Healthy breastfed infants typically put on weight more slowly than formula-fed infants in the first year of life. Formula-fed infants typically gain weight more quickly after about 3 months of age.
Sometimes, a breastfed baby will gain weight more slowly than he or she should. This could be because the mother isn't making enough milk, the baby can't get enough milk out of the breast, or the baby has a medical problem. Your baby's healthcare provider should evaluate any instance of poor weight gain.
It is very normal for an exclusively breastfed baby's weight gain to slow down at 3 to 4 months. The World Health Organization child growth standards show this.
By day 5, when feeding is going well, your baby will start to gain weight. It can take up to 2 weeks for a baby to get back to their birth weight. Some babies gain weight faster than this. In the first 3 months, breastfed babies usually gain around 150 to 200 grams a week.
Some research suggests that breast-feeding reduces the risk of childhood obesity. Limit sugar-sweetened drinks. Juice isn't a necessary part of a baby's diet. As you start introducing solid foods, consider offering nutritious whole fruits and vegetables instead.
Weight gain is one of many signs of good health in the breastfeeding baby. Sometimes, a perfectly healthy baby simply gains weight slowly because it's just his or her own unique growth pattern.
Not taking in enough calories
Healthy, full term, breastfed babies typically breastfeed every 2 to 3 hours. Formula-fed babies need 1.5 to 2 ounces of formula about every 3 hours. As their tummies grow, the time between feedings increases, but some babies may not get the calories they need.
A study published on-line today (24 April 2009) in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found evidence that the lower protein content of breast milk compared to formula milk explains the slower growth rates seen in breast fed infants.
Health experts agree that breastfeeding is the healthiest option for both mom and baby. They recommend that babies feed only on breast milk for the first 6 months, and then continue to have breast milk as a main part of their diet until they are at least 1to 2 years old.
formula-fed babies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , breastfed babies have a tiny head start in weight gain shortly after birth, but their overall weight gain in the first year is typically slower than formula-fed babies.
After the first 2 weeks, your baby should be weighed: no more than once a month up to 6 months of age. no more than once every 2 months from 6 to 12 months of age. no more than once every 3 months over the age of 1.
Your 2-month-old baby's growth
The average weight of a 2-month-old baby girl is 11.3 pounds; the average baby boy at 2 months weighs in at 12.3 pounds. Height averages are 22.5 inches for girls and 23 inches for boys.
Slow weight gain could be a problem if: your newborn doesn't regain their birth weight within 10 to 14 days after their birth. your baby up to 3 months old gains less than an ounce a day. your infant between 3 and 6 months gains less than 0.67 ounces a day.
Babies usually gain 1 1/2 to 2 pounds and grow 1 to 1 1/2 inches each month during their first four months.
In addition to weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces, babies with low birth weight look much smaller than babies of normal birth weight. A low-birth-weight baby's head may look bigger than the rest of his or her body. He or she often looks thin with little body fat.
Genetically lean baby
Baby could be born skinny, perhaps diagnosed as IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) at birth. Or he might have be born normal weight and become progressively leaner during the early months. Genetically lean babies are underweight babies when using medical criteria.
Sometimes genetics, including how tall and heavy parents are affect the size and weight of their little one. A mother plays a role in her baby's weight during pregnancy.
For most mothers, breastmilk will gradually increase in fat content throughout the day. During the evening, young babies often cluster feed, taking in frequent feeds of this fattier milk, which tends to satisfy them enough to have their longest stretch of sleep.
Usually blueish or clear, watery breast milk is indicative of “foremilk.” Foremilk is the first milk that flows at the start of a pumping (or nursing) session and is thinner and lower in fat than the creamier, whiter milk you see at the end of a session.
As your baby continues to nurse, they begin to pull milk from deeper within the breast where the fatty milk cells are stored. This milk, which is more fat-filled than the earlier milk, is called the hindmilk. Hindmilk often appears thick and creamy and is richer and more calorie dense than the foremilk.
On average, the first three months of life will bring about an ounce of weight gain per day. Under normal circumstances, the weighing a baby receives during regular doctor visits will be enough to observe normal growth and gain. Parents do not need to be weighing their baby every day because it will fluctuate daily.
3-month-old baby weight and length
The average weight of a 3-month-old baby is 12.9 pounds for girls and 14.1 pounds for boys; average length is 23.5 inches for girls and 24.2 inches for boys. Whether baby's close to the average or not, the important thing is that they're growing at a healthy rate.