9 month baby weighs 2stone - should I worry?

[somewherebecomingrain]

Hi my little girl is very heavy - two stone, maybe a bit more now, and she is only 9 and a half months.

Everyone who picks her up goes 'oof'. She weighs more than many 2 year olds. I carry her around in a toddler sling.

She is tall - growing out of her 12-18m clothes and wearing mainly 18-24 month clothes. So she is in proportion to some extent.

I just feel she has very heavy bones - I can't even believe her size accounts for how heavy she is.

My main concerns are:
Getting stuck in a vicious circle where she cant move cause she is too heavy, and because she doesn't move, she keeps getting heavier, and therefore can't move.... Etc
hurting herself when she is learning to be mobile
Finding physical activity difficult throughout her life and having weight problems,

my mil I think has the same body and has always been overweight although 5:2 has sorted her out aged 76 a miracle.

DD was exactly 2 stone when she turned one; she stayed 2 stone for the next 18 months, just got taller and more slender. She's almost 4 now and still under 3 stone.

It sounds to me like she has just reached baby critical mass; they put on all this weight before they get properly mobile and then they slowly grow out of their baby chubbiness.

somewhere I think you'd had an unfairly difficult time on this thread. While your DD does sound on the heavy side, I don't think you need to be in full blown panic mode but seeking medical advice would be a good idea. She may even out but it's worth keeping an eye on what her weight is doing over the next few months.

My DS was 27lb at 9months (and 81cm). This was the absolute peak of how far off the chart his weight has been and the biggest discrepancy between his weight and height centile. I think the timing was to do with getting really good with solids and eating everything is sight but it was just before he started crawling. Once he started crawling he dropped back to just above the 99th where his height and weight have been since birth.

Maybe your DD is just about to crawl and that will help close the gap between her weight and height.

DS has always worn clothes sized for twice his chronological age and now at 3.5 people tend to think he is 5 or 6 (he is 112cm and 3st3lb) which can be a real disadvantage as people expect far too much of him .

I've got a suggestion to help get her moving (which I suspect will be the key to sorting out this issue, unless there are underlying problems of some kind), which is to get her to spend as much time as possible in the company of other, slightly older children. I'm guessing from your post that she's your first, so won't have small siblings to act as good role models. In my experience, babies who spend lots of time around other slightly older children are much more anxious to get moving than those who don't. So maybe a few toddler groups would be a good plan (if you don't do this already).

My dd3 was on the 98th centile for weight and the 50th for height at her 10 month check with the health visitor (so not in proportion at all!) and I was advised to cut back the amount of milk I give her, as - like you, I guess - I seem to produce bm that is highly calorific. She's now nearly 1 and I've just stopped bfing altogether and am giving her three cups of cows' milk a day (nothing at night). Not sure it's made a great deal of difference to her girth yet, but she's very active now, so I expect it'll all even out before too long. At least we're both aware it's an issue!

I don't think people have been to bad to me.

I know in my heart of heart she
Was born this way not made by me. I was 44 weeks at 38 weeks etc i was huge, and she was a 10lb baby who was 3 months ahead clothes from the off.

The butter in the pouches was partly a response to the new thing about carbs causing overweight and fat being the good guy. Ok stupid but I only did it with a few pouches over the past fortnight and she was already huge by then. So you can't tell me that is the cause.

She doesn't look especially fat for a 9mo who isn't yet crawling. Were she a 14 mo who was crawling then she'd be fat as they are usually less chubby at that stage.

She's more just heavy.

She is not my first she's got a v slim brother who cannot keep still.

Since I stopped pouches she has seemed
More active. She is pretty lively I just see her struggle with her leaden weight.

My DS isn't as big as your little one (other end of the scale, he's a tiddler!), but I found when he started crawling he lost weight. Their weight gain isn't as rapid after they reach 1 year as well, so you sometimes find they stretch a bit! It's worth seeing your GP/HV just to make sure everything's ok, but try not to worry too much - they change so quickly.

It sounds like you are a bit in denial; if she is struggling with her weight, then it's not the way she was made but a issue that needs monitoring.

I don't think anyone can comment on the baby's weight until she is weighed & measured ACCURATELY ie on calibrated baby scales through hospital or health visitor (especially not bathroom scales or adult/kitchen scales etc). So that is the first thing to get done.

A GP isn't going to weigh a baby, but would act upon accurate measurements ie refer on to paediatrician if necessary.,

It's all about the proportion of length/weight & about patterns ie regular measurement & observing the "line" on the centile charts.

Often babies go through a "chubby" stage before crawling.

Hello cheese yes you are right - in theory I'm going to stop
Commenting on here until I can report back a medical
Viewpoint.

I'm moving house so that is not going to be for a bit.

But in reality this is a conversation about an issue of great interest to me. I'm even prepared to put up with comments about me
Being in denial.

Today she had breast milk, asparagus (lots) cucumber, cream cheese on toast, banana and about 250 ml of formula. I gave her a pouch at dinner cause I was so shattered after doing removals all day but let her hold it and suck it and stop when she wanted.

I think diet probably does have something to do with it but there are lots of factors. I wonder now if I did have gd - they tested me - but doesn't that lead to a giant baby?

Re overfeeding her on my super rich breast milk - I did just the same as with my boy who is skinny. I did think you can't overfeed an ebf baby.

Anyway it's all speculation till I get some proper medical feedback.

She has been so sweet and lively today I feel sure she is going to be alright.

