Weight gain issues in older premmies

[clairec81]

Just looking for anyone who has a 'small' older premmie. My LO is 18 months and still only weighs 16 1/2 lbs. She has had many issues which have contributed to her poor weight gain and is doing pretty well developmentally. Her paed doesn't really focus on weight anymore and i think this could be due to us getting to the bottom of her 'condition' - lungs still small so the doc thinks she's just having to work that bit harder! She's on high cal everything and her dietitian seems happy enough but it still really gets to me, especially when i see just how small she is to the average 18 month old. She is very active and not that interested in food (its more like the thing she has to get through to be aloud to go and play again). Just wondered if there's anyone in a similar situation and if so is anyone particularly concerned or anything happening?

Thanks!

 

[AP]

How long have you been on the high calorie weaning? We've manages to get Alex to catch up a bit(24lb) and she's two actual tomorrow.

 

[clairec81]

24lbs is amazing! We've had high cal milk since she was 5months and high cal smoothies, a supplement and juice for about 2 months now. Think a big problem is the volume that she takes, she is pretty much finished with milk, takes a few ounces morning and night and a wee bit in porridge. She eats solids well but again not huge portions and the smoothie and juice are in small volumes too! On the odd occasion that she has went to town with the milk she has gained great (once during a hospital stay she drained bottles well and gained a pound in a week so dont think she has probs actually gaining if you know what i mean). She runs everywhere and rarely sits to play so i know that the small amount of calories she is getting is burned off pretty quickly.
Thanks for the reply and Happy Birthday to Alex tomorrow, cant believe she is 2 already - have followed her journey and think she's a complete star!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Andrew is 22m actual, 19m corrected - and weighted in at 18lb last week. So he, too, is still tiny

The hospital Paediatrician used to moan about his weight gain, but nothing seems to affect it. He still gets at least half of his daily calories from prescription high-calorie milk, as he has feeding issues with solids (weetabix for breakfast, stage 2 meal in the afternoon). He was tried on a supplement powder in his milk but that gave him bad diarrhoea so it was stopped.

Plotting his weight on the low-birthweight charts, he is gaining steadily on the -3SD line, so he's not falling away from expected growth. Whilst we'd like him to pile on the weight and start catching up, I think we're resigned to the fact that he won't yet. I just hope that he continues to grow for that bit longer when other teenage boys stop!

 

[clairec81]

Andrew is also someone i've followed and been in awe of - a real star. Thank you for reply. I wonder (and know its not important or relevant...but...) does it bother you? Took Erin into work yesterday and these people know what she's been through and yet there was a chorus of 'isn't she small' and even one woman proceeded to tell me how her grandson of the same age is 3 times her weight and double her height - thanks that really helps eh!

 

[sherryberry79]

Wowzers, some people never cease to amaze with their insensitivity huh!!
I can't add too much here, Millie is small for her age but she is ver slowly creeping up the chart. I'm sure your LO will catch up soon!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Andrew is also someone i've followed and been in awe of - a real star. Thank you for reply. I wonder (and know its not important or relevant...but...) does it bother you? Took Erin into work yesterday and these people know what she's been through and yet there was a chorus of 'isn't she small' and even one woman proceeded to tell me how her grandson of the same age is 3 times her weight and double her height - thanks that really helps eh!

Does it bother us? Not so much, because Andrew doesn't really mix with "fullgrown" toddlers He goes to a special needs music session because of his hearing problems, and his best friend is Sherry's Millie who is also small - but not as small as she once was! Being an older Mum, I don't have friends with small children to act as a comparison.

I work with a colleague whose little girl was born around the same time (a termie) and she's huge, I look at her and think "Wow, she must be heavy to carry!" When I took Andrew in to work, they did all say "Isn't he small" but it didn't bother me.

I guess I don't worry about his weight so much because there's nothing we can really do about it. If he'd eat more, we'd feed him more; but he doesn't. He's just pint-sized!!

 

[25weeker]

Yep I have a small older premmie. Holly is now 17 1/2 months actual / 14 months corrected and weighs 15lb 6oz. In may we seen a paediatric consultant and the dietician . They took blood and urine and she was put on infatrini. The tests all came back clear thankfully. Not sure if the infatrini is going to dramatically increase her weight because she has had a cold for months now which causes her to get bunged up and vomit so her last weigh in didn't show a big increase.

Holly is also very intermittent at eating. Some days she eats well and other days hardly anything. Sometimes her weight gets to me but mainly because I would like her to have a bit more weight for winter now she is in nursery and she has been in 3-6 months clothes for so long I am bored with her wardrobe

 

[pink23]

i sometimes worry about calebs weight. Caleb is 22lb and went from 50th percentile born to 9th now. Hv isnt too bothered about it and says it just because he's active.
I just wish sometimes he had a little bit more on him as he seems so skinny when all my other friends lo's are bigger than him.
I definately think being active is a factor. xx