Weight Gain

[AnnaBanana9]

Got Alyssa weighed yesterday (Tuesday) and she is now 9lbs 10oz, and she was 9lbs 3oz two weeks ago. She has fallen off her centile mark but is perfect in every way (we think, anyhow!), although the horrid health visitor doing the weigh-in clinic interrogated me and tried to make me feel like a bad mummy. I tried to tell her that before being weighed Alyssa had 2 BIG poos, and that she was ready for her afternoon feed and as such had an empty tummy, but she didn't really listen to me. I'm sure if Alyssa had been weighed AFTER her feed and before those poos, she would easily have weighed more like 10lbs. Stupid HV for trying to make me feel bad!

I'm BF Alyssa on demand; am I right in thimking that a BF babi is likely to gain weight at a slower rate than a FF baby, on average? There was a FF baby who got weighed before Alyssa, also 8 weeks old, was 16 1/2 POUNDS and looked unhappy and overfed and overweight, yet the stupid woman cooed over him and tried to make me feel terrible!! His parents only seemed concerned that his designer gear was on and that everuone could see he had the "best" of everything, from his outfit to his carseat, to his pram, to his nappy bag. I heard them say that whenever he fussed in any way, they gave him a full bottle, and that he would drink it down.

HV interrogated me like I was a criminal suspect! She looked at me oddly when I told her that Alyssa only has a dirty nappy once or twice a week (even though I know that's perfectly normal). Fired questions at me, rather loudly and in earshot of the other waiting parents, about wet nappies, dirty nappies, does she smile, how alert she is, does she enjoy bath time (not sure what that has to do with things??) In short, she made me feel terrible!

Please tell me I'm right not to worry about therate of Alyssa's weight gain.... she's 2 months old today, was 8lbs 4.5oz at birth, and went down to 7lbs 12oz by her first weigh-in at 5 days old. This means she's put on almost 2lbs in just under 2 months. Until yesterday, she was on the 25th centile line according to the growth chart in her red book, and now plots somewhere near the 9th. I looked at the WHO charts and she seems to plot better.

Sorry for the rambling, ranting post. What I really want to know is whether this smaller weight gain is anything to worry about, and why did the HV interrogate me so rudely and try to make me feel bad? Am doubting myself now, even though I know that's probably silly of me to do. Looking at Alyssa, it's obvious she's thriving....

So sorry for the length of the post; just had to get this off my chest!

x

 

[mommyof3co]

Wow that lady sounds incredibly rude, I'm sorry

I think she sounds like she is doing fine, all babies grow differently. If she is satisfied, she IS growing, just on a slower pace than some, and is thriving I wouldn't worry at all. 16lbs at 8wks is crazy!! That's huge! All 3 of my boys were about 11-12lbs at 2mo, they were pretty big.

 

[marley2580]

This is why I stopped taking Kaya to be weighed - instead I bought some digital bathroom scales and weighed her myself. I hate to think what the HV would say now - she's only put on 5lb in almost a year!

She sounds like she's doing fine hun.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Honey, the health visitors we have here in the main have little or no BFing training. You have stated EVERYTHING correctly in your post - I dont need to go over it only to say you are absolutely 100% BANG ON.

I think it does depend on the individual HV - mine is very careful to remind me EVERY visit that it's not important if she drops a few centiles and not to become fixated on the 'lines' and 'charts'. I know of at least one BF baby who dropped from the 75th to the 50th centile over a few weeks and then started heading abck up again and she's totally fine and her HV wasnt concerned at all.

Plot her on the WHO chart - that red book was writen in the 70's when babies were more likely to be FF and gain at a different rate.

Back yourself honey - you know your baby and my guess is she's just perfect.

 

[Incubator]

Try not to worry. When I had my daughter weighted a couple of weeks ago (she is totally breast fed on demand too) the doctor seemed baffled because she'd put on more weight than she thought she should have and started quizzing me about if I topped her up with formula on the sly! I never have and was really cheesed off that she was suggesting that I wasn't being truthful.

She also freaked me out about about other stuff and generally made me feel like I wasn't doing the right things. I'm sure most of this is down to crap bedside manner and it sounds like your HV also suffers from an inability to communicate like a normal, caring human being!

Your baby is putting on weight and it sounds like you are doing a grand job.

Good luck with everything.

x

 

[AnnaBanana9]

Thank you all so much! It's so reassuring to have my instinct confirmed I tell myself that just as there are adults of all shapes and sizes, there are babies. I hope my HV is back next time I have Alyssa weighed. She's a lactation consultant as well, and is SO encouraging and supportive.

Thank you again!

 

[Hevz]

Honey, the health visitors we have here in the main have little or no BFing training. You have stated EVERYTHING correctly in your post - I dont need to go over it only to say you are absolutely 100% BANG ON.

I think it does depend on the individual HV - mine is very careful to remind me EVERY visit that it's not important if she drops a few centiles and not to become fixated on the 'lines' and 'charts'. I know of at least one BF baby who dropped from the 75th to the 50th centile over a few weeks and then started heading abck up again and she's totally fine and her HV wasnt concerned at all.

Plot her on the WHO chart - that red book was writen in the 70's when babies were more likely to be FF and gain at a different rate.

Back yourself honey - you know your baby and my guess is she's just perfect.

I agree totally.


Annabanana....I think these belong to your HV