Obese Infant Kacey Causes Concern

Kacey Gibbs a four year old lively girl had her parents and doctors in a perplex state when her weight started escalating when she was barely six month old. According to the normal baby growth chart Kacey’s recordings were way beyond the normal average.

Her parents were terrified to see her ballooning. “I was scared, worried - because the weight gain was so fast. It wasn't like a couple of ounce; it was like two, three pounds every week. And it was getting so fast her breathing was getting bad - she had bad asthma, running around she was getting so breathless.”

It was difficult picking her up or fitting her in a child seat. Today her premature growth spurt makes her stand out. The four year old can pass off for a ten year old as she weighs 31.5Kg.

A whole team of doctors carried out a range of tests which failed to find any underlying medical cause for her condition.

Today there is rising case of obese children right at the infant stage.

They are concerned some parents are super sizing meal portions for very young children and have lost sight of what "normal" weight looks like.

Dr Tabitha Randell, a consultant pediatrician from Nottingham, is one doctor who believes some parents are killing their children with kindness.

According to a survey it is overfeeding that is root cause of the problem. Some parents no longer understand the correct portion sizes for very young children or select the wrong types of food - crisps, fizzy drinks and other sugary or high fat snacks - for their child. Some health professionals think it is unhelpful to see childhood obesity as potential neglect. Babies who gain weight too fast in the first years of life can become obese and develop high blood pressure later in life, putting hem at risk of early heart disease.

Teams at Southampton found in a number of studies that babies weighing less than 5.5 pounds grew up to have a range of heart problems. Researchers wondered whether the practice of fattening up the underweight babies after birth, which doctors often encourage mothers to do, might inadvertently lead to higher blood pressure and a higher risk of heart disease in those children.

The answer may be as simple as breastfeeding babies for the recommended one year, or for as long as possible, said another study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Many parents start adding solid foods at around four months, which is what doctors often used to recommend, but more recent studies show this is not good for the baby.

Formula-fed babies can get too many calories. Breasts fed babies gain weight more slowly than formula-fed infants and are less likely to become overweight.

In Kacey’s case cutting down on her food her weight was brought under control.

Source-Medindia
BIN/S