Baby Weight - When to start worrying

[LaDenf]

My LO is now 5 weeks old. At birth he weighed 7lb 2oz and only lost 1lb of weight. Weighing him today he weighed in at 7lb 11oz. He is exclusively BF. Now I always understood that BF babies put on weight more slowly however all the "averages" I have read have put weight gain at 4 - 7oz per week. My LO is half that!

My LO's weight gain puts him in the 5th - 10th percentile and naturally I wanted it to be higher.

He feeds regularly, passes urine and poops reguarly to so that does not appear to be an issue.

Any thoughts or advice of people having gone through this. Should I start worrying or wait and see for another few weeks?

I wouldn't worry.

Why are you concerned about him naturally being on the 5-10 centile? He's within the normal weight range, he's weeing and pooing and feeding often and gaining weight. Sounds perfectly good and right to me!

Some babies are just smaller than others, as long as he is putting on some weight and is happy and healthy I wouldn't worry

Thanks for the input.

I spoke to the HV who thought everything was normal. Still, I just dont like the thought that he is a "below average" baby. I think that is why I do worry about his centile.

I will weigh him again next week and see how he gets on.

Stop weighing him. Seriously, stop weighing him. Go by your instinct. If he's feeding, pooing, weeing, sleeping (well, sleeping well enough.....) and he's not poorly then he's fine.

My DD was 8 pounds 5 at birth which is 75th percentile I think. She soon became less than average - around 25th percentile I think and stayed that way ever since. She's now 3.5. She was exclusively BF too. Generally BF babies weigh less than FF ones and also if your baby has done a big poo before they are weighed this will affect the weigh in!

There has to be below and above average babies otherwise you wouldn't be able to have average babies.

Some babies are just smaller than others. DS and my nephew where both the same birth weight - by the time they were 3 months DS was on the 9th centile, DN was on the 99th centile both have stayed on those centiles and both are perfectly in proportion!