The birth of a child is a special moment in the life of every family. As soon as the baby is born, doctors establish the baby's anthropometric data and compare it with the norm. The results obtained are recorded in the child's medical record. Further, routine examinations are regularly carried out, which check vital signs, in particular, height and weight. What body weight is considered the norm for a newborn, how much should a baby add, how much should a newborn baby weigh at 1 month? This article will answer these and other relevant questions.
The normal weight of the baby, which is appropriate for his age and sex, is a sign of the baby's health.
Each baby has certain individual characteristics, depending on which weight gain can occur both quickly and slowly. And in fact, and in another case, the process proceeds normally. The nature of mass gain is determined by many factors, for example, the type of feeding (breastfeeding or artificial), the physique of the child, the fat content of the food. On average, a newborn's weight varies from 2500 to 4500 grams. There are scientifically developed standards for weight gain, but you should not adjust your baby to them. Each baby is unique, and if he gains 400 gr. instead of the prescribed 600 and at the same time he feels good, then there is no reason for concern.
WHO newborn weight table
Weight gain table by month
Weighing rules
It's best to use a baby scale to track your weight gain. In the first month of a baby's life, careful monitoring of the changes occurring in the baby's body, including weight gain, is necessary.
On a note. It is recommended to weigh the crumbs once a week at the same time. It is advisable to combine this procedure with bathing.
Preparation for weighing includes the following steps:
- The balance should be placed on a flat surface (floor or table);
- Then a diaper is put on them;
- Scales include (diaper weight will not be displayed);
- Slowly and carefully place the baby on the bowl of the device. It is important not to let the child get scared or cry. Otherwise, the baby will start waving his arms, jerking his legs, and the numbers on the scoreboard will turn out to be incorrect. Therefore, the best option for measuring the weight parameters of an infant is a baby scale equipped with a button that allows you to record the average result.
Interesting. Some parents manage to measure body weight using a simple kitchen scale and even a balance (for this, the baby is wrapped in a diaper). Other parents use an adult weighing scale to weigh the baby. To do this, consider the difference between the weight of the mother who holds the child in her arms and her usual weight. As a result, only approximate values are obtained, which are not suitable for newborn babies.
Baby weighing procedure
Why does a baby gain weight poorly?
The most common reason for this is inadequate feeding. After the 10th day of life, the breastfed baby receives full milk (not colostrum), which contains enough proteins, fats and carbohydrates. However, insufficient feeding can lead to the fact that the baby will not gain weight well.
Lack of body weight is usually found in babies who are on HB. Weight recovery is more intensive due to feeding with specially selected artificial mixtures. The fact is that breast milk contains little protein, while even the lowest protein formula contains more of this component.
On a note. The higher the protein content in the product, the more intensive the body weight gain is.
The second reason for underweight is the lower availability of breast milk compared to formula. To get a natural product, the baby is forced to attach to the mother's breast and make an effort to suck the milk. Whereas the liquid flows easily from the bottle.
Interesting. Bottle-fed babies are often overweight.
If there is enough nutrition, and weight gain is not observed, then a child's intestinal absorption may be suspected. In this case, you must consult a doctor for an examination and identify the exact cause.
If a baby does not gain weight well while being mixed feeding, then the cause is usually related to the breast component:
- Improper attachment.
- Short feeding.
- Mom does not allow the child to eat as much as he wants.
- He puts the newborn on strictly according to the schedule, trying to maintain the intervals between "meals", in this regard, ignores the demands of the baby to give him a breast.
Also, the reason may be that the food is not suitable for the child due to an artificial component. If the baby on IV is gaining weight poorly, the reason may lie in an incorrectly selected artificial mixture. With today's variety of dry infant formula, it can be very difficult to find a product that is ideal for a child.
With artificial feeding, the likelihood of underweight is reduced due to the fact that:
- The lactation process is easier;
- The feeding volume is calculated in advance;
- The mixtures contain a large amount of protein.
A sign of underweight is the inconsistency of the data obtained when weighing the child with the established medical standards. In the first month of life, the baby should gain 20 g per day, in the second and subsequent - 30 g per day. If for 2-3 days in a row the baby does not gain weight, appropriate measures must be taken.
Indirect signs of underweight:
- The newborn does not keep up with the interval between feedings.
- The child rarely urinates (less than 6 times a day). This is a sign that his body is not getting enough fluid, therefore, the little one is gaining weight poorly.
- Restless behavior, frequent crying.
Babies who are on HB are more likely to be underweight compared to artificial ones.
What affects the dynamics of weight
Factors that determine changes in infant body weight may be as follows:
- Nutrition for a pregnant woman;
- Parental equipment and physique.
- Premature birth is often the cause of an underweight baby;
- The gender of the child (boys tend to be heavier than girls);
- Poor environmental situation;
- Bad habits of the expectant mother.
Doctor Komarovsky about non-compliance with the norm
The well-known pediatrician, Yevgeny Komarovsky, claims the following: if the newborn gains little weight, but the indicators do not go beyond the tabular, or the deviations do not exceed 10%, there is no reason for concern. Each child is individual, moreover, the development of babies is largely determined by the hereditary factor.
