did your twins stay small?

[mauri456]

my girls full term but small... 6lbs 4oz and 5lbs 4oz... they are 11 weeks and now are 10lbs and 9 1/2 lbs, which is 10% and 5% on the charts.  just wondering if your babes stayed small.  we are not small.....   

i did see an lc and they are getting enough in a feeding... but i still  worry bc they are so little.  

[4Marmalade]

Love these threads that make me pull out the baby book and revisit my twins newborn days .  At birth ds was 5lbs 8oz (about 5th percentile) and dd was 6lbs 3oz (10th percentile).  At 2 months they were both about 10.5lbs so probably about the same as your girls when they were 11 weeks.  They are now 2-1/2 years old and ds weighs about 33lbs (80-85th percentile) and dd is 28lbs (just under 50th percentile).  Ds very quickly caught up to dd in terms of weight gain and now surpasses her by quite a bit.  They're so different though.  My twin dd is by far the smallest of our 4 dc's but super active and healthy.  I wouldn't be surprised if your girls starting gaining faster in the next few months.

[~bookcase~]

Mine were 32 weekers 3lb6oz and 3lb12oz

At 26 months they are now around 18 and 24lbs.

[Llyra]

Mine were almost full-term-- 36 weeks 6 days.

DS was 6 1/2 pounds, which isn't all that small. But DD2 was 5 pounds, and got down to 4 1/2 before she started to gain. Which is tiny for full-term.

Both of them stayed small during the first few months, DS's weight gain especially was really marginal, especially in the second and third months. Then they both did a huge amount of catch-up growth between 4 and 6 months-- my ped had been on the verge of a failure-to-thrive diagnosis for DS, and then we went in at 6 months and blew her away with how much he'd gained. Now they are both squarely at 50th percentile for weight, and 75th for height, which is about the same as my singleton is, too.

[mauri456]

Did you do anything different b/n months 4-6?  Your babies sound almost exactly like mine.   My bigger one slowing her growth down.   I actually weigh them at home cus im crazy like that, but im getting worried for her ped appt.   She is actually the one that sleeps better and poops more.   Im just trying to offer nursing as much as possible.   Im starting to wonder if I should pump after feeds to up my supply but  i have such trouble during the day even knowing when to do that cus they  are always on the boob.  

But it does give me a lot of relief to hear that things sorted themselves out.  Im debating starting solids at 4 months just to get extra into them.. like avocadoes ... i know bm/formula should be the primary source but maybe that extra bit would be enough?

 

Originally Posted by Llyra 

Mine were almost full-term-- 36 weeks 6 days.

DS was 6 1/2 pounds, which isn't all that small. But DD2 was 5 pounds, and got down to 4 1/2 before she started to gain. Which is tiny for full-term.

Both of them stayed small during the first few months, DS's weight gain especially was really marginal, especially in the second and third months. Then they both did a huge amount of catch-up growth between 4 and 6 months-- my ped had been on the verge of a failure-to-thrive diagnosis for DS, and then we went in at 6 months and blew her away with how much he'd gained. Now they are both squarely at 50th percentile for weight, and 75th for height, which is about the same as my singleton is, too.

[mauri456]

our twins were almost the same size at birth :)

i need to start working on a baby book cus i know im not gonna remember stuff.  your post reminded me.    i barely remember what i did this morning these days/

Originally Posted by 4Marmalade 

Love these threads that make me pull out the baby book and revisit my twins newborn days .  At birth ds was 5lbs 8oz (about 5th percentile) and dd was 6lbs 3oz (10th percentile).  At 2 months they were both about 10.5lbs so probably about the same as your girls when they were 11 weeks.  They are now 2-1/2 years old and ds weighs about 33lbs (80-85th percentile) and dd is 28lbs (just under 50th percentile).  Ds very quickly caught up to dd in terms of weight gain and now surpasses her by quite a bit.  They're so different though.  My twin dd is by far the smallest of our 4 dc's but super active and healthy.  I wouldn't be surprised if your girls starting gaining faster in the next few months.

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by mauri456 

Did you do anything different b/n months 4-6?  Your babies sound almost exactly like mine.   My bigger one slowing her growth down.   I actually weigh them at home cus im crazy like that, but im getting worried for her ped appt.   She is actually the one that sleeps better and poops more.   Im just trying to offer nursing as much as possible.   Im starting to wonder if I should pump after feeds to up my supply but  i have such trouble during the day even knowing when to do that cus they  are always on the boob.  

