What prevents babies from gaining weight?

There are many potential causes for this problem. In many cases it can take months for the doctor to run tests and studies about your baby's diet, medical history, level of movement and the cause of stress before finding out. the source of the problem.

In general, if an infant does not gain weight steadily, it can be due to two reasons: one is the baby is not eating enough or the baby is unable to absorb nutrients effectively. Here are some detailed causes for this problem.

Problems related to feeding the baby

Babies feel constantly tired and sleepy before drinking enough milk.

Your baby's sucking is too weak to get enough milk from your mother if you are breast-feeding or it can even happen when you bottle-feed.

A cleft lip or cleft palate can interfere with suckling. You can solve this problem by feeding your baby with bottles and nipples specifically designed or with the help of a nutritionist.

A sticky tongue can also make it difficult for your baby to suckle and cause your baby to receive less essential nutrients. This can also interfere with bottle feeding, although this is rare.

If you are giving your baby formula, mixing the wrong formula can also lead to your baby's inability to gain weight.

If you are breastfeeding and cannot feed your baby on a proper schedule, your baby may not be getting the milk it needs.

One-third of your milk is called colostrum and this is always available to your baby. When breastfeeding begins, your body instinctively produces the hormone oxytocin, which stimulates the flow of the remaining milk, called final milk. This process is called the milk return reflex and you will notice if this happens when your nipples feel tingling or if a spurt occurs. Final milk has more calories than colostrum.

If you are stressed or have a medical condition, these reflexes may not work and your baby may not be able to get enough milk at the end of a feed. When this happens often, it is also difficult for the baby to gain weight. To encourage the lactation reflex, find a relaxing place to breastfeed.

Some babies who are fed on a schedule instead of on demand when hungry get less nutrients than they really need. Most experts believe that it's best to let your baby breastfeed or bottle until the baby wants to stop.

Other common causes

If your baby is sick, his body may need more calories and nutrients. Being sick can also affect the baby's appetite.

Your baby may have chronic digestive tract problems like diarrhea , reflux , celiac disease, or lactose intolerance .

If you have postpartum depression or other babies are too much for your attention, then you probably won't be able to give your baby the attention it needs to notice if your baby is well maintained. maintenance suit or not.

In rare cases, lack of weight gain can be the result of certain lung conditions such as cystic fibrosis ; diseases in the nervous system such as cerebral palsy ; diseases related to chromosomes such as Down syndrome; heart disease ; anemia; metabolic or endocrine disorders such as growth hormone deficiency. You need to bring your baby to the doctor so that the baby can be diagnosed and treated promptly if any signs of any of the above conditions are detected.