baby seems so small and delicate is that normal?

[prada]

hi, ds2 is 12 days old and seems so small and delicate next to ds1 who is 2.5yrs...

ds2 was 8lb but lost 10% of body weight in first few days, has gained back a bit (5%) but still seems so tiny, his arms and legs are so skinny.... i can't remember ds1 being so small...

it just worries me so much, want to cry just looking at how precious he is and how skinny he is. ds1 was 8lb 10 and a chunky monkey from birth..

is it the comparison of ds1 and ds2 that makes the size worry worse?

sorry don't know what answer i expect but thought i'd throw this out there....

hormones all over the place
x

Bless you, he's fine! That kind of weight loss is normal. If he is putting weight on and feeding ok I am sure you have nothing to worry about.

'Tis your hormones. Be kind to yourself!! Comparing with a hulking great 2.5 year old will never help!

Congratulations on number 2.

oh yes, they always look teeny and breakable when you have a toddler around.
ds2 was 9lb 5 and still looked like the most tiny delicate thing I'd ever seen lol

No he's fine! The one thing I remember of the early days with ds is that suddenly dd seemed HUGE! Having said that, I don't know what I'd do with a skinny baby! My friend has a baby 2 months younger than ds who is just so skinny I am almost afraid to hold him, whereas you could lose things is ds's folds

He's fine, don't worry!

My 1st was 8lb 12 and chunky all over, DD was 7lb 12, she lost 12oz in the 1st week and is still skinny and looks younger than she is (9mo), but she's been crawling since 6mo, climbing and cruising since 8mo, so I'm pretty sure she is fine.

Just a shock when you compare them i suppose.

Oh mine are very close and it does shock you how tiny the newborn looks.

Don't worry.

I felt the same - ds was almost 3 1/2 and looked huge and clumsy in comparison.

i felt the same - when ds2 was born i remember changing ds1's nappy and thinking that he should be at school, he seemed so BIG (he was 21 months and small for his age ).

I was just the same as Snooks, when ds2 was born ds1 was 23 months and changing his nappy he seemed like a giant. When ds3 was born ds1 was 8 and ds2 6 so ds3 was like a little doll!

I think with a DC2 either they look teeny tiny delicate or your DC1 suddenly looks like a giant bruiser (or both).

Oh yes, ds was a skinny teeny thing compared to dd 2.5 who seemed giant, like, just how massive were her legs and feet?!!

But then he grew and grew. Sometimes now at 4mths he actually seems heavier than dd (he isn't but is big for age, and doesnt hold himself up etc etc)

CONGRATULATIONS! It is the loveliest thing seeing your kids adore each other

i remember feeling the same with ds1 who was like those aliens...big eyes, long limbs and skinny. but when i held him he always curled up like a little frog and i used to stand in front of a mirror for ages holding him in wonderment.

he seemed so fragile.
snsniff i'm 26 weeks with last baby and cant wait to hold the little thing (mind you ds2 was huge and was never a little thing)

Oh, I'd forgotten this. I remember going to kiss dd goodnight when ds was less than 24 hours old and thinking she was almost obscenely big. Just so very very substantial.

There was a contrast in birth weights - very similar to yours in fact, prada. ds was 8lb 2 but incredibly long and skinny. His legs were like sticks. Whereas dd was 8lb 10 and nicely plump all over.

thank you ladies, midwife has just been and baby now back to just over birth weight at day 13, hope that's normal.....

i'm breastfeeding and expressing but have been topping ds2 up with a little formula everyday (2-3oz) and she's asked me to up that a bit....

guess i will... i can't bear seeing my baby so small and knowing he is hungry is painful...

on a side note, just got my red book today and midwife barely filled anything in... on the growth chart started it from today's date (except she wrote nov) and day 10, which i have changed to day 13!! trying not to get annoyed about it and will focus on getting ds2's health...

thanks again x

I remember spending ages looking at ds1's head and marvelling how big it was. And at ds2's tiny feet and wondering how come I'd never paid any attention to ds1's one he was small.
They grow up fast though. Savour this time!

Prada sweetie, calm down. My DS lost 23% of his body weight in 4 days. Took him a month to get back to birth weight. After both of us struggling with bf and a lot of cup feeding, we started formula feeding him after medical intervention. I resisted this for a week, but came to the realisation that he needed food rather than ideals. This was not a decision that DH or I took easily, comfortably or lightly but by this point even the bf councellor agreeded that it was the best solution for us. It is not a situation that I have totally accepted, but he is now 12 weeks old and healthy, strong, bright and alert. He is still skinny, but no longer worryingly so.

And remember too - babies ARE small.

And on a side note too - DS's hospital discharge notes say he is a girl, and I am and unmarried smoker (been married 8 years, never smoked in my life). I can only put this down to overworked mw's.

BikeRunSki thanks honey, just what i needed!... rationally thinking i do need to calm down as i am feeling rather hormonal and teary as i am so concerned... i hope not onset of pnd, my mum is here supposedly helping out (8 more days argh!) but i am finding her a hindrance (long story).

i guess having had a chunky ds1 at birth and now at 2.5 makes things look more extreme with ds2...

yeh midwives ....

remember this so well!

when dd was born, i was used to handling a strong and wriggling 22 month old ds.... so much so that i nearly dropped her in hospital as i picked her up so forcefully... was just glad no midwife was there to see!!

prada glad to be of help. My first week with DS was hellish. If my experience can help you put things in perspective then that is something positive.

yeh mothers....
(my midwife also told me his head was engaged 2 days before he was born as footling breech!)