Worried-weight gain in BF baby

notahappycamper

Worried-weight gain

My consultant today told me that my son is not gaining weight like he should. He is EBF and weighed 8lbs 4.5oz when born and at 18 weeks is weighing 13lbs 5oz. I started him on baby rice at 15 weeks cause he needed it and is loving it, he is up to two feeds now. The consultant told me to give him mashed spud and butter and introduce formula..which I don't want to do as I wanted to EBF until 6 months.

I'm not really clear on these weight gain charts and percentiles etc..just looking for other mammies advice.

Thanks

How Strange

I'm really terrible at percentiles but basically your baby weighed 134oz at birth and now weighs 216oz. Kellymom says an average (please remember average!) baby gains 5-7oz per week during 0-17 weeks and 4-5 oz per week after. At 18 weeks your baby has gained an average 4.55 oz a week. That includes the 18th week so if it's calculated to 17 weeks the average weight gain is 4.82oz.

So while your son may be on the lower end of 'average' he'd still within the range of normal. Not all babies are chubby. Just like adults some babies are leaner or smaller than others. They all come in different shapes and sizes.

I think if you're really worried about your sons weight gain then you need to get a second opinion. Telling a mother to stop breastfeeding and give potatoes, butter and formula to an 18 week old is really disgraceful but regrettably not surprising advice.

Is your consultant using the breastfed who weight charts? Is your baby being weighed on the same scales with the same amount of clothes on or off each time?

Do you have any particular worries about your baby's growth, development or general health? Is he otherwise a he really happy baby with a good output of wet and dirty (not as important as wet) nappies? Is his fontenelle ok?

You're his mother so you've probably for a good idea if he's healthy and growing.

I'm really terrible at doing percentiles but if you could try and plot his percentiles according to the who charts for breastfed babies and see if he's sustaining a curve or if he's dropped dramatically.

notahappycamper

I wasn't worried about his weight gain but I had noticed it has slowed down alot.

I attend a BF group run by my PHN in our local health center and at that he gets weighed on the same scales so I do think it is accurate. Hss nappies etc are good and in my opinion he is happy and healthy..surely if he was hungry I would know?!

Do you know it the 'quality' of milk can change?

wmpdd3

Both mine were very under weight until they were 12 months old. One was bottlefed from 4 weeks the other was breastfed. Neither were big eaters and no solids until they were 6.5 months, they just had no interest. I was hounded by the PHN on the first and it was mentioned to me the second time, but I knew they were sleeping, hitting their milestones etc.

For some reason at 12 months it just all fell into place, my son is bang on the average height and weight for 12 months.

Sometimes they measures the baby's arm to check for fat percentage (I think), they seemed happy enough with this measurement, maybe your PHN could try this?

LegacyUser

How Strange wrote: »

I think if you're really worried about your sons weight gain then you need to get a second opinion. Telling a mother to stop breastfeeding and give potatoes, butter and formula to an 18 week old is really disgraceful but regrettably not surprising advice.

I completely agree. Are these people ticking boxes or are they that badly educated? It is a frightening thought that they have such influence in our society. "potatoes and butter"....appalling advice.

OP, your baby seems totally fine. They will let you know when hungry. My missus is still breastfeeding our boy at 20 months. We have never weighed him, not once. He is not a turkey.

He is extremely fit and happy and continues to be. Shiny head of hair, has been ill for two days out of twenty months. Lively from dawn to dusk. Breastfed babies are very, very special. :-)

How Strange

It's quite usual for breastfed babies to gain weight consistently in first 12-16 weeks and then for the weight gain to taper off. Its certainly not indicative of a problem in itself unless there are other factors.

I follow the mantra of look to the baby not the scales. If you're satisfied that he is getting enough milk and you're feeding on demand rather than to a prescribed schedule, he's generally content then things are ok.

A drop in weight might indicate a problem but a slow down of weight gain especially at 17-18 weeks on its own doesn't.

My friend has a boy who's so really petite and she got a lot of comments from doctors, phns etc in Ireland about his weight. She's not Irish so when she brought him to a pediatrician at home they said he was a normal healthy size

How Strange

By the way the quality of your milk only changes in a good way to match the nutritional needs of your baby. So your milk at 17 weeks adapts to suit what your son needs now and is very different to your milk at 1 week.

Anyone who tells you the quality of your milk is bad or insufficient for your baby clearly knows nothing about breast milk or breastfeeding.

pwurple

I'm wondering why you are seeing a consultant with him? Could something else be affecting him.

My baby was always low in those percentiles.... 9th percentile for weight up to about 6 months, and she was formula fed from 6 weeks. She is still on the low side, 30th percentile at 23 month. She gets weighed a lot (gets checkups for allergies) but my GP or the consultants never mention the weight charts. My PHN on the otherhand was going totally bananas over the weight percentiles. Some people seem to take it personally.

