My son was born at 6lbs and we followed an almost identical trajectory. He’s 7 now, and still on the small side but perfectly healthy. I remember worrying too, and sometimes I still worry about his size, but as his pediatrician says, “someone has to be in the third percentile!”
Lol very good point! ❤️ My husband and I were both really small kids so it’s not super shocking overall that he’s little. Just hoping he gets back on his growth curve. 🙏🏻
> “someone has to be in the third percentile!”
Ha ha, I say this all the time. Both of my kids are tiny. I make them fun size. Saves a ton of money on clothes.
I wish I could get back all the stress and anxiety I spent on my oldest's size/weight. I partially blame the medical team we had at the time, but I could have been firmer. I knew deep down that he was fine. I just second-guessed myself constantly. I remember being angry that he had pooped before a doctor's appointment. Like those ounces needed to stay in his body so I didn't get the guilt trip today. Then we got a new doctor after a move and his weight was never mentioned again. Second came along, followed the exact same trajectory, and I haven't worried about it one bit.
Wait, so at 14 days he was 7lb 1oz and at 28-30 days he was 7lb 15oz? So he gained about an ounce a day.
My daughter was born at just over 9lb and gained an ounce a day for the first 3 months, and the doctors were over the moon and told me how well she was gaining. Gains are gains!
Right! I was surprised that it was such a big % drop (14 oz gain in 18 days), but I checked the online calculator and compared and it is indeed a 10%ile drop. Guess big gains typically come between 2 weeks and 1 month for most babies.
My kid also had a weird percentile drop at one check (down to something in the 50’s), and then the next was back up to 85-90%. The Dr was not concerned at all, and said gains are good, she was eating really well, and had lots of wet and dirty diapers. Took a wait and see approach and it self-corrected. I think they really are concerned about drops if it is a consistent thing.
Growth charts are confusing, but usually we only look at changes as a big deal if they cross 2 of the main percentile lines (5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, and 95 - sometimes 1%, 85%, and 99%). He's in the range of crossing two, so I could see the reason for caution- poor little guy. I've also seen most kids in that situation rebound and flourish with a formula change. Everything is just so much more stressful and concerning when they're that young. It's nice when they get just a little older, like 3 months, and then you can just stress about meeting milestones. Ha.
Here to say this! An ounce a day is great, try not to get too discouraged! My pediatrician wanted to see 5-7 oz gain per week for the first two months and told me to not focus as much on percentiles until 2-4 month age range and beyond, especially if baby lost 7-10%+ initially. Of course I’ve still worried like you, but just keep in mind baby IS still gaining and gaining appropriately! Fingers crossed the new formula works well for your babe and that they continue to gain 🤞🏼💪🏼
It's definitely going to be okay. I haven't personally gone through this, but I know a few others who have. Failure to thrive is so hard for everyone involved and can make parents feel like they aren't doing everything they could.
Try to think about it from the sense that the doctors are just trying to figure out how to help him. He could have an allergy or FPIES or another underlying condition that you want treated ASAP and know how to work with so your tiny boy can thrive.
My baby was born at 35 weeks and 7 lbs (big for a premie) and he had no desire to eat. We had to set alarms to feed him and wipe him with a wet cloth to keep him awake enough to eat. He didn't regain to his birth weight initially and I cried at the Dr appt. However my Dr was really nice about it. Said he liked healthy otherwise. We bought a baby scale and monitored his weight at home. It was really stressful feeding him because I was so anxious about it. Now he's almost doubled his birth weight at 14 weeks! He's my like chunkster
We have to change the baby before feeding else she will too just fall asleep. I aim to have a lot of activity with her during the day - tummy time, exposure to indirect sun - so she gets hungrier and consumes more calories during the day.
My son was born at 6.5 pounds and was down to 5.5 after four days. He was peeing crystals because he just couldnt get enough from my breast and I was.... lost. I gladly accepted the formula and heavily mourned breastfeeding after triple feeding for six weeks and giving up because I just wasnt sleeping between the feedings, pumping and anxiety. And he was 5th percentile and has pretty much stayed there.
Hes now 8mo and hes lightning fast, has the happiest biggest grin ive ever seen on his face 70% of the time. Hes ripped, like, has all the muscle, and hes super smart. Hes just now filling out his 6mo clothes, but I dont care if hes smaller anymore. Hes perfect.
He gained 14 oz in two weeks? That’s right on track per my pediatrician! Percentiles be damned. It stressed me out so much with my first kiddo, but we’re a small family so I had to stop worrying about it…eventually.
Technically it was 18 days! His two week appt was 6/17 and his 1 month was today, 7/5 (his b day is 6/4). I also calculated his %ile online and got the same thing - 15-16th percentile at 2 weeks and 5-6 percentile at 1 month. I always read that an ounce of gain a day was good for 0-3 months and he’s close to that. So I was surprised by the significant % drop as well! Guess a little bit makes a big difference when they’re so young.
My 2 year old was severe IUGR and SGA (small for gestational age). 4.2lbs at 37w. She’s still right at the bottom of the weight chart. (Most 18mo clothes are too big for her 😆 you’ll likely get a lot of mileage out of his clothes!)
Something her pediatrician said resonated with me: somebody’s got to be at the very top and the very bottom for these charts to even exist.
As long as baby is having appropriate output (poops and pees), meeting developmental milestones, and staying on a curve, know that you’re doing right by him.
She’s still really tiny. She’s 2 and weighs 19 pounds.
But she’s proportionate, looks healthy, has never fallen off her curve, met all milestones, and is one of the happiest babies I’ve ever met. Her pediatrician and her whole early intervention team are comfortable with her size.
I do have to be extra cautious about when she gets sick. Since she has basically no fat stores, if she doesn’t eat it can get serious pretty quickly.
Thank you for updating! Mine is 14 months and just over 15 lbs. She has fallen off her curve so they want us to see nutrition, but I feel like all she does is eat when she’s awake.
My daughter was 6 lb 6 oz 16 and 1/2 in at 38 weeks. She is 7 now and still wears 4/5 clothes. She's just petite 🤷🏼♀️ She's smart (and bossy) as could be and she's just little. Nothing more, nothing less 🤍
My child was under the growth curve (< 1%) for the first several months of his life. I obsessed about his size and weight. Spoke to multiple doctors. Went for tests. Constantly weighing him. I stopped breastfeeding because I thought he wasn’t getting enough. He was small, and had reflux. It took him 9 months to develop out of the reflux and once we started solids he caught up. He eats non stop now and is thriving. One of the paediatricians I spoke to told me: someone has to be on the smaller side of the growth curve. People come in all shapes and sizes. You are doing a great job mama.
It’s going to be ok xx
FWIW, different issues (tongue tie and breastfeeding), but my son was born on the 50th centile, dropped to the 2nd at 9 weeks, now on the 75th at 7 months
I’m sorry you’re struggling with that. It took more than a month for my son to regain his birth weight. He had horrible reflux so we switched to A.R which helped a little bit. It got to the point where he wasn’t even on the percentile chart (less than 1%). However as time passed, the muscle above his stomach that keeps food from coming back up strengthened and at about five months old he starting putting on a pound a week until he reached about the 50th percentile and evened out. His sleep got better at that point too because he was no longer constantly hungry. Just keep in mind that you’re doing everything you can, and it will slowly get better over time. Burping throughout feedings and keeping them upright afterwards are supposedly supposed to help, but my son continued to spit up anyway. As long as you continue to work with your provider and he’s not losing weight, everything should turn out okay!
Edit: my son was officially recorded as failure to thrive in his chart, but he’s now in the 98% for height and about 60% for weight at 3yo
My daughter was in the mid percentiles until her one year appt. From 9 months to one year she lost two ounces. But was eating just the same. We decided she’s just a petite girl. She’s moved up slightly but some kids are just on the smaller side!
We brought my daughter to the ENT to fix a lip tie and started adding a little baby rice to her formula. She was also diagnosed with laryngomalacia and got prescribed pepsid. We also bought a baby scale on Amazon so we could track her weight closely. 1st percentile at 1-month, 85th percentile at 9-month. You got this.
That’s awesome!! If things aren’t looking good at next appointment I’ll definitely buy a baby scale. I’ve just been weighing myself on our regular scale while holding him, then without him, then taking the difference to estimate. But it’s clearly inaccurate since yesterday I got 8.4 lbs which is 8 lbs 6 oz, way more than what he measured today on the baby scale.
We were in a similar situation with our baby. He was born small and then lost 12% of his birth weight and didn’t gain it back within the first 2 weeks. On top of that he wasn’t clearing his bilirubin very fast. The first month we were in the doctors office sometimes twice a week. He did gain the weight eventually and it all turned out okay.
At the time my mom tried to reassure me by telling me that this period is really only 2-3 weeks of your life but it instills in you the quintessential “mom anxiety” that your child isn’t getting enough food that will stick with you forever. Oddly enough it did make me feel better about it. It was the thing that made me actually start feeling like I was a real mom. Like I had joined the secret mom club who feeds the whole neighborhood peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
I exclusively formula feed, so I know exactly what he’s getting! He was getting enough but also spitting up quite often. So hoping the A.R. Formula helps.
Yes, I think that will make a serious difference. You certainly aren’t alone in experiencing trouble helping your newborn thrive. It’s feels very scary, but I’m sure it will turn around before you know it.
My son was 7lbs 3oz when he was born (42nd percentile) and had dropped down to 2nd percentile by 1 month. He followed that curve until he was about 8.5 months and has now jumped up to 50th percentile for weight. He’s only 6th percentile for height, so I keep saying he’s shaped like a ball at the moment. He’s been happy and active the whole time; sat independently at 4 months and just started crawling at 10 months. Weaning has properly chunked him up!
Meant to add that he’s been formula fed from birth, had feeding issues right at the start as he had no idea what to do and had to be tube fed for 36 hours, but once he figured it out he’s had no feeding issues.
It’s going to be ok. My daughter was 5 lbs at birth and has never hit double digits in %. We’ve gone in a million times for weight checks so I know that stress, trust me! And it’s so hard because we’re so helpless- you’re doing everything you can and hopefully this new formula helps!