Thanks for all your stories, mums of big bonny babies xxx

candycoated when I say weight I mean weight, not size. She is in proportion to the eye, although my eye may be biased. But everyone who picks her up is shocked at her weight. Like a handful of gold weighs more than a handful of feathers although it is the same size.

Are you giving the basic formula or the 'gold'? Your breastmilk will be extra rich because you aren't bfing much.

What age did you start weaning? If you started with rich foods early this might be the problem, it could sort itself out if you hang back and feed sensibly from now on. Cream cheese is very high in fat - around 50% so not much better than butter. If baby's been getting foods like this from 4 months on it's bound to put the weight on her. Remember they don't burn many calories at that age, their energy goes into growing.

I would lay off any foods with fat content completely as there is plenty in the milks. Cereal/rice carbs are what they need at this age.

We started with blw so just the normal stuff they recommend. Cucumber, tomato, cheese, sausage chickpea patties fish finger (home made) toad in the hole, apple wedges porridge fingers, banana on toast and yes cream cheese on toast - it's something the book suggests.

Annabel karmel also has lots of cream cheese in her recipes - it's not controversial.

Although perhaps it's not right for this baby.

I am feeling the opinion swinging a bit to 'you stupid mum you overfeed her' so will try to stay off for a bit.

And we started at 6 months.

It's all been v textbook except the added butter.

Your not a stupid mum!! You followed a lot of the advice out there. Perhaps if HVs weren't so concerened about how many grams they put on in a week and sod anything you might feel is actually wrong and want advice on it might be something people would relax about and let the child go at their own pace.

You have realised there's a problem and hopefully will be on the road to getting it sorted. In sure your baby will be just like the others on this thread and even out just fine.,

As a side note, have you considered expressing for the preemies at your local hospital? Your gold top BM would be of great use to them :)

Honestly, you are not stupid at all!! I don't think you have overfed your DD at all, just that you need to be aware of it to ensure it doesn't become a problem in the future but I'm sure you are aware. I'm glad you're seeking a medical opinion. My educated guess is that she'll slim out and is just a chubby baby, but an HV or GP will be able to reassure you.

I doubt there's a problem. I worried about DD1 when she was a bit older - at 2 she was really chubby, not showing signs of slimming out at all from her babychub. but then she didn't put on any weight for 3years! she just grew and grew and grew upwards.
The food she's having sounds perfectly normal, yes get her properly weighed and measured and keep an eye on it, but don't panic.
The way to give her a lifelong weight problem is to anxious around her food and how much she eats, she'll soon pick up on it.

OP, of course you're not a stupid Mum, you followed Annabel Karmel and did what you thought was the best thing. That's fine. Yes you did overfeed her but you haven't got a first class degree in nutrition and neither do I.

Cream cheese is 50% fat, that's all you need to remember. Butter is 80%, as is mayonnaise. Cheddar I think is abut 60%? I don't even know. Juice has as much sugar as coke, chicken breast is great low fat protein.

It is very easy for anyone who isn't very active to put extra weight on. As others have said the moment she starts charging around the weight will stabilise anyway. In a few months time she'll be walking, the weather will be warmer so you will be out more.

I think you're doing absolutely the right thing by cutting out fat and relying only on the milk fat (for a while).

Shocked at calling a baby morbidly obese!

Yes OP she is heavier than most and it would do no harm to get her checked out by a healthcare professional however I'm sure she is just fine! Once she's a bit more active all the baby weight will drop off- that's what happened both my DC. She's only 9 months- so I wouldn't be concerned that she isn't crawling yet. Once she starts there will be no stopping her.

you know that you can take her swimming if you want to get her moving more - you say she loves splashing in t;he bath, so she'd probably love it and get some tone in her muscles which she'll need in spades when she wants to start crawling or walking.

I'd say she's fine - some of mine have been beefy ones REALLY big but they have ALL turned into skinny skinny kids

Ignore the naysayers

My none moving baby was my skinniest one !

Relax - the minute she's moving you'll wonder what the fuss was about x

I am sure I over fed my eldest but I don't think I'm a stupid Mum.
I did eventually slowly realise what I was doing and VERY SLOWLY reduced his intake of food. I don't agree some babies are just very heavy through no reason or that having a particularly chubby or 'Bonny' baby is a good thing.
If your baby is very heavy then I think its important to monitor it and consider doing something about it. I simply reduced breast feeds and gave more water.
I really, really didn't want to have an overweight toddler or child. I think its a bad idea in the short term and the long term.

iclaudius this baby is way way above even the highest weight even an overweight baby should be according to the charts. I'm not sure it's wise to say that's 'fine'.

No one thinks you are stupid. It is entirely likely it is just one of those things and she will skinny out. like you say, your son was skinny so it must be a possibility that she has a different insulin response to him (possible if your GD result was wrong I guess?) or is a more efficient breastffeder or simply slightly less fidgety than your son was?

swimming sounds good, wish I had taken mine as they are not great in water, or maybe one of those bouncy things you hang in the doorway?

Sadly I don't think milk banks can take expressed milk from a new mum whose baby is over 6 months - though weirdly they will continue taking milk once the baby is past 6 months. Maybe it has changed now as I looked into it a couple of years ago

Thanks guys, her movt is progressing, lots of standing holding on and wriggling/sliding backwards.

She has been blw fresh stuff all the way since this thread and more water and I think she has more energy from it so that is the good influence of MN.

Aw that's good news. You'll have a mover before her know it!