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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think my BF baby is overweight?

93 replies

Rowenleaves · 30/06/2016 15:17

My baby is 3 months old and, despite being born at an average 8lb 5oz, is now on the 98th percentile and always looks so chubby when next to babies of similar ages. My HV says that exclusively breastfed babies can't be overweight and I should continue to feed him on demand. He does love feeding and sometimes I think I should try and space it out a bit but don't want to ignore him if he's hungry. What do you think?

OP posts:
DownWithThisSortaThing · 30/06/2016 17:27

This is why the constant weighing when a baby is happy and growing really irks me. As if you don't have enough to worry about.

I do agree with this actually. I've just dug DS's red book out and since birth until now at 21 months, he's^^ only been weighed 11 times. He's always in the 50th - 75th centile, I've tried not to be too stressed when he has dropped down to or underneath the 50th centile a couple of times. I just figured he has plenty of wet and dirty nappies, and his clothes get too small so he's definitely growing!

It does also say in the red book,

^Weighing your baby too often may cause unnecessary concern; the list below shows how often, as a maximum, babies should be weighed to monitor their growth. However, most children will not need to be weighed as often as this.
2 weeks to 6 months - no more than once a month
6-12 months - no more than once every 2 months
Over 12 months - no more than once every 3 months^

I know loads of people who get their babies weighed every week though!

glueandstick · 30/06/2016 17:28

I've only weighed mine once Grin

DownWithThisSortaThing · 30/06/2016 17:30

Urgh my italics have gone mental! Apologies!

DownWithThisSortaThing · 30/06/2016 17:35

Really glue?
The first three weigh ins were before DS was even 2 weeks old, by the midwives. HVs weighed him 3 times at routine visits. I've weighed him a few times to check if he needed to move into the bigger car seat, and the rest have just been curiosity!

JasperDamerel · 30/06/2016 17:38

DD was like that. She put on a pound a week on normal weeks, and two when she was having a growth spurt. She was really fat. As soon as she started walking she got thinner and is now nearly ten and tall and slim in build.

glueandstick · 30/06/2016 17:39

Just once when I we were checked at home. That's it. The health visitor didn't do it and suggested I walk the 6 mile round trip two weeks after a c section to go and do it.

I didn't bother. I have a happy growing baby and get a bit fed up with the arbitrary crap advice that I've been subjected too.

Original poster
Rowenleaves · 30/06/2016 17:48

I have only been to weigh him twice but he is weighed at his immunisation apps and was when visiting HV. The concerns were largely because he just looks so chubby, particularly when I see all the babies in my nct group who look tiny in comparison! I think he's gorgeous but he is definitely covered in rolls of chub!

OP posts:
glueandstick · 30/06/2016 17:52

See here you don't get weighed at immunisations.

monkeysox · 30/06/2016 17:54

My two were ebf chubbies.

Gold top milk here Grin

DownWithThisSortaThing · 30/06/2016 17:59

I don't really blame you glue! I wouldn't have walked that either! May I ask what you do about car seats though, or do you not drive? Thats the only instance where I've felt I really needed to weigh DS, when I was concerned he was getting too heavy for his first car seat.

I've just let the professionals weigh him without really thinking about it. I'm sure the doctor weighed him at his 6 week check too, come to think of it, but he's never been weighed for immunisations.

OP he sounds lovely! There is something so ridiculously cute about fat babies. DS was never huge but he did have gorgeous chubby arms, a double chin and rolls on his legs! I look back at the pictures and I miss it, I guarantee you will too when he's older and slimmer!

Xmasbaby11 · 30/06/2016 18:02

I've seen massive bf babies but they all grew in proportion in the end.

glueandstick · 30/06/2016 18:05

I'll do a weigh when I think we're getting close. We haven't got there yet. It's probably just be a sneaky one at the supermarket anyhow.

The red book is one of the biggest load of crap I've ever seen. I've only just seen the milestones page and the utter diatribe in it. Just use it to record vaccinations and we're done.

glueandstick · 30/06/2016 18:06

Oh I lied! Was weighed at 6 week check. Been done twice in that case ;)

DownWithThisSortaThing · 30/06/2016 18:16

Did your midwives want to weigh him in the days after birth glue? I'm just curious really. Ours came round 3 times pretty much just to weigh DS, and see how we were doing obviously. I thought that's what they do with everybody

glueandstick · 30/06/2016 18:30

No. They were pretty much 'oh we're too busy' filled in forms and left.

