Before I get up on my high horse about this - can I check that I am right?

[flossish]

DD was born a mahoosive 10lbs7.5. On the 98th centile. She carried on along this line till about 9 weeks, when she dropped slightly to just about the 91st centile, where she has since continued. Today at 20 weeks, we are continuing to exclusively BF and I have had her weighed again. Today she is on the 75th centile, having had chicken pox and a nasty cold over the past two weeks. Nursery nurse asked about whether she had been unwell. I answered as above and yet she still advised that I start to wean her. I'd really like to wait until the 6 month mark. Said so and we agreed I'd go back in 2 weeks to see how she was then.

The weight loss isn't that awful though is it? I'm actually relieved in a way that she is approaching a more normal weight! And bearing in mind the recent poorliness surely the answer isn't to start weaning yet? Any opinions gratefully recieved!

you are right
go with your instincts
you do not need to wean her for her own good now

Why did you go to get her weighed?
If you hadn't, would you have been worried at all - ie is she (now recovered from pox and cold) bright, alert, weeing and pooing lots etc?
If so, I'd say sod the hv/nurse and carry on till 6m.

imo definitely!
ds dropped from 25 to 2 after D&V (he also lost weight!) yet my v supportive hv said not to worry and there was no need to wean early!

you could ask why this is being recommended against guidance?

(and reading that back, actually even if she wasn't bright, alert etc I wouldn't wean at 20wks, I'd offer more milk feeds)

I was a bit of a weighing freak. With DS I went every week for the first several months (in my defence he had jaundice and was quite ill just after birth). I'm much better with DD, I usually do it monthly and its about a month since she was last weighed, DP home to stay with DS rather than drag him along and am away next week so thought I'd do it today. I thought I was being a chilled out second time mum about this - am I not?!

Same happened to my DD.

Born 98th centile. Quickly dropped to 91st. After 4.5 months of BF she was between 50th and 75th.

She was absolutley fine - lively, eating well, peeing and pooing lots. Even after weaning she stayed on about the 60th centile.

Just because they are born big it does not mean they are meant to stay big forever.

I could ask - but I instinctively feel she doesn't like me and I don't like her! TBH I have been waiting for this sort of advice to come from her.

My ds was 10.6 at birth, put on weight really well for the first couple of weeks, then slowed right down. Didn't lose, but just put on very slowly. I got lots of rubbish about topping up and stuff which I ignored (because he was number 2!) I eventually stopped getting him weighed at about 9 weeks and just went on him being healthy and alert and happy and peeing and pooing and so on.

I have completely unscientific theory that sometimes really big babies are born "heavier than they should have been" for some undetectable reason, and then self adjust after birth. Certainly my ds is now on the slightly large side of average, rather than the ginormous chap he'd have been if he's stayed on his percentiles!

I am just lazy and hate undressing dd unneccesarily - she's 6mo and hasn't been weighed since her 12wk jabs (iirc), but is growing out of her clothes and seems fine to me...

Sounds fine to me. no need to wean. unlikely to result in sudden weight anyway ime.

Don't bother going back in 2 weeks.

pmsl Mrsbadger! I also find it really interesting comaparing DS and DD's weight charts. They have been pretty much opposites! He was a spot on average size newborn who gained weight v v quickly. He weighed what DD weighs now at 14 weeks. I know I am very very sad. She is indeed pooing, peeing and is actually in far better spirits now than she was for the first 18 weeks of her life! Perhaps its her new slimline figure which is cheering her up!!

floosish on a different note my daugther has chicken pox and its scabbing over now, we think my 21 wk son may have it but it looks so mild. He has little spots taht look like insect bites and only a few of them on his back. Are these what you daughters were like. I cant go to the docs to see if this is itas they dont want you in the surgery.

My daughter who is nearly two and a half has almost 100 spots and its defo chicken pox but not sure bout my son

what a mw? aghast.

keep on feeding her, ds was 11/2 and fed him til 13mths, and he is lean for his age now .

Just smile, nod, and then do your own thing!

seeker - your thery is not unscintific at all. The phenomenon of 'catch down' growth exists, and just as you say, some big babies tend to slide down towards a lower centile....totally physiological and nothing wrong at all.

flosshish - ignore what the nursery nurse says. Just give your baby solids at the time you want to give them. Her reasoning is crap anyway - if she thinks your baby 'needs' solids because of her slowing weight, then she needs to work out how many calories are in a breastfeed, and how many are in a mashed slice of carrot.

My dd2 was small compared to yours (9lb)and was on the 91st centile. I exclusively bf her until she was 28 weeks - at which point her weight was down to between the 50th and 25th centile - she was fine.

Two things:

1. Importantly dd2 was not my first baby - so I knew about stuff - and was a mnetter - thanks you lovely ladies!

2. The reason that dd2 was 'large' was account of my daily flapjack habit when I was pregnant. She wasn't/isn't a large baby/child.

Carry on as you are and tell the hv to stuff off and/or don't weigh for a bit.

Ditto what everyone else has said.

DS was similarly mahoosive (10lb 9oz) and he gradually drifted down to the 60th centile by about 7 months. The HV kept making noises about trying to 'fast track' the weaning process. I stuck to my guns and waited til 6 months to BLW. I also stopped getting him weighed at that point.

He was clearly healthy and full of beans, which I thought was the main thing. My family has a tendency to produce fat babies that become skinny toddlers.

Really, tiktok? I've never heard that before>

Aren't I clever to have thought it up all by myself!!!!!

snarf - sorry only just seen. DD's did start out like small spots, didn't work it out until day 2! They started on her tummy (classic case) and then following day on her head. They only got bigger when they blistered up. She had about 30 odd scabs. Hope that helps and if it is it your DS is ok with it. Oh - look on my profile as I think the picture I took of it is on there.

thanks to everyone for confirming with me about this!

Hotmama, I suspect the reason DD may have been big was also due to my cake habit - something backed up IMO by the large amount of spots she had when born!!