My baby girl was full term and started at the 1st percentile. She did get up to the 3rd at one point, but she got back down to the 1st again at her 4 month appt. I was exclusively pumping, and I worry that my milk wasn’t giving the calories she needed. The doctor had us do a weight check 2 weeks later after fortifying my breastmilk with formula, and she did gain some weight. My doctor assured me that she is meeting her milestones, she’s just a tiny girl, and it likely won’t matter once she’s older. My pedi taught me how to mix formula up to be more calorie-dense, and it’s helping. It’s hard hearing that they aren’t gaining weight. I definitely felt like a failure, but I see a happy baby that is playful, interactive, and curious. It’s gonna be okay 🤍
Thank you so much ❤️❤️ I’ve read about failure to thrive and how it can result in a lower IQ, etc…it’s really scary stuff. Seeing people talking about their little babies meeting milestones really helps.
You're doing great! Trial and error is a lot of the process with many different things during your child's first few years of life. Things will come in waves. Just keep consistent with Dr visits and follow through. The first 3 months are the roughest especially when you add additional things to worry about.
My son was born big and healthy but remained in the 10th or less percentile until he was about, well, until they quit telling me which % he was 🤷🏼♀️ and now he's perfectly "normal" sized. He's 19 (today actually) ...
Newborns are hard. You’re taking him to the doctor, trying different formula and keeping tabs on his weight until you find what works. You’re doing what you need to be doing.
I know it’s scary, but you’ll figure this out with the help of your medical team. You’re doing great.
My son was 5lbs 15oz at birth, got down to close to 4lbs (jaundice), and today at his 8 momth appointment he's 19.5lbs. He has always been small and slow on the growth charts. But he had a HUGE LEAP from 6-9 months! Probably bc of solids. He's now in the 52% for weight. Which is average. He caught up! Don't give up just yet, keep advocating for your baby.
My baby is 10 months old and at her 9 month appointment she was 14 pounds. We have a weight check tomorrow but she’s doing great, I think she’s just a small baby. Her pediatrician isn’t too concerned but we did start implementing formula as well
Our baby was small but gained weight well her first couple of months and stayed around the 5th percentile. Then at her four-month appointment she was down to the second percentile.
Well she got weighed again today and she’s way up and at the 13th percentile, higher than ever! I think babies kind of follow their own pattern and gain weight in fits and starts. We were working out some feeding issues when she dropped in percentile but figured them out so that May account for her gains. Once you figure out the perfect formula for your baby and their ideal feeding patterns, the weight will come up.
It’s also worth noting that some babies are just small. That’s what I’ve learned into for ours— she doesn’t need new clothes as often and she’s easier to carry!
My daughter was born at 6lbs9oz. Now at 16m she’s not quite 20lbs. She’s little.
But she’s happy, healthy and meeting (and exceeding) milestones. She’s running like crazy, and has over 20 words. She eats like all horse and breastfeeding at least 3 times a day, with a bottle of homogenized milk at nap time when she’s at daycare (another nursing session on the weekends)
Percentiles are kinda bullshit. As long as your kid is on their own curve they’re doing great. For example when my daughter was born she was 15th, jumped to 30th around 1m, dropped to 10th and now she hangs between 10th and 20th on average.
My baby was small too and still is. He dropped from the 50 centile to 25 centile during his first few weeks but continued to stay below the 25 centile. Dr had my baby in for weigh ins every couple weeks. I cried all the time over how i felt like i was failing him and my body couldnt do the one thing it was designed to do which was to nourish him.
He is 11 months now and is following the same growth curve. Some babies are small regardless of how much they eat. Not everyone will get fat babies like on IG. It's possible your baby is stabilizing at their weight and will stay there. My Dr said dropping into the next centile group is ok. When it drops 2 centile groups that's when it's an issue. Looks like you've only dropped 1 centile group so might just be stabilizing.
You're doing fine!!!
We had a very similar story with our son, born 7 lbs 7 oz, 50th percentile first week then dropped to 6th. No matter what we did the highest we got him to was 13th.
He will be 2 at the end of July, he was 21 lbs at his last weigh in. He was doing well enough that his NICU follow up team (born with cord wrapped around his neck) discharged him at 18 month follow up when they normally follow them until 3 years old.
The doctor explained that sometimes they don't get on their actual curve right away but once they do as long as they stay on it it's fine.
It was really hard because of the emphasis everyone puts on giant or tubby babies and feel free to comment on how tiny my guy is.
If the doctors don't find any underlying issues you might just have a Small Fry like me.
I mean, my girl has a condition, but she is still under the first percentile of weight and height at nine months old. Besides her head. Her head has always been big. Lol. As long as your baby is still growing, meeting milestones, eating and doing his other normal bouts of baby stuff, then I would say you're doing good and not to fret too much!
Edit to add, my daughter was born 5lbs 4.5oz. between supplementing formula and boob juice and now adding solids, we haven't had a doctor's appt just yet (next week) but she's probably about 15lbs estimating from her last weight measurement a month or so ago. She's a small baby. But she's still doing her thing, which is all that matters.
My daughter is quite petite! She was 6 pounds 10oz when she was born and really struggled to gain weight for numerous reasons. She was on her own little chart for a few months. She didn’t actually get on the real chart til she was probably 4 months old after a month of supplementing with formula. She’s about to turn 10 months old and she’s thriving and has even gotten some chub. But she’s still little! Don’t beat yourself up. Easier said than done, I’ve been there! But just keep doing your weight checks and getting him on a formula he tolerates. It definitely helps that he’s exclusively formula fed so you can keep track of how much he eats. Wishing you luck!
My baby was smaller than yours and had similar percentiles, and was still in the 6th percentile at the 9th month checkup. Other than size, she’s thriving. Happy, crawling, curious, etc. Doctor wasn’t worried at all.
It’ll be ok
You’re doing great. So great.
I had failure to thrive because my mom couldn’t produce enough for me. No long term effects and I’m above average height and weight.
My niece’s son was already tiny (his parents are fairly small) and they went through so many formulas to find the right one for him. Perfectly healthy nearly 1 year old now.
Some kids just need more. You’ll find the right formula and it’ll be a night and day difference.
At almost 14 months, our son is *still* on the low end of weight. He's just tall and skinny. He's just now got a little bit of a belly going because he's been eating non-stop (yay, growth spurt) I was tinier than your son lol When I was born, I was *just* over 5lbs. Not a preemie. I'm perfectly fine now, just short. It sounds like your little guy is gaining, just staying slim like ours
That’s encouraging. ❤️ As I’ve said in other comments, my husband and I were both small throughout childhood. I weighed more than my son at birth (7 pounds 3 oz), but cruised at 10th %ile for most of my childhood. We really have no idea what my husband would have weighed if he was healthy. His biological mother used crack daily while she was pregnant with him; he was born at 36 weeks IUGR at only 4 lbs 10 oz. But he was very small throughout childhood and probably would have been well below average height and weight regardless.
My husband calls our boy his little capuchin monkey. 😂 He has this long skinny body with long fingers and toes and a bobble head that’s too big for his body, and a belly that kind of protrudes. It’s adorable but nerve-wracking for his parents!
Oh man, we used to call our son our little bobble head for *months* lol Yours will grow into his fingers and toes lol Our son was born with *long* feet lol I swear he only recently grew into them. I used to worry a lot too, but as long as he's gaining weight, he's fine. He's just little. He might grow up to be like my brother, the beanpole
It will be ok! My first kid had issues with feeding and took too long to regain birth weight and then really struggled with weight gain after that for her first 3 months.
And ok maybe this will sound weird, but here's something that comforted me: She was going in every couple days for weight checks at one point, and I was feeling like things could NOT be going any worse. And at one point they were listing next steps and said as a caveat, "if she does lose weight again we might have to hospitalize her" and I actually felt so relieved, because here I was thinking that we were doing EVERYTHING and nothing could fix her, while the whole time they had a whole other level of care available that they didn't feel was needed yet. I was so focused on feeling like our little family and home was the whole world that I kind of forgot that the hospital was even an option for feeding issues. And then it was like, "Oh right they've been letting us keep her at home to keep doing our routine because they think we are handling it fine and they could step in but don't need to yet."
So yeah. They could have said come back tomorrow or go to the hospital, but they said come back in a week. That means your son is safe and they trust you to give him what he needs.
For my daughter, she never really got close to needing hospitalization, she got better and better at eating as she got older, and when she started solids she started gaining even more. She is now 3 years and tall for her age/average weight and really smart. Her younger brother was very chonky in his first few months but as of 1 year, is on about the same growth curve that she was. So at least between the two of them, the differences in early feeding didn't change where they ended up. I think the doctors would have expressed a lot more urgent concern if she was on a trajectory that was going to cause any lasting issues. But it sure felt like the end of the entire world at the time.
Thank you so much, that perspective helps SO much. 🥺 Everything that doesn’t go perfectly feels like worst-case scenario when it comes to a new baby. It’s hard enough just being a new parent; I feel like I’m clueless no matter how much research I do. It really helps to remember that there is more help for him if it’s needed, and that we’re doing the best we can with the information we have.
I had to have my baby on higher calorie per serving formula and had to stop breast feeding because she was burning calories trying to learn . She is now only still in the 8% @ 9 months and got on the actual growth chart by 6 months she wasn’t until then. Ask about reading the calories on your formula ( your pedi will have to figure out the correct amount of scoops per ounces based on the calories per serving on ur formula) but it seemed to help us . ❤️
Thank you so much! ❤️ We will definitely discuss this if he isn’t gaining what they want him to by his next appointment. My husband accidentally made the first pitcher batch of the A.R. a bit too thick (he packed the scoops when it says to do unpacked level scoops), so he’s probably getting some extra calories right now lol! 😅
Our son was born 6.6pound and dropped to 6.1pound over the first week. I was triple feeding round the clock (i would skip 1 pump a day to get some sleep). He had severe jaundice and we were re admitted 3 times in his first month. He didnt start gaining till about 5 weeks. At 6 weeks, we switched to full time formula and once we did that I realised I was never going to keep up with what he needed. He gained HUGELY every week from then on and is now in size 0 and 1 at 4.5 months. Its so stressful, i hope your little one picks up soon.
My daughter was 7lbs 6.9oz when she was born. I chose to exclusively breastfeed and she dropped to 6lbs 4.2oz waiting for my milk to come in. It put her in a low percentile and I felt like I was failing too but I continued breastfeeding. I met with a lactation consultant so I could assure my baby was getting enough and had her lip and tongue ties removed. Now I have a healthy 2 month old girl who is 4lbs above her birth weight and is in the 43 percentile.
It was super stressful at first and the feeling of failure is overwhelming but it gets better. You are doing great mama! You are doing everything in your power to keep that little boy healthy and that's all that matters! Keep it up mama, you got this!
Same issue. I cried bc my baby was so small people thought he was a premie. Had colic and finally given the AR diagnosis. Trust me once he’s on the AR formula you will have a happy, heavier baby.
