Posted by
Nicher
19 yrs ago
My baby is close to 7 months. He’s breastfed and has been on solid for around two months. At his check up last weekend he weighs 8 kg - slightly dropped from the 50-75 percentile to 25-50 percentile. I know I shouldn’t be alarmed as babies grow at different rates. But like many parents I would much prefer him to stay chubbier. My pediatrician gave me the below advices but I am still doubtful. Would appreciate if Moms here can share your thoughts.
1. My pedia advised me to think about switching to formula or mix feed with formula which supposedly have higher protein and helps him to gain weight. (It’s the first time I was recommended formula over breastmilk…I didn’t take her advice anyway)
2. She also advised me to measure the amount of solids I offer baby. At his age he should be able to take 6-8oz (he currently can finish 4-5oz). She said it’s the solid which helps the weight gain so I should increase the solid amount. Isn’t milk is where baby gains most nutrients from and that fattens him?
Any other advice welcome!
Please support our advertisers:
I LOVE my pediatrician in Seoul - my daughter continually hovered at around 25-50th percentile. I kept seeing really chubby really big babies younger than her in the waiting area and I MASSIVELy got insecure. (this my second baby but still.)
I asked my pediatrician - and she told me this - a CHUBBY baby is not necessarily a healthy baby. Most of the chubby babies that I was seeing in the sitting area - getting lots of formula and that wasn't necessarily the healthy thing. she told me that the rise in obesity in young infants and toddlers was massively on the rise, and she attributed part of it to the fact that mother's were obsessing about weight. Her advice - keep doing what I was doing - and by a year, then re-evaluate to see what else needs to be done. Formula feeding wouldn't necessarily make for a healthier baby - a BIGGER baby, but not necessarily healthier.
AT only 7 months, it's still your milk which is giving him his nutrition - so I wouldn't worry too much at this point. Still give him his solids, gradually increase, increase variety, try more calorie rich foods (bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes) and keep it up. 25-50th percentile is not horrible (there is an old thread on here by CRJ which discusses her baby that was down below 10%ile - and fully breastfed. She told me recently that her baby was above 50%ile now - chubby!)
Please support our advertisers:
My bubs dropped off her centile signiicantly when I introduced solids. She liked food, but didn't eat much of it and still liked milk more. I also worried and obsessed but eventually after 3 months of almost no weight gain she started up again and is now back up to her original centile.
I think the introduction of solids can often result in a temporary blip like that - I tried high calorie foods and nothing seemed to make much difference. However, she's now a very healthy (though certainly not chubby) 15 month old with a good appetite.
Please support our advertisers:
My bubbs was 72cms and 9.9 kgs at 9 months. At 11.5 months is is 72.5cms and 9.8 kgs, has dropped to the 15-25 percentile I think, from being above the 50% percentile in height. This coincides with his pulling himself up and cruising, crawling, and moving onto 3 solid meals a day, introducing formula and dropping the 3am night bfeed. His mental development is fine, his Head Circumference seems to be growing normally and that is in the 95 percentile, like always, and he is exceeding all his milestones (touchwood) in terms of saying words, pointing, instructions etc. But I am very concerned about his physical development which seems to have stagnated and am seeing our paed at his one year mark. Also he seems to have slight bandy legs, which I am wondering might be affecting his height measurements.
He was having no external non-veg protein besides goats formulae for all of this time, and I have just started him on beef and yolk, which thank god hasnt had any reaction.
I am so worried about his physical growth, even as I comfort myself about his mental grown.
Please support our advertisers:
HKCC - That's EXACTLY my experience in the clinic. That feeling of insecurity... but my ped's advice only heightened my worry. What's more, baby just caught his first cold. Kept sneezing and coughing....
I wish to find a ped like yours too... I am not a breast nazi but the dr. should at least be supportive in what I've chosen to feed my baby.
Baby does love his calorie-rich foods. I've just started introducing meat. Maybe he's just one of the active ones who burns up all calories he takes.
