Pediatrician Keeps Saying Baby Is “ Small”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old was the baby when he was born (gestational age), what weight, how old is he now and what weight now? Is baby doing otherwise ok? What are the body types of mom and dad? How much did you gain while pregnant?

OP here. He was born at 39 weeks and 5 days. Pretty much full term.

Born on 12/8 at 6lbs 14oz and went down to 6lbs 7oz. He regained his birth weight at 2 weeks and then was 8lbs 10oz at his 1 month appointment and 10lbs 12oz at his 8 week appointment today.

He is a happy little guy. He eats 24-32oz/day with the average being 28-32oz of pumped milk and formula. He is very alert and playful as any 8 week old. He smiles now and will “ play” and look around. He does tummy time and can lift his head up but doesn’t last super long though I heard that’s common. He can follow voices and objects. He will stare in the direction and move his head and eyes between objects. He can recognize voices because he will turn his head in the direction of my husband when he is talking or is loud. He does sometimes get startled by loud sudden noises but I heard that is common.

OP here. Forgot to add the rest. I gained 32lbs. I’m 5’1” and 120lbs. My husband is 6’1” and 190lbs. Some of my family is very small and others are big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How small?

OP here.

- Born on 12/8 at 6lbs 14oz. He dropped down to 6lbs 7oz while in the hospital. 19.5 inches.
- 6lbs 14oz at his two week checkup.
- 8lbs 10oz at his 1 month checkup. 20.5 inches
- 10lbs 12oz at his two month checkup today. 22 inches

He is on the small side but he is steadily gaining at each appointment. The pediatrician keeps saying he is small and not in the average 12lbs range as boys his age. She questions how much he eats each day and has suggested we move to high calorie formula or cut breast milk and give more formula.

Your baby is meant to lose weight in the hospital. Your baby is gaining weight as normal. Your pediatrician is an idiot.

OP here. I’m not that good with percentiles but I think he went from the 32nd at birth to 25th at 8 weeks. She is concerned about that.

[Anonymous]

She keeps saying he is small because he is. It’s just a fact. As long as he is growing, which he is, it is ok. However, it’s her job to state facts and being small is one.

[Anonymous]

Okay, your baby is on the small side. It also sounds like your baby is healthy and growing steadily.

Both things can be true.

Keep breastfeeding if you want. (Or stop if you don’t want to— you’re lucky your baby accepts both.) It’s impossible for everyone to have high percentile babies. By definition half of all babies are going to be below the median and half are above. Your baby is perfectly healthy! Let go of trying to make him jump percentiles and enjoy your baby!

[Anonymous]

I would get a second opinion. My first baby was small like yours. He was on his growth curve but always a couple lbs behind. He was super tall though - like 90th percentile for height. The pediatrician never said anything. My second was a big boy going from a 7lbs at birth to 16lbs at 4months. The doctor never said anything. My first is still slightly smaller but he grew a lot in the toddler years.

I had a friend who was told her baby was overweight. He was like 6/7lbs at both and 18lbs at 4months. His dad and all his brothers are football player builds. The kid is now 4 and a super tall and skinny.

I wouldn’t worry unless he’s losing weight. All babies grow at their own pace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, your baby is on the small side. It also sounds like your baby is healthy and growing steadily.

Both things can be true.

Keep breastfeeding if you want. (Or stop if you don’t want to— you’re lucky your baby accepts both.) It’s impossible for everyone to have high percentile babies. By definition half of all babies are going to be below the median and half are above. Your baby is perfectly healthy! Let go of trying to make him jump percentiles and enjoy your baby!

Many parents supplement and baby takes both. It’s not rare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would get a second opinion. My first baby was small like yours. He was on his growth curve but always a couple lbs behind. He was super tall though - like 90th percentile for height. The pediatrician never said anything. My second was a big boy going from a 7lbs at birth to 16lbs at 4months. The doctor never said anything. My first is still slightly smaller but he grew a lot in the toddler years.

I had a friend who was told her baby was overweight. He was like 6/7lbs at both and 18lbs at 4months. His dad and all his brothers are football player builds. The kid is now 4 and a super tall and skinny.

I wouldn’t worry unless he’s losing weight. All babies grow at their own pace.

I am confused. Nothing of what you mentioned (your experience) would warrant a second opinion. Why would you suggest OP get one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would get a second opinion. My first baby was small like yours. He was on his growth curve but always a couple lbs behind. He was super tall though - like 90th percentile for height. The pediatrician never said anything. My second was a big boy going from a 7lbs at birth to 16lbs at 4months. The doctor never said anything. My first is still slightly smaller but he grew a lot in the toddler years.

I had a friend who was told her baby was overweight. He was like 6/7lbs at both and 18lbs at 4months. His dad and all his brothers are football player builds. The kid is now 4 and a super tall and skinny.

I wouldn’t worry unless he’s losing weight. All babies grow at their own pace.