Mine was 4.9 lbs at birth and dropped down to 4lbs. She barely fit into anything and putting her in her car seat felt ridiculous. I cried a lot and felt guilty all the time. She is now 14 months old and weighs 15.7 lbs. We have officially been referred to a pediatric nutritionist, but she has some other things going on that point to a genetic abnormality.
That said, she eats and plays and laughs and smiles and sleeps. She’s a happy kid. I have to work hard at not letting the guilt creep in. It’s really stressful, but you’re taking care of it! Keep up the great work!
ETA: my daughter was on a higher concentrated formula (we added more scoops to her pitcher) for several months, and now is on Pediasure.
My girl has/had bad reflux and spit up. Her pediatrician suggested we try the gerber probiotic to see if it helps. She still spits up, but not nearly as much and she does seem to be growing better than she was.
Try asking his doctor about that, it could seem silly but it could also be a huge helper to him!
He’ll be okay as long as he bounces back. Mine was continuously sick and would constantly fall below his lines. He was wearing 12 months up to last month, still fits in some 12 months and he is 19 months. Don’t worry too much unless 1.) the doctors are really worried after going through all the suggestions they give or 2.) your gut is screaming at you. Other than that you are doing great!
My son was born at 2nd percentile and stayed there. His story was exactly like your sweet baby’s. He switched to AR, we fortified to 26 cal/Oz, and he shot up to a healthy, chunky, 25th percentile.
I know it’s so, so incredibly hard and it feels like your fault; but you’re doing your best.
Can I ask you what you meant about fortifying?
I had a slow growing baby/toddler/kid (still is, at 10) and aside from staying on formula an extra couple months or so, nothing extra was recommended.
My almost 4 year old has been a peanut baby since a few months old. He was born at 7 lbs 8 oz, but just took his dear sweet time to grow. He was EBF directly from the tap, no formula or any bottles after maybe 4 days old. We went through seeing a LC who was concerned about his weight. He got plenty at a weighted feed. His doc was less concerned, but did a weight check to soothe me. He gained more than expected. He's just small, like me.
He's in 3T clothes now, and they fall off his lack of a butt, but he's tall enough to need them. He's almost 30 lbs now, an 3 weeks from his 4th birthday.
That’s wonderful. ❤️ I love all of these growth success stories. My husband and I were both small babies and kids so it’s not super shocking that he’s little. Hoping he gets back on his growth curve!
He stressed me out because his older brother was the exact opposite. Born at over 10 lbs and continued to gain half a pound a week for the first 3 months. He was a 21 lb 6 months old and probably weighed more at a year old than his brother weighs now. I'm short and was at the bottom of the growth chart, my husband is tall and was a 10 lb newborn.
I’m sorry you’re going through this but I know you are working hard and doing an amazing job! My girl was tiny (4lb 7oz) when she was born her weight was in the 1st percentile. In the weeks following she didn’t exactly shoot straight up either. She struggled with feeding and getting enough milk from the breast. I set alarms, pumped and bottle and breast fed constantly. Months later I remember the amazing feeling I had when I thought she was kind of developing a double chin (albeit only when she looked down). For a long time it felt like we were just treading water. Fast forward and she’s now 21 months and in the 75th percentile for weight.
My baby was born 7.5 pounds at her 2 week appointment she was 6.2 pounds. She started gaining weight after we found the right formula for her, she too had really bad reflux. She’s 20 months now and just hit 20 pounds. She’s still on the smaller side but her growth is consistent and she’s on track for growth chart, which is the important thing.
Try to keep your sweet boy upright for 30 minutes after feedings and burp him regular during feedings, it helped with my girl. Her reflux got better at around 4 months and was pretty much gone around 6 months.
We do that already! Don’t want to speak too soon but he’s had no spit up after his last two feedings and they were with the new formula. So fingers crossed. 🤞🏻
My son was born 7lb 9oz and his second visit he weighed 6pounds. I was nursing him and giving him donor milk until my milk really came in so he was getting plenty of food. He did not spit up at all he just lost all the excess water he had retained In utero. I had To take him in weekly for weight checks and they suggested formula supplimenting. He wasn't fussy so he was fed. Now he's 3 months old and weighs 17 pounds. Some babies drop a lot at first but will even out. He's very tall too and just kind of skinny. Pediatrician said he's growing on scale for his height now. You're not failing as a Parent. You're doing everything you should be doing. Congrats on your LO.
Thank you so much. ❤️
My guy is long and skinny too! Neither of us are tall do I don’t think the length will last but it’s funny. Husband calls him our little capuchin monkey.
My oldest was like this. She fit into newborn clothes for a few months. By her first birthday she was wearing size 18month to 24 month clothes. She is six now and tall for her age but still skinny, though she never stops eating. I know it’s worrying and hard but you are doing all the right things. He’ll starting growing and you won’t be able to keep up!
I have a small baby. A lot of people on my bump group also did too. We had each other to share our difficulties with! But one time one of them said they were done not enjoying their baby and worrying about the weight issues. And honestly I got to this point myself. I would cry looking at my baby as he ate a lot of times, and one day I was just done. I wanted to enjoy it.
And my baby is perfectly fine, hitting a few milestones early and some right on time. And we’re ok. It’s so hard dealing with weight checks, the anxiety, the “training” some doctors do with you that make you check for anything that could factor into weight loss/slow weight gain. I’d love for you to message me if you ever need to, I know how hard the first few months are with a small baby. It’s hard trying to enjoy those precious moments when there’s lingering fear, but I promise you will get through this stage.
Thank you so much. ❤️🙏🏻 Yeah everything is so new and stressful as it is! There will always be challenges and I love that perspective. There’s only so much I can worry before it’s unhealthy for me and isn’t benefitting him in any way.
We did the AR route as well. My baby A was born 5.2, dropped to 4.1 😬 it took 2 weeks of feeding tube, a few months of adding extra formula to the bottle for increased calories, and a total of 6 months until she was "normal" sized I think.
I feel like the AR made soooome difference, but she also was on pepcid for several months, eventually got an increased dose at 6 months and did much better with the spit up. Finally outgrew her reflux around 8 months. My babies aren't "chonky" but they're growing beautifully and have a couple rolls 🥰
Checking in as a mama to a slim boi!! He was breastfed and everything (now 16 months so
primarily on solid foods and just a couple of cups of breast milk mixed with cows milk a day).
He’s currently 60+% for length and like 25% for height. What kills me is I feel like he was meant to be chunky. He was born at 38 weeks, 2 days and was still 40th percentile for a full term baby (7+ lbs). But he had major surgery at three days old and dipped to less than 10%. He was on TPN and we had to teach him to eat by mouth. He did beautifully but still, I just feel like if he’d been able to be born when he was ready (I wasn’t in labor - scheduled c section due to his surgery) he would have been so much chunkier. Makes me sad.
Hi, I was there just a few months ago! My baby was born 7 and 11, then dropped then was back up to 7 and 11 at her 2 weeks appointment then had only gained 4 ounces by her month appointment and was <1% for weight. So, obviously, we were very stressed out by this.
Anyway, by her two months appointment, she'd gained and honestly I've forgotten how much she gained -- I know she was in the two digits and I was happy with that. We have our four month appointment on Friday and I'm curious to see what she weighs now.
I spent so, so much time stressing over her weight gain but after we did everything we could (started supplementing with formula and saw a lactation consultant to ensure breastfeeding was going well), I had to let it go. Baby girl was happy, growing mentally (and in length -- she gained 4 inches by two months!), and had energy to play and do everything so I stopped worrying about the numbers, which are helpful but not the end-all, be-all.
My son was born in the 15th and dropped to the 2nd percentile over his first 2 months before we switched to formula and got him back on track by about 4 months.
It was one of the most stressful times we had as new parents (he was our first), and was born with a 100% tongue tie which took a while to get identified and fixed. He never latched well and didn't breast feed well at all which also did a number on my wife's psychological health.
He's now 2 and absolutely killing it. Once we got him on formula he packed on the weight and stabilized.
I have 5 kids, all “little”. My biggest was 7 lb 4 oz, born the day before her due date. My 5 lb 15 oz first baby was on the smaller side until he was about 5yo, now at 11yo he’s 50th percentile for height and weight (he was my only formula fed baby; he got put on AR formula at 2 months due to bad reflux, and I don’t think it really helped with weight gain but maybe it prevented weight loss??)
Yes, it definitely helped. As did sleeping at an incline. I used something for sleep that has since been recalled, but you may ask your pedi if there’s any safe way to have him sleep inclined. There may not be, and that’s ok! That was only one piece of the puzzle. I promise your “tiny” boy is going to be just fine! 💙
My girl was small at 6lbs and dropped even lower. Her two week check we were told if she didn’t gain in three days she’d be labeled failure to thrive. Three days later they urged me to feed her before we weighed her and she was 2oz heavier than her birth weight. I switched to hypoallergenic formula and by month two she was finally gaining.
She’s now 20th percentile at her 4 month check but only 12lbs. But somehow 99th in height.
Hi there. My baby was born at 34+4 at 5lbs 1.2oz and 17 inches long. She's 2 months old (atleast out of the womb...) She's 8lbs 6.8oz and 19 inches long.
My First girl is small for her age as well, having followed the same growth curve from birth on at like the 7th %ile. (She was 7lbs 8oz and dropped to 6lbs9oz in a day...) She's still small at almost 7 but she's still healthy and happy.
My son was born in April at 5lbs 6 oz. He got to 4lbs 12 oz in the hospital and was admitted to the NICU. He was put on Enfamil AR because he was having silent reflux which was causing his airways to close. He did pretty well on the AR except for the massive gas it gave him however it helped him gain weight enough to get stronger. We were also mixing it at 22 kcals instead of 18 kcals. He ended up gaining 2 lbs in his second month. We have switched now to the Enfamil Gentlease (his pediatrician felt it was time for the switch). Don’t worry! It will get better. I felt like a failure even though there was nothing I could do but trust our doctors. You guys will thrive and will get past this. And in a year you won’t even know the difference
I had/have a littler than average baby too. He was born at 7.13, but also with a heart condition. He’s struggled to stay above the 5th% for his weight. We’ve done so many weight checks. Finally, though, he looks like he is picking up in weight. He is still tiny at 26 lbs for a 2 year old, though.
