Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Premature birth

Connect with others and find premature birth support.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Anybody had a baby this small

39 replies

rascal1979 · 06/04/2008 21:40

My LO was 983g (2lb 1oz) at birth when she was botn 9 weeks early with IUGR.

She is now 16 weeks old and is still only 5lb 12oz.

Im just gerring really concerned cos she is still so small. Peads are a little concerned but not overly so long as she follws a centile line which she is kind of - below the 0.4th.

She is healthy and alert and puts on between 3-4oz a week - once put on 5oz. She is exclusively breast fed.

It just gets me down that she is still so small and will robably only be 8-9lb at 6mths old.

Has anyone's LO been this small or is this relaly unusual? Could there be developmental issues with her size being so small? I;m see ing her paed on 1 May but need some support and reassurance now - HV is a bit crap.

OP posts:

Henrietta · 06/04/2008 21:49

none of mine but my cousin was. now in 20's and normal. think she had to watch colds but then she only had 1 lung. just wanted to offer bit support.

CarGirl · 06/04/2008 21:52

YOur HV probably has very little experience of such prem babies, are there any support groups out there for prem born babies? I know a few parents on here had failure to thrive issues, all unfounded in the end?

Are tall/big are you and your dp and were you big or small as children, how about your extended families. Some dc have to be the small ones IYSWIM.

EllieG · 06/04/2008 21:53

My friend's baby was about this big as was born very early and very poorly, but is now a bouncing and energetic 7 year old. Bundle of energy, doing well at school, no developmental problems at all.

CarGirl · 06/04/2008 22:03

SparklyGothKat has a thread in breast & bottle feeding about her tiny son is doing well now, he's 28 weeks and still in 0-3 month clothes. he was tiny and struggled to gain weight for a long time. Have a look for the thread.

SlightlyMadSweet · 06/04/2008 22:12

My DTDs were 2lb and 2lb1oz at birth. They were 13wks premature and there weren't the smallest on SCBU. They were still less than 4lb at 12wks when they came home so 5lb12oz sounds more than respectable to me.

Peads are right - she should follow one of the lines - it doesn't matter which one....

She should have no development issues as a result of her size...although you should allow her to be up to 9wks later than a full term baby because she was 9wks earlier than she should have been. They expect them to have caught up by the time she is 2 but IME DTDs were largely caught up by 12-15m. They are now almost 7 and v v skinny but tall for their age.

Size doesn't matter - its what inside that counts .

soph28 · 06/04/2008 22:17

no experience but I think as long as she is gaining weight no matter how little that is great and it is fantastic that you are exclusively BF- well done!

If she seems alert and healthy then that is the main thing. Developmental issues can be a worry for any mum no matter how big or little the baby is.

I know someone who had prem twins and they have always been tiny but at just over 2 they are both talking well and being potty trained. They also both walked before a year.

I think you're doing really well

NorthernLurker · 06/04/2008 22:22

You are both doing brilliantly! It's only natural that you worry - but a gain like that sounds really good. Her early arrival and size must have been a big shock for you though - do you think you are still feeling the immediate effects of that? I've looked at your pics - she is utterly lovely - and the picture of her at home - with her little round cheeks has bought tears to my eyes! I maybe need to get out more though Keep on doing what you're doing

Original poster

rascal1979 · 06/04/2008 22:38

Thanks for all your support - I'm 5ft (DH is 6ft ) and although I was 7lb 8oz at birth I was only 16lb 8oz at 12mths so put on around 2oz a week from birth to 12mths.

However I'm still concerned that at 5lb 12oz at 4mths my DD is very small

OP posts:

SlightlyMadSweet · 06/04/2008 22:51

Rascal....size doesn't matter. Yes she will be small, but she was a 1/4 of the weight of a typical baby at birth.

You will soon learn to ignore the sizes on clothes. When she grows out of one size buy her the next. It doesn't matter what the label says.

Honestly, you say you are concerned that she will only be 9lb at 6m - I think my DD3 was only 9-10lb at 4m (which would be your LOs corrected age at 6m IYSWIM)...and she wasn't even prem.

Some babies have to be on teh 0.4 line to make up for those which are on the 99.6 line.

As long as she is putting on weight, showing good developmental signs and making you smile that is all that matters

CarGirl · 06/04/2008 22:52

what about your wider family?? I'm 5' my eldest is following the 25th centile, my 2nd the 92nd (!), 3rd 60th, 5th 50th - all very different.

If there are other shortish men and women in both sides it's possible that she just has the tiny genes only and will take after you. Try not to worry, hard I know. My youngest three were all big babies but slowed down at completely different rates.

NorthernLurker · 06/04/2008 22:52

She is small - but she's also healthy and alert and you are doing the best you can for her. Try to enjoy her . When you are buying her wedding dress, or painting rooms in her new house or watching her read the news on the tv - you won't be able to believe she started off so wee

Original poster

rascal1979 · 06/04/2008 23:00

Thank you so much for you support! MN reallyhelps me through the difficult days x

OP posts:

TheLittleElf · 06/04/2008 23:04

A very good friend of mine had her son at 24 weeks gestation, weighing in a 1lb 4oz Amazingly he needed very little support and they actually had to give him drugs at one point because he was too active and using up too many calories!

