Pediatrician wants my daughter to gain more weight...?

Question

My month-old daughter's pediatrician told me that she is not gaining as much weight as she would like to see her gain. She's nineteen inches and 7 lbs, 14 ounces. (She was 7 lbs, 2 oz at birth.) I try to feed her more, but she refuses anything more than 2 1/2 oz. of formula at a time. The doctor said she should be eating between 3 and 4 ounces by now. What's going on? How can I put more weight on her?

I'm worried.

I didn't smoke, drink, or do drugs during my pregnancy (or before, for that matter.) She was born a few days after her due date, but maybe I should've mentioned that she was in the NICU for two days while in the hospital. The nurses described her as "floppy" upon birth.

Forgot to add... she eats every three to four hours. The doctor said she's healthy. Maybe she's just skinny?

Answer 1

I would be worried too. She has not gained very much weight since she was born. My grandson is almost exactly her age - he will be four weeks old in two days and he was 7 lbs. 8 oz. at birth and he is now almost 9 pounds, and he is by no means a big eater or a big baby, and he is breast fed which means he is likely to gain weight more slowly anyway.

I am not a pediatric nutritionist by any means, but I think you need to ask some questions. First, what are you feeding her? Does she need a change in formula? Is she spitting up a lot? Possibly her formula disagrees with her and she needs something different.

Does she sleep through her feeding times? Can you wake her up to feed her more often?

Has your doctor mentioned the syndrome called "failure to thrive" to you? It is not very well understood, but reading about it may help you figure out what might be going on and give you more questions to ask.

I hope these thoughts are of some help to you. I think you definitely need to pursue this issue and ask to have your daughter seen by a specialist who understands infant nutrition and failure to thrive.

Answer 2

I ate like a bird too when I was little I was in the nicu for one week before so it could be related..I would not eat for the nurses though my mother had to come feed me in there because I would not eat at all for the nurses...anyways I also had that problem with my baby for a little while too..she should have been eating four ounces but was only eating two. What I needed to do was coax her to eat the full bottle even if it takes half an hour to an hour. Burp her everytime she pulls off the bottle, then wait a few minutes talk and play with her and then put the bottle again in her mouth, try rubbing the nipple on the roof of her mouth that always works for my girl. Your baby should also have gained back her birth weight by two weeks..that is important..also mabye try different formula..my baby was on good start for one month and didnt gain a single pound i changed her formula to enfamil and she has since put on two lbs. So that could also be a factor. Also babys double their birth weight by six months not by one month as another poster stated.

Answer 3

You can't force-feed a baby. Also, she's only a month old, so there's really no way the doc can follow a growth chart, cause there's nothing there to follow yet.

If he's really worried, he should be trying to figure out why she's not eating more, or why she's not gaining weight from what she is eating.

She gained back all the weight she lost from birth, and more. It seems she should have gained about 1 pound from her brith weight by now. She's gained 12 oz, which is more than 3/4 a pound. So, if anything, she's only 1/4 pound behind.

The only thing I can think of, is to try to wake her up to feed her and see if she'll eat. Try feeding her 15 minutes before you would have normally, and keep adding 15 minutes to the time so that you can squeeze in more feedings during the day.

My daughter was 9lbs 2oz, and at 7 weeks was only 11.5 pounds.

Answer 4

I don't think you have much to worry about. My daughter didn't even weigh 7 pounds at a month old. She was 5 lbs 3 oz when she was born and 4 lbs 13 ozs when we came home from the hospital. If she refuses to eat any more than that, there isn't much that you can do. My daughter was a month premature and is now 7 months old. She came home from the hospital only two days after she was born. Now at 7 months old, she weighs 16 lbs and is very healthy.

If you are concerned with her weight there are a few formulas out there, that is if your not breastfeeding. I breastfed my daughter but because she was premature there was concern with her size so the doctor put her on a high calorie preemie formula before we came home from the hospital. It was made by similac and was called Neosure Advance. It has more calories in it than the regular formulas. If you are concerned try using that formula. She will gain more without trying to force her to eat more. If you are on WIC I know enfamil makes a preemie formula but I'm not sure what they call it.

