If you feel something is wrong, trust your instinct.

Your weight loss shouldn't matter, starving women in third world countries sustain their children through breastfeeding. Is it ideal? No, but the point is that your body makes stores during pregnancy just in case. But do be sure to make sure you are eating enough.

[T.H.]

what foods have you been introducing, and how much are you feeding?

I agree that you should check with the doctor, as weight loss is worrisome, but here's some thoughts.

1. Are you still brestfeeding your son significant amounts? Babies this age need a fair amount of fat and tons of calories, which most baby foods don't have, so if he's getting a lot more baby food than breastmilk, that can be an issue. Maybe upping the breastfeeding a bit and cutting back on the food? It might at least let you see if that might be one of the issues.

2. He could be allergic to one of the new foods. Celiac folks are more prone to food allergies, whether or not the celiac has 'triggered.' On top of that, since you have celiac disease, your son has a 1 in 22 chance of developing celiac as well. Which means there is a good chance he will get the gene that makes him more prone to food allergies. My son doesn't have celiac, but me and my daughter do. He, however, likely has the gene - he has tons of food allergies. He was having anemia and other issues right around 9 months, too, actually. However, he doesn't get hives and such; he tends to react with temperment issues, the runs, or sores in his mouth when he reacts to a food, so we've had a hard time figuring it all out!

3. I'm hoping you have the little midget gluten free, too? Talking with my doc, he said that the only way to keep a kiddo with a celiac gene from developing it is to keep him gluten free, too. The next best is to introduce gluten while you are still breastfeeding.

Don't know if that helps, but I hope your little one is feeling better soon!

I'm new on this site and I was hoping someone out there would be able to offer advice/similar stories...

I'm a diagnosed celiac (June 08) and have been gluten-free since. I now have a 9 month old son who has been exclusively breastfed up until 6 months when we started to introduce solids (fruits/veggies/rice cereal). Recently my son has been losing weight and I was wondering if MY diet (I've been losing weight again too) could be affecting him. Has anyone gone through something similar to this?

Please help! I'm so worried about the health of my baby boy! He is only 16 pounds at 9 months old and is super tall (at 6 mo appt he was in 75% for length).