How much should a newborn gain weight?

Weight gain after the birth of a child is one of the main indicators of its healthy development. Although after the birth of the baby, its weight will initially decrease as the water content of its body changes and it gets rid of pitch, after a few weeks its weight should increase. At each visit to the pediatrician, the doctor carefully weighs the child and records the data in the medical documentation. The baby's weight is compared with the data in the table for the given age and gender of the newborn. Each child is individual and gains weight at its own pace, sometimes the weight gain is slow, sometimes excessive, so comparison is not always a happy choice. What should be the weight gain of the baby per week and how often and how to measure the weight of the baby?

It is advisable to monitor the child's weight gain weekly. According to the WHO (World Health Organization) tables, a newborn should gain approximately 120-250 g per week in the 1st to 2nd month, 70-110 g per week in the 3rd to 4th month, and 70-110 g per week in the 5th to 6th month 35 – 55 g per week. By the end of the 1st month, the baby's weight should be 400 g more than its birth weight, at the age of 6 months the child should have twice its birth weight and in 1 year it should be three times its birth weight. With increasing age, the weight gain is not so significant, because at 6-7 months the child turns from the stomach to the back, and vice versa, at the age of 8-9 months, it starts to climb, which requires more energy.

During the first year of the child, the most significant changes and rapid growth occur, the child develops psychomotor skills, sitting, walking, and learns about the surrounding world. Each child has its own pace of development, but its progress must be monitored and recorded. Although the comparison is not always happy, it is necessary to know if your child reaches the average values for the given age and if he is developing correctly. Only in this way can the doctor find out if it is an individual development or if there is some problem behind the slow weight gain.

If you decide to monitor your baby's weight gain at home, in the first weeks you can do so before and after feeding, so you can see if the baby has eaten enough. If the weight gain develops as expected, it is enough to switch to weekly measurement, which should always be performed on the same day and at the same time. From 3 months, it is sufficient to weigh the child once a month. The measurement is best done in the morning before feeding or in the evening before bathing and feeding.

If you feel that the child is gaining less weight than it should, pay attention to whether he has enough wet diapers in 24 hours, whether he is calm and adequately interested in stimuli, i.e. he is not apathetic. We recommend monitoring whether the child latches well on the breast and sucks effectively. Sometimes it is necessary to increase the number of feedings.

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