HV visiting house because baby is heavy?!

[eml19]

Hi just wondering if anyone else has been through this. My dc is quite a big baby had been taking to get weighed around every 6 weeks when I felt like it, I'm not concerned about my dc in anyway I see nothing wrong with a chubby baby.
Anyway around 1 month ago took dc to get weighed dc had gone up centiles again, hv said to come back in 1 month which I did that was Thursday just gone. Dc has put 2 pound on in 1 month and now they want me to keep a food diary and visit my house this Thursday coming to talk more in depth about eating/drinking habits, measure his head, height and length.
I don't know what to think it's really put me about dc is doing so well with food my first wasn't and still hasn't got the best appetite now.
I feel bad for feeding my baby I'm questioning everything I'm giving them, has anyone else had this?
Thanks for reading sorry for the long post.

[eml19]

Hopeful bump

[eml19]

Anyone?

[surreygirl1987]

Well how old is he, how heavy is he, and what percentile (weight and height if you know it)?

[eml19]

7 month 22lb just under 98th percentile for weight. Height not been done since birth

[jollyohh]

What centile was he born in and did you breastfeed?

[eml19]

@jollyohh he was born on the 14th centile. I was induced at 38 weeks due to him not growing, he was better out than in so to speak. He's gained brilliantly from birth always had an appetite, he only lost 4.5% of his birth weight. He's formula fed.

[jollyohh]

That's a lot of weight gain. He has crossed 5 centiles so I expect they want to do all measurements to make sure all is ok.

What type of foods does he have?

[eml19]

He has 5 6-7oz bottles a day.
Then breakfast lunch and dinner - which is puréed vegetables or fruit. Porridge or rusk mashed with milk for breakfast.

[jollyohh]

Breakfast, lunch and dinner is quite a lot of food for a 7 month old. The guidelines are 3 meals by 8/9 months. Think about portion sizes too.

Rusks are just full of sugar but weetabix is a good option. I wouldn't worry too much but you don't want him to continue gaining at that rate or he'll be off the charts. If he's gained a lot since solids were introduced it suggests over feeding. It's the pattern of growth that's important

[eml19]

His portion sizes are just the bottom of the bowl if that makes sense? Not a lot at all. He's only recently started on 3 a day he enjoys his food and is in a good routine so I'm not sure what they could suggest, he sleeps through the night, he's meeting milestones so it's not affecting him from what I can see. I have never fed him to the point he's refusing food he's always wanting more.

[jollyohh]

He's gained almost a kilo in 4 weeks, so he's definitely getting a lot from somewhere! If he continues gaining at that rate, he's tipping into the obese category.

My dd is a good eater. She'll eat anything and everything all day long if I let her but I'm conscious she doesn't really have an off button. She rarely refuses food. My Dsis was the same and has been overweight all her life.

I give DD what I feel is a reasonable amount, then say no more and monitor her weight gain. She bobs along around the 75th centile. My first is on the 2nd so totally different!

[eml19]

I see what you mean he is putting it on quickly. Hopefully all his measurements are in proportion and he is just a big baby. I used a tape measure earlier I know not the best way but I'm so worried and even though he was wriggling he was around 70cm so fingers crossed he's just built this way.

My first was the same he's a skinny little thing even now at 5 he's so picky with food. But like you said with your dd my 2nd would probably try anything if I let him and keep going

[surreygirl1987]

My little boy is a similar weight and age to yours... but was born at 9lbs 10 plus his dad and I are both mega tall (and so is he) so we were never going to have a small baby. He's followed his line consistently on the chart. I can see why they are raising it as that's a lot of percentile lines crossed. They're just doing their job and it is useful to have them checking everything is okay. Maybe your little one, like mine, is just a larger baby in general and perfectly in proportion- but if you are overfeeding (not saying you are mind you) you would surely want to be aware or thst sooner rather than later! My boy is only on one meal a day still but we will be doing 2 meals next week. I'm impressed yours is on 3 and I don't see an issue with that by 7 months! I'm finding it hard to find the time!

