Is it normal for a child to only put on 6 pounds since birth and is 7 months old??

Question

My friends son was 10 pounds even at birth, he is now 7 months old and has only put on 6 pounds since. He is so tiny. My son was 9 pounds 1 ounce at birth and he was the same weight as my friends baby when he was 3 months old. I don't feel this is a good weight gain, the mother refuses to feed him anymore than 4 ounces of formula every 4-5 hours and he is not on any kind of baby food or cereal yet. How can I politely tell her that her baby could potentially be underweight. He is 27 inches right now and was 22 1/2 at birth. What do you all think as parents. Her pediatrician has also advised her that her son is in the lower percentile for kids his age in the weight area. I feel like I should take the poor kid out for a happy meal ( just a joke ). How do I approach her about this in a nice way without offending her?

****SERIOUS ANSWERS ONLY ****

See I do think this is wrong because as I said my son was 9lbs 1oz at birth and then at three months old he was about 17 pounds or so and then by the time he was 6 months old he was 22 pounds he was a little porker lol. He was eating 7 ounces of formula by the time he was 3 months old and he got the point where he was eating so much that he needed to be put on solids early (per the recommendation of his pediatrician ) But since he started walking he is back down to 26 pounds but he is in the higher percentile for kids his age.

Answer 1

Wow. I would say something needs to be done. My third son was an ounce shy of 9 pounds at birth and he weighed 20 pounds at 4 months and 30 pounds by 1 year. While it sounds big..as you know, they SHOULD have doubled their birth weight by 4 months and tripled it by a year. Your friends baby IS underweight and I am very surprised that her son's pediatrician has not said something. Is he aware that she won't feed him solids and is only giving him restricted amounts of formula? In my opinion, this is neglect...maybe not on purpose, but it is neglect just the same..she is starving her poor baby!! You need to do something...talk to her son's pediatrician...or find some material online about how much a baby his age should be eating a day and print it out and give it to her. Although she could still refuse to follow your advise..I would still go to the ped. He needs to be aware of what is going on, so that if the baby doesn't start putting on weight, someone else may need to step in. I would THINK the DR. would wonder why the baby has been going down on his growth curve...and why he was born top of the percentile and now in so low? You need to do something for this child's sake! If the Dr. doesn't care, call social services!

The more I think about this, the more I think you should do something ASAP. It isn't about letting someone "be their own mom" or that sort of thing. This is about putting a baby on a diet, and having it go from the top of the percentile at birth to the low because the mom is restricting it's food. This is mentally and physically harmful to this child, which is neglect and abuse. Whether just from ingorance, or what, I don't know. I just don't see how, as a mom, she would NOT be concerned. My middle son has some health issues...he was born at 8# 7 oz..I nursed him for 10 months..and when I stopped nursing him, he almost quit gaining weight. He went from the 85%tile to the 15%tile in 6 months! And I was offering him everything. His ped and me were very concerned and we got him on super high calorie shake mixes, that were 8oo calories each and he was drinking 3 of these a day, until his growth curve began to improve and he got into the 20%tile. The whole time, I was worried sick over my baby. The Dr. never knew why this happened to him..he is still thin, but is actually in the 35 %tile now at 10 yrs old. I tried to do everything I could to get him to gain weight.. How could this mom not worry.....she needs help..maybe mental..but someone needs to step in for the sake of this baby!!!

Answer 2

I don't know what the gain scale is for newborns, but I know weight gain is expected at a regular rate.The birthing process is a trauma to a babe and the weight gain ensures that the babe is thriving.Babies are NOT meant to be put on diets, they must have nutrition to continue to grow and progress. You are right to worry and your friend should listen to her Doctor...in order to develop to the babe's full potential a certain amount of nutrients are required, she is in effect endangering the baby if she doesn't follow her Doctor's instructions.Maybe a discussion in a group of new Moms would help diplomatically to advise your friend before her baby's health is jeopardized. Failure to thrive is a serious matter for babies, and if its not addressed quickly, the child is not only in danger of ill health but could die. If all else fails there is always Child Welfare Services to intervene if your friend does not act in a responsible manner

Answer 3

It is really up to the pedistrician to advise her on what to do. Sometimes it is better not to say anything and let her work it out herself. I know, as a parent of a 4 month old that is annoys me when people (who are just trying to be helpful) offer advice over and over again. Although I don't think that feeding ever 4 to 5 hours is correct. I feed my daughter at 7am, 11am, 2.30pm, 5pm, 7pm and then just before bed and that was what I worked out with my maternal health nurse (I breastfeed so I am unsure of exactly how much she feeds each feed - bit she is a little bit of a piggy).