6 Month Old Didn't Gain ANY Weight Since Last Check-up

That same thing happened to me, almost exact except my baby had actually LOST weight at his 6 month check. The doctor told me to start supplementing which made me sick to my stomach. I ended up switching to formula, I was pretty much dried up. I also ended up being pregnant which may have been a factor. It can be SO hard, the whole nursing thing. I am starting to have problems now with my second (now 4 months old) and am getting nervous. I am actually heading to a La Leche League meeting tonight to see if I can get some help. I just wanted you to know that there are others out there, it is so hard not knowing what to do and so frustrating. Especially when you are on your 2nd (or 3rd) baby, aren't we supposed to be pros now? Anyway, hang in there. La Leche League can be pretty hardcore but at the same time they may be very helpful. www.llli.org.
Good luck!

Around 4 months is a good time to start feeding solids. This can still be done while breast feeding, by 6 months my son was eating 5 jars of babyfood a day, while still taking 6 bottles a day. (I couldnt breast feed, even la Leche League agreed that fomula was best for my son.) though my friends who did breast feed had the same schedule as my son. Same feedings though babyfood throughout the day by 5 months.

Don't let the doctor fool you into thinking that formula is the end all be all. If, god forbid, something is wrong then formula certainly isn't going to make it any better. Clogged ducts are just that, clogged so in order to unclog it you have to nurse and pump more than ever. Or maybe he just hit a plateau in growth and will have a growth spurt really soon. My daughter had one between 9 and 12 months. I think she only gained a few ounces and had always previously gained a lot. By the next checkup she was pounds bigger. They have to slow down at some point. GOod luck with whatever happens and as the pp said, LLL can be great. There is a meeting tonight in Oak Park if you need to go.

I believe there are two growth charts- one for formula fed babies and one for breastfed babies. Is your son thriving and growing in length? If he was hungry you would think he would be irritable because he isn't satisfied. There is a great breastfeeding forum at www.mothering.com/discussions. Check over there to see if they have advice. Good luck! Also, the baby is more efficient at getting milk out than the pump is so don't worry so much about the amount you get when you pump - hard to do I know. I'm a total "pump watcher" when I pump and worry when I get less than the usual amount but the lactation consultant I know always reassures me that the baby is getting more than the pump does.

My son, as I recall was always off the chart in height and at the 75th percentile in weight...around 6 months he dropped down to 40th percentile in weight. He really hadn't gained any weight but grew longer. It was around that time that I did start him on cereal because I felt like he was ready to start and he really wasn't sleeping longer than 3 - 4 hours at a time. His disposition was good during the day. Mixing the breast milk with the cereal gave my husband a chance to offer a feeding at 9:00 PM and he slept so much better - and so did I. I still breast fed him for, well over a year. My son rejected the right side - I actually think the left side became his preference but I was forced to pump the opposite side or, at least, offer it to him because I didn't want to be in pain or lob-sided. My one side just didn't produce as much. This happened with my daughter, too. Does your son look healthy? Good disposition? What does your instinct tell you?????? He may just have hit a plateau. At the time, my dr. reassured me that, with my son, genetics played a huge factor in his lack of weight gain; I was a tall and very slender child and my son has the same build as I did, when I was young. Please don't be sick with worry over this - address it if the time comes but, in my heart, I think there would be other symptoms that you would note. Good luck to you.

To help with the clogged ducts, you can take a supplement called Lecithin. When pumping, that side, be sure to compress the breast to get as much milk out as possible. As always, a baby is more efficient than a pump. Pumping is not an indicator of supply. How are his diapers? If they are very wet and many a day, he is getting enough. To ease your mind, you can go to your ped's office for a weight check, where you weigh before a feeding. Then, nurse him and weigh after the feeding. This will tell you how much he is getting on average per feeding. I would continue to offer the least favorite side at every feeding to encourage him to nurse off that side. He may take it more easily when he is drowsy or not as hungry.

Has he started moving around yet? Also have you started solids? When they first start moving around their weight gain sort of dips a bit until their body becomes accustomed to the need for more calories. Starting solids should help out with the weight gain a lot.