Help! Need advice please!!

[playfelt]

I would think weaning would be part of the program - it will happen on it's own if child is in the hospital long enough because the mom won't be feeding. If she is pumping at the hospital as a supplement they will be able to see how much child is getting. There is a very good chance the mom is not producing enough milk and the child appears to be breastfeeding but is really only suckling for comfort for part of the time. Would be interesting to know how often child feeds evening/overnight.

They won't release her from the hospital until she is eating fully or they will fit her with an alternate feeding system. She may also be put on a supplement - think pediasure but one that has the increased nutrients she needs if she doesn't eat food. She will also be closely followed by a nutritionist and again won't be released from the hospital till they have done their workup. Which is why the doctor was saying days/weeks - she can't go home till she puts on the required weight and is eating enough to maintain that so I wouldn't worry about her falling into her old patterns.

They will also be doing blood work I would think to look for anomalies that could indicate a condition related to failure to thrive that is in part a cause for the eating and weight loss.

One thing you might want to do is ask for contact with the nutritionist since you will be responsible for a large part of the meals/snacks. What this will allow you to do is have a direct link and if child stops eating and you suspect the parent is not going to do anything about it I would contact the nutritionist or even the doctor and relay your concerns about the child. It is not something that can happen over and over. This is a very critical age for brain development and damage may already have been done which is one of the reasons she seems more like a baby than a toddler.

What is the brother like in terms of size, weight, development in the sense of is this an issue only with the girl or have you noticed anything unusual about the brother that might indicate a problem at home. Depending on the doctor and what comes out at the hospital there may be need for a social worker to be involved to monitor the child's well being once released and they may want to meet/talk with you too depending on the severity of the problem or what they think is the cause.