Does this weight gain sound alright?

[Laugs]

Just looking for some advice re DS who will be 13 weeks on Friday and is breastfed.

He was 4.02kg at birth - between 75th and 91st centile. For the first five weeks he followed a line somewhere between 50th and 75th. This is where I relaxed and stopped getting hm weighed for 3 weeks.

We ended up in hospital at 8 weeks. I can't remember his exact weight as I didn't have the book, something like 5.72kg, he was on the 75th centile anyway. Had him weighed again at 10 weeks and he'd only put on 3oz in that fornight. I had him weighed again 11 days later and he'd put on 1.5oz and was between 25th and 50th centile.

So, in 3.5 weeks he's put on 4.5oz.

I'm concerned as this does not seem like much! On the chart it looks like he plateaued at 8 weeks. I am going to have him weighed tomorrow but I wondered what people think I should do if he hasn't put much on again.

He seems healthy to me: plenty of smiles, sleeps well at night, feeds a lot in the day, plenty of wet and dirty nappies.

if he seems healthy then he probably is! breastfed babies do tend to gain quickly and then plateau.

if he has been poorly that could be part of it.

ddo you have a local LLL group or baby cafe you could visit for advice?

Thanks. I think he looks fine. He hasn't been ill. I guess I'll just see what they say tomorrow. I had the last weigh-in at a breastfeeding group and the HV wasn't concerned. I suppose I am just preempting another small weight gain.

Hiya laugs

try not to worry (easiest said) my dd only put on 1oz week when bf, never lost but never large gains. Depends on hv but some get really bogged down on weight instead of looking at baby.
Thisisyest is right if baby happy healthy ignore everything else!

Used to panic myself and dd is now 16 months and is very dinky and probably always will be.

I went to fab bf cafe and still meet up with mums now their support then and now is invaluable.

Best of luck be kind to you and give yourself regular pats on the back you are doing brill job

OK, so on paper the weight gain over the three weeks doesn't look much. But as you say, he's healthy and producing wet nappies.

IMO the damn charts as just one indication of how babies are doing. (Are you sensing some weight gain issues of my own here?!)

Are you feeding him from one breast and then offering the other?

How much is he feeding in the night?

See what happens tomorrow when you get him weighed. If things have slowed down, don't be pressured in to topping up with formula - it's usually the first thing the HV recommends. (unless you want to of course ). There are lots of other things you can do to boost your supply if this is the issue.

Anyway, see how you go and come back for more advice from others on here if you feel you need it.

Ooo also centime charts are only based on bottlefed babies there I'd no approved centile chart for bf babies

Many centile charts are based upon a mixture of breast and bottlefed babies so do not offer a true picture of how breastfed babies gain weight.

The DOH have now approved new charts based upon breastfed babies but not all areas are using them. We are in my area along with breastfeeding supporters.

If your DS seems healthy then he probably is. Plenty of wet and dirty nappies sounds reassuring and it could just be that he's still recovering from whatever caused his hospital admission at 8 weeks.

Your HV didn't seem worried and that's good as they often panic about the slightest deviation from normal (I can insult HVs as I am one) and it's good that she seems relaxed.

If your DS is still not gaining much weight when he's weighed tomorrow then it might be worth looking at the feeding - crikeybadger has some good pointers above. I'd say though that he will have gained weight given that he is having et and dirty nappies.

The hospital admission at 8 weeks was me getting it wrong! There was blood in his sick, but it turned out my nipples were bleeding.

I don't think the HV would have noticed the 'plateau' as the 8 week weight when he was on 75th centile wasn't written in because I forgot the book.

I don't mind topping up with formula if it's required, but would be very concerned about supply possibly diminishing. We've had a loooong journey to get to this stage (breast/nipple thrush for 8 weeks = hell) so I'd hate to lose my milk now

Oh and my chart says it is based on breastfed babies

Ah yes Laugs, that's why I mentioned the night feeds! I did have to start waking my LO to feed in the night- but then he had lost a lot of weight. I'm sure it won't be the same for you! (she says hopefully!)

If he is happy when feeding and contented between feeds, sleeping well and producing plenty of wet/dirty nappies then I think you can assume all is fine, and he's probably just going to be a smaller baby. If he was massively unhappy and crying a lot between feeds, then that combined with lower weight gain might suggest he was not getting enough milk, but I'd say based on what you write he is perfectly happy!

I have two DS's, both BF - my eldest was always a 50th/75th centile baby and his weight gain was always on the hefty side. DS2 (now 4 months) was born at 50th centile and has dropped to the 25th, with much much lighter weight gain than his brother, but like your DS he is happy and feed/sleeps well, so on that basis I am not at all worried.

I would certainly not worry about waking him to feed in the night - a dreamfeed at about 10pm might be a possibility if you are really worried about weight gain but other than that I would leave him to sleep!

MY dd- started of at over 9lbs on 90th percentile- she gained weight so slowly that by 3 months she was down to 25th and has stayed there ever since- (is no 4 years old). She is healthy and happy and growing steadily along the 25th curve. The pd told me a strong placenta made for a heavy birth weight, but genetic disposition determines that she will be a small child.

The other thing to think about Laugs is if you'd have any concerns if you had never got him weighed. In other words, without the weight measurements is there anything whch would worry you. My guess is that if you were a Mum who didn't weigh your baby you'd probably think "he's peeing, pooing, seems well so he must be fine".

Weighing is nice but can create worries sometimes when babies are just fine.

Yes, you're right - I wouldn't be at all worried about him if I hadn't had him weighed. Actually, looking at the growth chart last night it says not to have babies weighed any more frequently than once a month (I thought I was told once a fortnight?) as "weighing your baby too often may cause unnecessary concern". Still, I am going to go today as I am now concerned!

Interesting onebadbaby about the placenta. I remember the MW commenting on how mammoth mine was. I thought she was just trying to flatter me...