4 Month Old Gained 10lbs Since Birth - Pediatrician Concerned

[Anonymous]

I want to preface this by saying I value healthcare workers, and while I do trust that pediatricians have my child’s best interest at heart, I wonder if we would benefit from switching to another pediatrician.

My son was born 12/12/21, weighing 6lbs 14oz and 20 inches. He was weighed on Friday, April 1, weighing 16lbs 12oz and 25.5 inches.

The pediatrician has always told me at 1 month, 2 month, and now at 4 month that he is big for his age and gaining weight too fast. He was born on the small side, but he had gained almost 10lbs in 4 months. My husband is tall and the men on his side are all tall. My family’s side has tall and big men. I think it’s just genetics. We don’t over feed him. He is an active baby and a good sleeper.

I’m tired of being told he is gaining too much weight too fast and that we need to cut feedings.

Do we need to seek a new pediatrician or is this way too much weight gain?

[Anonymous]

Did the pediatrician give you any tips or change of feeding plan? Saying he's gaining "too much weight" sounds kind of meaningless unless he follows up with "cap his intake at 28 oz" or "don't put cereal in his milk" or something concrete. When they're that little it's not like anybody's giving them Twinkies & Mt. Dew, we just feed them when they're hungry and hope they don't fall off the curve.

If he is telling you to make a change and you don't feel comfortable doing what he's suggesting, I'd switch pediatricians. And if he's telling you the baby is gaining too much weight but not telling you how to change that, I'd also switch pediatricians. So I guess my vote is find a new doctor!

[Anonymous]

It sounds like a lot. I’d be asking what the concern is - like why is that bad. Like what’s the big deal. And I’d ask what you’re supposed to do. Let your baby cry from hunger? Once you get answers then figure out if you need a new doctor. Maybe there is a health issue but the doctor would be able to tell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like a lot. I’d be asking what the concern is - like why is that bad. Like what’s the big deal. And I’d ask what you’re supposed to do. Let your baby cry from hunger? Once you get answers then figure out if you need a new doctor. Maybe there is a health issue but the doctor would be able to tell you.

Agree with this! I would also ask if you should be concerned about a hormone imbalance or something — the idea of not feeding a hungry infant is scary to me.

[Anonymous]

Look for a new pediatrician and use him/her as a second opinion at least.

What your current pediatrician said is incomplete and doesn’t make sense. What does he want you to do?

Formula fed, OP?

[Anonymous]

That’s a lot of weight. Maybe the doctor is concerned about metabolic issues if you aren’t over feeding. I was at the other end of the spectrum where my baby quit gaining at all around that age and by 6 months we were seeing pediatric gastroenterologists, endocrinologists, and I can’t recall what all but there were lots of tests being run. I wouldn’t blame the doctor for being careful and wanting to make sure your baby is okay.

[Anonymous]

^^^ETA

One thing I learned is they don’t just look at the baby’s stats by themselves but the growth curve over time. So every time more data is added to that it can be of greater concern to the doctor.

[Anonymous]

So average 2.5lb weight gain a month? Or a little more than half a pound a week? I thought infants (under 3ish months at least) were supposed to gain 0.5oz-2oz a day. Sounds like your baby is averaging a little over an ounce a day. To me that seems within the realm of normal? Also 16lb is in the normal range for a 4mo old baby- is the rate of growth incredibly fast or something? It can't be that fast, with the amount you state the baby has gained total (2.5lb a month) and the fact that the doctor has brought this up at each visit. I'm confused what the issue is honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did the pediatrician give you any tips or change of feeding plan? Saying he's gaining "too much weight" sounds kind of meaningless unless he follows up with "cap his intake at 28 oz" or "don't put cereal in his milk" or something concrete. When they're that little it's not like anybody's giving them Twinkies & Mt. Dew, we just feed them when they're hungry and hope they don't fall off the curve.

If he is telling you to make a change and you don't feel comfortable doing what he's suggesting, I'd switch pediatricians. And if he's telling you the baby is gaining too much weight but not telling you how to change that, I'd also switch pediatricians. So I guess my vote is find a new doctor!

OP here. He eats 32 ounces a day. He eats 5 times day - 4 6oz bottles and 1 8oz bottle. He sleeps 16 hours a day - 11 hours at night and 5 hours for naps.
He is half breastfed ( pumped) and half formula ( Enfamil NeuroPro RTF).

The pediatrician has told me to cut out 4-6oz but he will cry because he is hungry. We don’t put cereal in his milk and he isn’t on any solids yet.

[Anonymous]

My babies all gained about 1 lb a week around that age so I wouldn't be concerned in the slightest. They're all perfectly healthy young kids now. Tall and slender.

[Anonymous]

He's also grown a lot in length though, right? Is the growth proportional?

[Anonymous]

I wonder what kind of formula are you feeding him? A lot of formulas have bad ingredients in them ( corn syrup, sugars etc.). What is your size, are you overweight or your spouse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the pediatrician give you any tips or change of feeding plan? Saying he's gaining "too much weight" sounds kind of meaningless unless he follows up with "cap his intake at 28 oz" or "don't put cereal in his milk" or something concrete. When they're that little it's not like anybody's giving them Twinkies & Mt. Dew, we just feed them when they're hungry and hope they don't fall off the curve.

If he is telling you to make a change and you don't feel comfortable doing what he's suggesting, I'd switch pediatricians. And if he's telling you the baby is gaining too much weight but not telling you how to change that, I'd also switch pediatricians. So I guess my vote is find a new doctor!

OP here. He eats 32 ounces a day. He eats 5 times day - 4 6oz bottles and 1 8oz bottle. He sleeps 16 hours a day - 11 hours at night and 5 hours for naps.
He is half breastfed ( pumped) and half formula ( Enfamil NeuroPro RTF).

The pediatrician has told me to cut out 4-6oz but he will cry because he is hungry. We don’t put cereal in his milk and he isn’t on any solids yet.

If he is crying from hunger, feed him. You're doing everything right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like a lot. I’d be asking what the concern is - like why is that bad. Like what’s the big deal. And I’d ask what you’re supposed to do. Let your baby cry from hunger? Once you get answers then figure out if you need a new doctor. Maybe there is a health issue but the doctor would be able to tell you.

OP here. We have been tested for diabetes and a host of all things that are were all negative at each appointment.

I think he is just going to be big. My husband is 6’1” and his brother is 6’2”. His dad, his uncles, and his grandpa were all over 6ft. I’m petite at 5’2”, but my brother is 6’1”, my grandpa was almost 7ft tall, my moms dad was like 6’8”. I have a nephew who is 17 and he was also a bigger baby. He was almost 6ft by 13 years old. He is 17 and has a football player build. I have a cousin who had a big baby who was 23lbs by 6 months and is now a very tall and skinny 7 year old.

[Anonymous]

No harm in seeking a second opinion.