How much weight should the baby gain each month?

When families go to the pediatrician's office, they always ask if the baby has gained weight since it is a sign that everything is going well. 

The obsession with "percentiles" can sometimes cause anxiety over poor weight gain. However, you should not get obsessed and if you have concerns, it is best to go to the pediatrician.

How much weight should the baby gain each month?

Weight gain is something that generates great anxiety among families. How much weight have you gained? But isn't it too light for such a long time? What's happening to him that's sticking in my ribs? These questions are very common in pediatric consultations and although they may make us smile when imagining the situation behind them, they have a background of anguish and anxiety.

When a newborn goes for his first evaluation with the pediatrician 48 hours after discharge from the hospital, he will be examined, weighed, and analyzed in depth. However, only one aspect seems to be the focus of the visit: weight. All newborns usually lose up to 10% of their weight in the first days of life, regaining their birth weight approximately 10 days after birth. This is somewhat more striking in breastfed infants, but if we observe that they urinate frequently and poop frequently, it will mean that everything is fine. Yes, even if they have not regained their birth weight by 10 days of life.

What happens in the first months?

• According to the general rule, during the first semester, they gain about 600 grams per month and during the first year, they usually grow 25 cm. Between zero and twelve months the highest growth rate of a lifetime occurs.
• However, in practice, reality holds many surprises: sometimes children gain 350 grams in just seven days and in the next seven days they gain only 100.
• Breastfeeding or milk production has nothing to do with these oscillations. Children do not gain weight constantly but with ups and downs. For this reason, it is recommended to weigh them once a month and not every week. So you don't have to worry or go to the pharmacy daily.
• And if they take a bottle, you have to be very careful not to force the baby to finish it all: they stop when they are full.
• The instructions for preparing powdered milk must be followed in the letter . It is counterproductive to overdo it with water or powdered milk because we run the risk of the baby ingesting a quantity of fats, proteins, etc. inadequate for her organism or that she is fed insufficiently.

What happens after 6 months?

From the sixth month onwards, the weight gain is not as marked although the size continues to increase considerably. At this stage, it could be said that the baby "gets slimmer" and gives the impression that he has lost weight when in reality he is not gaining as quickly.

At 6 months, complementary feeding begins and therefore nutrition takes a huge turn since the variety of foods the baby eats is much greater. Here the weight variations will be even more striking, but as we have already mentioned, what will indicate that a baby is adequately nourished are frequent feces and urine in addition to adequate psychomotor development.

If we look at the growth charts, the exponential rise is observed in the first months and then the curve flattens out with much more moderate growth.

When should I worry?

If any of these situations appear, do not hesitate to consult with your pediatrician :

• Refusal of food
• Persistent vomiting
• Smelly, pasty stools ( celiac disease )
• Delay in psychomotor development
• Persistent weight stagnation