Anyones ds/dd plotting below the .4 centile on growth chart?

[snowchick1977]

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has any experience of their dd or ds plotting very low on the growth charts.

My dd is nearly 5 months old and was very ill for 8 weeks following birth, and therefore did not gain any weight. She is now gaining weight but obviously will always be playing catch up.

People still say she looks like a newborn, even though she is 22 weeks old. She is just over 10lb, she was 6lb 14oz born.

If anyone has a smaller child, did they catch up and jump up centiles ever or will they just always be small. Im a bit unsure when to start her weaning really. Shes not showing any signs at all.

Weaning should happen at six months as that is when the baby's natural iron store is depleted. My twins were 10lbs at 6 months, not sitting, not showing any weaning signs but we were still told it was the right time.

My twins have gradually grown and gone up the centiles, but only a little. They are still small, but are now on between the 2nd and 9th centiles. They are three now and weigh 27-28lbs.

My dd went from 50th at birth to below the chart at 1 year because of silent reflux. Now at 13 months we are back at 0.4th as she has had a gastrostomy and now is tube fed at night. It's so worrying having a very small or thin baby of you ask me

My DD was 6lb born and on the .4 centile. we introduced a bottle at about 8weeks (I think) and she gradually started to gain more weight, thnk she went up to the next line by around 4 months. since starting weaning she's jumped up to the 25th. doesn't refuse any food! She's still small compared to other babies the same age and some a lot younger too!

My DD was 6lb 14oz born too and followed the 0.4 centile for all of her first year and beyond. She was smaller than her peers but ate and grew steadily - never a massive appetite but ate well during growth spurts.

She is now just over 3 years old, I haven't weighed her for months but she is average height and weight amongst her peers, just starting to grow out of her 2-3yrs clothes. It all does even out. I worried a lot about this but it does.

Ds was 6lb3 at birth - 9th centile - and dropped to the 0.4th where he's been ever since. He's ebf and 11lb at 16 weeks so it's just his natural line; someone has to be the littlest!

Feeding well plus regular wet/dirty nappies means there's nothing to worry about repeats until convinces self

Hi there, So worrying having a child who is low on the charts. I'd say, some do catch up and some don't. Some are probably perfectly healthy tracking along the bottom of the charts, some aren't.

My dd was always on the 9th centile or just under during her first year, EBF, 75th centile for height. Health visitors gave me loads of grief, but she was bright, alert, met all her milestones, and after the first year, climbed steadily to 50th centile for weight where she's pretty much stayed. Told myself I'd never worry about weight in a baby again.

Then I had DS1! Born between 0.4th centile and 2nd, slipped below the chart and stayed below til had massive intervention (strong reflux drugs and NG tube then gastrostomy). He also didn't meet his milestones and although bright and alert, didn't sit or crawl til way over I year old.

So I would say, if she meets her milestones and stays on the 0.4th centile, then try not to worry. If she continues to fall behind on the chart or starts missing milestones, then I would push for a referral to a paediatrician initially.

It's also worth checking what her 'genetic potential' is - the red book tells you how to do this - it's a calculation of her final height range using a mix of yours and her DF's heights. So if you and your DP are small, she might well be within the range of normal for her. If you are both tall, then something may be a little awry.

Good luck. Very much hope it's just a blip and she climbs steadily back to where she should be.

Oh, and I would second waiting for weaning til 6 months. Milk has far more calories in it than initial weaning foods. This was the strong advice for DS1.

My dd2 was like this. Started off on the 50th percentile, and went right off at the bottom of it. At the age of 18 months she weighed 15 pounds, despite being 50th percentile for length. She just never ate much. Some meals it was literally one grain of rice or one pea at a time.

She is now seven years old and still super skinny. Very thin arms and legs but she is healthy and strong. She is still average height but is 5th percentile for weight. Still a very fussy eater!

I would start weaning at 6 months. Because my dd2 was so tiny, I fed her at night for quite a while.

My dd started off on 50th centile and was very sick following birth, she dropped to below the 0 .4th centile.
However at 1 she growing nicely, albeit still small wearing 6month clothes, is now almost at the 9th centile. So has had some catch up growth. Our pead, says that as long as she is following her own curve and weight is increasing then that is fine. The most important factors, I was told are head growth and hitting milestones are more important.
I understand your worry though. I get fed up with people's comments. Though my eldest was a huge baby, and I had the comments too - you can't win!

When you do wean, try adding butter, olive oil and cheese to dishes to increase the calories. I was also slow to cut her milk too as I wanted her to get as many calories as possible!

DS is 8 and has always been way below the 0.04 centile though not born at a very low weight he dropped immediately and has never gained. Has gradually gone further from the line.