Weight gain

[sconeonamission]

My son is 2mths tomorrow. Yesterday at the health nurse, we discovered he's gained 190g in 3wks. He's 5kg, which on his chart is the 50th percentile. He feeds really efficiently (the nurse watched me feed) and frequently enough. What could cause this small amount of weight gain? I've been told to top him up with ebm in the evenings. hth! Any ideas?

[Tashie]

I don't know whether the heat affects babies as much as it does us, but it has been getting hotter, so maybe the heat hasn't been making him very hungry. Did the nurse say anything about him being dehydrated?

[MamaPan]

my view = that is a healthy weight so i wouldnt worry too much about it at this stage... if he doesnt seem hungry or dehydrated and is putting on some weight then dont stress yourself about it at this stage.. i dont think most nurses care too much about the charts but 50% is obviously average so he is doing well even if you do follow the charts... be kind to yourself you are obv doing a good job and he is thriving... so give him some EBM or another feed if you think he needs it and then see how things go.. obviosuly this is my view only but all these numbers can just make us feel stressed etc when really if bubs is growing and doing well then sit back and enjoy...

[Janie]

Yes, 50th percentile is average, but 190g over three weeks is not a great gain.

Don't stress Rhianon, it could just be a one off. How has his weight been so far, before this latest weigh? What does he average per week? How many feeds does he have a day, and are any of them through the night? Try topping him up with the EBM and make sure he feeds plenty of times throughout the day and night.

I'm sure he'll be just fine When do you get him weighed again?

[sconeonamission]

I'm not too worried. We have an emergency appt with the health nurse next Friday. But if he wasnt well, or underweight, I'm sure the Dr would have said no to his vaccinations yesterday.

[Trillian]

Things to take into account when they are being weighed too are bowel movements and when their last feed was before the weigh. These can affect how much a baby will weigh at any given time.

The beautiful thing is, we need babies of all sizes to make the 'average' size baby and from the sound of it, your baby is perfectly average, which is perfectly normal! I think to suggest that he needs EBM to boost his weight is unnecessary and puts the pressure on you to get his weight up. Some babies just don't gain a lot of weight every week and it really does vary over time - some will gain heaps for a while and then only smaller amounts, others will have big gains every week and some will just poke along at their own pace. You are doing a wonderful job with him.

[MamaPan]

well put sherie and glad you arent too concerned scone - agree with you regarding the dr!

[Ambah]

Moving this to Baby & Toddler General Discussion.