Please help me....

[Guest guest]

Hi everybody,

 

My son's pediatrician is giving me a hard time because she thinks

that he is not gaining enough weight.

 

He is almost 20 mo, weighs 23lbs 8oz, and is 34in long. He is

between the 10 and 25th percentiles for weight and 75 and 90th for

height. When my daughter was his age, she was just like that (and

she was not a vegetarian then), and she is still very tall and thin

even now that she is turning 10 (she is 57in and 65 lbs). My son was

in the 75th percentile for weight when he was born, but fell to the

25th by 12 months of age.

 

Well, the doctor wants me to go see a dietitian or a specialist. I

really think my son is fine. He looks thin (not malnourished)

compared to other babies I see sometimes, but he is very active,

strong, and smart. He has never been sick (not even one ear

infection ever!). She (doctor) is also discouraging me to breast

feed him.

 

Of course he doesn't eat well every day and sometimes he might be

very picky, but this is an example of a day he ate well:

 

Wednesday, 9/10/03

 

6 oz strawberry yogurt

2 pieces of orange

1/3 cup 100% grape juice

¼ cup brown rice, chickpeas, peas, squash, butter

1 kiwi

½ cup pasta with olive oil

4 black olives

1 piece milk chocolate

1 cup honey nut chex cereal

½ cup grapes

1 small piece of bread with butter

2 tbsp. Brown rice

4 tbsp. Lentils

¼ cup broccoli

1 tbsp. Soy protein

1 tsp. Olive oil

½ plum

1 kiwi

½ cup strawberry ice cream

Nursed 4 times in that 24 hour time

 

I'm sorry that my post is so long, but I'd like to know if any of

you have or had this problem, how you resolved it, and if you have

any advice for me in general.

 

Thank you very much.

Anna Macknight

[Guest guest]

He looks like he has a varied diet with lots of protein.

 

Is the yogurt whole milk yogurt? I wouldn't get him the lowfat kind.

 

Let us know what happens.

 

Jan

>

> " Anna " <macknighta

> 2003/09/19 Fri PM 12:51:29 EDT

>

> Please help me....

>

>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Anna!

 

Yes. This has happened to me. I would say that a red flag goes up about your

pediatrician when she discourages breastfeeding.

 

My daughter, Joy, is 5 years old and weighs 35 lbs. She's 43 inches tall and

can do everything (and then some) in the developmental screening at her ped's

office. When she was younger, though, we went through the same thing with a

different doc.

 

First of all, is the chart your doc is using for breastfed or formula fed

children? There is a difference.

 

Does the doc know you are vegetarian? I've employed a " don't ask don't tell "

policy with this issue because physicians know soooo little about nutrition.

 

What were you and your husband built like at this age? My husband and mil were

both very " slight* compared to the other children at school. They are both of

normal heights, weights, and intellectual functioning now. Joy is built just

like they were.

 

Your son is active, developmentally on schedule, and you have no concerns, then

I think you're okay. Of course, it's my humble opinion, but I think your doc is

messed up about this. If there is a failure to thrive going on here, there

would be other symptoms. Your son eats more than my daughter and her current

pediatrician says she's perfect (and we don't eat dairy either).

 

Hang in there. I know this is stressful. Physicians weild such power over our

lives and when they pull this stuff, it's so frustrating. Have you considered

interviewing other docs and finding one who gets it?

 

Lucy

 

Anna <macknighta wrote:

Hi everybody,

 

My son's pediatrician is giving me a hard time because she thinks

that he is not gaining enough weight.

 

He is almost 20 mo, weighs 23lbs 8oz, and is 34in long. He is

between the 10 and 25th percentiles for weight and 75 and 90th for

height. When my daughter was his age, she was just like that (and

she was not a vegetarian then), and she is still very tall and thin

even now that she is turning 10 (she is 57in and 65 lbs). My son was

in the 75th percentile for weight when he was born, but fell to the

25th by 12 months of age.