I am confused. Nothing of what you mentioned (your experience) would warrant a second opinion. Why would you suggest OP get one?

I think op’s post at 18:29 is concerning, where the dr is advising her to cut out breast milk and switch to formula. I’d get a second opinion or switch drs over that.

It’s not just that the dr comments that the baby is small, it’s that the dr is qivibg questionable advice for a baby that’s following the growth curve on a lower percentile.

[Anonymous]

OP, my baby is almost exactly the same age as yours and seems to be tracking an identical shaped curve just two pounds heavier. I was really concerned when he dropped from 75th percentile at birth to 64th at one month but my ped was very reassuring, although I guess maybe it’s because my kid has bigger than average? I would get a second opinion before stressing too much or making too many changes to how you’re feeding him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old was the baby when he was born (gestational age), what weight, how old is he now and what weight now? Is baby doing otherwise ok? What are the body types of mom and dad? How much did you gain while pregnant?

OP here. He was born at 39 weeks and 5 days. Pretty much full term.

Born on 12/8 at 6lbs 14oz and went down to 6lbs 7oz. He regained his birth weight at 2 weeks and then was 8lbs 10oz at his 1 month appointment and 10lbs 12oz at his 8 week appointment today.

He is a happy little guy. He eats 24-32oz/day with the average being 28-32oz of pumped milk and formula. He is very alert and playful as any 8 week old. He smiles now and will “ play” and look around. He does tummy time and can lift his head up but doesn’t last super long though I heard that’s common. He can follow voices and objects. He will stare in the direction and move his head and eyes between objects. He can recognize voices because he will turn his head in the direction of my husband when he is talking or is loud. He does sometimes get startled by loud sudden noises but I heard that is common.

https://www.infantchart.com/

I have him going from 32nd percentile at birth to 24th now. He didn't gain enough between 1 month and 8 weeks but that is only one weight. Too early to get excited over. He's not *super* small.

[Anonymous]

My son (now doing well in college) was always exceedingly small and throughout childhood our pediatrician would bring this up repeatedly - sent us to various specialists none of whom ever found anything amiss.

I sort of got the impression it was a liability issue - we might sue her for not doing anything about his small size.

[Anonymous]

Is the doctor informing you that he is small and below average on the curve? Statistically almost 50% of children are smaller than average. So the doctor may just be informing you of that fact. He is smaller than other boys his age.

Is the doctor concerned that he is losing weight or not gaining weight? Is he staying on his curve? Like maybe he’s 15% and staying there? Or has he dropped from 15 to 10 to 5%.

I can’t tell from your OP if the doctor thinks there is a problem or if you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he is on his curve try not to stress. I stressed for a few years, before finally concluding she was always going to be in the 2nd percentile. 14 years later she still is.

I did eventually a second opinion, as I felt I was being put at fault each visit. New Dr. takes one look at me "hmm think it could be genetics?"

Same here, with my first DD who was and is 5th percentile height/10th weight. She's 6. Perfectly healthy, just very petite. I was also very petite as a child, so it is definitely genetics at play for us. Fortunately, we have a very reassuring pediatrician who has always stressed that this is not an issue, since she is consistently on her growth curve
2nd DD has always been 50th percentile height/weight. Takes after DH.

[Anonymous]

I'm 5'0 tall and my DH is 6'1. My daughter started off at the 75 percentile for height and 50 for weight. I was high fiving myself for beating the short gene in my side of the family. Well, my DD slowly slid down to the 12th percentile for height and 25th for weight and has stayed there. The doctor never saw an issue because she was gaining weight and inches each visit and never stalling. My doctor said that the height for babies are typically off as the measurements at that age aren't precise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the doctor informing you that he is small and below average on the curve? Statistically almost 50% of children are smaller than average. So the doctor may just be informing you of that fact. He is smaller than other boys his age.

Is the doctor concerned that he is losing weight or not gaining weight? Is he staying on his curve? Like maybe he’s 15% and staying there? Or has he dropped from 15 to 10 to 5%.

I can’t tell from your OP if the doctor thinks there is a problem or if you do.

OP here. The pediatrician has said at 1 month and 2 month checkup that he is small and not on par with the average weight for a boy. He gained almost 4lbs in 2 months and she said that was a “ slow weight gain”. Technically he gained about 4lbs in 6 weeks once he regained his birth weight.

He is steadily gaining but the doctor has said he is too small. She has asked both times how much he is eating everyday. I switched from nursing to pumping at 1 month when she said he was small. I was worried he wasn’t getting enough or my breast milk wasn’t fatty enough. I switched to supplementing - even though I make enough to feed him with breast milk - at 7 weeks because I was still nervous. She has suggested giving more formula instead of breast milk or switching to a higher calorie formula. She also suggested we offer another feed throughout the day. He eats 7 times and she said to feed him 8 times.

I feel like he is gaining, sleeping well, and is developing normally.