Pediatrician Said Baby Is Gaining Too Much Weight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This sounds bizarre, esp based on the amount you’re feeding and the baby’s weight gain, which both seem totally normal. Not a doctor but it sounds like your ped is bonkers. I say this even as someone who thinks a lot of ppl over feed their kids and shove a bottle in their mouths if they make the slightest peep, haha

OP here. I’m sure some do but not us. He his really good with his cues and letting us know he is hungry. We are on a routine and he eats like clockwork after a nap. If he cries during his awake time, we will check other things first. We have only offered the bottle again a handful of times and he has refused it. Those times he just wanted to be held and not play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are you holding the bottle? If you hold it vertically, so that milk is dripping out because of gravity, baby will swallow defensively and may drink more than he really means to. If you hold it horizontally, so milk only comes out through active sucking, baby will drink exactly the right amount for him (assuming no health/medical reasons interfere with his ability to suck).

OP here. My lactation consultant said not to feed like that because baby can get a lot of trapped air and gas. She said that’s a very outdated way of feeding a baby and it’s unnecessary. We hold him pretty high up and feed him normally. We burp him after 2oz and then after 1oz. He lets us know if he is full or wants more. I don’t think 28-32oz is a lot for his age.

My LC said similar and that the newer way to do paced feeding is to just make sure you give breaks when they take pauses but not worry so much about the angle of the bottle. Ie hold baby upright, hold bottle however works for you, and watch for those little pauses and when baby pauses, tilt the bottle down a little to stop the flow.

There are probably other ways but this was helpful to me bc in 2018 I thought I was crazy with my first when holding the bottle horizontally seemed to make her spit up and choke more but everyone was telling me to do it. Haha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This sounds bizarre, esp based on the amount you’re feeding and the baby’s weight gain, which both seem totally normal. Not a doctor but it sounds like your ped is bonkers. I say this even as someone who thinks a lot of ppl over feed their kids and shove a bottle in their mouths if they make the slightest peep, haha

OP here. I’m sure some do but not us. He his really good with his cues and letting us know he is hungry. We are on a routine and he eats like clockwork after a nap. If he cries during his awake time, we will check other things first. We have only offered the bottle again a handful of times and he has refused it. Those times he just wanted to be held and not play.

That’s great, keep it up. They moderate themselves really well if we don’t interfere

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This sounds bizarre, esp based on the amount you’re feeding and the baby’s weight gain, which both seem totally normal. Not a doctor but it sounds like your ped is bonkers. I say this even as someone who thinks a lot of ppl over feed their kids and shove a bottle in their mouths if they make the slightest peep, haha

OP here. We are looking for a new pediatrician. Not only because of this, but he has made rude remarks over our preference to circumcise and me pumping milk.

[Anonymous]

Your baby sounds perfect. I’d ignore the pediatrician and just keep feeding your baby.

[Anonymous]

Find a new pediatrician now.

I have three very tall, muscular, healthy boys who all gained weight that fast. You feed a baby when they’re hungry.

That said, try a pacifier too. Some babies need to suck to relax and some don’t. Make sure he is hungry and doesn’t just want to suck.

[Anonymous]

Get a new ped ASAP. My second kid went from 6 lbs at birth to 30 lbs at a year and my ped never said a word other than "wow someone likes to eat". Babies regulate themselves.

[Anonymous]

I will join the chorus and say "new pediatrician"! When they are tiny you worry if they aren't gaining ENOUGH weight and need to look for an underlying cause, but a baby is really good at regulating and stopping when they are full. Heck, they are still getting on their growth curve! Feed your sweet baby and do NOT take the ped's poor advice to hear.

[Anonymous]

I would get a second opinion. I hate to ask this but are you or your husband overweight? There are a lot of incredibly fatphohic doctors out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would get a second opinion. I hate to ask this but are you or your husband overweight? There are a lot of incredibly fatphohic doctors out there.

OP here. No. We are both very fit. I’m small and fit and my husband is tall and fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much did he weigh at birth and now at 8 weeks?

OP here. He was born at 7lbs 12oz and 20.5in. He was 10lbs 14oz and 22.5in. The pediatrician said weight gain should be 1lb a month and he gained a little over 3. He is fed mostly pumped milk and has a bottle of formula ( 4oz) a day. He eats 7x a day and usually eats 28-32oz. Typically it’s 4oz every 2.5-3 hours and then 6oz at bedtime and the night feed because he sleeps 8 hours and then another 2-3 hour stretch.

Your pediatrician is off their rocker. A 2 month old baby boy that is 11 lbs (as yours almost is) is only at about the 20th percentile for weight. A 7 lb 12 oz newborn is around the 65th percentile. He’s actually at a much lower percentile now - if he were to stay roughly on his birth growth rate, he should be around 12-13 lbs by now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much did he weigh at birth and now at 8 weeks?

OP here. He was born at 7lbs 12oz and 20.5in. He was 10lbs 14oz and 22.5in. The pediatrician said weight gain should be 1lb a month and he gained a little over 3. He is fed mostly pumped milk and has a bottle of formula ( 4oz) a day. He eats 7x a day and usually eats 28-32oz. Typically it’s 4oz every 2.5-3 hours and then 6oz at bedtime and the night feed because he sleeps 8 hours and then another 2-3 hour stretch.

Your pediatrician is off their rocker. A 2 month old baby boy that is 11 lbs (as yours almost is) is only at about the 20th percentile for weight. A 7 lb 12 oz newborn is around the 65th percentile. He’s actually at a much lower percentile now - if he were to stay roughly on his birth growth rate, he should be around 12-13 lbs by now.

Right, exactly!!! I just went and looked in my app and my baby boy went from 7lbs at birth to over 12 lbs by 8 week appt (55%) and my ped was thrilled. He kept gaining weight steadily and has hovered at the 85% since 4 months, where he’s stayed on his curve. Your doctor is an absolute quack, find a new one.

[Anonymous]

Your ped has an eating disorder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much did he weigh at birth and now at 8 weeks?

OP here. He was born at 7lbs 12oz and 20.5in. He was 10lbs 14oz and 22.5in. The pediatrician said weight gain should be 1lb a month and he gained a little over 3. He is fed mostly pumped milk and has a bottle of formula ( 4oz) a day. He eats 7x a day and usually eats 28-32oz. Typically it’s 4oz every 2.5-3 hours and then 6oz at bedtime and the night feed because he sleeps 8 hours and then another 2-3 hour stretch.

Your pediatrician is off their rocker. A 2 month old baby boy that is 11 lbs (as yours almost is) is only at about the 20th percentile for weight. A 7 lb 12 oz newborn is around the 65th percentile. He’s actually at a much lower percentile now - if he were to stay roughly on his birth growth rate, he should be around 12-13 lbs by now.

Right, exactly!!! I just went and looked in my app and my baby boy went from 7lbs at birth to over 12 lbs by 8 week appt (55%) and my ped was thrilled. He kept gaining weight steadily and has hovered at the 85% since 4 months, where he’s stayed on his curve. Your doctor is an absolute quack, find a new one.

My 10 month old was 7 lbs at birth (36%) and 12 lbs 14 oz (70%) at 2 months - no comment other than good job and keep it up. (Although, unlike PP, he hit 5 months and moving and dropped back down to around 25% for weight - his discharge weight - because he is constantly on the go). Find a new doctor ASAP!

[Anonymous]

Joining the chorus of "run". Percentile wise he's on the smaller side. That's nutty to say he should weigh less.