Even if your baby’s appetite is good and you regularly check your height and weight in the doctor’s clinic, you may still be wondering if your baby’s weight is good and healthy. Keep in mind that percentile numbers are not everything. Even if your baby’s body is small for her age, she may be healthy. To ensure your baby’s weight is healthy, pay attention to her behavior, monitor her progress, and consult the things you’re concerned about with your doctor.
Understanding Baby Growth Stages
Know the average weight of the baby. Most term infants weigh between 2.7 kg and 4 kg at birth. However, even if your baby’s weight is less or more of that range, he may be in good health.
Remember that weight is not the only determinant of health. The pediatrician will inform you if there are things you need to worry about.
Understand the growth chart
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) provide a standardized growth chart for boys and girls according to body length and age. This chart is used to calculate child percentile percentiles. A high percentile indicates that your child’s body size is larger than that of his age, on the other hand, a low percentile indicates that the child’s body size is smaller than his age.
A low percentile rate only means your child’s body is small, it does not mean it is too late
Although this growth chart is useful as an indicator of healthy infant weight range, the condition of each baby varies. In most cases, a simple examination of infant health may indicate whether the weight gain is healthy enough to allow it to grow and develop.
Growth charts for infants who drink breast milk and formula milk differ because their growth rates tend to differ.
Consider genetic factors
Growth chart does not consider the influence of genetic factors, whereas this factor affects the baby’s weight. Be sure to consider the weight and height of the parent while processing information about the baby’s body size.
If the height of both parents is below average, it is not surprising that the baby is in a low percentile because the baby’s body may also be short. (For example, the average height of adult male and female in the US is 170 cm and 160 cm), respectively.
Conversely, if the height of both parents of the baby is above average, the condition of a baby belonging to a low percentile may need to be considered carefully.
In addition, infants born with a genetic disorder or certain congenital medical conditions such as Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, or heart disease may also grow at different rates.
Note the baby’s weight loss soon after birth
Most babies lose weight within days of birth, and then begin to regrow. Provided that your baby does not lose weight more than 10% of birth and immediately regain in the next few days, this is not to worry about.
The weight of most babies usually returns like when they were born when they were 2 weeks old.
Generally, the baby’s weight increases by about 140 g to 200 g a week after losing weight. Furthermore, within 3 or 4 months, the baby’s weight will be doubled from the time of birth. Consult your concerns with pediatricians if your baby’s weight does not increase that much.
Know the needs of premature babies. The nutritional needs of babies born prematurely differ with babies born month-long. Premature babies may not be able to eat properly because the body has not been able to process food normally; consequently premature babies are often treated at the NICU. The purpose of this particular treatment is to help premature babies grow as in the womb (which is faster than the infant’s monthly growth rate).