Weight Gain Issues

[JTA Mom]

Ds2 was born weighing 6lbs 10 oz. He gained weight like crazy until he was 4 months. Between 4 months and 6 months, he only gained 2lbs, but the Ped wasn't worried because he was still near his curve. At his 9 month checkup, he'd only gained 3lbs. He's 19lbs and 27 inches. The Ped asked me how he was eating a few times, and seemed a bit...not worried, but not completely relaxed either. I nurse ds on demand, I do baby led solids and usually feed him some of whatever I'm eating during the day. He's also crawling and cruising.

Is there something I'm missing? His amount of wet diapers has dropped, but it's also been extremely hot here, so he's been sweating a lot. In desperation, I gave him some cold formula (he only ate an ounce or two), and his number of wet diapers hasn't changed. He doesn't seem dehydrated, but I don't like his lack of weight gain. Any ideas?

Ami

[aikigypsy]

He's 19 lbs. at 9 months. That sounds totally normal to me. Are you looking at where his percentile is on the WHO charts? My little guy is 9 months adjusted (he was a preemie) and he's only 16.5 lbs or so.

[Bokonon]

That sounds completely normal for a breastfed baby to me.

My kids followed a similar curve.  Babies just don't gain in the second six months as rapidly as they do in the first.  They couldn't, or they would be too big to start walking!  My daughter gained 14 lbs. in her first six months.  She was only 4 lbs. at birth (6 weeks premature), but if she had gained another 14 lbs. in her second six months, she would have been a 32 lb. 1 year old (which is huge!).  At 26 months she's only 24 lbs., which is pretty small, but she's tall, eats everything under the sun, and is healthy, happy, and super smart.  Weight is only one piece of the puzzle and is so tied in to genetics that it's not fair to a baby or parent to expect a child to follow a line on a chart its whole life.

Obesity is such a problem for children these days.  It really worries me when I hear about doctors trying to get parents to "fatten up" their completely normal babies just to match a certain number, when there are no other problems.  It's easy for an infant to slim down because that's what happens naturally.  It is NOT easy for a toddler to slim down once they are already overweight

[JTA Mom]

My oldest dropped off in weight gain too, and the only reason I was worrying is due to the Ped asking me if he's eating. I know he is dropping percentiles, not sure if they are using the WHO chart though. He does have a hearty appetite for solids though--he will start growling if I'm not giving him any/fast enough.

Looking at the WHO chart, he is somewhere in the median for kids his age (near the 50th percentile) for weight. He's still a shorty though. I think it's the dropping percentiles that he was concerned over. I don't want to chunk him out artificially though. How would I be able to tell if he's not getting enough?

Ami