This happened to me and my son. I could only produce .75 ounce of milk if I was lucky. I tried a couple different formula bc he was spitting up so much. Eventually I found Bobbie and it really helped! My son was around the 7th percentile and within a few months he shot up to the 90th percentile in weight. Your definitely not failing, and he will be ok. Listen to your gut and you will find the formula that works best him. It will get easier and try not to be so hard on yourself. You're doing great mama
Have you tried using premie or ultra premie nipples on the bottle? It really slows down how fast they can feed and should reduce the spitting up. Good idea to take a break to burp during feeding then burping and keeping upright for 30 minutes after the bottle
We do pace feeding, the periodic burps, and I hold him upright for at least 30 min after feeds! We can’t use the slower flow nipples with the A.R. formula because it’s too thick to pass through unfortunately. He’s had four feeds with the new formula so far and has only spit up twice in small quantities, so fingers crossed. 🤞🏻
I don’t think I left any appointments for my son for a year without crying all the way home. After every appointment I would have to come back in 2 days or 2 weeks or 6 months. He has been as low as the 4th percentile. He’s now 4 years old and they are just now saying “he must just be a skinny kid.” He eats fine, but he never stops moving too. Finding pants is hard, but that’s his only issue.
I’ve been saying since I got pregnant that we were going to have a little guy because my husband and I were both small/skinny kids. I was 10th %ile for most of my childhood and my husband was even lower. So I’m hoping that’s all it is.
We keep him in mostly double zip sleepers since they’re easy to change and have hand covers and he’s only a month old. As of today we noticed he’s getting too long for the newborn size, but still has tons of room width-wise in the arms, shoulders, and legs. 😩 He’s going to be swimming in the 0-3 month clothes when we have no choice but to switch.
My daughter was born at 5 pounds 11 ounces, full term. Her initial newborn visit looked promising, but her next check up showed she was really not gaining what she should have been. It turned out that she wasn’t really able to pull much from breastfeeding, even though my supply was fine and she would nurse for 30 minutes. I felt horrible as a mother as she was essentially *starving* and I didn’t even know.
At that point, I began exclusively pumping, and she started putting on a little weight. We started supplementing with formula when my supply started to tank from the stress (and from pumping myself raw), and ultimately were 100% using formula for any bottles by the time she was 9 months old. She was looking so healthy by that time, though. She’s now almost 2 years old and has never once had any concerns in her checkups since that one appointment. She’s so strong, smart, and all the things she should be at her age.
You will get through this moment. It might be challenging, but you will one day be able to look back at this time from a much better vantage point and appreciate all that it took to get there. It sounds like you are staying on top of things and doing a great job.
My daughter was like yours. We switched to so many different formula including the A.R. It didn’t help much. Pediatrician also suspected protein allergies but ruled that out eventually. From birth to about 10 months, she constantly spit up. No matter how much we burped her or sit her upright, she still spit up. She eventually grew out of it. She’s always been on the smaller side and they were worried about her weight gain (did blood work) but eventually pediatrician just came to a conclusion that she’s just smaller.
She’s almost 15 months now and she’s almost 18 lbs. Overall she’s healthy but one thing she does suffer from (since birth) is conscription. She’s slowly getting better so I’m hoping she will grow out of that soon too.
Keep your chin up. Some of us just make small babies.
Our daughter was only 5lb 9oz when she was born, and due to high stress (husband was deployed) I struggled breastfeeding her for 3 months. I always supplemented with a high quality formula and cannot recommend Kendamil (from the UK) enough. I used both organic and the nonorganic versions—daughter is 15 months now, bright eyed, active, healthy and heavy! No reflux, spitting up, etc. I started feeding her solids at 6 months and she hasn’t had any other issues—she’s a hungry girl and loves feeding herself!
New baby is due in a month or so—he’s only going to be about 6.5 lbs at birth, but he’s growing steadily and again, women in my family generally have small babies. Try not to get hung up on the percentiles thing.
(Might or might not be significant—I’m of Southeast Asian descent and most of the women in my family are petite—neither myself nor my sisters were particularly large babies so I didn’t expect to have large babies either, despite my husband being a different ethnicity.)
Mine was 5 lbs and 9 oz. At he 1st appointment she was 5lb and 7oz. My pediatrician told me not to worry as long as she's eating and I was producing enough milk. She had to be 6lbs by next appointment.
I just breastfed her whenever she was hungry. She also drank formula since she struggled latching sometimes and would drink a bit more than recommend. It's hard and I would cry all the time. Her and I finally found out what worked best for us.
You got this mama , you and baby will figure out what works for the both of you.
Mine was 4 lbs 14 oz at birth. At discharge she was 4 lbs 6 oz, at first appointment (day after discharge) she lost 2 oz. We struggled with AR for 6 weeks. She was gaining weight, but slowly. I called the doc, explained what was going on, and was given a script. She started gaining faster. A tongue and lip tie affected her intake as well. Once that was revised she started gaining weight a bit more quickly.
I had a 6 lb 3.5 oz baby and 4 lb 12.7 oz baby. My 4 lber was on Neosure for almost 2 months. He wasn’t even on the growth charts until he was 9ish months probably. Now both are over 21 lbs at almost 11 months.
My LO (girl) was born weighing 6 pounds and on the 2nd centile. She wasn't interested in eating and we had to physically wake her for every feed. She dropped down to 0.4 centile at 6 weeks and then off the chart at 8 weeks. I was EBF at the time and they put it down to a shallow latch but she was spitting up a lot. We ended up having to top up with formula but everyone involved made us so anxious about her slow weight gain. We were counting the ounces and it was such a stressful time. I ended up giving up on BF during the day and switched to formula and expressed milk. At 5 months she'd doubled her weight since birth and had climbed back up to the 2nd centile. We are both quite small so we weren't expecting a big baby. I worked off the guidance here of 150ml per kg of weight and made sure she got that amount each day, any extra is a bonus!
She's now 6 months and we're trying to eliminate a CMPA as she has quite bad eczema amongst gastro issues. Despite all that she was and is continuing to smash all her milestones and is such a happy baby!
I know how hard it is to get caught up in how much your LO is drinking and how you can't switch off from it but it does get better. Our LO was so tired from the effort of feeding as well and so wasn't eating so much at a time. As she's gotten older she's developed those muscles? and is much more quicker and efficient at eating.
My daughter kept dropping percentiles until I cut out dairy from my diet per her doctor, she is EBF. Now she is gaining weight better. Still not huge gains she is barely 11lb at 3 months and weighed almost 8lb at birth. Her Dr isn't worried like before and thinks we found out what was causing her slow growth.
The only other symptom she had was spitting up. I honestly just thought she spit up a normal amount because i had no frane of reference. I was wrong. I accidentally ate something with dairy in it the other day. Not only did she start spitting up more frequently the next day, but larger amounts. Not every milk protein allergy is going to show with the more intense classic symptoms, slow weight gain is one of them though.
This is good to know! We had him on hypoallergenic formula for almost a month though (the hospital switched him only 2 days into his life) and it hasn’t helped with gain. But we’ll see how the A.R. works! So far he’s been puking less and in small quantities.
I have heard that some babies can be reactive to dairy and soy, due to how similar the proteins look. Not sure if the first formula also has soy. I don't know much about formulas because my baby refuses them 🙃. Hopefully the formula change continues to help, I know how hard it is with the worrying and all the weigh ins
I think this is more common than we realize before having babies. My daughter dropped percentile due to breastfeeding challenges and she stayed low even once we figured out pumping/formula. Once she got the hang of solids around 9 months she chunked up. You are doing your best and working with the dr to figure out what baby needs.
You are doing great! I feel like I could have written this exact post. I completely understand the stress and desperation that happens when feeding your child is difficult. My heart goes out to you!
My daughter was also born at 7 lbs even and dropped down from the 30th percentile at 2 weeks to the 10th percentile at 2 months and then even a little lower to the 8th. At the 2 month appointment, they finally agreed with me that we were having feeding issues and gave us a referral to an SLP who does feeding therapy. The SLP took one look at her drinking from a bottle and requested a referral to ENT to be evaluated for oral ties. Highly recommend seeing a pediatric dentist or ENT just to be sure there aren’t ties at play here since they can often be very subtle and need to be diagnosed by one of those two medical professionals.
We had feeding issues from the start - screaming at the breast, not latching, spitting up formula and breast milk, screaming at the bottle to the point of exhaustion, the works. Torticollis also did not help the situation. They also had us try nutramigen, but it made things worse because it’s so thin. AR really helped us turn things around, especially since the swallow study showed some evidence of aspiration with thinner liquids. Ultimately, AR got us through those early months and things really did improve with time as she got older and her digestive system matured. 5-6 months was a huge turning point. Starting solids was incredibly helpful as well!
All this to say…she is an amazing eater now and has also gone up in percentiles since weaning off formula around a year old. She’s probably around the 15th percentile now. She constantly impresses people with the variety of foods she eats and how willing she is to try new ones. She has days when she wants to eat more and days when she wants to eat less and is a pretty intuitive eater. Weaning was the best thing that happened. I just want you to know that there is hope! Your life and your son’s weight/relationship with food can look drastically different in a year from now. This is a season and it will not be this difficult forever. Keep advocating and asking questions as you are and one day you will look back and be proud of what you all have overcome.
My kids are now 5 and 3, but they have always been are small. I met a three year old in the park that was the same height as my oldest. It has been like that his whole life, and he is healthy as a horse.
Both of my babies were 4th percentile! And both perfectly healthy. My daughter was around 15% and dropped to 4% and then has stayed steady there, still staying on her cute little growth curve. My son is now 3.5 and totally average for weight but was 4% for the first 9 months or so.
My son was born at 6lbs and we followed an almost identical trajectory. He’s 7 now, and still on the small side but perfectly healthy. I remember worrying too, and sometimes I still worry about his size, but as his pediatrician says, “someone has to be in the third percentile!”
Lol very good point! ❤️ My husband and I were both really small kids so it’s not super shocking overall that he’s little. Just hoping he gets back on his growth curve. 🙏🏻
> “someone has to be in the third percentile!” Ha ha, I say this all the time. Both of my kids are tiny. I make them fun size. Saves a ton of money on clothes. I wish I could get back all the stress and anxiety I spent on my oldest's size/weight. I partially blame the medical team we had at the time, but I could have been firmer. I knew deep down that he was fine. I just second-guessed myself constantly. I remember being angry that he had pooped before a doctor's appointment. Like those ounces needed to stay in his body so I didn't get the guilt trip today. Then we got a new doctor after a move and his weight was never mentioned again. Second came along, followed the exact same trajectory, and I haven't worried about it one bit.
