Hello-
I am new here, but am soooo glad to find this sight. my son was born 36 wks due to IUGR. he was born 6/6/09 and weighed 4lbs 2 oz original due date was 7/1/09....he was in the NICU for 8 days and we brought him home June 14! :) at the hospital he was eating about 50cc's every 3 to 3.5 hrs. he ate well for those nurses...he seem to gain and oz or more a day---after we brought him home he seem to not wanna eat like at the hospital. we have taken him to the ped many times for weight checks, (and his orignal appointment he was fine, just "small" I now HATE that word) ne way---his first appointment weight was great he left hospital on the 14th at 4lbs 7oz, that tues the 16th he was 4lbs 13oz! Great! then a wk later he was only 5lbs---only gained like 3 oz in about 5 days. so dr wanted him to come back a wk ago today and he was up to 5lbs 3oz,,,,today i put him on our bathroom scale lol, I am sooo anal, and it only said 5lbs 6oz!
his eating is ok...he will take 40cc's easy, but sometiems he wants more, others he fights to just get to 40ccs...our ped said he should have 24 oz a day...we r no where near 24oz..our nicu discharge papers say every 3 our min is 40cc's and ever 4 hrs min is 55cc's. so that would only put him at 10-11oz max a day....but the ped wants 24oz? thats a big difference....so far today he has had about 7.5 oz, in about 5 feeds---I just feel like his weight gain is REALLY slow--he is NOT losing thank God---I just am freaking out a bit and no one gets it! I think he should be gaining more....I am doing neosure 3-4 feeds and breastmilk in a bottle--he does fine with the dr brown bottles too. i am just frustrated--he has wet diapers and 3-4 bms a day----please, any advice is great!
Tasha
Already a member? Sign in
Welcome to Inspire!
What - Inspire is a place where you can connect with people who share your health concerns and find information and advice in groups sponsored by organizations you know and trust.
Why - As a member you can use Inspire to let friends and family know how you're doing, contact others who share your health concerns, receive personalized updates and information about participating in surveys and clinical trials, and more.
How - Joining Inspire is completely free and usually takes less than a minute. Join now!
concerned about weight gain--advice?
- By kiarasam06
- Posted July 3, 2009 at 3:09 pm · 5 replies
- In Growing up and education
- Shared with the public
5 replies
- Oldest first
- Newest first
- By mygirlsmom
- Posted July 3, 2009 at 3:45 pm
- Report post
To be honest, if he's not losing weight and still gaining, that is great news. he is on his own growth chart right now, so your pediatrician insisting on 24 oz. seems a bit strange to me. Not to mention, he's only a few weeks old, and a preemie to boot! Now, my girls were 30 weekers, but when we brought them home they were at 35 weeks, and were taking about 50 cc's per meal, every 4 hours, and still gaining. Sounds like he is doing great. You may want to look at a new pediatrician. We got a list from the hospital of doctors they recommended, and saw 4 doctors in the practice before we settled on ours.
FYI: My girls were eating 24 ounces a day starting at 4 months!
- By kiarasam06
- Posted July 3, 2009 at 4:09 pm
- Report post
Thank you! I worry about him so muchand this ped doesn't help. I just can't picture his tiny belly holding 24oz. May look into a new ped!
- By Reagansmom
- Posted July 3, 2009 at 4:24 pm
- Report post
In my "what to expect the first year" book it says that "as a general rule, infants under six months should be taking 2 to 2 1/2 oz. of formula per pound of body weight over a 24 hour period, until they start solids. It also says that "as long as your baby is gaining enough weight, is wetting and dirtying enough diapers, and is happy and healthy, you can be sure you're on target".
I agree with mygirlsmom, 24 oz at his age and weight seems like way too much. If you go by the 2-2 1/2 oz. per pound equation then at about 5.5lbs that would be about 14 oz. a day max.
Maybe your doctor has other reasons for wanting your son to take more formula but it sounds like your son is right on track with formula intake. I get upset when my daughter doesn't eat and everyone tells me, "she will let you know when she is hungry" they say that if you push the bottle then they might get an oral aversion to it.
I am no doctor, so don't take my word for it, but I thought I would let you know what my book says, and I refer to my book as the "Baby Bible" : )
- By mygirlsmom
- Posted July 3, 2009 at 5:04 pm
- Report post
I agree - also remember, that TOO much formula can result in bad reflux too, so as long as he's gaining and seems satisfied, there is no reason to overdo it - He's only 4 weeks old!
- By kiarasam06
- Posted July 3, 2009 at 5:54 pm
- Report post
Thanks! u all make me feel MUCH better! Just wish he would gain a bit more
Add to the discussion