 

Well, the doctor wants me to go see a dietitian or a specialist. I

really think my son is fine. He looks thin (not malnourished)

compared to other babies I see sometimes, but he is very active,

strong, and smart. He has never been sick (not even one ear

infection ever!). She (doctor) is also discouraging me to breast

feed him.

 

Of course he doesn't eat well every day and sometimes he might be

very picky, but this is an example of a day he ate well:

 

Wednesday, 9/10/03

 

6 oz strawberry yogurt

2 pieces of orange

1/3 cup 100% grape juice

¼ cup brown rice, chickpeas, peas, squash, butter

1 kiwi

½ cup pasta with olive oil

4 black olives

1 piece milk chocolate

1 cup honey nut chex cereal

½ cup grapes

1 small piece of bread with butter

2 tbsp. Brown rice

4 tbsp. Lentils

¼ cup broccoli

1 tbsp. Soy protein

1 tsp. Olive oil

½ plum

1 kiwi

½ cup strawberry ice cream

Nursed 4 times in that 24 hour time

 

I'm sorry that my post is so long, but I'd like to know if any of

you have or had this problem, how you resolved it, and if you have

any advice for me in general.

 

Thank you very much.

Anna Macknight

 

 

 

 

 

For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

http://www.vrg.org/family.

 

 

[Guest guest]

I haven't experienced this specific issue although doctors were always

giving us grief over my children being in the 95th percentile. They

were afraid they would be overweight. <sigh> Apparently unless you fall

right at 50% you will get reprimanded )

 

However, generally, I wanted to encourage you. Doctors see your

children, among hundreds of others, for maybe a total of 15 minutes

every 6 months or a year. They only have the advantage of data and a

snapshot impression. You, however, see the big picture and know your

child best. If he eats really well many days and eats a variety of

healthy food overall (not necessarily every day), and he's not sick,

then I would say he's probably fine. A mom knows and it seems that you

are paying attention. I certainly wouldn't put off breastfeeding. To

me, breastfeeding is the one place you can't go wrong. It is the

perfect food and is packed with nutrient-loaded calories.

 

Also, you have to take your family genes into consideration. If your

daughter is built that way and is healthy, it stands to reason that

other family members would possibly also be built that way. As with my

95th percentile children. My whole family is built just like them, just

as they have blue eyes. They aren't fat, but they aren't wirey either.

To us physical activity and overall health clues, such as no ear

infections, and not catching every cold, are more accurate indicators of

health than weight alone.

 

Doctors are just one source of information. Use a variety of sources

and your best judgement to make the final decisions for your family.

 

~Marvelyn

 

Hi everybody,

 

My son's pediatrician is giving me a hard time because she thinks

that he is not gaining enough weight.

 

He is almost 20 mo, weighs 23lbs 8oz, and is 34in long. He is

between the 10 and 25th percentiles for weight and 75 and 90th for

height. When my daughter was his age, she was just like that (and

she was not a vegetarian then), and she is still very tall and thin

even now that she is turning 10 (she is 57in and 65 lbs). My son was

in the 75th percentile for weight when he was born, but fell to the

25th by 12 months of age.

 

Well, the doctor wants me to go see a dietitian or a specialist. I

really think my son is fine. He looks thin (not malnourished)

compared to other babies I see sometimes, but he is very active,

strong, and smart. He has never been sick (not even one ear

infection ever!). She (doctor) is also discouraging me to breast

feed him.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Anna,

 

I would definitely get a second opinion from another pediatrician.

Has this doc given you a hard time before about being vegetarian and

extended breastfeeding?

 

Your son's menu sounds fine to me as does his weight for his age.

My doc always said that as long as my daughter's " curve " followed

everybody else's on the growth chart she's fine. She's also small

for her age and " skinny " but her line follows everyone elses (albeit

it's much lower than the rest!).

 

I would get a second opinion before seeing a specialist or

discounting the doctor.

 

Good luck!!