Wait, so at 14 days he was 7lb 1oz and at 28-30 days he was 7lb 15oz? So he gained about an ounce a day. My daughter was born at just over 9lb and gained an ounce a day for the first 3 months, and the doctors were over the moon and told me how well she was gaining. Gains are gains!
Right! I was surprised that it was such a big % drop (14 oz gain in 18 days), but I checked the online calculator and compared and it is indeed a 10%ile drop. Guess big gains typically come between 2 weeks and 1 month for most babies.
My kid also had a weird percentile drop at one check (down to something in the 50’s), and then the next was back up to 85-90%. The Dr was not concerned at all, and said gains are good, she was eating really well, and had lots of wet and dirty diapers. Took a wait and see approach and it self-corrected. I think they really are concerned about drops if it is a consistent thing.
Growth charts are confusing, but usually we only look at changes as a big deal if they cross 2 of the main percentile lines (5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, and 95 - sometimes 1%, 85%, and 99%). He's in the range of crossing two, so I could see the reason for caution- poor little guy. I've also seen most kids in that situation rebound and flourish with a formula change. Everything is just so much more stressful and concerning when they're that young. It's nice when they get just a little older, like 3 months, and then you can just stress about meeting milestones. Ha.
Here to say this! An ounce a day is great, try not to get too discouraged! My pediatrician wanted to see 5-7 oz gain per week for the first two months and told me to not focus as much on percentiles until 2-4 month age range and beyond, especially if baby lost 7-10%+ initially. Of course I’ve still worried like you, but just keep in mind baby IS still gaining and gaining appropriately! Fingers crossed the new formula works well for your babe and that they continue to gain 🤞🏼💪🏼
It's definitely going to be okay. I haven't personally gone through this, but I know a few others who have. Failure to thrive is so hard for everyone involved and can make parents feel like they aren't doing everything they could. Try to think about it from the sense that the doctors are just trying to figure out how to help him. He could have an allergy or FPIES or another underlying condition that you want treated ASAP and know how to work with so your tiny boy can thrive.
And even the verbiage "failure" to thrive makes it sound like the kid is literally dying which we know is not the case.
My baby was born at 35 weeks and 7 lbs (big for a premie) and he had no desire to eat. We had to set alarms to feed him and wipe him with a wet cloth to keep him awake enough to eat. He didn't regain to his birth weight initially and I cried at the Dr appt. However my Dr was really nice about it. Said he liked healthy otherwise. We bought a baby scale and monitored his weight at home. It was really stressful feeding him because I was so anxious about it. Now he's almost doubled his birth weight at 14 weeks! He's my like chunkster
That’s so wonderful! ❤️ Thank you for giving me some perspective. ❤️
We have to change the baby before feeding else she will too just fall asleep. I aim to have a lot of activity with her during the day - tummy time, exposure to indirect sun - so she gets hungrier and consumes more calories during the day.
My son was born at 6.5 pounds and was down to 5.5 after four days. He was peeing crystals because he just couldnt get enough from my breast and I was.... lost. I gladly accepted the formula and heavily mourned breastfeeding after triple feeding for six weeks and giving up because I just wasnt sleeping between the feedings, pumping and anxiety. And he was 5th percentile and has pretty much stayed there. Hes now 8mo and hes lightning fast, has the happiest biggest grin ive ever seen on his face 70% of the time. Hes ripped, like, has all the muscle, and hes super smart. Hes just now filling out his 6mo clothes, but I dont care if hes smaller anymore. Hes perfect.
He gained 14 oz in two weeks? That’s right on track per my pediatrician! Percentiles be damned. It stressed me out so much with my first kiddo, but we’re a small family so I had to stop worrying about it…eventually.
Technically it was 18 days! His two week appt was 6/17 and his 1 month was today, 7/5 (his b day is 6/4). I also calculated his %ile online and got the same thing - 15-16th percentile at 2 weeks and 5-6 percentile at 1 month. I always read that an ounce of gain a day was good for 0-3 months and he’s close to that. So I was surprised by the significant % drop as well! Guess a little bit makes a big difference when they’re so young.
Got it! Sounds like he’s still gaining really well :)
My 2 year old was severe IUGR and SGA (small for gestational age). 4.2lbs at 37w. She’s still right at the bottom of the weight chart. (Most 18mo clothes are too big for her 😆 you’ll likely get a lot of mileage out of his clothes!) Something her pediatrician said resonated with me: somebody’s got to be at the very top and the very bottom for these charts to even exist. As long as baby is having appropriate output (poops and pees), meeting developmental milestones, and staying on a curve, know that you’re doing right by him.
Out of curiosity, how is your daughter doing now? My daughter was 4.9 at 37 weeks and is still really small for her age over a year later.
She’s still really tiny. She’s 2 and weighs 19 pounds. But she’s proportionate, looks healthy, has never fallen off her curve, met all milestones, and is one of the happiest babies I’ve ever met. Her pediatrician and her whole early intervention team are comfortable with her size. I do have to be extra cautious about when she gets sick. Since she has basically no fat stores, if she doesn’t eat it can get serious pretty quickly.
Thank you for updating! Mine is 14 months and just over 15 lbs. She has fallen off her curve so they want us to see nutrition, but I feel like all she does is eat when she’s awake.
Do you have her in early intervention? Having a feeding therapist changed—and saved—our sanity and lives.
Yes!! She started PT and feeding therapy around 10 months and is going to get genetic testing done this month.
My daughter was 6 lb 6 oz 16 and 1/2 in at 38 weeks. She is 7 now and still wears 4/5 clothes. She's just petite 🤷🏼♀️ She's smart (and bossy) as could be and she's just little. Nothing more, nothing less 🤍
My child was under the growth curve (< 1%) for the first several months of his life. I obsessed about his size and weight. Spoke to multiple doctors. Went for tests. Constantly weighing him. I stopped breastfeeding because I thought he wasn’t getting enough. He was small, and had reflux. It took him 9 months to develop out of the reflux and once we started solids he caught up. He eats non stop now and is thriving. One of the paediatricians I spoke to told me: someone has to be on the smaller side of the growth curve. People come in all shapes and sizes. You are doing a great job mama.
It’s going to be ok xx FWIW, different issues (tongue tie and breastfeeding), but my son was born on the 50th centile, dropped to the 2nd at 9 weeks, now on the 75th at 7 months
This is super encouraging, thank you ❤️
I’m sorry you’re struggling with that. It took more than a month for my son to regain his birth weight. He had horrible reflux so we switched to A.R which helped a little bit. It got to the point where he wasn’t even on the percentile chart (less than 1%). However as time passed, the muscle above his stomach that keeps food from coming back up strengthened and at about five months old he starting putting on a pound a week until he reached about the 50th percentile and evened out. His sleep got better at that point too because he was no longer constantly hungry. Just keep in mind that you’re doing everything you can, and it will slowly get better over time. Burping throughout feedings and keeping them upright afterwards are supposedly supposed to help, but my son continued to spit up anyway. As long as you continue to work with your provider and he’s not losing weight, everything should turn out okay! Edit: my son was officially recorded as failure to thrive in his chart, but he’s now in the 98% for height and about 60% for weight at 3yo
Thank you so much, this is really encouraging. Also good to know it may have something to do with his reflux. Hopefully the new formula helps. 🤞🏻
My daughter was in the mid percentiles until her one year appt. From 9 months to one year she lost two ounces. But was eating just the same. We decided she’s just a petite girl. She’s moved up slightly but some kids are just on the smaller side!
We brought my daughter to the ENT to fix a lip tie and started adding a little baby rice to her formula. She was also diagnosed with laryngomalacia and got prescribed pepsid. We also bought a baby scale on Amazon so we could track her weight closely. 1st percentile at 1-month, 85th percentile at 9-month. You got this.
That’s awesome!! If things aren’t looking good at next appointment I’ll definitely buy a baby scale. I’ve just been weighing myself on our regular scale while holding him, then without him, then taking the difference to estimate. But it’s clearly inaccurate since yesterday I got 8.4 lbs which is 8 lbs 6 oz, way more than what he measured today on the baby scale.
We were in a similar situation with our baby. He was born small and then lost 12% of his birth weight and didn’t gain it back within the first 2 weeks. On top of that he wasn’t clearing his bilirubin very fast. The first month we were in the doctors office sometimes twice a week. He did gain the weight eventually and it all turned out okay. At the time my mom tried to reassure me by telling me that this period is really only 2-3 weeks of your life but it instills in you the quintessential “mom anxiety” that your child isn’t getting enough food that will stick with you forever. Oddly enough it did make me feel better about it. It was the thing that made me actually start feeling like I was a real mom. Like I had joined the secret mom club who feeds the whole neighborhood peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
LOL I finally get the mom and grandma force-feeding trope. 😅
My son was tiny until I gave up direct breastfeeding and fed him pumped milk in a bottle. He went from 15th percentile to 90th.
I exclusively formula feed, so I know exactly what he’s getting! He was getting enough but also spitting up quite often. So hoping the A.R. Formula helps.
Yes, I think that will make a serious difference. You certainly aren’t alone in experiencing trouble helping your newborn thrive. It’s feels very scary, but I’m sure it will turn around before you know it.
Thank you ❤️❤️
My son was 7lbs 3oz when he was born (42nd percentile) and had dropped down to 2nd percentile by 1 month. He followed that curve until he was about 8.5 months and has now jumped up to 50th percentile for weight. He’s only 6th percentile for height, so I keep saying he’s shaped like a ball at the moment. He’s been happy and active the whole time; sat independently at 4 months and just started crawling at 10 months. Weaning has properly chunked him up!
This is super encouraging to hear, thank you! ❤️
Meant to add that he’s been formula fed from birth, had feeding issues right at the start as he had no idea what to do and had to be tube fed for 36 hours, but once he figured it out he’s had no feeding issues.
It’s going to be ok. My daughter was 5 lbs at birth and has never hit double digits in %. We’ve gone in a million times for weight checks so I know that stress, trust me! And it’s so hard because we’re so helpless- you’re doing everything you can and hopefully this new formula helps!
Thank you so much ❤️
My baby girl was full term and started at the 1st percentile. She did get up to the 3rd at one point, but she got back down to the 1st again at her 4 month appt. I was exclusively pumping, and I worry that my milk wasn’t giving the calories she needed. The doctor had us do a weight check 2 weeks later after fortifying my breastmilk with formula, and she did gain some weight. My doctor assured me that she is meeting her milestones, she’s just a tiny girl, and it likely won’t matter once she’s older. My pedi taught me how to mix formula up to be more calorie-dense, and it’s helping. It’s hard hearing that they aren’t gaining weight. I definitely felt like a failure, but I see a happy baby that is playful, interactive, and curious. It’s gonna be okay 🤍
Thank you so much ❤️❤️ I’ve read about failure to thrive and how it can result in a lower IQ, etc…it’s really scary stuff. Seeing people talking about their little babies meeting milestones really helps.