Weight gain with artificial feeding
In this case, the increase in body weight usually occurs somewhat faster than with hepatitis B. The fact is that with IW, the infant almost always receives the same amount of food. This consistency contributes to intense weight gain. By comparison, when breastfeeding, portions can vary significantly in volume.
This feature does not mean at all that the child needs to be transferred from GW to IV as soon as possible or to introduce complementary foods. Such changes can lead to excess weight gain (including obesity), which clearly will not benefit the child's body.
The problem of childhood obesity has long been making itself felt. The reason is that the table of newborn weight created earlier contained overestimated values. Based on this data, doctors advised parents to introduce complementary foods as early as possible, gradually replacing breast milk with artificial formula. New figures were established in 2006. These tables contain a wider range of normal values, below average and above average. In addition, the possibilities of modern medicine made it possible to calculate the body weight gain separately for girls and boys.
Weight gain in a week
In the first month of life, a newborn should, on average, add 100 grams (girls) and 150 grams (boys) per week.
Weight gain for newborns
In the first month of life, the baby adds from 400 to 700 g. Such insignificant indicators are explained by the transition period; in the process, the baby's body must adapt to new conditions that are different from intrauterine conditions. During this time, the baby must acquire new skills and abilities, in particular, breastfeeding and more.
How much weight should a newborn gain a month? During the second and third months of life, the toddler gains from 800 to 900 g. In the next three months, the weight gain is 550-700 g in 30 days. Further, the growth rate decreases and at 7-9 months it varies from 400 to 500 g. By 10-12 months, the child's physical activity increases significantly, which, in turn, requires additional energy. In this regard, the monthly increase is only 250-350 g.
Council. To find out if the weight of a toddler meets medical standards, you can use a body weight calculator.
Weight loss immediately after childbirth
Physiological weight loss occurs in the first ten days after birth. A 10 percent loss in body weight is considered optimal. The maximum value falls on the third day of life. For example, if the baby's birth weight was 3200 g, then the physiological loss would be 320 g.
Physiological weight loss in newborn babies
On a note. Sometimes such processes occur as a result of jaundice or erythema.
The main causes of physiological weight loss are:
- The child drinks colostrum.
- Isolation of original feces.
- Active evaporation of moisture from the skin surface. Before being born, the baby was in the liquid for a long time.
- Drying out of the thick umbilical cord residue.
This process is completely natural, so there is no need to panic and increase the amount of food consumed by the child in the first 10 days. Gradually, the baby will begin to recover, and the dynamics of weight gain will return to normal.
How newborn babies gain weight
For infants, there are certain norms for weight gain, which doctors are guided by to assess the health of an infant. At the upper limit, the standard values can vary significantly, while at the lower limit, they should not deviate. In the first months, babies often add 1-2 kg, while the minimum gain during the same time is 460-500 g per month. If the indicators do not correspond to the lower limit, then we can talk about insufficient feeding and health problems of the baby.
After 6 months, babies become more active, as a result of which energy costs increase. For this reason, weight gain is gradually decreasing.
Weight gain table
This is how much a newborn baby should gain in weight per month.
How much is added in 1 month
How much weight should a newborn gain at 1 month? According to the established norms, boys must gain from 900 to 1300 in the first month, girls from 800 to 1200.
What to do with a bad increase
If the reason is insufficient feeding, you need to start with these steps:
- Offer the child additional food, thereby increasing the amount of food per day.
- Reduce the time between feedings.
- Add night feed to daytime feeding.
In order for the little one to get better, the optimal nutrition should be as follows:
- In the first 6 months, consist of breast milk or formula;
- In the second 6 months, you need to give breast milk or substitute, and add complementary foods (vegetables, fruits, meat).
On a note. It is advisable that the menu includes more protein products. Protein should be 14% of the total diet.
Underweight in the first month
The reasons for this phenomenon can be:
- Low protein in breast milk or powdered formula;
- Improper breastfeeding or improper bottle feeding;
- Interruption of the "meal" by mom;
- The mixture is not suitable for the child;
- Mom had milk stagnation (lactostasis);
- Disease of the newborn, in which the child does not have enough strength to eat;
- Violation of intestinal absorption.
Weight gain as a sign of health
Optimal weight gain and good appetite are essential signs of a child's normal growth and development. That is why WHO experts paid so much attention to creating a table of newborn weight. It is on her that pediatricians are guided during routine examinations of babies.
If the child is sick, weight indicators, as well as other parameters (head circumference, height) may deviate from the norm. In this case, there should be other signs indicating certain pathologies. If the baby is not worried about anything, he feels good and eats normally, then everything is fine with him. If there are significant deviations from the standard values, you should visit a doctor.
So, there are special tables that indicate how much a child should gain weight by months. These data allow you to control the process of growth and development of the baby. To establish the truth, you need to be able to properly weigh the child and compare the results with the numbers in the table. With minor deviations from the norm, you should not worry. If the non-compliance with the standard is obvious, you need to consult a specialist.
