My son is one year old, I am very worried about him. He only weighs 16 pounds and 2oz he is only 28 3/4 inches long. When he eats or drinks his belly bloats out and he screams for awhile till his belly goes done. They had him in the hopital because he had lost weight, but when he gained two onces they sent him home. He is also the average size of a six months old baby. I am really scared i don't know what is going on. he eats three meals a day and he has two snacks but he is not gaining like he is suppose to. Does anyone have any ideas what is going on. I am really scared pleas help.
T.,
Yes, a lot of children are just small, but anytime there is pain involved as this often there is a problem. I would certainly have him looked at and demand an ultrasound. Regardless, he should not be screaming after every meal.
My son had digestive problems and we had an incompetent doctor at the time. One night I called the emergency line for the on-call doctor and by the grace of God, Dr. Larry Hund was on call. He immediately assessed the situation, advised me what to do and asked me to bring my son to see him the next day. He's part of Midwest Kansas Pediatrics. He's awesome. Thorough and really cares about your child. I don't know if he's taking patients right now. But I agree, you really must have your child tested and don't rest until you get answers. Mother's know when they're kids just aren't right. Sometimes you just have to keep pushing. You're in my prayers!
I would not get freaked out by bad thoughts of possible diseases. I would insist that your ped check into this more thoroughly and to your satisfaction. If you're still concerned I would for sure get a second opinion of switch docs.
MOMMAS KNOW!!
Don't worry my daughter just turned a year old a few weeks ago and I took her for her year check up last Friday she only weights 16 lbs 1 oz and is 27 in tall. As long as they are eating and healthy otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. Life is to short to worry so much. I have to keep telling myself that. He also might have acid refux or be alergic to something you're giving him. Watch what you feed him if he screams I would stay a way from that food for awhile and retry it some other time. S.
Since his discomfort is linked with eating/drinking a food allergy is likely. My son had food allergies (dairy, soy, legumes, shellfish). Luckily at the age of 2-1/2 he out grew them which is common. I have day care child who is 2-1/2 and not only has many food allergies but has a disease that attacks all food. His mom has taken him to many doctors for the last year until someone finally diagnosed him. What I would recommend is speak with your pediatrician. Do NOT let them blow it off. If you do not get a reasonable answer find a doctor that gives you one. I "fired" ours and found a wonderful doctor who listened. A mom knows when something is just not right.
Have you ever had his Thyroid checked, he could have an overactive thyroid making him lose or not gain weight like he should. Just a thought.
I would have him tested for celiac disease. That is where they are allergic to gluten. When they eat things that have gluten in them, they bloat and get terrible stomach pain, gas, constipation, diarrhea, etc. Lack of weight gain is a primary symptom, too. My son is small and is being tested for that now. It is not a scary thing, though. It just means their body cannot absorb calories from the food they eat, because the intestine has been damaged by the gluten. Once you put them on a gluten-free diet, their intestine repairs itself and they gain weight. Hope this helps!
Please, please push to get him seen by a doctor that will run some tests. The other mothers had some good ideas as to what might be wrong, but he has to be tested. Please let us know what you find out.
When my eldest son was about eight months old he stopped growing. As the months progressed without any improvement our pediatrician referred us to University of Michigan hospital. (We lived in Michigan at the time) They ran every test known to man on our son. Wheat Gluton (Celiac), Dairy allergies, Cystic Fibrosis, Growth Hormone test etc. Everything was negative. My husband and I both had problems with formula as infants. So around 1 year I switched him to whole milk. Within 8 months our son started to grow again. He stopped having hard whitish bowel movements and began to slowly gain weight. From studying the symptoms of Wheat Gluton absorbtion problems I learned that damage to the intestines usually takes about 8 months to appear and to heal. When we laid out a time-line that is exactly when his symptoms appear and the time frame to correct in relation to removing formula from his diet. So that was our culprit.
It could be a simple food allergy, but I would not hesitate to discuss your options with your pediatrician. If this is something like Celiac it needs to be diagnosed so your child's diet may be changed. In the mean time see how he responds to boost or childrens ensure. I gave my eldest boost because it was a lot cheaper and he liked it!
On a positive note, all three of my boys weighed 18lbs at 1 year. They are all small, but very healthy. My eldest is 11 and might weigh 60-65lbs. My 8 year old is a bit stockier so he's close to 60lbs also. And my 6 year old is probably around 40lbs. Neither my husband or I are big people though.
I hope this helps.
Have they tested him for Cystic Fibrosis? The pain after he eats concerns me. I'm sure there are many possibilities though. Do you have him still drinking formula? I'd keep him on healthy but high calorie drinks and snacks. You may need to do a total elimination diet to see if he is allergic to something. What they say to do is go to white rice and fish for a couple of weeks and then start adding food back in one item at a time until you see how things go. But that's for adults. I don't know if it would be the same for toddlers. I'd get some advice on that.
Some children really are just tiny kids. How is he progressing otherwise?
Suzi
Yeah, I definitely agree it could be a food allergy. I've heard a lot on the Celiac disease that she (the last lady) was talking about. And he might just be a small kiddo. My daughter is almost 2 and only weighs 22 lbs. Best of luck to you though! I'm sure it can be a very scary thing! Let us know how it goes.
