From: grs01132@runt.appstate.edu
Subject: Re: Underweight 1 year old
Organization: Appalachian State University
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 03:31:44 GMT


>Funny how ignorance is bliss....

>My daughter turned 1 last Sunday.  A couple of weeks before that, she
>was at the clinic for a suspected sinus/ear infection.  The Dr
>weighed her and mentioned that she was really underweight.  I
>mentioned that her brother was somewhat underweight for his age, and
>the Dr seemed okay with that.

>I found the weight charts for girls, and as I read them, she is just
>over the 3rd (third!) percentile for weight!  She is walking,
>climbing, saying her first words, and in every other way behaving
>like any other 1 year old.  She eats well and as often as she wants.
>She is also nursed on demand, and gets cups of juice & formula too.
>More stats: 8lb 4.5 oz at birth, 17lb 6 oz at almost 1 year old.  I
>am 5'10" & her father is the same; both families are average to
>tall, and medium in build.  She was completely nursed until just shy
>of 6 months.  She doesn't seem to have any allergies.

>Should I be concerned?

---
>Shannon Smith                      ssmith@xocolotl.com
>
>    "For the world trusts us with power... they trust
>      us to do what's right."    
>                   G. Bush, "State of the Union," 1992

Dear Shannon:
	I have a 16 month old daughter with the same type of "problem."
At her one year check-up, we learned that she had dropped in percentile.
She was 7lb 11oz at birth (50th percentile) and at 16 months weighed 
17lb. 4oz.(less than 5th percentile.  She also was breastfed and still nurses
at naptime and bedtime.  She eats as much as she wants, has lots of energy,
and has met all her developmental milestones.  She is obviously developing.
Just not growing real fast.  However, her pediatrician has been concerned.
He sent me to a nutritionist who told me to increase her caloric intake 
by adding margarine to her food, adding powdered milk to her whole milk,
adding instant breakfast to her yogurt, using gravies and sauces...
The pediatrician has done thyroid testing on her, all the while telling
me not to worry-it is probably just genetic because most of my family 
and some of my husbands family members are small.  My husband is small-
average and I am fairly small.
	Of course, the first thing I did was panic.  I thought something 
was terribly wrong with Chelsea.  I became extremely food concious.  I
actually measured everything I fed her and kept a log.  All this affected
Chelsea's eating because she could sense my nervousness everytime we sat 
down for a meal.  
	My mother kept reassuring me that everything was fine and eventually
I relaxed.  I have since stopped trying to "fatten Chelsea up" by adding
extra calories.  I have decided to just let her grow at her own rate and
we are both much happier!
	I am glad that my pediatrician is thorough.  But I am angry that
the nutritionist encouraged such bad eating habits just so that my daughter
would grow in the "normal" pattern.  I think a situation like this should
be watched closely and possibly checked out with various tests just in
case.  There could be something medical involved.  But I think sometimes
a mother's intuition means more than any doctor's opinion.  It sounds as 
if your daughter is developing just fine and is just going to grow at her own
rate.  I would follow any advice your doctor gives you.  But don't be overly
concerned.  I think our little girls will be just fine.  I have stopped 
worrying and am now just enjoying my child.  Let me know how things turn out.
--
Cecilia Adams
<GRS01132@appstat.bitnet>
<GRS01132@stat.appstat.edu>