Minimalteserbunny · 30/06/2016 18:33

Ms DC was the same we were shocked at how chubby he is - now he is running around he has lost it all and I miss the rolls enjoy your beautiful thriving baby

Tummyrumbled · 30/06/2016 18:36

I know too strapping babies exclusively breastfed babies. My friend said she has "full cream" milk instead of breastmilk!

Anyway, both were healthy and lost the weight when the babies started to become active.

DownWithThisSortaThing · 30/06/2016 18:42

Oh well, they obviously weren't worried! You and your baby are happy and healthy so it's all that matters.

Our contact with midwives seemed quite focused on weight gain. We were all quite surprised when DS only lost a couple of ounces after birth - I am very petite, I weighed just over 8 stone when I gave birth and DS was an 8 pound whopper. I know it sounds silly but I honestly didn't think I would be able to feed him enough. My boobs never once felt full after feeling the milk come in, and I never had a let-down reflex feeling, never leaked - to be honest I never saw a drop of milk. It reassured me that he was actually getting something clearly everything I had to give

Archedbrowse · 30/06/2016 18:44

My baby is also 98th centile and 91st for height/length, she's perfectly healthy, but yes big in comparison to similar aged babies. She was 7lb15 at birth so not enormous, just grew rapidly. I love her rolls of chub Smile

Daytona79 · 30/06/2016 18:47

My son was born on 50th centile and BF by 12 weeks he was 91st then rose to 98th then 99th he was a guzzler as BF baby , feeding up to 20 times a day sometimes

He is now 21 months and still on 99th centile and eats very well

He is just a big boy they say. I would go with feeding on demand and not worry

sycamore54321 · 30/06/2016 18:56

Of course it is entirely possible that an EBF baby can be overweight. The same as it is possible for any other baby or child or adult to be overweight. Breast milk still has calories like all foods, If calorie intake exceeds the body's requirements, then excess is stored as fat. It doesn't matter if those calories are from breast milk or Happy Meals or salad, too many of them beyond what the body needs for growth and exercise, and they become fat.

Now, as babies grow very quickly, it is likely that your baby's weight, combined with his height is not unhealthy.

I do wonder what you mean by feeding on demand at this age. Are you sure his little chirp or grumble isn't "I'm bored" or "I'm too hot" or " I just want to suck" instead of "in hungry"? If worried, you could try a few times to distract him instead of immediately feeding - at this age he will be increasingly interactive

PrincessHairyMclary · 30/06/2016 19:00

DD was born off the scale for height and 95 for weight, she was noticeably longer than many babies much older than her at baby groups. She was BF untill she was 3 and EBF till 6months. She was a 'chunky' healthy looking baby she went up clothes stages every 6 weeks instead of the labelled 12 weeks.

I used baby led weaning and she is able to portion control very well even now.

Now, she is a tall, athletic 6 year old, still off the scale for height and around 91st for weight, tall enough not to use a car seat, head and shoulders over her peers, certainly not overweight but walks and dances a lot so has noticeable muscle definition and wears 9-10 clothes and size 2 shoe.

My Dads family and her Dads family are all 6ft + so I expect it to continue.

FankEweVeryMuch · 30/06/2016 19:11

My first DC was a big baby, while breastfed and then whole bottle fed. He continued to be bigger than average and a bit chubby until he was 5. Then he started growing up and not out. Had it not been for my MIL assuring me that my H had been the same the I would have worried more. My H is very slim and tall as an adult.

My third DC seems to be following the same pattern as do our nephews on H's side.

Enjoy the cuteness Smile

Original poster
Rowenleaves · 30/06/2016 19:27

Sycamore, I do sometimes think he wants to suck for comfort and he uses it to sleep as can't really self soothe at this age. He wouldn't take a dummy so not sure what else to give him for that. He is sucking his hands now which is a bit of a substitute sometimes. He also will never turn down a feed if offered!

He never lost any weight, the midwife was surprised he'd put quite a bit in a week after being born.

OP posts:
Original poster
Rowenleaves · 30/06/2016 19:29

Also, i checked photos of me as a baby and I was almost as chubby. For most of my adult life I've been 5.5 and weighed around 9 stone so pretty average.

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