Can my EBF baby be too big?

[brackin]

At first, I really dismissed this, but the more I think about it....I just had to ask. My ds is 11 weeks old and weighs nearly 17 lbs. He was 9 lbs 9 oz at birth. My other 2 children were quite a bit smaller--in the 7 and 8 lb range at birth and 50th %ile thereafter.

DS2 has never had anything but breastmilk, though I do produce quite a bit and am tandem nursing also. My mom (who nursed her babies, one until age 4, so she's no stranger to it) keeps commenting on how huge DS2 is, in a way that's...concerned. I love my chubby baby's rolls! Is there any research to suggest that a baby this big will have future problems or that there's any negative reason why he could be gaining so quickly? I'd always heard/thought that breastfed babies couldn't be too big.

[AFWife]

I say don't worry. My son always measured big. FIL asked once, "What does the Doc say about his weight?!?" and I told him nothing. He later picked him up and commented on how solid he was...so it wasn't all FAT. He's nearly 11 months now and, since becoming mobile, he's leaned out A LOT.

Speaking of the beast I'll be back to check on you later!

[mommy2maya]

I might be concerned at such an alarming rate of growth- not necessarily nursing too much, but something metabolic or thyroid related.

[Lineymom]

My chubby girl was 9#10oz at birth and over 18lbs at 3months. She is now four months and roughly 20lbs. I am not concerned, though amazed, lol!

My two ds started out heavier than her (10#4 and 11#1) They were both fat babies, 20lb at 4 months. She has grown slightly faster than them. They are both very very lean and tall at 4 and 7. Well the oldest is actually quite skinny, and he is a head taller than most children his age. The 4yr old (who was the 11lber) is a good 1.5 in shorter and 6lbs lighter than his brother at that age. They both slowed down weight gain after getting mobile.

I don't know why they grow so fast/ big. I was average size, slightly above maybe and EBF. My husband was big at 10.5 lbs, but his mother has no record of his growth after that. She just says she remembers all 7 of her kids had doubled their birthweight by 6 months. This one has done more than that by 4 months!!!

[LiLStar]

Both my babies have been huge. dd (between 40-45 lbs now at just barely 3.. haven't weighed recently) was 8lbs 14oz at birth, 11lbs 5oz at 2 weeks, 14lbs 8oz at 6 weeks, 16lbs 5oz at 2 months. I think at 6 months she was around 24-25lbs. At 14 months she was 33 lbs and had to be turned forward facing, as that was the limit for her seat. Everyone kept saying, oh, once she starts rolling, she'll plateau. Then it was once she crawls. Then it was once she walks. No.. she just keeps gaining. At 3 she's not fat, just looks more like a 4 year old than a barely-3. She wears size 4 in bottoms and 5 in tops.

ds started at 10lbs 2oz. I used to jokingly call him "my runt" because he grew a little bit slower than dd. But no, he has thoroughly caught up. I weighed him a couple weeks ago at 9 months.. 27lbs. And he's plenty active! I found him on the floor instead of on the middle of the bed where I left him when he was 2.5 months. (mattress is on the floor, he wasn't hurt) He scooted as early as he could. Was an expert crawler by 6 months, and is now beginning to walk. The boy won't sit still. And he's huge!

More than worried.. I'm frustrated. I hate how my babies get too big for me to carry around easily before they outgrow the need to be carried. A 35lb 1 year old is just not easy to tote around I'm jealous of people who have average sized babies. I know, the grass is always greener! All that chub is so adorable and makes him so fun to squish and snuggle. And I never worry for my milk supply. But my poor tired arms....

[Lineymom]

Originally Posted by LiLStar

More than worried.. I'm frustrated. I hate how my babies get too big for me to carry around easily before they outgrow the need to be carried. A 35lb 1 year old is just not easy to tote around I'm jealous of people who have average sized babies. I know, the grass is always greener! All that chub is so adorable and makes him so fun to squish and snuggle. And I never worry for my milk supply. But my poor tired arms....

I feel like that a lot!!!! Mine were both like 29.5lb at 12 months, though.