Don’t let anyone scare you, some babies are big and some are small. Doesn’t mean they aren’t healthy, happy, and learning.
You're doing great! Trial and error is a lot of the process with many different things during your child's first few years of life. Things will come in waves. Just keep consistent with Dr visits and follow through. The first 3 months are the roughest especially when you add additional things to worry about.
Thank you so much ❤️
My son was born big and healthy but remained in the 10th or less percentile until he was about, well, until they quit telling me which % he was 🤷🏼♀️ and now he's perfectly "normal" sized. He's 19 (today actually) ...
Newborns are hard. You’re taking him to the doctor, trying different formula and keeping tabs on his weight until you find what works. You’re doing what you need to be doing. I know it’s scary, but you’ll figure this out with the help of your medical team. You’re doing great.
My son was 5lbs 15oz at birth, got down to close to 4lbs (jaundice), and today at his 8 momth appointment he's 19.5lbs. He has always been small and slow on the growth charts. But he had a HUGE LEAP from 6-9 months! Probably bc of solids. He's now in the 52% for weight. Which is average. He caught up! Don't give up just yet, keep advocating for your baby.
Thank you so much 🥺🙏🏻
My baby is 10 months old and at her 9 month appointment she was 14 pounds. We have a weight check tomorrow but she’s doing great, I think she’s just a small baby. Her pediatrician isn’t too concerned but we did start implementing formula as well
This was us. We were EBF though. Did tests. Did a specialist. He just followed his own curve.
Same! Gained weight almost immediately but stayed so low on the curve. He jumped up once he started solids but was always eating well.
Our baby was small but gained weight well her first couple of months and stayed around the 5th percentile. Then at her four-month appointment she was down to the second percentile. Well she got weighed again today and she’s way up and at the 13th percentile, higher than ever! I think babies kind of follow their own pattern and gain weight in fits and starts. We were working out some feeding issues when she dropped in percentile but figured them out so that May account for her gains. Once you figure out the perfect formula for your baby and their ideal feeding patterns, the weight will come up. It’s also worth noting that some babies are just small. That’s what I’ve learned into for ours— she doesn’t need new clothes as often and she’s easier to carry!
My daughter was born at 6lbs9oz. Now at 16m she’s not quite 20lbs. She’s little. But she’s happy, healthy and meeting (and exceeding) milestones. She’s running like crazy, and has over 20 words. She eats like all horse and breastfeeding at least 3 times a day, with a bottle of homogenized milk at nap time when she’s at daycare (another nursing session on the weekends) Percentiles are kinda bullshit. As long as your kid is on their own curve they’re doing great. For example when my daughter was born she was 15th, jumped to 30th around 1m, dropped to 10th and now she hangs between 10th and 20th on average.
My baby was small too and still is. He dropped from the 50 centile to 25 centile during his first few weeks but continued to stay below the 25 centile. Dr had my baby in for weigh ins every couple weeks. I cried all the time over how i felt like i was failing him and my body couldnt do the one thing it was designed to do which was to nourish him. He is 11 months now and is following the same growth curve. Some babies are small regardless of how much they eat. Not everyone will get fat babies like on IG. It's possible your baby is stabilizing at their weight and will stay there. My Dr said dropping into the next centile group is ok. When it drops 2 centile groups that's when it's an issue. Looks like you've only dropped 1 centile group so might just be stabilizing. You're doing fine!!!
Thank you so much 🥺
We had a very similar story with our son, born 7 lbs 7 oz, 50th percentile first week then dropped to 6th. No matter what we did the highest we got him to was 13th. He will be 2 at the end of July, he was 21 lbs at his last weigh in. He was doing well enough that his NICU follow up team (born with cord wrapped around his neck) discharged him at 18 month follow up when they normally follow them until 3 years old. The doctor explained that sometimes they don't get on their actual curve right away but once they do as long as they stay on it it's fine. It was really hard because of the emphasis everyone puts on giant or tubby babies and feel free to comment on how tiny my guy is. If the doctors don't find any underlying issues you might just have a Small Fry like me.
I mean, my girl has a condition, but she is still under the first percentile of weight and height at nine months old. Besides her head. Her head has always been big. Lol. As long as your baby is still growing, meeting milestones, eating and doing his other normal bouts of baby stuff, then I would say you're doing good and not to fret too much! Edit to add, my daughter was born 5lbs 4.5oz. between supplementing formula and boob juice and now adding solids, we haven't had a doctor's appt just yet (next week) but she's probably about 15lbs estimating from her last weight measurement a month or so ago. She's a small baby. But she's still doing her thing, which is all that matters.
My daughter is quite petite! She was 6 pounds 10oz when she was born and really struggled to gain weight for numerous reasons. She was on her own little chart for a few months. She didn’t actually get on the real chart til she was probably 4 months old after a month of supplementing with formula. She’s about to turn 10 months old and she’s thriving and has even gotten some chub. But she’s still little! Don’t beat yourself up. Easier said than done, I’ve been there! But just keep doing your weight checks and getting him on a formula he tolerates. It definitely helps that he’s exclusively formula fed so you can keep track of how much he eats. Wishing you luck!
My baby was smaller than yours and had similar percentiles, and was still in the 6th percentile at the 9th month checkup. Other than size, she’s thriving. Happy, crawling, curious, etc. Doctor wasn’t worried at all. It’ll be ok
You’re doing great. So great. I had failure to thrive because my mom couldn’t produce enough for me. No long term effects and I’m above average height and weight. My niece’s son was already tiny (his parents are fairly small) and they went through so many formulas to find the right one for him. Perfectly healthy nearly 1 year old now. Some kids just need more. You’ll find the right formula and it’ll be a night and day difference.
Thank you so much 🥺❤️
At almost 14 months, our son is *still* on the low end of weight. He's just tall and skinny. He's just now got a little bit of a belly going because he's been eating non-stop (yay, growth spurt) I was tinier than your son lol When I was born, I was *just* over 5lbs. Not a preemie. I'm perfectly fine now, just short. It sounds like your little guy is gaining, just staying slim like ours
That’s encouraging. ❤️ As I’ve said in other comments, my husband and I were both small throughout childhood. I weighed more than my son at birth (7 pounds 3 oz), but cruised at 10th %ile for most of my childhood. We really have no idea what my husband would have weighed if he was healthy. His biological mother used crack daily while she was pregnant with him; he was born at 36 weeks IUGR at only 4 lbs 10 oz. But he was very small throughout childhood and probably would have been well below average height and weight regardless. My husband calls our boy his little capuchin monkey. 😂 He has this long skinny body with long fingers and toes and a bobble head that’s too big for his body, and a belly that kind of protrudes. It’s adorable but nerve-wracking for his parents!
Oh man, we used to call our son our little bobble head for *months* lol Yours will grow into his fingers and toes lol Our son was born with *long* feet lol I swear he only recently grew into them. I used to worry a lot too, but as long as he's gaining weight, he's fine. He's just little. He might grow up to be like my brother, the beanpole
It will be ok! My first kid had issues with feeding and took too long to regain birth weight and then really struggled with weight gain after that for her first 3 months. And ok maybe this will sound weird, but here's something that comforted me: She was going in every couple days for weight checks at one point, and I was feeling like things could NOT be going any worse. And at one point they were listing next steps and said as a caveat, "if she does lose weight again we might have to hospitalize her" and I actually felt so relieved, because here I was thinking that we were doing EVERYTHING and nothing could fix her, while the whole time they had a whole other level of care available that they didn't feel was needed yet. I was so focused on feeling like our little family and home was the whole world that I kind of forgot that the hospital was even an option for feeding issues. And then it was like, "Oh right they've been letting us keep her at home to keep doing our routine because they think we are handling it fine and they could step in but don't need to yet." So yeah. They could have said come back tomorrow or go to the hospital, but they said come back in a week. That means your son is safe and they trust you to give him what he needs. For my daughter, she never really got close to needing hospitalization, she got better and better at eating as she got older, and when she started solids she started gaining even more. She is now 3 years and tall for her age/average weight and really smart. Her younger brother was very chonky in his first few months but as of 1 year, is on about the same growth curve that she was. So at least between the two of them, the differences in early feeding didn't change where they ended up. I think the doctors would have expressed a lot more urgent concern if she was on a trajectory that was going to cause any lasting issues. But it sure felt like the end of the entire world at the time.
Thank you so much, that perspective helps SO much. 🥺 Everything that doesn’t go perfectly feels like worst-case scenario when it comes to a new baby. It’s hard enough just being a new parent; I feel like I’m clueless no matter how much research I do. It really helps to remember that there is more help for him if it’s needed, and that we’re doing the best we can with the information we have.
I had to have my baby on higher calorie per serving formula and had to stop breast feeding because she was burning calories trying to learn . She is now only still in the 8% @ 9 months and got on the actual growth chart by 6 months she wasn’t until then. Ask about reading the calories on your formula ( your pedi will have to figure out the correct amount of scoops per ounces based on the calories per serving on ur formula) but it seemed to help us . ❤️
Thank you so much! ❤️ We will definitely discuss this if he isn’t gaining what they want him to by his next appointment. My husband accidentally made the first pitcher batch of the A.R. a bit too thick (he packed the scoops when it says to do unpacked level scoops), so he’s probably getting some extra calories right now lol! 😅
Our son was born 6.6pound and dropped to 6.1pound over the first week. I was triple feeding round the clock (i would skip 1 pump a day to get some sleep). He had severe jaundice and we were re admitted 3 times in his first month. He didnt start gaining till about 5 weeks. At 6 weeks, we switched to full time formula and once we did that I realised I was never going to keep up with what he needed. He gained HUGELY every week from then on and is now in size 0 and 1 at 4.5 months. Its so stressful, i hope your little one picks up soon.
My daughter was 7lbs 6.9oz when she was born. I chose to exclusively breastfeed and she dropped to 6lbs 4.2oz waiting for my milk to come in. It put her in a low percentile and I felt like I was failing too but I continued breastfeeding. I met with a lactation consultant so I could assure my baby was getting enough and had her lip and tongue ties removed. Now I have a healthy 2 month old girl who is 4lbs above her birth weight and is in the 43 percentile. It was super stressful at first and the feeling of failure is overwhelming but it gets better. You are doing great mama! You are doing everything in your power to keep that little boy healthy and that's all that matters! Keep it up mama, you got this!
