It seems some of the most common questions that parents hear from the moment a new baby arrives is “what does the baby weigh?” and “how is the baby growing?” The weight of a newborn is often used as a marker of general health, so it makes sense that it’s something everyone is watching. But how is a parent to know if their child is gaining weight properly? There are some general guidelines that parents can look at to help keep an eye on their babies’ progress.
Birth weight and Changes:
Most babies who are born full term (38-40 weeks gestation) weigh between 6-9lbs. Birth weight can be affected by many things such as pregnancy gestation at birth ( whether earlier or later than “full term”), baby’s gender, mother’s health during the pregnancy, parents’ build, nutrition during pregnancy, multiples birth or babies health at birth. Babies can be born outside of the average guidelines and still be completely healthy. It is expected that all newborns will lose some weight in the first 5-7 days of life. A 5% weight loss is considered normal for a formula fed newborn. A 7%-10% loss is considered normal for the breastfed baby. Most babies should be back at birth weight by days 10-14 of life. If a baby loses a significant amount of weight, is sick or premature, it may take up to 3 weeks to get back to birth weight.
Formula Fed and Breastfed Differences:
Most newborns will gain about 5-7oz a week for the first few months. Many babies will have doubled their birth weight by about 3-4 months. At 4 months, weight gain will begin to look different for breastfed and formula fed babies. Research clearly shows that breastfed babies and formula fed babies grow at different rates starting at about 4 months of age. But most growth charts are based only on formula fed babies’ growth, which leads many breastfeeding moms wondering if their baby is “normal.” The World Health Organization (WHO) has worked to develop new growth charts based on breastfed babies but not all physicians are using these when making their assessment. Make sure your physician is clear on what feeding method you are using so that the correct chart is used to assess your baby’s weight gain. For more information, see the WHO Growth Charts for Infant Boys and WHO Growth Charts for Infant Girls.
Monitoring your Newborns Weight Gain
Newborns are often weighed throughout their stay in the hospital, sometimes weighed again 48-72 hours after discharge, and then at a week after birth and sometimes again at two weeks after birth. If a baby has any health concerns, weight checks may be scheduled more frequently. If parents don’t have a scale at home, they can monitor their baby’s intake of food in more tangible ways.
- By about week one, a newborn should be having at least 5-7 wet diapers a day and at least about 3-4 dirty diapers a day. (This may change with time and Formula fed babies seem to have less bowel movements then breastfed babies.)
- Baby seems satisfied at least for a little while after feeding. (Some babies do seem to want to eat all the time!)
- Baby does not seem overly sleepy and is alert during the “awake” times
The most important thing that parents need to health care providers are looking out for. Don’t hesitate to ask your health care provider about any concerns you have regarding your baby’s weight gain.
Compiled using information from the following source:
The Nemours Foundation, http://kidshealth.org/
World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/
KellyMom Breastfeeding and Parenting, http://www.kellymom.com//
Ask Dr Sears.com, http://www.askdrsears.com/