He's now a very healthy 8 year old sod lad

ara · 06/04/2008 23:11

rascal, just had a look at your profile - what a beautiful little girl! sounds like she is doing well too.

Original poster

rascal1979 · 07/04/2008 09:23

Hulo I'm not concerned about how small she was at birth and I realise that there are many born smaller than her but it's the size she is and will be in at least the first year or two of her life that is scaring me

OP posts:

pooka · 07/04/2008 09:29

She's gorgeous and she looks very jolly and well filled out to me. I don't have direct experience, but a friend of mine had a ds who was under 2 pounds. I think he was 1 lb 9 oz. He was born at 28 weeks as she had pre-eclampsia.
He is now 13. He is quite thin ( but then so are his mum and dad) and is of average height. He is bright and happy and strong.

pooka · 07/04/2008 09:32

I also have friend who had a dd who was 4 oz heavier than dd at birth, on due date (so 6 lb 10oz) who was still in 0-3 month clothes for ages and ages. And consistently wears clothes at least one year younger than her age (is now nearly 5).
She is naturally petite, small but perfectly formed. Is having a bit of a growth spurt at the moment, so is starting to catch up dd (who is also naturally fairly petite).

serenity · 07/04/2008 09:38

My cousin was smaller than that, but has no health problems now (she's in her mid 20's) She's very small framed but not tiny, she has a degree in something complicated (she works with DNA and genes in a research capacity I think) and is getting married this summer.

throckenholt · 07/04/2008 09:38

one of my id twins was 3lb 13oz - so a bit bigger - but they were born because he had stopped growing at 35 weeks - so probably comparable weights.

He is still now (at just over 5) trundling along on the bottom line of the charts - he is perfectly healthy and doesn't look particularly small - but he is very light.

No development issues.

He always is less hungry than his twin.

I often ponder if he was small because he didn't get enough food, or just because he doesn't need much food. What I mean is maybe some are small just because they are not because they were restricted - and they will continue to grow at a lesser rate than peers - just because that is what their body wants to do.

One tip - do not look at clothes sizes - just wear what fits and don't stress if is not the age it says on the label (I have 3 boys - none of them wear clothes of their age - especially not their bottom half - they have short legs - just like their parents).

throckenholt · 07/04/2008 09:43

by the way - it really helps to think of her as the adjusted age - ie what she would be if she was born at full term and look at the weight charts for the adjusted age rather than the real age - that sort of gives you something more realistic to compare against.

But best of all - don't look at the charts at all - just feed her when she wants it (well done on breastfeeding) and let her grow as she wants.

Kewcumber · 07/04/2008 09:52

my DS was very similar size 980gr. He is on the normal charts at 2.3yrs. If you and your DH are tall there is lots of evidence to show that your DD will catch up eventually but may take 4-6 years. Otherwise if she's healthy I'd really try not to get too concerned about it for now (I know easier said than done!)

sweetie66 · 07/04/2008 13:39

My DD was 9wks prem and weighed 2lb 110z. She dropped down to 2lb 8oz. Left SCBU weighing 4lb 8oz. She is now 4yrs and still in 18-24mth clothing BUT DH and I are both very very short!!!! She was behind developmentally for a while but has caught up. My HV was almost useless and became fixated about the blooming growth centiles. Thankfully our paeditrician(sp?) said as long as she is gaining weight and is healthy that is all that matters. We had lots of other health issues to take in to consideration as well. Trust me what she lacks in size she makes up in attitude! Focus on how great it is to have your healthy happy baby at home with you.

jakethepeg · 07/04/2008 19:23

What a beautiful baby you have got! She looks perfect.

My son was just under 2lb when he was born 13 weeks early nearly 4 years ago. He was under 5lb when he left hospital after 10 weeks and was very slow to gain weight. He was much smaller than my friends' full term babies but now at almost 4 years old he is as tall as them although still a bit skinnier.

He also followed his own line in the dreaded red book and as long as he didn't lose weight nobody was very concerned (except me!).

She honestly sounds like she is doing great.

gegs73 · 07/04/2008 19:41

Hi - I just wanted to say your LO is gorgeous! Lovely photos. One of my friends had a baby almost 3 years ago at 26 weeks weighing under 2lbs. She has done so well and is a very bright and happy little girl! I've put you a link to their website about her (more of a blog now but the early stuff has lots of detail).

blog

RTKangaMummy · 07/04/2008 19:53

Mine were 2lb 13oz and 2lb 12.5oz @ 27 weeks

Now nearly 13 years old and in size 7 shoes and is about 5' 5"

And is all round regular sized

So from little acorns huge oaks grow

Flip

1 2