Please support our advertisers:
hmmm....
at newborn stage when all the new mums were busy queueing up to weigh their babies at the well baby clinic every week, i chose not to do that.
my answer to friends who asked me, so how much weight has baby gained this week was always I DON'T KNOW. and that was the truth, i only weighed him at the doctor's when we went for shots.
looking back at his pictures, he was a real chubby thing until he started crawling and he is now a lean and very healthy 14 month old who eats really well, more than his friends who are way bigger than he is. he is only the light side for sure but he is no less happy or active. and honestly, i have no clue what percentile he is on. and i don't think i don't want to know.
anyway, all i am trying to say is, look at your baby's overall development...if he is really fading away, losing weight, not eating well, etc...then yes, you might want to worry and look at his diet and other issues. but don't obssess with the weight percentile - look at your baby. a fat baby does not equal a healthy baby.
Please support our advertisers:
aemom
19 yrs ago
Are you just looking at the weight chart? How about the height chart? How big are you and your husband? Small people do have small babies and children.
My kids were - and still are - very small, always UNDER the bottom curve for the weight and height charts (i.e. way under the 3rd percentile). Every doctor we saw - and all the grandmothers - said as long as they are growing (i.e. the chart doesn't flatten out over several months) and developing, not to worry.
Today they are still shorter than all their classmates, but very healthy and active with good appetites. With birth parents who are 4'9" and 5'3", my kids are not going to be giants!
Please support our advertisers:
HKC
19 yrs ago
My LO is on the 2nd percentile and at a year old she was only 9 kg she is now28 months and weighs 11.5 kgs. My Dr is completely happy with her as she has a steady weight gain, she was breast fed for 13 months and is so active she will never be chubby.
I shouldn't worry about your baby as long as they are healthy and gain weight it really doesn't matter if they are slim
Please support our advertisers:
crj
19 yrs ago
Nicher - my baby was under the 10% for hte first year (on the weight/length ratio chart) but now at 15 months he is the 30% WOW! So things change... and I breast fed for 13 months. Our HK Ped never once told me to suplement or anything, PM me if you want the contact details.
Please support our advertisers:
aemom - Both weight, height and head circumference are in 25-50%ile. Pedia says his growth seems to have 'slowed down'. We are medium built parents - 5'5" and 5'10". Daddy is lean type so maybe that's the reason.
Yeah I know I'm just overworried. Baby is thriving and happy. Or is it the choice of pedia that I should be more worried about?
Please support our advertisers:
crj
19 yrs ago
Also, it is normal for babies to 'flat' or slow down on the chart after starting solids...
do you like your Dr? Do they give you good advice on everything else?
Mayhbe you could also use a midwife for a more balanced view - like Crystal at Matilda or Louise or Hulda at Annerley...
Please support our advertisers:
I have the king of small babies. He's almost 18 months, weighs about 9kg, and can still wear 6-month clothes. Developmentally he's on track or advanced, he's just little. We went to several specialists and ran tests and he's fine. Here's some of what I've learned:
At around 6 months most kids drop in the percentiles as they start solids and become more active. Percentiles are "averages" not "ideal". As they become increasingly active they will continue to slim down.
If breastfeeding is working for you, you don't need to stop or give formula. I'm still breastfeeding with the Dr's blessing.
Don't make eating an "issue" it could create an adversion and then you really have a problem. You can try adding calories by putting cheese, creamcheese, avacado, etc. on the food. Just let baby eat as much as he likes.
Sounds to me like he's fine.
Please support our advertisers:
Thank you very much for the reassurance. You all stated facts that my Dr. didn't tell me. I know there's nothing wrong with my baby. It's probably just the Dr.'s advice that I'm not too pleased with.
crj I'll PM you shortly. Tks!
Please support our advertisers:
Nicher: my sister's baby was really small (they don't do percentile charts in india - so can't tell you where she was on it, but everyone used to say isn't she a bit tiny? much to the aggravation of my sister)- she was exclusively breastfed and although my sister tried to give her solids she didn't really like eating and relied more on breastmilk till she was about ten months - now she's nine years old the tallest in her class and excels in mathematics. so how big a baby is i think is not an indicator of how he/she will be later.