But it does give me a lot of relief to hear that things sorted themselves out.  Im debating starting solids at 4 months just to get extra into them.. like avocadoes ... i know bm/formula should be the primary source but maybe that extra bit would be enough?

 

Originally Posted by Llyra 

Mine were almost full-term-- 36 weeks 6 days.

DS was 6 1/2 pounds, which isn't all that small. But DD2 was 5 pounds, and got down to 4 1/2 before she started to gain. Which is tiny for full-term.

Both of them stayed small during the first few months, DS's weight gain especially was really marginal, especially in the second and third months. Then they both did a huge amount of catch-up growth between 4 and 6 months-- my ped had been on the verge of a failure-to-thrive diagnosis for DS, and then we went in at 6 months and blew her away with how much he'd gained. Now they are both squarely at 50th percentile for weight, and 75th for height, which is about the same as my singleton is, too.

They started solids at 6 and 7 months-- DS took longer to get interested. One thing, though-- DD2 was getting one pumped bottle a day. We also think my supply might have been a little low, during those few months-- I have a chronic serious disease, and was trying to stay off meds. Finally I found a ped who helped me figure out a good med situation, and got my illness under control. But that wasn't really until about six months or even seven, so it's not a total explanation of what happened. My ped said lots of preemies do "catch up" growth, and so do IUGR babies, and maybe mine were just following that pattern.

[hergrace]

I had 32 weekers, including an IUGR baby.  My little guy was 2 lbs 9oz, which is under 3rd percentile for gestational age. He is now 3.5 years old and taller and the same weight as his brother who was 75th percentile for gestational age.  These days, all my kids (preemies, full-term, triplets, singleton) are at the "typical for my family" size of 75th percentile height and 50th percentile weight for age.

So, my little guy caught up.

My brother has twins who were born at 4.5 and 5 pounds respectively at 36 weeks, so both small for dates.  They caught up too.

Obviously, if you are worried about their health, follow up, but if you just think that they are smaller than you would expect from their genes, give it time.

HTH

[KellyTTC#1]

my girls were 6 lb 11 oz and 5 lb 1 oz at birth (37 weeks and 3 days).  At the 5 week mark they were 10 lbs 5 oz and 8 lbs.   So they didn't stay small and are catching up quickly. 

[kjoy2]

Your babies' growth sounds very, very good to me!   Look at how much they've gained in under 3 months!  You said you make enough milk, so I wouldn't worry.  Do they seem happy?  Do they have enough wet dipes?  Unless they seem sick/unhappy/not gaining weight, I'd really try to let it go and not stress.  

My girls were 7lb 3 oz and 6lb 15oz at 42 weeks, and though I made enough milk to feed the whole neighborhood, they are just small!  They gained quite a bit in the first 3-5 months and then slowed down on the gaining - by a year they were around 17 lbs.  They started solids on a regular basis when they were fully ready, which was 8 months.  At 2.5 years old they are 25lbs and 24lbs, respectively,and on the shorter stature side.  I'm not small, but my MIL and SIL are quite petite - so I'm guessing that's where the small stature is coming from. 

Please realize that breastfed babies tend to be a bit leaner than formula fed babies, and that the standard growth charts used (which your kids are doing fine on, anyway!) were created in the 1960s and included many formula fed babes. 

Most of all, follow your intuition on whether you truly think there is a problem.  

[LSUtwinMama]

My twins were 2.9 and 2.10 lbs at birth (30wk gestation), they were EBF until they started solids and self weaned to only naptime comfort nursing at 15 months old. They're now 22 months old,  27 lbs ad 36" tall each. They're taller than several of their 3 yr old friends. 

For reference, DH is 6'5" and I'm 5'8", so we knew they'd be tall but the pediatrician is saying they'll be 6ft tall by the age of 18. So much for preemies staying small....

[Spring Lily]

Mine were both small at birth (several pounds less than yours!) and have stayed small, both heights and weights. DD has never hit 3rd percentile, and DS hovers around 5th percentile. DH & I aren't very big, so it's not a surprise. But we're not in the 3rd and 5th percentiles, either! So it is a concern of mine, and something we're just keeping an eye on with the pediatrician.

