1 to 6 Months Weight Gain Babies usually gain 1 1/2 to 2 pounds and grow 1 to 1 1/2 inches each month during their first four months. During this time, your baby may begin looking chubby.
Infant fatness peaks between 4 and 9 months of age at about 25 percent before it begins a long slow decline.
However, some children do not gain weight at a normal rate, either because of expected variations related to genetics, being born prematurely, or because of undernutrition, which may occur for a variety of reasons. Undernutrition is sometimes called a growth deficit, weight faltering, or faltering growth.
General guidelines for growth
All babies grow differently but there are guidelines for healthy weight gain. A useful guide is that most healthy, full-term newborn babies double their birth weight by 4 months. A boy's weight will triple in about 13 months. A baby girl's weight will triple in about 15 months.
Most breastfed babies will gain weight in a consistent and expected pattern as long as they latch on well and feed often. But if you're breastfeeding and your newborn is gaining weight slowly or inconsistently, they may not be getting enough breast milk.
This could be because the mother isn't making enough milk, or the baby can't get enough milk out of the breast. Or it could be that the baby may have a health problem. Your baby's healthcare provider should assess any instance of poor weight gain. Often a certified lactation consultant can help.
Weight patterns
A newborn will often lose about 5 to 10 percent of their birth weight, but after about two weeks, they will typically start to gain weight and grow quickly.
Healthy breastfed infants typically put on weight more slowly than formula-fed infants in the first year of life. Formula-fed infants typically gain weight more quickly after about 3 months of age. Differences in weight patterns continue even after complimentary foods are introduced.
Chubby cheeks, chubby hands, chubby belly: They make babies so huggable. But that pudgy appeal can quickly become a health concern. “It's normal for a child to slim down between ages 2 and 5,” says pediatrician Roy Kim, MD. “Your child will look their thinnest about the time they start kindergarten.”
This could be because the mother isn't making enough milk, the baby can't get enough milk out of the breast, or the baby has a medical problem. Your baby's healthcare provider should evaluate any instance of poor weight gain. Often, a certified lactation consultant can help.
Baby could be born skinny, perhaps diagnosed as IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) at birth. Or he might have be born normal weight and become progressively leaner during the early months. Genetically lean babies are underweight babies when using medical criteria.
Because of the difference in weight gain, breast-fed infants are generally leaner than formula-fed infants by 12 months of age. Breast-fed infants appear to self-regulate their energy intake at a lower level than consumed by formula-fed infants and have a lower metabolic rate.
Slow weight gain could be a problem if: your newborn doesn't regain their birth weight within 10 to 14 days after their birth. your baby up to 3 months old gains less than an ounce a day. your infant between 3 and 6 months gains less than 0.67 ounces a day.
You can do this by pumping for a minute or two before you begin to breastfeed your baby. By pumping before you breastfeed, you will remove some of the foremilk and your baby will get more of the high-calorie, high-fat hindmilk.
Breastfed infants have a growth pattern different from formula fed infants. They grow more rapidly during the first 1–2 months (mo) and then more slowly—both weight gain and linear growth—in the first years [1,2,3].
Second trimester (14 weeks and 0 days to 27 weeks and 6 days): The time of rapid growth and development. Third trimester (28 weeks and 0 days to 40 weeks and 6 days): The time when the fetus's weight increases and the organs mature so they will be ready to function after birth.
Use breast massage and breast compression during breastfeeding. If you're pumping, use hands on pumping techniques. Pump or hand express for a couple of minutes before nursing. This will remove some of the foremilk so that your baby receives more of the richer, higher calorie hindmilk.
Perhaps one of the most obvious signs of your baby being underfed is that they are gaining weight very slowly. Having thin arms or limbs is normal for every baby, even healthy babies have them at some point too. However, you might need to be more vigilant if their limbs or legs are still skinny as they grow.