Did your baby stick to the centile growth line???

[divadexie]

As the title says... did your baby stick to a line (or roughly follow it) on the centile thingy for weight?

Anna has gradually fallen off the 9th centile line and is now on the 4th and got the HV on my back again saying she wants to come out weekly to weigh her again.
What happens onec they go below the 4th centile? She stopped mid sentence and confused me, said something like ''because if she falls below the 4th.. I want to come out and weigh her next week and arrange to do it weekly, keep an eye on her because she was so premature''


She kept on at me asking if she was herself etc (if she had looked in her notes and read what the HV from yesterday had written she would have known), but she is absolutely fine I have no concerns what so ever then she was like if you are worried call neonatal etc etc.



When did they start all this centile crap thing anyay cos I never remember them going on about it this much when my son was wee!

As far as Im concerned, my baby is feeding well, wet and dirty napies, sleeping normal and bright and alert the rest of the time, so just leave as is. But I wish I could get rid of the damn HV! Grrrr

 

[AP]

Hey hun
I took a pic of alexs chart, same idea, she dropped a few lines about this time too. Just so u know u aint alone.
xxx

https://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx359/alexsmall/Uploads%20via%20Pixelpipe/SDC13261.jpg

 

[divadexie]

thanks

 

[Marleysgirl]

As I've mentioned elsewhere, Andrew sticks to a line - but it's his own line!

We don't see a HV because he's seen so often by various hospital specialists. The Paediatrician insists on plotting his weight on a normal weight chart (because she's used to looking at that one), and he drifts along beneath the 0.4th percentile. It's difficult for her to assess any increase/decrease in weight because he's below the printed curves.

I plot his weight on the WHO low-birthweight version of the same graph (downloaded off tinternet). On this there are curves below the 0.4th percentile (-2, -3 & -4 SD). Andrew was on the -4SD percentile but has slowly moved towards the -3SD, so he is actually putting on a little weight.

Not enough though - both the dietitian and the paediatrician want to see him starting to climb up through the percentiles. I don't know if it'll ever happen, I suspect he's just 6 months behind in terms of growth so will always be small for his age.

Personally I'm with you - if they're happy and there is weight gain as opposed to loss, what's the problem?

 

[25weeker]

Holly was on the 9th centile when born but pretty quickly dropped to the 0.4th and has followed that line. I am hoping with her now on 3 meals a day and introducing meat, cheese etc now she is over 6 months corrected she will start to climb up the graph.

Spent all day yesterday making various recipes out of the annabel karmel book so will see what happens!

 

[kerry m]

My lo as been between 9th and 25th centiles just recently she as dropped due to teething was ,shes just cut her first 2 teeth so im hoping there will be a improvement soon.

my HV came out few weeks ago saying add butter cream to foods which i will be doing.
I do agree that my lo hasn't lost weight so im not to worried she will catch up when shes ready.xx

 

[wiganlass]

my little boy is sticking to the line and putting weight on perfect. xx

 

[divadexie]

What are the -SD lines and what does it stand for??
What does that mean if she follows an SD line??

 

[Marleysgirl]

Have replied on the other thread but I'll try and expand on it here. I should stress that this is simply my understanding.

Weight charts have pre-printed percentile lines. The 50th percentile is the average weight curve for a baby at certain ages. If your baby follows (eg) the 80th percentile, they are at the heavier end of average; if they follow the 20th percentile they are at the lighter end of average. (It is important to stress that both are acceptable, this doesn't mean over- or under-weight.)

If your baby drops from the 80th percentile to the 50th percentile to the 20th percentile, whilst they are still within acceptable average weight, they have not put weight on as fast as expected, they have not followed the expected growth curve. You'd be able to see this because, when the weights are plotted, your baby's plotted line doesn't follow the nice smooth upwards curve of the pre-printed percentile curves.

Equally if your baby climbs up through the percentiles (eg from the 20th to the 50th), it's a growth spurt and your baby is getting closer to the average weight.

-SD (negative Standard Deviation) curves lie below the smallest percentile curve. It's a mathematical thing to do with normal weight-distribution graphs for an individual age.

Our son Andrew was born with IUGR, i.e. seriously small for his gestational age. Even when his weights are plotted against his corrected age (and not his actual age), he is still very small. His weights fall well below the bottom (0.4th) percentile, he was following the -4SD curve initially but thanks to a growth spurt when switched to fomula milk he jumped up slightly to the -3SD curve. The paediatrician would like to see him have further growth spurts to try and catch up with the average weight for his age-group.

If you were to project forwards, the suggestion of the graph is that Andrew will always be small for his age.

 

[Marleysgirl]

I've just checked the "UK-WHO Low Birthweight Growth Chart" to see how it describes them:-

Low reading (SD) lines to allow assessment of very small babies

 

[sleeping bubs]

Mckenzie has never been on any lines well for a couple of weeks he was lol got his own line lol it dips in few places as he was ill!!

I have attached a copy of his chart

 

[divadexie]

thanks
What were your HV like when he dropped off the centile?

I am dreading seeing mine on weds!

 

[Jemma_x]

Connor wasnt prem but had IUGR so a really low birth weight and hes always been below the 0.4 centile, ive finally accepted he's just going to stay small but my Hv goes mad even if he goes abit lower down on the graph and always wants to send us up to hospital to have him checked. Ive stopped going to see her now and only have him weighed at diatician and consultant appointments.

Thats probably no use because connor wasnt prem but thought id reply with what my Hv was like. Anna is gorgeous btw x

 

[sleeping bubs]

hey divadexie hv are ok they have always been understanding and no wot he is like it was the doctors who referred him to hospital twice lol and they said he is ok healthy and active. But we are going to c dietitian on 3rd Dec our request. But not going to weigh him until then cos he not eating food at moment only milk and been sick at night (cos of cough) thus he will have lost a bit of weight

Don't worry I sure it will be ok tomorrow

 

[divadexie]

dreading HV tomorrow though somehow I have managed to get the nice one again.

I feel like every time I see the bloody HV she has the cold or something, tonight I have noticed she is all snuffly again and my son has yet Another cold!

Obviously she doesnt have that great an immune system but is it normal to get the cold or snuffles so often?

 

[25weeker]

She is probably picking things up from your son as kids love to share Unfortunately I don't think there is much you can do just now except keep an eye on her. She will gradually get a stronger immune system.

Hope she has a good weight gain today x

 

[sleeping bubs]

Mckenzie is constantly ill he has had tonsillitis 3 times this year such a nightmare. he has a lovely cough at moment had for a month but today he has decided to start eating again