Why is my newborn not gaining enough weight?

Some newborn babies gain a lot of weight in a short period of time. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) child growth standards, boys acquire weight quicker than females. But weight gain can be affected by a lot of other factors.

What can you read in this article? 

• How much weight should a baby gain per month, per week
• Reasons for baby not gaining weight
• How to help baby gain the right weight

How much weight should a baby gain per month

Here are the following general growth guidelines for how much weight should a baby gain per month in their first year, as detailed by the Mayo Clinic:

• A baby may grow 1/2 to 1 inch (1.5 to 2.5 centimeters) per month and gain 5 to 7 ounces (140 to 200 grams) per week from birth to 6 months. By the age of five months, your kid should have doubled his or her birth weight.
• A baby may grow 3/8 inch (about 1 centimeter) per month and gain 3 to 5 ounces (approximately 85 to 140 grams) per week between the ages of 6 and 12. By the age of one year, your baby should have tripled his or her birth weight.

However, keep in mind that babies are different and they all grow differently. Some other babies may not be gaining as much weight as your baby, and it could be otherwise. It’s also important to remember that many healthy newborns go through phases where they stop growing weight or even lose weight. 

If you are concerned that something may be stopping your baby from growing and gaining the right weight, consult your doctor immediately. 

Breastfed baby

For the first three months of life, breastfed newborns gain weight quicker than formula-fed babies.

One possible explanation is that breast milk is a dynamic and ever-changing diet that has the exact nourishment that a baby requires at that time. A formula, on the other hand, is a predetermined combination of elements.

For the same reason, the amount of pumped breast milk given to a baby in a bottle may differ from the amount of formula given to a baby of the same age.

Formula-fed newborns must drink more at each feeding because they require additional calories. Breast milk, on the other hand, will vary in composition and calorie content depending on the demands of the baby.

In the first six months of life, breastfed newborns drink an average of 800 milliliters (27 ounces) of milk every day. As a general rule, feed your breastfed baby on demand to ensure that he or she gets all of the calories and nutrients they require.

Formula-fed baby

After the first three months of life, formula-fed babies gain weight quicker than breastfed newborns.

It’s easy to know how much milk your kid is getting when you’re using a formula. By looking at your baby’s bottle, you can tell how many ounces of formula they’ve consumed.

However, it’s also possible to overfeed your kid unintentionally. This is because, even if your kid is full, you’re more likely to keep feeding until the bottle is emptied. Momma’s eyes are sometimes bigger than the baby’s stomach!

In fact, according to a 2016 study, using a larger bottle to feed formula to your infant can result in faster weight gain in kids under the age of six months.

The weight of 386 two-month-old newborns was measured by the researchers. They discovered that babies who were fed bottles weighing 6 ounces or more weighed 0.21 kilos more than babies who were fed smaller bottles.

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How much should baby gain per week

Breastfed babies have a slight advantage in weight gain shortly after delivery, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but their overall weight gain in the first year is often slower than formula-fed kids.

Physicians use the WHO growth charts as the standard development curve for both breastfeeding and formula-fed kids up until the age of two.

Here’s what you can anticipate on how much should baby gain per week:

Reasons for baby not gaining weight

Your baby’s entire calorie intake must exceed their calorie expenditure in order for them to gain weight. There are three reasons why the desired weight gain might not occur:

1. They aren’t consuming enough calories.
2. Maybe they don’t absorb the calories they do consume.
3. They are consuming much too many calories.

Formula fed baby not gaining weight

Every 3 hours, full-term newborns should consume 1.5 to 2 ounces of breast milk or formula. Premature babies require more calories than full-term neonates. 

Some babies are difficult to feed because they suffer reflux or vomiting during feedings, have trouble remaining awake during feedings, or have difficulty swallowing.

Other kids eat adequate calories but don’t gain weight as quickly as they should. 

These children may have difficulty digesting food and utilizing the calories they are given. Certain digestive problems, such as Celiac disease, food allergies, and diarrhea, might also prevent babies from growing from the food they are fed.

Finally, because they have an increased requirement for calories, some children with failure to thrive consume calories quickly.

Consult your doctor about your formula’s calorie count. They may recommend adjusting the type of formula or the water-to-formula powder ratio.

Make sure you do this under the supervision of a healthcare expert, as mixing the formula with too much or too little water might be harmful to your baby.

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Breastfed baby not gaining weight

When a baby is breastfed, he or she may acquire weight more slowly than expected. This could be due to the mother’s inability to produce enough milk, the baby’s inability to obtain enough milk from the breast, or the baby’s medical condition. 

Any instances of poor weight gain should be evaluated by your baby’s healthcare practitioner. A qualified lactation consultant can also assist. Here are a few tips you can try:

1. Check your feeding schedule.

Keep an eye out for indicators that your baby wants to eat. By rooting, making licking or sucking motions, bobbing his or her head, or placing his or her hand to the face or mouth, your baby should wake up around 8 to 12 times in 24 hours and “cue” to breastfeed. It’s critical that you detect these feeding cues and place your baby at your breast when he or she asks for milk.

2. Experiment and discover the right latching and positioning

Check to see if your baby is latching on properly. You should feel at ease with the latch. The tongue should be under your breast and your baby’s lips should be flanged outward like “fish lips.” A considerable portion of your breast tissue should be in the mouth of the newborn.

3. Your doctor may recommend supplementing

If your healthcare practitioner or a trained lactation consultant recommends it, try an alternative feeding method (IBCLC). There are a variety of alternate feeding methods available, so let them know if one of their suggestions does not “feel right” for you. For any alternative feedings, start with your own expressed milk. I

4. Maintain and increase your milk supply

If you’re unsure whether your infant is properly eliminating milk while breastfeeding, pump your breasts after as many daily breastfeedings as feasible. Many women find that attempting to breastfeed eight times per day is doable and beneficial to their milk production.

Help your baby gain the right weight

Remember that newborns come in diverse forms and sizes, and you don’t need to be concerned as long as your child follows his or her own growth curve. The weight gain of your kid is determined by a variety of factors, including genetics, activity level, and whether you’re breastfeeding, formula feeding, or both.

Don’t be concerned if your baby doesn’t seem to be gaining weight. Consult your doctor and follow his or her suggestions. You should see a difference in a short period of time.

Here at theAsianparent Philippines, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advise or medical treatment. TheAsianparent Philippines is not responsible to those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend to consult your doctor for clearer information.