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Older BF baby not gaining enough weight

tifvolleytifvolley member
in Babies: 3 - 6 Months

DD had her 4-month visit last week and I was surprised to find out that she only weighs 14lbs 4 oz.  She was just over 13lbs at her 2 month appointment and was on the right track as far as gaining weight.  The pedi is concerned since she's supposed to be double her birth weight (8lbs) by now and she's not regularly rolling over.

I feel absolutely awful.  First, because I let a month go by before I got her in.  If we would have been in sooner, this would have been caught earlier.  I just had no idea there was a problem.  She isn't ever fussy after eating, doesn't spit-up a ton, and appears to be growing.  I also feel like I should have monitored the rolling more.  I just figured it wasn't her thing.  She sits up and has reached her other milestones.

The pedi is having me come in in 3 weeks for a weight check and to make sure she is rolling.  I was diagnosed with ppd two months ago and he said it could be causing some of the issues.  I really don't want to give up nursing and have been really upset over this.

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Re: Older BF baby not gaining enough weight

  • CamFamCamFam member

    Hang in there! Is your baby 5 months now and just went in for the 4 month checkup? If your pediatrician is concerned, maybe they could recommend supplementing formula with breastmilk? I wouldn't focus on the "doubling birth weight" rule. Some babies grow at different rates.

    Don't give up nursing! Supplement in addition to it, but don't give up if it works for you!

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  • snansleysnansley

    I don't think our pedi worries about the rolling over thing until 6 months.  It may just take her a while until she does it consistently. 

    If you don't have to go back for three weeks, it sounds like the pedi isn't too concernced about her weight.  Maybe she is a just a slow gainer.  At that next appt you can talk about if you need to supplement or add solids.  Good luck and hang in there.

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  • Momtobug31Momtobug31
    See my below post.  I, too, am concerned about LO's lack of weight gain but pedi isn't.  Pedi didn't say anything about rolling over.  LO still isn't doing this, but sits/stands assisted great and has great muscle control.  LO didn't gain anything in a month.  I think your LO is fine.  One pound in a month at 4 months is normal for BF babies.
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  • kg_08kg_08 member

    DD just had her 4 month check a few days ago, and she is 12 lbs even. The pedi said normally she should have doubled her birth weight (14-15 lbs) but that she may just be small. She did suggest I go ahead and start her on baby food though because she may need a little extra. I'm not supplimenting with formula though. She eats and is satisfied, she just seems to get hungry quicker.

    I was almost off the charts small until I was 2 so I am not overly worried.

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  • jellybelly03jellybelly03 member
    Don't despair!  It was right about then that my DS#1, two other friends' DSes and another friend's DD also started "falling off" the curve:  all EBF.  My DS#1 started life in the 70something-th percentile and around then started dropping until he finally leveled off at 8-10, where he stayed for 2 years.  Now he's back up to 15 or 20 and who knows where he'll be in another year.  I think it's natural for BF babies to not gain as quickly at about that point.  Sometimes they make up for it.  Sometimes they don't.  But pediatrician's ALWAYS freak out about it.  Before you start getting worried, try googling "breast fed growth charts" or something like that - you'll see that there is a different chart that the WHO uses for babies that are EBF.  Most pediatricians use a chart for formula fed babies.  You are not a bad mom.  I HATE HATE HATE the pressure that pediatricians put on this point.  If it is something severe and/or baby seems unhappy or whatever, then that's one thing, but just happily being a slender baby is not a bad thing (in fact, it tends to correlate with lower instances of type 2 diabetes and obesity later in life).  Good luck!!!
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  • Dreamsicle23Dreamsicle23 member
    I think your pedi is making you worry over nothing.  DS is almost 6 months and probably still has half a pound to go before he'll double his birth weight.  He also didn't start rolling over until after 5 months, and still can't consistently roll from belly to back.
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  • HBayliesHBaylies member
    I know I'm not a pedi, but it doesn't sound all that alarming to me.  My DS was born 7.14 and at his 4 month he was 14.2.  He's in the 20-30th percentile for weight, but in the 85-95th for length.  He may not be growing leaps and bounds, but he's growing, so my pedi is not concerned.  Also, my DS only rolls belly at back now at 4.5 months.  He still can't figure out how to get that arm out of the way to roll back to belly.  Again, my pedi was not concerned.  He's even fine with us waiting until he's 6 months to intro any solids.  Don't be so hard on yourself!  All babies are different.
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