Because I wanted to breastfeed, I pumped all of my breast milk for two months. Then at her feedings instead of mixing the high calorie preemie formula with water, I mixed it with breast milk and fed it to her in a bottle. That way she was still getting the benefits of my breast milk but was still getting the much needed calories.
Good luck, try not to worry too much. I'm sure your daughter will be fine. It may just be that you will have a petite and healthy daughter.

Answer 5

I'm not sure how to help you with your question, I just was reading through some of the answers and wanted to say something about Lisa S's comment. "Most babies double their birth weight by a month old" that is not true. Healthy babies should double their birth weight by 5 or 6 months of age, and triple it by 12 months of age. I just didn't want you to be worried that your daughter hasn't doubled her birthweight because someone didn't have any research to back up their answer. The other answerers seem to know what they are talking about, I agree that you should go into your doctors office and not leave until they give you an answer as to how you can help your daughter gain weight. Relax, you're doing a good job and I'm sure you will get her to start gaining weight properly, you just need to be consistant with your doctor and if they wont help you then go to another doctor.

Answer 6

I think if your doctor thinks your baby isnt gaining enough weight she should have ordered some tests to rule out any medical problems and to ease your fears. DEFINATELY get a second opinion or harrass this doctor to have some tests done to easy your worries but in the mean time stay calm I am sure she is going to be just fine.
I would definately think about getting a different doctor even after you find out everything is okay because a pediatrician should know how scary saying something like that to a new parent would be and she should have offered you more information.

Answer 7

If all she will eat is 2 1/2 oz of formula at a time, then she needs to be fed more often. Maybe every 2 hours, or three hours.

You need to express this to your doctor, because failure to thrive is a very serious issue with newborns, and her refusing enough food to thrive is of concern.

Was she early? Did you smoke while pregnant? Take medications for nausia, or cold symptoms? Do drugs before you knew you were pregnant, or drink while pregnant? All these things can result in a baby who fails to thrive, and your pediatrician needs to know these things to better know how to encourage your daughter to put on the weight she needs.

I'd take her back in, sit down with your doctor, and really take the time to find out what and how you can get her to put on weight. This is insanely important. She needs that extra weight in order to survive even a cold, and to make sure her nerves and brain have enough fat in order to function. As well as ensure she's growing properly and developing her vital sytems as she should.

A doctor who just sends you home with no clue on how to remedy this issue shouldnt be seen again. If he cant indicate to you how to fix the problem, other than telling you to make her eat, then you need to find a different doctor, or learn to ask questions while youre THERE in the OFFICE.

g'luck!

Answer 8

That doesn't sound bad for a one month old. She's gained 12 oz in one month. I would get a second opinion too, I don't think doctors get too concerned about weight until they are getting older. Babies should be following a curve with regards to weight and height and when they fall out of that curve is when there might be something wrong. You aren't going to get her to eat more than what she is, when she's hungry she'll let you know, and when she's full she'll let you know. Babies should double their birth weight by 6 months.
--Breastfed babies TEND to be a little chubbier than formula-fed babies.

Answer 9

If they're taking a diet, and consuming healthful then do not fear approximately them being too thin. However, if you happen to suspect they've an consuming sickness, or are weight loss program excessively then nutrients aren't the reply, however you do have to cope with the hindrance along with your daughters and deliver your medical professional into the combination too, considering that the medical professional can seem for any headaches induced through the sickness as good as speak for your daughters approximately healthful consuming.

Answer 10

Your doctor just isn't very bright in my opinion. Different babies gain at different times.

Your daughter sounds to be right on track with her weight gain. It takes two weeks on average (despite what they tell you, lol) to gain back their birth weight. After that, it's 3-6oz per week - usually a pound for every two weeks.

Your daughter will eat however much she can take, so don't try forcing it. Each baby is different and numbers are just numbers (unless, of course, she's losing weight, which she isn't!)

You could try a different formula, though. Does she have a bad diaper rash? If so, she may be allergic to diary-based formulas and you could try soy-based. Soy isn't usually recommended because it can have long-term affects on their digestive system, but it's better than giving them something they're allergic to ;)

Keep at it, you sound like you're doing a wonderful job.