You can't force the food in (at least i couldn't, the baby would clamp her mouth shut and refuse). If they are hungry they will cry for more. Trying to fool their appetite and keep all children up with these average values I am sure is contributing to the levels of childhood obesity here. Not everyone is supposed to be the same weight as everyone else.

If your son is happy and healthy otherwise, then there is nothing wrong.

Victor

How Strange wrote: »

I'm really terrible at percentiles but basically your baby weighed 134oz at birth and now weighs 216oz. Kellymom says an average (please remember average!) baby gains 5-7oz per week during 0-17 weeks and 4-5 oz per week after.

I'm not sure that is the correct way to do things as babies tend to lose weight in the first few weeks.

How Strange

Victor yes you're right. They tend to lose up to 10% of their birthweight initially but that loss is normally regained within 14-21 days. Breastfed babies generally take longer to regain their birthweight as they feed little and often.

It's a general guide working on averages so it's not scientific or exact but percentile charts also work on the principles of averages. Percentile charts only came into existence in the early 20th century when formula became more popular and babies were presenting with malnourishment so doctors needed a way to plot and measure the growth of formula fed babies. There were never any percentile charts for breastfed babies and they came about because doctors were then using growth charts designed for babies on formula to measure those breastfed. The weight gain in babies fed on each is very different.

That's why, unless there's significant weight loss or other factors to be considered in addition to weight loss, it's best to look to the baby rather than getting caught up in weight gain.

Ms2011

My son was 8lbs born & was 13lbs 15oz by 18 weeks so pretty similar to your son only mine was formula fed.
People said he'd pile the weight on when he began solids but he never did, he just put weight on at the same steady rate despite having a great appetite.
The last weigh-in he had was at 8 months & he weighed 17lbs 2oz which the PHN did comment on but didn't seem too worried.
I did used to worry about it but my son is a happy active baby so now I just put it down to his genetics as neither myself or his dad would be that big.

notahappycamper

Thanks everyone. Baby was just getting a check up as my GP noticed something but consultant has given him the all clear, healthy baby just concerned about weight gain. He has eczema.

I've felt confident in BF and how he is doing but now I'm second guessing each feed..is he getting enough, am I reading his signals correctly etc..all of which I was happy with.

My PHN is calling up today because I rang with my concerns..she has never said anything about his weight and she sees him quite a bit at a BF group she runs.

Hopefully all will be settled. Going to keep going the way we are and keep a closer eye on weight gain..once he is happy I am happy!

Looking at the who growth chart for BF babies he has tapered down to the 15% percentile..if I didn't know about that chart I would have said he was fine

mary1978

I have found the kellymom website to have lots of helpful and reliable info on breastfed babies.

here is al ink to what they say about growth and growth charts:

http://kellymom.com/health/growth/growthcharts/

lazygal

My baby got one bottle of formula from the start as we were scared into it in the hospital. She lost 12% rather than 10% weight and being first time parents we saw no option. She was getting just the one bottle until about five months, when we introduced solids, then at six months for a few reasons I phased in a second and then a third bottle. She's still on one or two BFs a day. i had an eight month check up recently with the PHN and baby is at the very bottom percentile for weight. She's just over double her birthweight but I've been reassured this is totally normal for babies that were BF, don't forget weight gain charts were introduced by formula companies to reassure mothers when formula was first advertised. I look at the overall health of my baby. She's happy, sturdy, crawling like a mad thing, eats everything that's put in front of her (three meals and snacks) and hasn't been sick one day since she was born.

littlemissfixit

Hi!

My boy was born 10lb and has put on 4.5oz/week except for his 3wks growth spurt where he put 9oz in a week. At 14wks he was 14lb 2.5oz.
I only introduce 1 bottle of formula at 2mths to get him used to bottle and didnt want to express, but didnt change his weight gain anyway. I started him on solids at 5 and half months. He is a happy healthy very active 8 mth old even though is weight gain has always been just under minimum expected.
All I can say is dont introduce formula if you dont feel its right, cause there is a chance that its not going to affect his weight gain much and then you will regret having introduced it.
I've just come to the conclusion that my lad likes to nibble little and often and seeing that he is so hyper I think its normal his gain is not much.

If your baby seems content and happy and active, then I would say evrything is fine!

Moonbeam

My 2nd girl was 2 in January she weighs 23 lbs.
She is well able to talk,runs around like a crazy baby and can do everything and more for her age but she is just small.
I find breastfeeding stressful the 1st girl was given top up bottles in the hospital as she lost too much weight quickly,the 2nd was also breastfed but did not put on weight as quick as she should so I began topping her up with formula.
Once you have an intelligent PHN you will be fine,she will advise you.
If your child is being treated by a consultant then there are obviously other issues too which maybe affecting weight.