infant weight gain concern - need advice

So as I've posted before, DD is a big eater...always seems to be hungry and I have to actively limit her to 35 oz per day. She is only 7 weeks old.

At her 1 month appointment, she was 11 pounds, which was a gain of 3 pounds since leaving the hospital. The doctor said that was OK even though the normal average is 1 - 2 pounds per month. Well now, only 3 weeks later, we weighed her at home and she is 14 pounds.

Should I be concerned that she is gaining too much too fast? I am not concerned right now about obesity as I know once she starts moving more it will even out, however, she is still so young that I am concerned about what her heart and lungs can handle!

Anyone have similar issues with their child? TIA.

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

DS #1 was a BIG eater like this. Around 2.5 months he was drinking an 8 oz. bottle every couple of hours far exceeding the recommended 40 oz. max per day. My ped had me drop him back to 6 oz. and add a tsp. cereal to his bottles.

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

dd gained very fast too. she was a preemie and weighed 5lbs 15oz when she was born. by her first appointment she was in the 95th percentile for weight and the 75th for height.

honestly i wouldn't worry. their weight gain evens out eventually. i wouldn't limit feedings either. i think if a baby is telling you they're hungry, they're hungry. you can't really overfeed at this age.

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

My DS went home from the hospital at 7lbs 2oz...

At his 2 month appointment, on the day of his 2 month birthday, he weighed 14lbs 7oz...

He was a big eater and a fast grower...

Now at almost 2 1/2 he is still a big boy height wise...but he's very slender....

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

ds gained 4 lbs a month for the first 6 months.... we never limited how much he drank... started food at 4 weeks as well... however his height was even faster then his weight... if they are going up proportionately i wouldnt worry

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

DD gained weight ultra quickly and was always hungry! She's now 13 months and has consistently been in the 90-95% percentile for weight and height...I wouldn't worry, they all grow at different rates...DD was born a peanut and just balooned out starting the first month..I believe the first month she gained a lot and that just kick started her...

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

Eliza was consistently in the 95-99th percentile for weight until she started walking. Now she's still 95th fopr height, but 75th for weight.

She's still a huge eater.

Message edited 1/20/2010 7:40:33 PM.

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

DS was a big eater and always in the 95% for his height and weight...we never limited his food intake. He was REALLY chubby as a baby. Rolls on rolls on rolls.

He is now 2.5 and has thinned out and is a skinny little thing.

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

This sums up my concerns as well. DS is downing his 6 oz bottles and still hungry for more. He eats every 3-4 hours during the day, but doesn't wake up for a middle of the night feeding anymore. So he eats about 36 oz a day, which I think is a lot for an 8 week old. He screams and cries hysterically for food if we try to stretch his feedings or if we don't feed him enough in a sitting. I just hope I am not doing wrong by him.

He weighed 6 lbs, 3 oz at birth and at his one month appt, he was up to 9 lb, 14 oz! I weighed him on our scale the other day and he was up to 11.2 lbs.

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

What does your ped say? Honestly I would be concerned also.. I am so afraid to pass on the "gene" to my DD.. this is the main reason I am bfdng for this long.. I am very afraid of that.. If this is normal and ok by your ped than your ok... but I personally understand why you would be concerned..

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

My Ds just went for his 2 month check up and was 14lbs 4 oz, i myself was concerned but my dr said to not worry about it yet. One reason was bc ds is almost 26 inches long ( he isnt even the % chart for height) and secondly he said most babies start to level off the older and more active they get.

Re: infant weight gain concern - need advice

I called my pediatrician again and left a message, I'll update later as to what he says. Thanks for the replies.