 

Wendy

[Guest guest]

Helllo Anna, my feelings on this are that if you believe he is healthy and

thriving then he is healthy and thriving! A friend was in a simliar

situation when her son was about the same age. Sent to dietitians,

nutritionists, etc. Kept food diaries, weighed him frequently,

etc. Finally she had had enough and stopped going. Her son is 5 now, on

the small side - petite and skinny but full of energy and extremely active

- puts my kids to shame :-)

 

Not sure if this helps any but I feel that if you as his mother believe he

is ok then he is fine. Most Drs do not get much - if any - nutritional or

parenting training so take the info they share with that in mind.

 

 

> Fri, 19 Sep 2003 16:51:29 -0000

> " Anna " <macknighta

>Please help me....

>

>Hi everybody,

>

>My son's pediatrician is giving me a hard time because she thinks

>that he is not gaining enough weight.

 

 

---------------*********-----------------------\

--------------------

For a compassionate world, gwynt

Gwyneth Treharne

---------------<><><>--------------------------\

-----------------

[Guest guest]

I just want to let you know that I had the same problem with my doctor. He said

my son was too thin and I should stop nursing and give him formula. This might

be the wrong answer, but I just ignored him. I knew my son was fine, I took him

to a lactation specialist who said he was fine, and now he is a super healthy 4

1/2 year old. We just went to get his pre-school physical done, and saw a

different doctor in the practice who looked at his chart and said he is healthy

just like it looks he always has been!

Take the doctor with a grain of salt!

Danielle

http://www.VegetarianRealtor.tk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

My son is also thin. I hear it from alot of sides. The thing is, is that his

father was jst like him. He did not again alot of weight till he was 30 years

old. I think our society is based on a fat model. I know at times it is hard to

tune out, but my recommendation is to just keep on tuinng it out. My son, eats

more food than his buddies at times, and then the parents of his friends don't

know what to say. A few will actually tell me that they are impressed!

Peace, Tracy

[Guest guest]

My son's weight gain also slowed when he was about a year old, but his

pediatrician said that it was perfectly normal for kids that age because they're

becoming much more mobile. It made sense to me. My son, now 5, is on the

skinny side, but he continues to follow his same growth curve (we both went veg

when he was 3.) He's very active, smart, and rarely ever sick.

 

Since your daughter has the same growth pattern, and your son seems to be doing

just fine in every way, it doesn't sound to me as though you have any real cause

for concern. You might want to check out other pediatricians, though. Just my

$.02.

 

Maria

 

--\

-----

 

Anna <macknighta wrote:

Hi everybody,

 

My son's pediatrician is giving me a hard time because she thinks

that he is not gaining enough weight.

 

He is almost 20 mo, weighs 23lbs 8oz, and is 34in long. He is

between the 10 and 25th percentiles for weight and 75 and 90th for

height. When my daughter was his age, she was just like that (and

she was not a vegetarian then), and she is still very tall and thin

even now that she is turning 10 (she is 57in and 65 lbs). My son was

in the 75th percentile for weight when he was born, but fell to the

25th by 12 months of age.

 

Well, the doctor wants me to go see a dietitian or a specialist. I

really think my son is fine. He looks thin (not malnourished)

compared to other babies I see sometimes, but he is very active,

strong, and smart. He has never been sick (not even one ear

infection ever!). She (doctor) is also discouraging me to breast

feed him.

 

Of course he doesn't eat well every day and sometimes he might be

very picky, but this is an example of a day he ate well:

 

Wednesday, 9/10/03

 

6 oz strawberry yogurt

2 pieces of orange

1/3 cup 100% grape juice

¼ cup brown rice, chickpeas, peas, squash, butter

1 kiwi

½ cup pasta with olive oil

4 black olives

1 piece milk chocolate

1 cup honey nut chex cereal

½ cup grapes

1 small piece of bread with butter

2 tbsp. Brown rice

4 tbsp. Lentils

¼ cup broccoli

1 tbsp. Soy protein

1 tsp. Olive oil

½ plum

1 kiwi

½ cup strawberry ice cream

Nursed 4 times in that 24 hour time

 

I'm sorry that my post is so long, but I'd like to know if any of

you have or had this problem, how you resolved it, and if you have

any advice for me in general.

