Big baby slow to gain, not back to birth weight at 3 weeks old

[makingmiracles]

So DD was born on the 19th June, 9lbs 12oz and her length recorded as 57cm, after birth she dropped to 9lb and since Then being seen by HV has been 9.2, 9.4 and a week later(today) 9.7, last week she was also measured and measured in at 52cm, so at birth that measurement was a huge 5cm wrong.

She's feeding well, plenty of wet and dirty nappies, always offer both breasts, when she comes off she always has a mouthful of milk/always dripping out the side of her mouth on unlatch, she's content in between feeds but mostly since day 9 she has been going 6hr stretches at night without waking. I don't ignore feeding cues, always offer breast when she wakes I'm not sure what else I should be doing, I'm reluctant to start waking her if and when she goes 6hrs through the night(the occasional night she wakes like last night between 2-4am )

The Hv seems unduly concerned, said do I want to continue bf?! Says she should be putting on 1oz a day by this point, is coming back again in 1week to weigh her again.
I've heard big babies can have something called catch down? Does this sound like it? I'm not concerned, she's feeding well, lots of output in nappies, is content and hasn't lost weight but HV is not happy.

Anyone else had this?

[VioletBam]

Congratulations! I had a big baby and she also did this. I remember the HV frowning over it but I saw no issues and DD was and is fine.

[seven201]

I'm in a similar boat. My 26 day old still isn't back to birth weight. I personally think she was just bloated and full of fluid when she was born. She's gradually putting the weight back on but slowly. Hv not entirely happy though. She's being weighed on Thursday so will go from there.

[BeenThereTooSEL]

An oz a day! That seems crazy. My DD didn't put on anything like that. If she's happy and you are happy id just keep going at what you're doing. My HV said similar about BFing...a year on we're still going strong

[geekaMaxima]

So in under 3 weeks, she has put on 7 oz (to go from 9 lbs to 9 lbs 7 oz), or maybe 2.5-3.5 oz/week? That is a little slow in terms of weight gain according to good bf guides like kellymom, who put typical gain at that age at 5.5-8.5 oz/week.

The HV version of 1 oz a day is a little misleading as not all babies stick to such a rigid average. It is an average, though.

Some babies do go slower and all is well; it depends on a lot of things, and people on an internet forum can't tell you what's right for your DD Can you get to an infant feeding coordinator, lactation consultant, or bf counsellor in your area? Someone with more bf training than your HV, basically, who can watch your DD feed and make sure she's transferring milk well?

It might be fine and catch-down growth for a big baby, but I wouldn't assume it at this stage. It's good she's having lots of dirty nappies (should be at least 3-4 a day), but get the latch and milk transfer checked out by someone who knows what they're talking about.

In the meantime, you can always offer more feeds. If she's not interested, she's not interested. But it's worth offering to see.

And congratulations on your DD

[earlgreydrinker]

I have been in a similar situation with DS. Baby took 3 weeks to get back above birth weight (larger, long baby, ebf) and it seems this is not uncommon. Hv was not bothered and advised as long as baby was fine in all other ways (colour, nappies, settled) it was ok. The last two weeks he has gained a pound so definite improvement, it just took a while.
Personally though, much as I'm desperate for sleep right now, I would be waking baby in night to feed till weight is back on / gaining.

[Phillipa12]

Two of my four dc did this and they were the ones that weighed 10.9lbs and 11.6lbs, both lost 10% and then only ever gained around 2/3ozs a week and if they had had a growth spurt they didnt gain anything. Both thriving and luckily for me i had a sensible HV, one was bottle fed and one was breast fed so topping up really might not make the slightest difference. If she is happy and has lots of wet and dirty nappies i wouldnt be to overly concerned. A peadiatrician once said to me that birth weight is just a number and makes no bearing on what weight they will be as a toddler/child/teenager/adult.

[FurryGiraffe]

Have you had her checked for tongue tie? Leaking milk from the mouth during feeds can be a sign of TT. Would also explain slow weight gain.