My little Evan is only 7 weeks old and has already gained about 5 pounds since birth. He was born at 8 lbs. and 13 oz. and now weighs just over 14 pounds. I'm only breastfeeding and sometimes he goes for 3-4 hours without eating (usually at night) and other times he seems to be hungry every hour. I talked to the pediatrician about this and he said not to worry as he comes from a large family (husband and I are big people, not fat, just big). He says he is healthy in every way so I should not worry. My baby is also about 25 inches long so I'm thinking that he just gets hungrier because there is more of him to fill. Does that make sense? Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone has a similar experience with a bigger baby?
Mandred was born August 21, and was 8 lbs 10 oz. At his 6 week checkup he was just over 13 pounds. He is in the 90 percentile... which means he is bigger than 90% of other babies out there his age. Both my husband and I are big people. My Grandfather was 6'6! We knew there almost no chance of our baby being petite!! lol. Manny eats every couple of hours, unless he is sleeping. He likes to eat, he likes to suck... he likes to cuddle with my tits. I figure as long as he is hungry, I will feed him. I wouldn't worry about it... would worry more if he wasn't eatting! Sounds like our boys are about the same size! Perfectly healthy future football/hockey players... haha!
Hon, you're doing everything right. Breastfed babies can't overeat, though they do gain more weight more quickly than their formula fed counterparts. However, when they get active, they also LOSE the weight more quickly. So don't worry at all. The World Health Organisation website has height/weight growth charts for exclusively breastfed babies. That should give you a REAL idea of where your babe is on the charts.
Thanks girls! This has been helpful to put my mind at ease! I figured he should be okay as long as he's healthy! My boy just likes to eat just like his mama!
He's fine. Mamas with small babies worry their babies aren't getting enough, mamas with large babies worry they are getting too much. As long as he eats when he likes, he ends the feeding himself. He is peeing at least 5 disposible or 6 or more cloth diapers and regular, smooth poops, regularly, he's doing fine. An average baby gains about 3 to 8 oz a week for the first few months, but healthy babies can gain less or more than that. SOMEONE has to be in the 90th percentile, and those babies are healthy, too. I love his tie dye onesie. Cute.
My oldest son (who is now almost 7 years old) was exactly like that. Ate nonstop as a baby. He was always in the 90th percentile for height and weight during his infant years. I'm not all that big height and weight wise, and my husband is tall and thin, but there are a lot of people on both sides of our family who are extremely tall and "thicker". So, we knew that was where he got it from. Anyway, he's one of the tallest in his class, and solid as a rock. His height is still in the 90th percentile but his weight percentile has dropped off as he's gotten older.
Right, whether it is the 90the % or the 10th % someone has to be in it. All babies can't be 50%, Ut would make no sense. I've had babies in both, 5th and 95th%. The baby's health and happiness are the important thing.
I read in a recent book "Happiest Baby on the Block", that at one point in evolution babies spent an additional 3 months in the womb, and even though babies are born at 9 months, they need an additional 3 months of womb-like care. He used the analogy of a kangaroo, and if humans had pockets in front, that this is where the baby would choose to be for those first few months, close to the mothers skin, snug, warm, sucking whenever they wanted, and so it is natural to suck often and not only when hungry. I have 5 daughters, and they all spent much of their waking hours latched on and happy. I carried them all in snuglies and slings for the first two years of their lives, and breastfed them all for over two years. It seems that a preoccupation with graphs and charts, and lengths and weights is a probably cause of stress for new mothers. You know when your baby is thriving and healthy.!!!!!! Mothers should trust their intuitions, and not others who might not understand you and your babies personal relationship. A friend once told me that it seemed to her that I breastfed quite frequently, and didn't it seem like too much to me, she certainly didnt respond to her babies as I did, picking them up often and suckling them sometimes several times an hour. I knew that whatever interaction with my child was appropriate, because I was in tune with their days and knew what would calm them. I used breastfeeding everytime for crying and calming, just figured thats what these "perfect pacifiers" were for anyway. So, don't worry about weights and measures. LOVE, and you being a relaxed mother,will give your baby all that it needs to grow to be a healthy and happy child and adult.