weight gain 3 months onwards

[Katteh]

How much weight are your little ones gaining from 3 months onwards? My lo was born on the 75th centile and is now just under half way to the 50th. He is 98th or something for length.

His weight gain is slowing right down and last fortnight he only gained 5oz. Previously he had been gaining about 5oz a week since around 10 weeks. The health visitor wasn't concerned but it worries me slightly.

He is so distractable during feeds and I can only feed him upstairs in his room with the lights dimmed and no noise, and I worry that this is stunting his gain. I try to take a bottle if we are going out.

I can't physically get him to take more, he gets an expressed bottle at 10pm and has around 4oz and then wakes for either one or two feeds overnight. Last couple of days I've given him 6oz in that bottle and the next morning he has eaten less so he obviously seems to only want a certain amount per day. I just worry that he would perhaps take more if he was bottle fed.


He is a very happy, active boy and I feed him on demand.

 

[nabo86]

no advice but I wanted to let you know we're in a similar situation...

DD started abouve 92nd percentile and, although she hasn't lost weight since week 1, she has gradually fallen to below the 75th percentile... the HV doesn't seem bothered at all by this and just puts it down to BF. She gained 11oz over the last 3 weeks which is a big improvement

I have had to get her weighed a little more frequently to check she was gaining but now I think they have just accepted it so I don't have to go as often

she is perfectly happy and seems to be thriving in all other areas and I don't think its possible to feed her any more than I do cos she just gets really grumpy if she doesn't want it! she is also a fussy eater like your son and I have found that feeding her as soon as she wakes is working for us (so she is too sleepy to object too much!)

 

[Katteh]

My son gets really grumpy if he doesn't want anymore too, it all sounds very familiar! He hasn't lost any weight either, excluding the initial post birth weight loss, and at the beginning gained very quickly, so it's difficult seeing such slow gaining now.

I tend to do the opposite to you, I feed him when he is due to nap so that he is a bit sleepy and calmer. How often does your daughter feed?

 

[nabo86]

usually 2.5 - 3 hours during the day but she only eats 3-5 minutes a feed and will only eat from one side

she can go 3-4 hours overnight and will eat 8-10 minutes from each side!

i've tried to get her to eat more during the day and the HV has no advice :/

i'm counting down the days now till I can start giving her solids and just hoping she's gonna love to eat more then!

 

[Katteh]

I know how you feel. My daughter went from the 75th at birth to the 98th centile by 2 months so it has been a very different experience this time around.

When are you going to start weaning her? 6 months?

 

[nabo86]

HV said I could start at 5 months if I want but I don't think she's ready just yet... She has definitely started watching us eat but doesn't seem that interested yet so I'll hold off for now

i had hoped to EBF for 6 months but haven't really loved the whole experience tbh - i think i have doubted myself too much and the slow weight gain hasn't helped... i've been close to quitting so many times - even bought a couple of boxes of formula which i've resisted using! I just take every day as it comes and I know it won't be forever - I know I'll miss it when I stop!

when will you start?

 

[summer rain]

I wouldn't worry some babies are just smaller gainers than others. My youngest feeds very regularly and aside from the odd occasion where he skips 48 hours still has 4-5 dirty nappies a day and 5-6 sopping leaking wet ones but he has never been a huge gainer, took over 2 weeks to regain his birthweight, gained7oz a week for a few weeks this dropped to 2-5oz a week from about 3 months onwards and now some weeks he doesn't gain anything at all. I weigh him at home as I have a proper baby weighing scale. He has dropped two centiles since birth (he's nearly 6 months now) but I'm not concerned, his head circumference has gone from
the 25th to the 91st shortly after birth and has maintained along this line since, also he is maintaining his height centile which is between the 50th and 75th. One of mine fell from the very top of the chart to the very bottom so 1-2 centiles seems pretty minor in comparison. I've noticed all mine get chubby after one year regardless of how they are fed or how they have taken to solids, so it just seems to be a genetic pattern of weight gain xx

ETA: I'm planning to start solids at 6 months as they can tend to experience a dip in weight gain once starting solids so want to hold it off as long as possible

 

[Katteh]

I had the same plan of breastfeeding for longer but I've just found it very stressful and I spend so much time worrying that his slow gaining is somehow down to me.

I'd like to wait until 6 months for weaning ideally, I suspect when I start weaning him I'll also slowly move him to formula.

 

[Katteh]

Days like today frustrate / worry me too. He fed 3x in the night and woke for the day at 8. Had a short feed at 8, I offered again at 11 but he wasn't interested then he finally fed at 1 and emptied both very full sides on and off over an hour. Which means if he wants a big feed again soon he may struggle!

 

[nabo86]

Katteh - i'm reading what you are writing thinking I could have said the exact same things as you! I'll probably slowly move to formula too, ready for when I return to work. Jessica went 4 and a half hours today without a feed - she acts like she can't be bothered to eat sometimes (far too many exciting things to look at/coo at!) but like your DS she has been making up for it having big feeds when she is ready!

summer rain - you are right, we are probably worrying too much thank you for saying some babies dip a bit when weaning cos I'm sure DD will and I would have worried more!