 

Thank you very much.

Anna Macknight

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

My daughter is also in the 95th percentile.. my doctor's daughter (who recently

relocated to Albany so we are in the market for a new doctor) has been really

great. She was very supportive of our vegetarian diet.. she did want me to eat

more fat in my diet when I was breastfeeding because my daughter was so small.

But just about every since I introduced her to a soy formula around 4 months

she's not been small for her size. She slowly went up to the 50th percentile

and somewhere around 18 months she hit the 90-95th percentile where she has been

every since. My daughter is a fairly picky eater.. she lives off mostly

oatmeal, boca burger chicken nuggetts, and litelife SmartDogs. Occasionally we

stick in some broccoli and carrotts and other veggies but its not easy.. she

eats peanut butter sandwiches too.. but I figure that fat can't be good for her

since she is in the 95th percentile. She does figure skating and that's about

the only organized exercise she gets. Probably will get

involved with soccer in the spring..

Renee

 

 

 

 

" This is the true joy in life: being used for a purpose recognized by yourself

as a mighty one, and being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish

little clod of ailments and grievences, complaining that the world will not

devote itself to making you happy "

-- George Bernard Shaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, " Anna " <macknighta> wrote:

> Hi everybody,

>

> My son's pediatrician is giving me a hard time because she thinks

> that he is not gaining enough weight.

 

<snip>

 

> Well, the doctor wants me to go see a dietitian or a specialist. I

> really think my son is fine. He looks thin (not malnourished)

> compared to other babies I see sometimes, but he is very active,

> strong, and smart. He has never been sick (not even one ear

> infection ever!). She (doctor) is also discouraging me to breast

> feed him.

 

General advice from me would be to change doctors. Any doctor who

discourages breastfeeding has no business giving out nutritional

advice (actually, they don't learn this in medical school, so what is

she basing this on??).

 

Good luck - it's hard and scary when medical " experts " give you this

sort of nonsense. Your son eats better than my kids do, and the doc

has never given us any flack. I also nursed them until they were four

years old. You don't have to go that far if you don't want to, but

just to show you that there is always somebody wackier than you <grin>.

 

Be well, Hadass in Winnipeg, Ima to Rafi, 7.5 y/o, Ari, 4.25 y/o, and

Shira, 10 months, all vegetarian, small and healthy.

[Guest guest]

Hi;

 

My kids are older now - 9 and 13, and they are life

long vegetarians not Vegans - They both are thin - my

son a little more so, but he eats very well and is

rarely sick compared to his carnivore schoolmates!

 

I think there is a major mis-perception on thinner

children especially vegetarian ones, just because they

are on the lower end of the growth scale that does not

mean they are unhealthy -My advice ditch your Doctor

to find one who is more in tune with the way you

believe - I see a homeopathic/petiatrician a rarity,

but he is also covered by insurance. He does not care

at all about the weight as long as the activity level

is good and that the kids are healthy - and that the

growth pattern is consistent. And any doctor that

tells you to stop nursing is a loser! Also with

obesity being a huge problem in kids today your Doctor

should be thrilled that your kids aren't overweight.

 

PS - my kids have never been on anti-biotics and if

they do get ear infections - which has happened 2 or 3

times - I put a piece of garlic in a cotton ball with

olive oil in the infected ear and presto ear infection

is gone in the morning!

 

Good luck!

--- Maria Rasmussen <amigosaqui wrote:

> My son's weight gain also slowed when he was about a

> year old, but his pediatrician said that it was

> perfectly normal for kids that age because they're

> becoming much more mobile. It made sense to me. My

> son, now 5, is on the skinny side, but he continues

> to follow his same growth curve (we both went veg

> when he was 3.) He's very active, smart, and rarely

> ever sick.

>

> Since your daughter has the same growth pattern, and

> your son seems to be doing just fine in every way,

> it doesn't sound to me as though you have any real

> cause for concern. You might want to check out

> other pediatricians, though. Just my $.02.

