My child suffers from ‘failure to thrive’

Our family pediatrician diagnosed by nine month old baby girl as suffering from failure to thrive. Please I need more information about this problem?
Susan L.

Children are considered as failing to thrive when their rate of growth does not meet the expected growth rate for a child their age. The average full-term baby doubles its birth weight by six months and triples by one year.
Children with failure to thrive are often not meeting those milestones. If a baby continues to lose weight or does not gain weight as expected, he or she is probably not thriving. Children who fail to thrive are either not receiving or have an inability to take in or retain adequate nutrition in order to gain weight and grow.
Causes and symptoms
The cause of failure to thrive is typically differentiated into organic and non-organic. Organic causes are those caused by an underlying medical disorder. Inorganic causes are those caused by a caregiver’s actions. 
Organic causes of failure to thrive may include:
1. Premature birth, especially if the fetus had intrauterine growth retardation.
2. Maternal smoking, alcohol use, or illicit drugs during pregnancy.
3.    Mechanical problems present, resulting from a poor ability to suck or swallow, for example, presence of cleft lip and cleft palate.
4.    Unexplained poor appetites that are unrelated to mechanical problems or structural abnormalities, for example, breathing difficulties that can result from congestive heart failure. (Any difficulty in breathing makes eating more difficult and can result in it. Inadequate intake also can result from metabolic abnormalities, excessive vomiting caused by obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract, or kidney dysfunction. In addition, gastroesophageal reflux causing regurgitation of formula or refusal of feeding.)
5. Poor absorption of food, inability of the body to use absorbed nutrients, or increased loss of nutrients.
Some examples of non-organic causes of failure to thrive are:
1. Poor feeding skills on the part of the parent.
2. Dysfunctional family interactions.
3. Difficult parent-child interactions.
4. Lack of social support.
5. Lack of parenting preparation.
6.    Family dysfunction, such as abuse or divorce .
7. Child neglect .
8. Emotional deprivation.
The following symptoms are possible indications of failure to thrive:
1. Delayed social and mental skills.
2. Delayed development of secondary sexual traits in adolescents.
3. Height, weight, and head circumference in an infant or young child not progressing as expected on growth charts.
4. Edema (swelling).
5. Wasting.
6. Enlarged liver
7. Rashes or changes in the skin.
8. Changes in hair texture .
When to call the doctor
Parents should notify their physician if their child does not seem to be developing at a normal pace. If parents notice a drop in weight or if the baby does not want to eat, the doctor should be notified.
Diagnosis
If a child fails to gain weight for three months in a row during the first year of life, physicians normally become concerned. The most important part of a physician’s evaluation is taking a detailed history.
 Prenatal history is important, and the doctor will want to know if the pregnant mother smoked, consumed alcohol, used any medications, or had any illness during the pregnancy. The doctor will also want a dietary history, to determine if there have been any feeding problems. 
Treatment
Because there are numerous factors that may contribute to a failure to thrive diagnosis, children diagnosed with the disorder sometimes have an entire medical team working on the case. If there is an underlying physical cause, correcting that problem may reverse the condition. The doctor will recommend high-calorie foods and place the child on a high-density formula.