[Littlemissdaredevil]

Can you get them to measure DS’s length. I know they don’t like to at this stage as the next time they ‘officially’ measure it is the 12 month check. My DD went up 2 centiles between 4 and 6 months but I made the HV measure her length which has also gone up 2 centiles!

Has your DS started crawling yet? Once he is mobile that he should become leaner

[Booboostwo]

My DD put on an enormous amount of weight as a baby and this is what I read at the time (advice may have changed in the last 8 years).

The baby’s weight at birth is a function of the placenta, the baby’s weight after birth is a function of genetics. If you were induced because he wasn’t growing maybe he has a lot of catching up to do to get to his genetic weight?

Excessive height rather than excessive weight is an indicator of some very rare conditions. If a baby exceeds the 98th centile for height it is worth getting checked out for these rare conditions, it doesn’t mean that the baby is affected, just that it is worth looking into.

Baby weight is not a predictor of weight as a child or adult. My DD went from 3.2 kg at birth to 12 kg at one year old, a massive increase and a heavy baby. She is now on the 98th centile for height and so slim that she’s at the lower end of the healthy BMI. Her early weight has fueled a massive height gain, and if anything we need to keep an eye on her weight so that she doesn’t loose too much now.

Are you or your DH tall?

[eml19]

@Booboostwo that's what I was thinking with both my pregnancies they weren't growing near the end and both made up for it once out. My first not so much as my second.
We're not tall but my dad is, grandad, unlce etc on my mums side so maybe he gets that from them if that's possible? I was a chunky baby and so was my uncle.
She's coming Thursday to measure height, weight and his head so hopefully it all there about matches up he is quite long so fingers crossed.

[Gertruude]

Our LO was the same. The HV just said to cut his bottles down so he just has 2 8oz bottles per day, a morning and bedtime one. Then he was fine with the food. She'll weigh and measure him, and measure his head and just check what sort of diet he's on.

[eml19]

@Gertruude thanks puts my mind at ease. Don't know what I was expecting them to do if I'm honest. He still loves his milk but maybe he does need to cut down on it somehow.

[MammEEE]

I haven't weighed my 7 month old DS recently but suspect his measurements are similar to your sons. He is in 9-12months clothes size and looks about 9 months old-both height and weight. He's also on 3 meals a day but then I BF him so no idea how much milk he is having.

My DD was a very chubby baby..even bigger than my DS but she is now 11yrs old and healthy weight.

Try not to worry too much, he'll learn to crawl (if he hasn't already, mine just started) and walk and then will soon run it all off. IMO better a well fed healthy baby than one that's struggling with weight, I'd worry about that more.

Though at times I do feel a bit judged at baby groups..everyone's polite etc but still. and everyone always assumes he's formula fed, I think due to size.

[eml19]

@MammEEE they do sound about the same size ds is in 9-12 and looks massive. I think I've just worked myself up for no reason probably because I never had this with my first.

I agree with you they're happy, healthy and more than likely it will all drop off once he's moving around. I feel asif they don't take into account that there is no baby the same, they can't go on their guidelines for each baby they see but I understand they have a job to do.

I'm the same with ds the amount of comments I've had about him being big but I love a chubby baby he's happy and thriving I see nothing wrong.

[Gertruude]

@eml19 we cut down gradually otherwise LO would've been very unhappy. Each bottle we cut down by an ounce or two every day or so until he was fine without that one.

[MammEEE]

Keep us updated with what the HV says, would be interesting to know.

Every baby is different, so true. My friends DS is also 7 months, on 3 meals AND snacks and he's very slim.

The comments are constant-aww he's so big, chubby, he's strong (I think it's another word for big when it comes to babies), solid are the most common ones

[MammEEE]

Thinking about this I just remembered when DS was only a few weeks old he was weighed one week and again the following week and the HV had to weigh him twice the second time as she thought the scales had broken-he has put on a pound in a week. Not sure of the relevance of this to the post but remembering that made me smile

[eml19]

Just to update had to cancel her first visit however she's been today and wasn't concerned in the slightest head, weight and length are all in proportion so it is just that he's a big boy

[Booboostwo]

Great, what a relief for you!