>

> Maria

>

>

--\

-----

>

>

> Anna <macknighta wrote:

> Hi everybody,

>

> My son's pediatrician is giving me a hard time

> because she thinks

> that he is not gaining enough weight.

>

> He is almost 20 mo, weighs 23lbs 8oz, and is 34in

> long. He is

> between the 10 and 25th percentiles for weight and

> 75 and 90th for

> height. When my daughter was his age, she was just

> like that (and

> she was not a vegetarian then), and she is still

> very tall and thin

> even now that she is turning 10 (she is 57in and 65

> lbs). My son was

> in the 75th percentile for weight when he was born,

> but fell to the

> 25th by 12 months of age.

>

> Well, the doctor wants me to go see a dietitian or a

> specialist. I

> really think my son is fine. He looks thin (not

> malnourished)

> compared to other babies I see sometimes, but he is

> very active,

> strong, and smart. He has never been sick (not even

> one ear

> infection ever!). She (doctor) is also discouraging

> me to breast

> feed him.

>

> Of course he doesn't eat well every day and

> sometimes he might be

> very picky, but this is an example of a day he ate

> well:

>

> Wednesday, 9/10/03

>

> 6 oz strawberry yogurt

> 2 pieces of orange

> 1/3 cup 100% grape juice

> ¼ cup brown rice, chickpeas, peas, squash, butter

> 1 kiwi

> ½ cup pasta with olive oil

> 4 black olives

> 1 piece milk chocolate

> 1 cup honey nut chex cereal

> ½ cup grapes

> 1 small piece of bread with butter

> 2 tbsp. Brown rice

> 4 tbsp. Lentils

> ¼ cup broccoli

> 1 tbsp. Soy protein

> 1 tsp. Olive oil

> ½ plum

> 1 kiwi

> ½ cup strawberry ice cream

> Nursed 4 times in that 24 hour time

>

> I'm sorry that my post is so long, but I'd like to

> know if any of

> you have or had this problem, how you resolved it,

> and if you have

> any advice for me in general.

>

> Thank you very much.

> Anna Macknight

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

that should say " daughter's doctor " not " doctor's daughter " which doesn't make

any sense.

Renee

 

Renee Carroll <renecarol25 wrote:My daughter is also in the 95th

percentile.. my doctor's daughter (who recently relocated to Albany so we are in

the market for a new doctor) has been really great. She was very supportive of

our vegetarian diet.. she did want me to eat more fat in my diet when I was

breastfeeding because my daughter was so small. But just about every since I

introduced her to a soy formula around 4 months she's not been small for her

size. She slowly went up to the 50th percentile and somewhere around 18 months

she hit the 90-95th percentile where she has been every since. My daughter is a

fairly picky eater.. she lives off mostly oatmeal, boca burger chicken nuggetts,

and litelife SmartDogs. Occasionally we stick in some broccoli and carrotts and

other veggies but its not easy.. she eats peanut butter sandwiches too.. but I

figure that fat can't be good for her since she is in the 95th percentile. She

does figure skating and that's about the only

organized exercise she gets. Probably will get

involved with soccer in the spring..

Renee

 

 

 

 

" This is the true joy in life: being used for a purpose recognized by yourself

as a mighty one, and being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish

little clod of ailments and grievences, complaining that the world will not

devote itself to making you happy "

-- George Bernard Shaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Anna:

 

I'm amazed at what your son ate on that day! That's an incredible

amount of food for a 20-month old! I only wish my 3-year-old would eat

half that much. I'd certainly be wary of any doctor who suggested you

give up breastfeeding for formula, which is not anywhere near an

acceptable substitute. One thing I have come to learn is that people

think that doctors are god-like; anything they say is correct. This is

just not true. While there are some wonderful doctors out there, I

think you have to rely on your motherly instinct over what anyone tells

you. If you think your son is thriving (and he certainly has a great

diet!) and he seems healthy to you, continue doing what you're doing.

Extended breastfeeding is excellent for your son's health. Don't let

your doctor convince you otherwise.

 

Good luck!

 

Sheri

Mommy to Heather Joy 9/28/00