My baby is skinny

[yaffle]

My baby is 6 months old and average for length and head size, but below average for weight by almost 2 pounds. At 4 months, she was average in all three categories.

She is very active and cheerful, sits up by herself and crawls. She can pull herself to a standing position and occasionally tries to cruise. But I am worried because she is not a plump baby and it looks as if she isn't gaining enough weight.

She is breastfed almost exclusively but we began experimenting with solid food (once a day at dinner usually) about a month ago because she seemed so interested in our food.

I was planning on breastfeeding her at least until she was a year old but our doctor has recommended that we give her 3 meals of solids a day because it looks like my breastmilk isn't enough.

 

[JennyB]

You can still breastfeed your baby as long as you like, and indeed medical bodies do recommend that you breastfeed for at least a year, and two years is even better. This is definitely compatible with increasing your baby's intake of other foods! To make sure your milk supply is not reduced, breastfeed before your baby has other food.

Don't feel like your breastmilk is the problem. It is much more nutritious, and higher in calories, than the cereal and vegetable purees that are most babies' first solid food. Breastmilk also gets higher in fat and more concentrated in other nutrients as your baby gets older.

I actually had a similar problem with my baby at the same age. In retrospect, I think it was because restricting breastfeeds to get her into a routine that suited me (not her), I was going back to work parttime and my baby wouldn't take a bottle while I was out, plus I had changed my feeding to one breast per session at 4 months on doctor's advice due to a lactose intolerance problem. Add to that the fact that at this age babies are more distractable and don't want to sit still for long periods breastfeeding...

I sought the advice of a LaLecheLeague leader and promptly began feeding both sides (which did not cause a resumption of the lactose intolerance problem, so that must have been only temporary) and slightly more frequently, and feeding only in quiet rooms where my baby had no other distractions. I would recommend that you also seek the advice of a LLL leader who can ask for more details about your particular situation, and also give suggestions about improving your supply in general. You can find their contact details on http://www.lalecheleague.org/HongKong.html