[ramama]

My oldest DD was born 4 weeks early at 6lb 14oz, so she was a little peanut. She was 20lbs at 5 months (so a bit smaller than some of previous posters' babies, but still off-the-charts large) but she is now 6yo, weighs nearly 45 lbs, and wears size 6 clothing, total middle-of-the-road average. She's muscular now, not fat (you know, when you can actually see their calf and ab muscles? That's her!). So yeah, give it time...no worries.

[Addie]

Another big EBF baby here! DS weighed 8 lbs 9 oz when he was born at 41 weeks, gained weight quickly after losing just a few ounces, and has been hugging the 95-97th percentile ever since. At one week shy of 4 months, he weighs 18 lbs 3 oz and has grown out of nearly all of his 6 month clothing. He has also consistently been around the 90th percentile for length. I grill my ped at every weigh-in, but she constantly assures me that he's just a big kid, and growing at exactly the rate he needs to be. I guess that's a benefit of EBFing - not having to worry that baby is getting too much!

[brackin]

Originally Posted by Addie

I guess that's a benefit of EBFing - not having to worry that baby is getting too much!

So true!

You've all made me feel much better! I suspected that it was perfectly normal, but it's nice to hear anecdotal evidence, too.

We actually did a "well baby" visit today and as it turns out, DS is 16 lbs 11 oz, 25 1/2 inches, which are 98th and 95th percentiles, respectively. So he's both big and tall. Definitely genetic, I guess--although I'm 5'2" and 115 lbs, my dh's family is very tall. It will be fun watching this baby grow!

[Parker'smommy]

She's only grown roughly 7 pounds in 11 weeks. That's a little more than half a pound a week. That's on the normal curve. She was almost 10 pounds at birth....almost 3 pounds heavier than the "average sized baby". So she's going to be bigger naturally. If she didn't gain any weight you would be worried. Right?

My ds was 10 pounds even and my dd as 9.4 pounds. They are average, lean 5 and 8 year olds now. No worries.

[itsajenism]

DS1 was 28 pounds at 9 months (still EBF - we delayed solids until 12 months). Way off the charts. He's now 45 pounds at 5 y/o (gaining only 17 pounds in 4.5 years) and somewhere around the 75th percentile.

He doesn't have any issues (like thyroid, etc) that caused such a fast weight gain early on. He was just a fast gainer. *shrug*

DS2 is only 4 weeks, but so far seems to be following in his brothers foot steps. He was up 2 pounds from his birth weight at 2 weeks (where most babies are just getting back to their birth weight) and nearly 3 inches longer, and is now up nearly 4 pounds from his birth weight at 4 weeks old.

[Aufilia]

DS was 6lb 6oz at birth and 13lb at 3 months -- so he'd roughly doubled himself and gone WAY up in the percentages. My DD was the exact same size at birth and only 19lb at 1 year, where as I think DS will be 19lb at 6 months... and they were both EBF babies. Crazy, huh? I also worry about how I'm going to be lifting and carrying DS around when he's older. My 4-year-old still wants me to carry HER, but she's only 34lb... but it's so obvious DS is going to be so different.

[coldandsleepy]

Nope. I wouldn't be particularly concerned, especially since your baby was towards the bigger end at birth.

My son was 9 lbs at birth and gained a pound a week every week until he was 6 weeks old... just on my breastmilk. He slowed down after that and has been hanging tough at about 21 pounds since around 4 months. I've talked to a lot of people on the subject, and what I hear left and right-- from other moms, lactation consultants, pediatricians, etc-- is that this is a common pattern for exclusively breastfed babies. Gain fast in the beginning, then slow down as they near 6 months.

As long as your little one is meeting milestones and seems to be otherwise healthy, try not to worry! Someone's gotta be the upper end of the growth chart, you know?

[annekh23]

There are a handful of rare disorders that mean being overweight, or high weight for height, or even a particular pattern of where fat is, can be one of the diagnostic signs, but for weight to be the only sign at 11wks is pretty unlikely. Besides, his weight isn't outside of normal range, the chart I had closest to hand has his birth weight as about 91st centile and current weight about 99th, it's nowhere near the point where any doctor would be worrying based on weight alone, chances are he'll slow down a bit soon.