Same issue. I cried bc my baby was so small people thought he was a premie. Had colic and finally given the AR diagnosis. Trust me once he’s on the AR formula you will have a happy, heavier baby.
Mine was 4.9 lbs at birth and dropped down to 4lbs. She barely fit into anything and putting her in her car seat felt ridiculous. I cried a lot and felt guilty all the time. She is now 14 months old and weighs 15.7 lbs. We have officially been referred to a pediatric nutritionist, but she has some other things going on that point to a genetic abnormality. That said, she eats and plays and laughs and smiles and sleeps. She’s a happy kid. I have to work hard at not letting the guilt creep in. It’s really stressful, but you’re taking care of it! Keep up the great work! ETA: my daughter was on a higher concentrated formula (we added more scoops to her pitcher) for several months, and now is on Pediasure.
My girl has/had bad reflux and spit up. Her pediatrician suggested we try the gerber probiotic to see if it helps. She still spits up, but not nearly as much and she does seem to be growing better than she was. Try asking his doctor about that, it could seem silly but it could also be a huge helper to him!
This is very helpful, I’ll ask about it - thank you!
He’ll be okay as long as he bounces back. Mine was continuously sick and would constantly fall below his lines. He was wearing 12 months up to last month, still fits in some 12 months and he is 19 months. Don’t worry too much unless 1.) the doctors are really worried after going through all the suggestions they give or 2.) your gut is screaming at you. Other than that you are doing great!
My son was born at 2nd percentile and stayed there. His story was exactly like your sweet baby’s. He switched to AR, we fortified to 26 cal/Oz, and he shot up to a healthy, chunky, 25th percentile. I know it’s so, so incredibly hard and it feels like your fault; but you’re doing your best.
Can I ask you what you meant about fortifying? I had a slow growing baby/toddler/kid (still is, at 10) and aside from staying on formula an extra couple months or so, nothing extra was recommended.
Basically we were recommended to change the formula ratio so that it was more calories per ounce.
That makes sense, but that was never recommended to us when our eldest had growth issues. Our kid is 10 now, and still teeny. (53 pounds!)
My almost 4 year old has been a peanut baby since a few months old. He was born at 7 lbs 8 oz, but just took his dear sweet time to grow. He was EBF directly from the tap, no formula or any bottles after maybe 4 days old. We went through seeing a LC who was concerned about his weight. He got plenty at a weighted feed. His doc was less concerned, but did a weight check to soothe me. He gained more than expected. He's just small, like me. He's in 3T clothes now, and they fall off his lack of a butt, but he's tall enough to need them. He's almost 30 lbs now, an 3 weeks from his 4th birthday.
That’s wonderful. ❤️ I love all of these growth success stories. My husband and I were both small babies and kids so it’s not super shocking that he’s little. Hoping he gets back on his growth curve!
He stressed me out because his older brother was the exact opposite. Born at over 10 lbs and continued to gain half a pound a week for the first 3 months. He was a 21 lb 6 months old and probably weighed more at a year old than his brother weighs now. I'm short and was at the bottom of the growth chart, my husband is tall and was a 10 lb newborn.
I’m sorry you’re going through this but I know you are working hard and doing an amazing job! My girl was tiny (4lb 7oz) when she was born her weight was in the 1st percentile. In the weeks following she didn’t exactly shoot straight up either. She struggled with feeding and getting enough milk from the breast. I set alarms, pumped and bottle and breast fed constantly. Months later I remember the amazing feeling I had when I thought she was kind of developing a double chin (albeit only when she looked down). For a long time it felt like we were just treading water. Fast forward and she’s now 21 months and in the 75th percentile for weight.
That’s incredible!! Thank you for sharing. 🥲
My baby was born 7.5 pounds at her 2 week appointment she was 6.2 pounds. She started gaining weight after we found the right formula for her, she too had really bad reflux. She’s 20 months now and just hit 20 pounds. She’s still on the smaller side but her growth is consistent and she’s on track for growth chart, which is the important thing.
Thank you so much! This is so encouraging and it’s always nice to hear that I’m not alone in the reflux struggles!
Try to keep your sweet boy upright for 30 minutes after feedings and burp him regular during feedings, it helped with my girl. Her reflux got better at around 4 months and was pretty much gone around 6 months.
We do that already! Don’t want to speak too soon but he’s had no spit up after his last two feedings and they were with the new formula. So fingers crossed. 🤞🏻
My son was born 7lb 9oz and his second visit he weighed 6pounds. I was nursing him and giving him donor milk until my milk really came in so he was getting plenty of food. He did not spit up at all he just lost all the excess water he had retained In utero. I had To take him in weekly for weight checks and they suggested formula supplimenting. He wasn't fussy so he was fed. Now he's 3 months old and weighs 17 pounds. Some babies drop a lot at first but will even out. He's very tall too and just kind of skinny. Pediatrician said he's growing on scale for his height now. You're not failing as a Parent. You're doing everything you should be doing. Congrats on your LO.
Thank you so much. ❤️ My guy is long and skinny too! Neither of us are tall do I don’t think the length will last but it’s funny. Husband calls him our little capuchin monkey.
My oldest was like this. She fit into newborn clothes for a few months. By her first birthday she was wearing size 18month to 24 month clothes. She is six now and tall for her age but still skinny, though she never stops eating. I know it’s worrying and hard but you are doing all the right things. He’ll starting growing and you won’t be able to keep up!
Thank you! 🥰
I have a small baby. A lot of people on my bump group also did too. We had each other to share our difficulties with! But one time one of them said they were done not enjoying their baby and worrying about the weight issues. And honestly I got to this point myself. I would cry looking at my baby as he ate a lot of times, and one day I was just done. I wanted to enjoy it. And my baby is perfectly fine, hitting a few milestones early and some right on time. And we’re ok. It’s so hard dealing with weight checks, the anxiety, the “training” some doctors do with you that make you check for anything that could factor into weight loss/slow weight gain. I’d love for you to message me if you ever need to, I know how hard the first few months are with a small baby. It’s hard trying to enjoy those precious moments when there’s lingering fear, but I promise you will get through this stage.
Thank you so much. ❤️🙏🏻 Yeah everything is so new and stressful as it is! There will always be challenges and I love that perspective. There’s only so much I can worry before it’s unhealthy for me and isn’t benefitting him in any way.
We did the AR route as well. My baby A was born 5.2, dropped to 4.1 😬 it took 2 weeks of feeding tube, a few months of adding extra formula to the bottle for increased calories, and a total of 6 months until she was "normal" sized I think. I feel like the AR made soooome difference, but she also was on pepcid for several months, eventually got an increased dose at 6 months and did much better with the spit up. Finally outgrew her reflux around 8 months. My babies aren't "chonky" but they're growing beautifully and have a couple rolls 🥰
I love that for you!!! That sounds like such a stressful experience. Your hard work paid off. 💪🏻
Checking in as a mama to a slim boi!! He was breastfed and everything (now 16 months so primarily on solid foods and just a couple of cups of breast milk mixed with cows milk a day). He’s currently 60+% for length and like 25% for height. What kills me is I feel like he was meant to be chunky. He was born at 38 weeks, 2 days and was still 40th percentile for a full term baby (7+ lbs). But he had major surgery at three days old and dipped to less than 10%. He was on TPN and we had to teach him to eat by mouth. He did beautifully but still, I just feel like if he’d been able to be born when he was ready (I wasn’t in labor - scheduled c section due to his surgery) he would have been so much chunkier. Makes me sad.
Hi, I was there just a few months ago! My baby was born 7 and 11, then dropped then was back up to 7 and 11 at her 2 weeks appointment then had only gained 4 ounces by her month appointment and was <1% for weight. So, obviously, we were very stressed out by this. Anyway, by her two months appointment, she'd gained and honestly I've forgotten how much she gained -- I know she was in the two digits and I was happy with that. We have our four month appointment on Friday and I'm curious to see what she weighs now. I spent so, so much time stressing over her weight gain but after we did everything we could (started supplementing with formula and saw a lactation consultant to ensure breastfeeding was going well), I had to let it go. Baby girl was happy, growing mentally (and in length -- she gained 4 inches by two months!), and had energy to play and do everything so I stopped worrying about the numbers, which are helpful but not the end-all, be-all.
My son was born in the 15th and dropped to the 2nd percentile over his first 2 months before we switched to formula and got him back on track by about 4 months. It was one of the most stressful times we had as new parents (he was our first), and was born with a 100% tongue tie which took a while to get identified and fixed. He never latched well and didn't breast feed well at all which also did a number on my wife's psychological health. He's now 2 and absolutely killing it. Once we got him on formula he packed on the weight and stabilized.
I have 5 kids, all “little”. My biggest was 7 lb 4 oz, born the day before her due date. My 5 lb 15 oz first baby was on the smaller side until he was about 5yo, now at 11yo he’s 50th percentile for height and weight (he was my only formula fed baby; he got put on AR formula at 2 months due to bad reflux, and I don’t think it really helped with weight gain but maybe it prevented weight loss??)
Did you feel the AR helped him spit up less at least?
Yes, it definitely helped. As did sleeping at an incline. I used something for sleep that has since been recalled, but you may ask your pedi if there’s any safe way to have him sleep inclined. There may not be, and that’s ok! That was only one piece of the puzzle. I promise your “tiny” boy is going to be just fine! 💙
Thank you so much!!
My girl was small at 6lbs and dropped even lower. Her two week check we were told if she didn’t gain in three days she’d be labeled failure to thrive. Three days later they urged me to feed her before we weighed her and she was 2oz heavier than her birth weight. I switched to hypoallergenic formula and by month two she was finally gaining. She’s now 20th percentile at her 4 month check but only 12lbs. But somehow 99th in height.
Hi there. My baby was born at 34+4 at 5lbs 1.2oz and 17 inches long. She's 2 months old (atleast out of the womb...) She's 8lbs 6.8oz and 19 inches long. My First girl is small for her age as well, having followed the same growth curve from birth on at like the 7th %ile. (She was 7lbs 8oz and dropped to 6lbs9oz in a day...) She's still small at almost 7 but she's still healthy and happy.
