DD 14wks not putting on enough weight - centile charts!

[aideesmum]

Hi all.
My dd (14wks) was weighed this morning and has dropped to the 0.4th centile. She was on the 25th when born and had gradually dropped down to the bottom. She is EBF, 6 times a day (around every 3 hours - on demand) and sleeps 8 hours in the night before waking for a feed. Have to go back to the HV to weigh her in 2 weeks and she mentioned maybe having to wean dd earlier than 6 months to put on the weight.
She is a very contented baby and is progressing well, even rolling over herself and wanting to sit up when being held up.
My question is that if she is happy and feeding when she wants it does it really matter if she is not putting on the weight as quick as they would like???
BTW she had put on 8.5oz in 4 weeks. Thanks for your opinions.

[babymutha]

trust yourself, not the BLOODY CHARTS (which are for american formula fed babies from 20 years ago).
If she seems good to you, she probably is, and she sounds lovely (SLEEPING THROUGH AT 14 WEEKS!!!). WHY OH WHY OH WHY do health visitors not look at the CHILD FIRST and the CHARTS LAST.
sorry if this sounds a bit ranty - I had the same with mine, who is now 3 and a half and a perfectly slim, strong healthy little girl, the HVs put me through HELL, with all their nonsense about weaning and formula.
TRUST YOURSELF you're her mother. and all that stuff about weaning is a pile of poo too - wean her when she's ready for food and shows an interest not when some bloody stupid research paper which will change in 3 years time tells you to wean her. DO WHAT YOU THINK and FEEL in your heart and you'll be JUST FINE.
xxxx

[ShowOfHands]

Are you small? Your partner? Some babies will be on the bottom of the chart. Because we're all different. As I understand it your baby isn't losing weight?

Which chart have you got. The general ones aren't for American ff babies, they're for all babies, all feeding permutations accounted for, but round here if you're bfing they give you a specific bfing chart instead.

How do you feel? Happy? Sounds like she's progressing, developing and happy. Weeing and pooing lots? How long is she?

The weaning comment is rubbish. If there was any concern whatsoever about her weight- and I'm not qualified to comment on that really -then they should be talking to you about increasing milk feeds. 6 feeds to me sounds like very few, particularly in the hot weather but some babies do feed that way. If you were at all worried then I'd just give more milk.

[aideesmum]

Thanks for the comments.
The HV phoned me again after I posted yesterday and suggested topping up with formula to put on the weight, however, I explained to her that dd was feeding when she wanted and was always full up so I wasn't going to top up with formula (basically force feed her) and continue as we are.
In my opionion dd is thriving, just not putting on weight as quick as they would like!
She feeds every 3 hours when shes awake so unless I wake her to feed her (which I dont want to do) I can't really give her any more.
Funnily enough they have NEVER measured her length so how do they know she is not in proportion to that??????
Anyway my instinct is to carry on as we are unless she started losing weight, which is the only time I see a problem. She does show some signs of being ready for food but it's far too early so will try and leave it as near to 6 months as possible.

[littlemisstax]

My DD was born on the 75th centile, and dropped to between 0.4th and 9th by 2 months. She's remained in this gap ever since (now 9 months). She's perfectly healthy, and crawls, cruises, climbs the stairs and chatters away to herself. She loves her food.

My FIL (retired paediatrician) asked me if I was worried about my daughter or the chart. I've not had her weighed in two months, she's happy and so am I.

Your DD will be fine - someone has to be at the lower end of the range and as long as she's putting on weight it's ok.

[babymutha]

ps - I am hefty and all the babies in both our families are hefty (nephew was 10lb at birth!!! eek) Husband is slim, athletic type (like DD) with v fast metabolism (but was a whopper of a baby).
DD was born on 25th centile and (despite dropping off the bottom of the chart on a number of occasions when she was wee) probably around there again now. Please feel free NOT to force feed your baby formula AND INDEED NOT to go back to the baby clinic because they will probably just hassle you and turn you into a ranty-about-hv-person like me.............!!!!!!????
This eve DD downed lovely dinner of fish and couscous followed by icecream and blackberries and was still (apparently) hungry at bed time. Maybe I should have fattened her up with a bit more ice cream, but instead I told her it was bedtime and she'd have to wait til breakfast.... don't tell the hvs!