Sometimes it just takes them a little while to catch up. If they are gaining well then they'll probably have a growth spurt along the way. In the meantime, keep an eye out for any issues like reflux or food intolerances that could be contributing. Our ped was always more focused on each baby's own growth curves remaining steady, no dips especially, and not as worried about the percentiles.

I definitely would not start solids at 4 months. Your breastmilk is giving them tons of fat, so avocado is not going to help that yet if their digestive systems aren't mature enough to handle it. It could actually cause digestive problems to give solids too early. (Especially if they were preemies, because they need even more time to mature.) So if the ped isn't concerned and they get enough milk, try not to stress just yet.

[KCMichigan]

Mine were born just shy of 32 weeks at 3.8 abnd 3.14 lbs.

At one year they were 17 and 18 lbs.

At age 5 they are 33 and 38 lbs. So still light- they are 41 & 42.5 inches.  Weightwise for 5 they are 5% and 30%    height they are 30% and 50%. 

I am underweight and average height. DH is very tall and average weight.  It will be interesting to see how they turn out. Our Dr is monitoring the smaller twins weight, but no concerns on height on either.

[tink79]

Mine were born at 36 1/2 weeks and were 4lb14oz and 5lb1oz.  They both caught up, my baby B who was the smaller, paler baby didn't catch up nearly as fast (there was almost a pound difference for several months) but once they hit about a year they were on the same, normal growth pattern and have been at about the 50% since. 

[chaimom]

My twins were born at 37 1/2 weeks.  Twin A 6 lb 15 oz, while twin b was 5 lbs, 10 oz.  They were both 17 inches. By 6 months, they were exactly the same at the 20th pct.  They're 8 now and twin B is 4 1/2 inches taller than his brother-- he's in about the 70th pct for height (and he's pretty thin still) and twin A is in about 30th for height & weight.  Twin A takes after his dad's side of the family and will probably be 5'9 or so, and twin B takes after my side of the family and he'll probably be well over 6 feet.   Heck, he's only 8 and has size 5 feet!  I worried about my smaller twin for a while, but my ped has convinced me that he's just on his own, healthy growth curve that has nothing to do with his brother's growth curve.

I'll also add that twin B had severe reflux as an infant and never learned a good latch, so I had to supplement him with formula.  In fact, they gave him formula right after he was born because he had low blood sugar.  I think the formula helped him catch up.  Twin A was a good breast feeder and I BF him many months longer than his brother.  And even though he didn't have any feeding issues (he's a much better eater to this day), he's the one who is smaller now.  

I worried about their weights when they were infants/babies, because they just didn't have any fat reserves.  It was rough when the boys were sick because losing a pound meant a lot for them.  But it has sorted itself out.  I think unless they're having feeding issues, it's probably not something to be overly concerned about.

[starbuckmom]

We haven't had a wbv in over a year so I do not know what percentile my kids are in weight and height. 

At birth, Baby A was 7lbs 4oz and Baby B was 7lbs 15oz.  A (Riley) surpassed B (Jon) in weight by 11mos or so.  They are now just over 2 yrs old and the last time we weighed them was in December and Riley was 30lbs and Jon was 28lbs.  Both are tall.  My dh is 6ft.  I am 5'6".  All my kids take after daddy in height.

[aja-belly]

mine were both under 6lbs born ~37 weeks. i assumed they would get huge fast like my oldest did, but they haven't. they've followed their curve pretty much. my husband and i are both pretty big/tall, so i assumed all our kids would be, but my husband has several people around 5ft in his immediate family so maybe they will always be on this same curve. it seems like if they were gong to "catch up" it would have happened by now.

[Spring Lily]

Originally Posted by aja-belly 

mine were both under 6lbs born ~37 weeks. i assumed they would get huge fast like my oldest did, but they haven't. they've followed their curve pretty much. my husband and i are both pretty big/tall, so i assumed all our kids would be, but my husband has several people around 5ft in his immediate family so maybe they will always be on this same curve. it seems like if they were gong to "catch up" it would have happened by now.

That's what I would have thought, especially when everyone kept telling me that preemies catch up by age 2. Well, mine hit age 2 and are still so, so small! Now the doctors are saying it sometimes takes till age 3 or 4 for them to catch up. I'm guessing with twins born small that it can just take them awhile.

[~bookcase~]

I've heard it can be more like 3 when weight 'catches up' in preemies.