I totally empathise with you, as people are always telling me how small he is (specially on the mainland where babies are HUGE - don't know WHAT they feed them). When i went to get his vaccine at 3 months he weighed a bit more than 11pounds and there was a four month old that weighed 22pounds. people kept pointing and the nurse told me he's seriously underweight (he's somewhere between the 10th and 25ht percentile now. to me he looks normal, alert, healthy and happy - so i'm learning to turn a deaf ear to those comments on his size...
i think what mommysara says is so true that percentiles are just averages and not ideals. And look around you how many of us fit into a perfect mould? we'd be monclonal and boring if we did...
Please support our advertisers:
Hi Kali. Agree 100%. After reading all your replies, I feel embarrassed starting this thread as it seems my baby isn't even on the small side when compared to the rest of you... People keep asking if he's one year old. They all look astounded when I told them he's just passed 6 months. Honestly he doesn't really look tiny at all (my Mom is the only person in the world who thinks he's not chubby enough though).
Anyway I'll also learn to turn a deaf ear on whatever comments re his size. As long as he is happy and keeps meeting his milestones I shouldn't be alarmed.
I'd welcome recommendations on good pediatricians though :)
Please support our advertisers:
crj
19 yrs ago
Hicher -
haha, all grandmothers want chubby baby cheks to pinch!!
Sent you a PM with details.
Please support our advertisers:
crj,
like many other mothers on this thread, my baby is also a small baby. at 18 months he probably weighs about 10kg. this has to do alot with his reflux problem and to this day, he still doesn't like food very much.
heightwise, he's as tall as other babies his age - he's just skinny! he's also as active as you could possibly imagine and would rather by playing than eating by far. it's a job to get him to eat anything.
only recently has my paed expressed a concern on his weight but it was more that if he got ill, he didn't have a lot of 'reserves' on him.
however, the fact that he still has reflux (i recently tried to get him of medication and he just starting throwing up again)and the fact that i don't want to turn feeding time into a battleground means i'm still not going to desperately force food down him. he's healthy, happy and active - if he's hungry, he will eat.
and so will all the other 'underweight' babies....they won't starve themselves!
and as for 'overweight' babies, once they start to move, the weight will literally drop off them from what i've seen of all my friends' babies!
just enjoy them!
Please support our advertisers:
Nicher: don't feel embarassed - i think anxiety is such a big part of motherhood. we all keep worrying - too big, too small, too short, too much poo, too little poo and on and on and on....it would be nice if we could be genetically programmed to just relax and as squiggles says enjoy our bundles of joy.
Please support our advertisers:
crj
19 yrs ago
Squiggles - our babies could be friends - ha ha. Skinny and Active sums up our 16 month old.
BUT, our boy loves to eat now. We focused on high calorie and healthy food at first, now we just focus on healthy :)
BTW - that is exactly what our Dr said "when he is thirsty, he will drink, when he is hungry, he will eat".
Kali - we just had our second, and guess what? We are more relaxed (but not totally!)
Please support our advertisers:
Crj: i reckon by the third or the fourth you'll be totally relaxed :))
BTW: can i ask for your pediatrician's contact details as well? he sounds like he evaluates overall health rather than just weightgain. should i pm you?
Please support our advertisers:
Well done for continuing to breastfeed your baby. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends continued breastfeeding through the first two years of life with the addition of complementary solids at 6 months.
Average weight gain for babies between 6 and 12 months of age is 50 to 80 grams per week. It is normal for weight gain to slow the second half of the first year. The average breastfed baby will double birth in 3 to 4 months. By one year, the typical breastfed baby will weigh about 2 1/2 to 3 times birth weight.
Babies of this age should have three meals of solids per day plus breastfeeds (which can vary from 3 to 5 breastfeeds or more). You may want to increase the amount of solids and add a mid morning and mid afternoon snack of rich nutrient dense foods.
Matilda International Hospital
Well Baby Clinic 2849 1500
Hong Kong
http://www.matilda.org
Please support our advertisers:
You must be logged in to be able to reply.
Login now
Copy Link
Facebook
Gmail
Mail