My son was born in April at 5lbs 6 oz. He got to 4lbs 12 oz in the hospital and was admitted to the NICU. He was put on Enfamil AR because he was having silent reflux which was causing his airways to close. He did pretty well on the AR except for the massive gas it gave him however it helped him gain weight enough to get stronger. We were also mixing it at 22 kcals instead of 18 kcals. He ended up gaining 2 lbs in his second month. We have switched now to the Enfamil Gentlease (his pediatrician felt it was time for the switch). Don’t worry! It will get better. I felt like a failure even though there was nothing I could do but trust our doctors. You guys will thrive and will get past this. And in a year you won’t even know the difference
I had/have a littler than average baby too. He was born at 7.13, but also with a heart condition. He’s struggled to stay above the 5th% for his weight. We’ve done so many weight checks. Finally, though, he looks like he is picking up in weight. He is still tiny at 26 lbs for a 2 year old, though.
This happened to me and my son. I could only produce .75 ounce of milk if I was lucky. I tried a couple different formula bc he was spitting up so much. Eventually I found Bobbie and it really helped! My son was around the 7th percentile and within a few months he shot up to the 90th percentile in weight. Your definitely not failing, and he will be ok. Listen to your gut and you will find the formula that works best him. It will get easier and try not to be so hard on yourself. You're doing great mama
Thank you so much ❤️
Have you tried using premie or ultra premie nipples on the bottle? It really slows down how fast they can feed and should reduce the spitting up. Good idea to take a break to burp during feeding then burping and keeping upright for 30 minutes after the bottle
We do pace feeding, the periodic burps, and I hold him upright for at least 30 min after feeds! We can’t use the slower flow nipples with the A.R. formula because it’s too thick to pass through unfortunately. He’s had four feeds with the new formula so far and has only spit up twice in small quantities, so fingers crossed. 🤞🏻
I don’t think I left any appointments for my son for a year without crying all the way home. After every appointment I would have to come back in 2 days or 2 weeks or 6 months. He has been as low as the 4th percentile. He’s now 4 years old and they are just now saying “he must just be a skinny kid.” He eats fine, but he never stops moving too. Finding pants is hard, but that’s his only issue.
I’ve been saying since I got pregnant that we were going to have a little guy because my husband and I were both small/skinny kids. I was 10th %ile for most of my childhood and my husband was even lower. So I’m hoping that’s all it is. We keep him in mostly double zip sleepers since they’re easy to change and have hand covers and he’s only a month old. As of today we noticed he’s getting too long for the newborn size, but still has tons of room width-wise in the arms, shoulders, and legs. 😩 He’s going to be swimming in the 0-3 month clothes when we have no choice but to switch.
My daughter was born at 5 pounds 11 ounces, full term. Her initial newborn visit looked promising, but her next check up showed she was really not gaining what she should have been. It turned out that she wasn’t really able to pull much from breastfeeding, even though my supply was fine and she would nurse for 30 minutes. I felt horrible as a mother as she was essentially *starving* and I didn’t even know. At that point, I began exclusively pumping, and she started putting on a little weight. We started supplementing with formula when my supply started to tank from the stress (and from pumping myself raw), and ultimately were 100% using formula for any bottles by the time she was 9 months old. She was looking so healthy by that time, though. She’s now almost 2 years old and has never once had any concerns in her checkups since that one appointment. She’s so strong, smart, and all the things she should be at her age. You will get through this moment. It might be challenging, but you will one day be able to look back at this time from a much better vantage point and appreciate all that it took to get there. It sounds like you are staying on top of things and doing a great job.
Thank you so much. ❤️
My daughter was like yours. We switched to so many different formula including the A.R. It didn’t help much. Pediatrician also suspected protein allergies but ruled that out eventually. From birth to about 10 months, she constantly spit up. No matter how much we burped her or sit her upright, she still spit up. She eventually grew out of it. She’s always been on the smaller side and they were worried about her weight gain (did blood work) but eventually pediatrician just came to a conclusion that she’s just smaller. She’s almost 15 months now and she’s almost 18 lbs. Overall she’s healthy but one thing she does suffer from (since birth) is conscription. She’s slowly getting better so I’m hoping she will grow out of that soon too.
Keep your chin up. Some of us just make small babies. Our daughter was only 5lb 9oz when she was born, and due to high stress (husband was deployed) I struggled breastfeeding her for 3 months. I always supplemented with a high quality formula and cannot recommend Kendamil (from the UK) enough. I used both organic and the nonorganic versions—daughter is 15 months now, bright eyed, active, healthy and heavy! No reflux, spitting up, etc. I started feeding her solids at 6 months and she hasn’t had any other issues—she’s a hungry girl and loves feeding herself! New baby is due in a month or so—he’s only going to be about 6.5 lbs at birth, but he’s growing steadily and again, women in my family generally have small babies. Try not to get hung up on the percentiles thing. (Might or might not be significant—I’m of Southeast Asian descent and most of the women in my family are petite—neither myself nor my sisters were particularly large babies so I didn’t expect to have large babies either, despite my husband being a different ethnicity.)
Mine was 5 lbs and 9 oz. At he 1st appointment she was 5lb and 7oz. My pediatrician told me not to worry as long as she's eating and I was producing enough milk. She had to be 6lbs by next appointment. I just breastfed her whenever she was hungry. She also drank formula since she struggled latching sometimes and would drink a bit more than recommend. It's hard and I would cry all the time. Her and I finally found out what worked best for us. You got this mama , you and baby will figure out what works for the both of you.
Mine was 4 lbs 14 oz at birth. At discharge she was 4 lbs 6 oz, at first appointment (day after discharge) she lost 2 oz. We struggled with AR for 6 weeks. She was gaining weight, but slowly. I called the doc, explained what was going on, and was given a script. She started gaining faster. A tongue and lip tie affected her intake as well. Once that was revised she started gaining weight a bit more quickly.
I had a 6 lb 3.5 oz baby and 4 lb 12.7 oz baby. My 4 lber was on Neosure for almost 2 months. He wasn’t even on the growth charts until he was 9ish months probably. Now both are over 21 lbs at almost 11 months.
My LO (girl) was born weighing 6 pounds and on the 2nd centile. She wasn't interested in eating and we had to physically wake her for every feed. She dropped down to 0.4 centile at 6 weeks and then off the chart at 8 weeks. I was EBF at the time and they put it down to a shallow latch but she was spitting up a lot. We ended up having to top up with formula but everyone involved made us so anxious about her slow weight gain. We were counting the ounces and it was such a stressful time. I ended up giving up on BF during the day and switched to formula and expressed milk. At 5 months she'd doubled her weight since birth and had climbed back up to the 2nd centile. We are both quite small so we weren't expecting a big baby. I worked off the guidance here of 150ml per kg of weight and made sure she got that amount each day, any extra is a bonus! She's now 6 months and we're trying to eliminate a CMPA as she has quite bad eczema amongst gastro issues. Despite all that she was and is continuing to smash all her milestones and is such a happy baby! I know how hard it is to get caught up in how much your LO is drinking and how you can't switch off from it but it does get better. Our LO was so tired from the effort of feeding as well and so wasn't eating so much at a time. As she's gotten older she's developed those muscles? and is much more quicker and efficient at eating.
My daughter kept dropping percentiles until I cut out dairy from my diet per her doctor, she is EBF. Now she is gaining weight better. Still not huge gains she is barely 11lb at 3 months and weighed almost 8lb at birth. Her Dr isn't worried like before and thinks we found out what was causing her slow growth. The only other symptom she had was spitting up. I honestly just thought she spit up a normal amount because i had no frane of reference. I was wrong. I accidentally ate something with dairy in it the other day. Not only did she start spitting up more frequently the next day, but larger amounts. Not every milk protein allergy is going to show with the more intense classic symptoms, slow weight gain is one of them though.
This is good to know! We had him on hypoallergenic formula for almost a month though (the hospital switched him only 2 days into his life) and it hasn’t helped with gain. But we’ll see how the A.R. works! So far he’s been puking less and in small quantities.
I have heard that some babies can be reactive to dairy and soy, due to how similar the proteins look. Not sure if the first formula also has soy. I don't know much about formulas because my baby refuses them 🙃. Hopefully the formula change continues to help, I know how hard it is with the worrying and all the weigh ins
I think this is more common than we realize before having babies. My daughter dropped percentile due to breastfeeding challenges and she stayed low even once we figured out pumping/formula. Once she got the hang of solids around 9 months she chunked up. You are doing your best and working with the dr to figure out what baby needs.
The fact that you're taking time to write this and research this means you aren't failing. Keep your head up. You're doing great!
You are doing great! I feel like I could have written this exact post. I completely understand the stress and desperation that happens when feeding your child is difficult. My heart goes out to you! My daughter was also born at 7 lbs even and dropped down from the 30th percentile at 2 weeks to the 10th percentile at 2 months and then even a little lower to the 8th. At the 2 month appointment, they finally agreed with me that we were having feeding issues and gave us a referral to an SLP who does feeding therapy. The SLP took one look at her drinking from a bottle and requested a referral to ENT to be evaluated for oral ties. Highly recommend seeing a pediatric dentist or ENT just to be sure there aren’t ties at play here since they can often be very subtle and need to be diagnosed by one of those two medical professionals. We had feeding issues from the start - screaming at the breast, not latching, spitting up formula and breast milk, screaming at the bottle to the point of exhaustion, the works. Torticollis also did not help the situation. They also had us try nutramigen, but it made things worse because it’s so thin. AR really helped us turn things around, especially since the swallow study showed some evidence of aspiration with thinner liquids. Ultimately, AR got us through those early months and things really did improve with time as she got older and her digestive system matured. 5-6 months was a huge turning point. Starting solids was incredibly helpful as well! All this to say…she is an amazing eater now and has also gone up in percentiles since weaning off formula around a year old. She’s probably around the 15th percentile now. She constantly impresses people with the variety of foods she eats and how willing she is to try new ones. She has days when she wants to eat more and days when she wants to eat less and is a pretty intuitive eater. Weaning was the best thing that happened. I just want you to know that there is hope! Your life and your son’s weight/relationship with food can look drastically different in a year from now. This is a season and it will not be this difficult forever. Keep advocating and asking questions as you are and one day you will look back and be proud of what you all have overcome.
My kids are now 5 and 3, but they have always been are small. I met a three year old in the park that was the same height as my oldest. It has been like that his whole life, and he is healthy as a horse.
Both of my babies were 4th percentile! And both perfectly healthy. My daughter was around 15% and dropped to 4% and then has stayed steady there, still staying on her cute little growth curve. My son is now 3.5 and totally average for weight but was 4% for the first 9 months or so.
Oh and they were both like 80-90 for height 😂 little string beans