head growing too fast?

SWR&MSM

just got back from a weight check with the nugget.  She is 10lbs 7oz and 23.5 inches long - weight and length are not on the chart yet, but she is gaining at a steady rate.  Her head however is growing leaps and bounds!  At our last weight check it was in the 17th% and today it is in the 30th% - I can't remember the actual measurement.  Rather than see a neurologist, which was the pedi's first thought, she thinks it would be better to get into a NICU follow up program as they take a more global approach to the assessment.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  Developmentally Annie is doing well - shes babbling, rolling over from stomach to back, attempting to roll from back to tummy, transferring objects from one hand to another, tracking etc.  So there doesn't seem to be a glaring developmental issue at this point, although thats not to say that there won't be one in the future.  I'm trying to hold it together but struggling......why can't her body grow as fast as her head?!?!?!?!? argh.....

schenkertobe

My LO's head circumference was the first measurement to jump onto the charts. At 4 months his head was in the 15%tile and his weight was in the 4%tile for full term babies. My pedi didn't seem concerned at all about his big head. Now I'm thinking maybe I should be worried! It seems reasonable to me that their heads are the first thing to catch up with other full term babies.  And since she is doing well developmentally, it is probably nothing to worry about. But just to be sure, it doesn't hurt to check with the NICU follow-up program to make sure she is hitting all her developmental milestones as she should.

Cara03

My LO's head is always higher on the charts than his height and weight as well. I actually never thought to worry about it. It's never been mentioned as an issue to us... here's hoping it's actually a non-issue for you, too.

SWR&MSM

I guess its not so much that her head is on the charts and her weight/length aren't its that her head is jumping up in percentiles while her weight/length are holding steady on her own curve.  Does that make sense?  Her head jumped from the 17th to the 30th percentile, while her weight/length remained around the same percentile. 

mmoravec

The boys had their 4 month well-child checks last week and for the 1st time their heads didn't correspond with their height and weight.  They are both between the 5th and 10th percentiles for weight and height and their heads are in the 60th percentile.  I just assumed that their brains are growing and their bodies will catch up.  Their Dr didn't have any concerns.  Growth spurts in babies can jump in different areas, but typically balance out by the next visit.  They are both growing the same amount at the same rate, so I am not going to be concerned at this point.

katie4253

It was explained to me that this will be the case for Gabe for a long time due to his IUGR.  He came out with a big head and will continue to have one because his body growth isn't as important as his brain growth.  I feel bad for him trying to lift his gigantic head during tummy time.  LOL! 

witt0198

When preemies start to do catch up growth, it has an order. Normally, the head catches up first, then weight, and height is last. I'd imagine it's just catch up growth. My Evan went from the 60th to the 95% for head circ, he had FTT and a lot of vomiting at the time, so his docs insisted on a head CT even though I felt he was fine, they were worried about hydrocephalus causing the vomiting. It came back completely normal.

If you google about the order of catch up growth in preemies you'll find articles that support what I'm saying. I'll post one I found in a quick minute here

https://preemies.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=preemies&cdn=health&tm=36&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http://www.prematurity.org/child/growth/catchup.html

I'd imagine that if the head growth were pathologic, you'd see other signs of there being a problem, since that sounds like it's not the case, I'm betting on normal catch up growth, but I'm no doctor!

IncogNeato

My LO is the same way. At birth she was about 1% weight, 5% head then was btwn 1-3 weight and 25% head for months, then last month was 3% weight, 50% head. Who knows. We're keeping an eye on it but I think it's fine. Seems pretty common!

Outdoor moma

Hello! Looks like you have gotten tons on replies here so I prob don't need to add mine but I will! Sounds like your little preemie is just precious & perfect! My daughter was born at under 2lbs and her head was always in the 40-50% during her first 2 years. Her body wt. was always around 2-3%, so as you can see a HUGE difference between the two! Out pedi was always pleased with this, saying that this means the brain (the most important development organ) was getting enough nutrients to form properly and the body would eventually follow. Basicly they always told us that it is fine and even good for a preemie to have a head that is proportionaly large for their body size. My dd, now 3, is quite grown into her head and smart as a whip!!!  

Good luck! 

goblue

As others have said, the ideal preemie catchup growth is head, then weight, then height.  17% to 30% doesn't seem like too huge a jump to me, but I'm not a doctor.

My DS's head shot up to over 95% on non-age-adjusted charts fairly quickly (i.e., it was REALLY big).  He ended up having 2 MRIs and a CT scan to make sure it wasn't hydrocephalus; he had one or the other every 6 months for a year and a half. Turns out he just has a big head.  It is still at 95%+ at age 3 while his height is 25% and his weight is 30%.

My DS did the NICU follow-up clinic for almost 3 years, but he was a micro-preemie.  It certainly wouldn't hurt to have another set of eyes on your baby if your pedi is concerned about something.  Good luck!!