Born *10lbs 6* !! Feeding/sleeping?

[TTC1985]

Hi all

Unsure if this is the right topic?

My DS was born at 39 weeks weighing a massive 10lb 6oz! Now 4 weeks old and even bigger, he's VERY tall so wearing 3 month clothes already (which are quite baggy up top).

My question is what should I expect from him with regards to feeding/sleeping?? Most babies hit 11lb at 4 MONTHS and this seems to be a good sign that they will sleep longer with a bigger stomach to fill up before bed (apparently). He takes 150ml every 3-5 hours, depends on the day.

He's only 4 weeks so developmentally he should still be very limited, but he is 11lb+ and can already hold his head up for short periods since 2 weeks. Midwife and HV advised tummy time from just 2 weeks as well.

Would love to hear from parents of big babies.

X

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

My DS was almost 10lb. He's now 4.5 months, about 20-21lb and EBF. I don't really expect anything more of him because he's a bigger baby. He feeds on demand and wakes overnight, once or twice if we're lucky but normally a few times.

My advice would be to just enjoy your newborn for the stage he's in!

[HumpHumpWhale]

Sorry to say, my 10lb 1oz DS only slept through at 3.5 years. He breastfed every 90 minutes during the day until he was 1. He was big and strong but sat at 6 months, crawled at 8 and walked at 12. V average. So. I would just expect him to be a baby, really.
My 8lb 4oz DD held her head well from v early but has been average on everything else. Except talking. Which isn't related to size.

[Strummerville]

My ds was 10lb 14oz and as far as I can remember (almost 9 years ago!) was just a normal baby. Breastfed on demand, didn't sleep through the night, but we co-slept so that was all normal and expected. He did have very good head and neck control. I remember holding him "standing" on my lap and him looking around at about 5-6 weeks.

[BertrandRussell]

We run to big babies in my family. They are just like any other baby in my experience! No need to do anything different with them. Certainly don't expect more/better sleep. And definitely no early weaning- they're just big, not more developed.

Incidentally, I don't "get" tummy time unless you leave your baby flat on his back in a cot all the time and never carry them about upright or play with them or have them in a sling. Most babies hate it. And I'm sure a baby this young would hate it even more.

[goingagain]

I had one that was 10lb 13oz and he slept exactly the same as my other two (8lb 3 and 8lb 12) - bf every three hours at least and did a 4 hr stretch at night. I think he did 7-7 reliably at about 10 months which was a bit later than the other two.

[TheDonald]

My dd was 10 lb 8.

She was holding her head up within a week or so for a few seconds. She slept through from about 6 weeks but hardly slept in the day ever. She was more like a 3 month old from birth.

Hospital insisted she had a bottle at 1 hour old because she had low blood sugar. I mix fed from day one and struggled to establish bf enough to exclusively feed her until 2 months. I managed a month of exclusively bf then went back to mix feeding (bottle at bedtime and bf during the day)

All her other milestones were fairly average.

I weaned her at 3.5 months on hv advice (normally 4 months in those days)

She stayed on 99th percentile or over until she was 18 months. By 3 she was on 75th and by 5 she was on 50th and now is very slim and average height.

She's 15 now, sleeps all day and can no longer hold her head up!

[BertrandRussell]

"I weaned her at 3.5 months on hv advice (normally 4 months in those days)"

Sorry- pedant alert!

It wasn't 4 months in those days- it was no less than 4 months.

[bluechameleon]

My DS was 11lb 11oz at birth. Breastfeeding didn't work out for us and I had lots of issues with HVs advice on how much to feed him. They wanted me to follow the age guidance on the milk packet but he was the size of a 3mo and it wasn't enough. The NHS website gives advice based on weight which is what I followed and seemed much more sensible. He did sleep fairly well (doesn't now at 2.8!) He could hold his head up early and sat early (just before 5m) but rolled late (About 9m) and was average for crawling and walking I think. The main thing about having a big baby is that EVERYONE think it's acceptable to ask if you had him "naturally" which equates to asking how big your vagina is.

[lilyfire]

My son was 11lb 3 oz. He didn't sleep any longer at nights between feeds than other smaller babies. He didn't hit milestones any earlier (slightly later than my two younger around 10lb sons). Is now 13 and over 6 feet, so has always remained on/over top centile for height.

[Bourbonbiccies]

My son was 10lbs 6 too. He was completely the same as my much lighter elder child as regards feeding. He was a very contented sleepy baby. Now he's 11 and one of the smallest boys in his class so high birthweight doesn't necessarily signify anything.

[TronaldDump]

Mine were 9.4 and 10.2 - both very average sleepers, EBF just fine. They have both been slightly ahead physically - sitting by 4 months, walking by 10/11 but they're both average to small size kids now so it doesn't necessarily mean they'll be a giant all their life!

[Star8181]

My 14 week old is on the 99th centile is EBF and sleeps really well, often 6 or 7 hours, then another 3 at night. My other two were the same but fed every 2 hours through the night for 9 months! I feel lucky this time, especially with two older ones to look after!

[Bobbybobbins]

My 19th month old is on the 95th percentile for height and 85th for weight. He's absolutely enormous. He was 8.2 at birth so big but not this massive. Still slept through exactly the same age as his 6.1 brother

[PastysPrincess]

My DS was 11lb 9 oz at birth. I exclusively breastfed up to 19months but it was hard going at first; theres not a lot of support for large babies. I used to worry so much that he wasnt getting enough but in the end I learnt to trust my insticts. I got a lot of comments along the lines of "oh is he feeding again!" With shocked faces.

My DS gained weight rapidly and was sent to see a consultant as they thought he might have a growth disorder, Consultant was a bit annoyed he had been sent to see him because it was perfectly obvious there was nothing wrong, DS just didn't follow the normal growth pattern. He said the percentile lines are there for guidance and were ultimately produced by averaging the big babies and the small babies. He said "granted we don't normally get them as big as yours" He was 13kg at 6 months.

As for sleep, well he didnt. He is 3 now and it's only the last few months he has started sleeping for long stretches.