Slow weight gain in 23 week old

[Jomaja]

Hi,

sorry if that has been discussed before but I am a bit worried.
I know I probably shouldn't be but here goes:

DS is 23 weeks old, and fully bf. He started off on the 25th percentile and went up to the 50th where he stayed for a while. In the past 7 weeks he dropped back down to the 25th.
He is very alert and constantly on the go. He is also very curious! Do I have to worry? I know weaning won't make much difference as my milk has more nutrition and calories than anything I can give him. Am I daft to worry?

His feeding pattern has changed as well in the last few weeks, he used to feed from both sides but now only ever feeds from one side. Sometimes he will want another feed within half an hour but not all the time. Is it normal that feeding patterns change like that?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[fishie]

Hello. Babies get better at feeding so it is quicker. so long as he is weeing & pooing and you have no other reason to be concerned about his health it is probably fine. they do go up and down a bit, growth spurts etc and 25th means that 24% of babies are smaller than him!

[Raybay]

hi. my little one is 35 weeks and has always been breast fed and now onto solids and breast milk. she went through a phase of preferring one breast to the other - I thought it was bizarre and was concerned but it only lasted less than a week. Her weight has been fluctuating and I wouldn't say that weaning makes that much difference to weight gain rates - well not for her anyhow. Your baby may be greedy and love food and eat loads and put on weight fast. My girl also has always been really lively - she's hardly ever still. Hard I know, but try to chill about it - as long as he's not really seriously losing weight it will be fine. hope I have been some help to you.

[purpleturtle]

Ds2 is 27 weeks and has been weighed today. In the last 4 weeks he has put on over a pound BUT from week 13 to week 23 he put on a measly 7oz!

He's still only just above the 9th centile, but he's absolutely fine.

He is my third, and has tracked the exact same line on the chart as dd and ds1 (although they did it a bit higher up). Hope this helps to reassure you.

i've no idea what they do with those calories at 4-5 months, but they do pick up again in fairly dramatic fashion, IME.

[fishie]

ooh yes, just remembered ds was off the bottom of centiles and then put on 500g in four days at 25 weeks.

[Jomaja]

Thanks for all your reassuring answers. We cannot complain about the nappies, we go through them big style

Raybay, nice to hear that other babies are always on the go too! Have not met another baby as active as ds yet.

I suppose as long as he is putting on weight or at least not losing any, I should stop worrying about it.

Thanks again.

[Tegie]

How completely fantastic and reassuring to read this!!! I have been stressing over my "little" (and it's amazing how many people feel it helps to comment on how tiny he is!!)21 week old fully breastfed DS... Considered early weaning as I was convinced that it must be my milk. Think I'll wait a month or so now!

[mears]

Your baby sounds absolutely fine - I would stop getting him weighed

[SenoraDave]

ha! I just read this thread title and thought"blimey, ds2 is 24 weeks and I haven't had him weighed in about 6 weeks".

I second Mears' advice. some children do start out average and end up small. and yes, feeding patterns change (especially at about this age actually - they get too nosey to have a long feed!)

[Jomaja]

Thanks again to everyone!

I think ds is just like me and my sister, we were always skinny as children and my sister still is (I am not so much anymore )

Anyway, I think I will just leave out the weighing. We don't have scales for us so why should our ds?