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The infant is gaining little weight. What causes a baby to gain weight poorly while breastfeeding?

The problem called “the child is not gaining weight well” is one of the most burning issues for parents and pediatricians in the entire post-Soviet space. And, in fairness, we note - one of the most "bloated". Because in those countries where, in general, the index of children's health is much higher than in the territory of the former USSR, the baby's weight is not at all considered a direct indicator of the state of his health. If they pay attention to the deviation of the child's body weight from generally accepted norms, then, as a rule, if we are talking about a tendency to obesity.

Let's try to figure out in which case your baby can get a diagnosis of "deficiency in body weight", and when it is worth listening to him, and when you can write him down in the category of "myths and legends of Soviet medicine."

What are the criteria for “correct” weight gain

In 2006, the website of the World Health Organization published new height and weight standards for children from 0 to 5 years old, developed as a result of many years of comprehensive monitoring of 8440 healthy children from different countries. All children in the first months of life were breastfed, received complementary foods in accordance with WHO recommendations. Below we give the weight norms for boys and girls published in these documents.

Note that, although the use of standards published by WHO in medical practice is advisory, not mandatory, in most civilized countries they are at least taken into account. Meanwhile, among Russian pediatricians (and their colleagues from the countries of the former USSR) it is quite common that they have no idea about these new standards, but use tables 30-40 years ago, compiled on the basis of observations mainly of artificial children. Thus, for a six-month-old child weighing 6 kg, such a doctor diagnoses “dystrophy”, although, according to WHO standards, there are absolutely no grounds for this.

Let's pay attention to one more nuance: according to the standards often used in Russia, children up to a year old should gain weight fairly evenly (600-700 g per month) - such data are also given in some training manuals for parents. Meanwhile, such dynamics of body weight gain is also typical for formula-fed babies. If you look closely at the WHO data, you will see that infants “gain weight” most intensively in the first three months (600-700 g per month or more), then their “gains” become more and more modest.

What conclusion can be drawn from all this? Obviously, if your pediatrician believes that your child is not gaining weight well, but at the same time the body weight of the child “fits” into the WHO standards, then no action is needed. It is not required to supplement his formula (if we are talking about a baby), change his diet to a higher-calorie one (if we are talking about a child older than a year), and, moreover, give him drugs to adjust his metabolism. And if everything is formally normal with weight, but subjectively it seems to you or relatives that the child is too thin, take into account the order of one good doctor: “Parents, remember that you are raising a child, not a suckling pig”!

And if the baby is excessively slender even according to WHO standards? Here are the most common causes of underweight (here we do not consider the option when the child is really malnourished - this is no longer a pediatric problem, but a social one).

Option 1. The child is not gaining weight well due to constitutional features.

If the father or mother (or both parents) of the child in childhood were "goal", which was simply unrealistic to fatten, there is a non-zero probability that the children will inherit their constitution. If this is your option, and your child’s body weight deviates somewhat from WHO standards downwards, but at the same time the baby feels good, develops in accordance with age, most likely he has no deviations (if you still doubt, it makes sense consult an endocrinologist). In order for your little one to grow up healthy and strong, walk with him more often, accustom him to physical education, and provide him with a good sleep.

Option 2. Problems with breastfeeding (for children in the first months of life).

In fact, the “mom doesn’t have enough milk” problem is often a figment of the imagination of overly suspicious young mothers who cannot understand why their baby cries often, and write it off as hunger. Meanwhile, the signs of malnutrition in children in the first months of life are often directly opposite: lethargy, drowsiness, low physical activity. If your child has similar symptoms (plus dry skin) - this is certainly a reason to sound the alarm. In addition to your pediatrician, be sure to consult a lactation consultant who will recommend lactation boosters and possibly new breastfeeding tactics (for example, if you have been feeding on a schedule, it would make sense to switch to on-demand feedings, increase the number of nightly attachments, and etc.). You may need to temporarily supplement with formula (consult with experts on how to fully return the baby to the “breast” over time).

Option 3. Metabolic disorders.

This problem can be diagnosed by a number of signs, and insufficient weight gain is just one of them, along with poor health, changes in blood composition, etc. Naturally, this is a serious disease that requires medical intervention.

Finally - a few popular myths about the weight of the child

In addition to purely pediatric “myths”, there are a lot of prejudices regarding weight gain by a child that exist among “experienced” mothers and grandmothers, which they are happy to share with young parents. Here are the most common ones.

1. The baby may not gain weight well because the mother has “empty” milk.

Milk cannot be "empty" - it always contains the substances necessary for the child for full growth and development. In principle, if certain foods are included in the diet of a nursing mother, its fat content will increase slightly, but, as studies show, this does not noticeably affect the weight gain of the child.

2. If a child eats fractionally, and not according to the accepted “breakfast-lunch-dinner” pattern, then he may begin to have problems with weight gain.

In general, this statement is not true: physiologically fractional nutrition is more suitable for the needs of the child, in itself it cannot cause weight loss. Although, if your goal is to “fatten” the child, and not to maintain its weight at an optimal level, then three meals a day of at least two dishes will allow you to do this faster and more efficiently.

3. If a child has a poor appetite, he must be force-fed, otherwise he may bring himself to exhaustion.

In fact, children have a good instinct for self-preservation, and if he has access to food, he will never bring himself to exhaustion. Poor appetite is treated not by forced feeding (this can only aggravate the situation), but by playing outdoors, playing sports, changing the baby's diet.

At the next visit to the pediatrician with the baby, the doctor may state that the child is gaining little weight. There are tables according to which the doctor focuses on the child's weight in accordance with age. However, most pediatricians use obsolete ones that were created with the universal artificial feeding of a child. While in the modern world there is a tendency to popularize breastfeeding on demand. Accordingly, a breastfed baby gains weight differently than its artificial brother.

Norms of weight gain for a child under one year old

Normal birth weight is between 2.5 and 4 kg. If the child weighs less, then he is considered underweight, if more - then large. Often parents wonder how much a child should gain weight. It is believed that on average per month, a child until he reaches the age of six months should gain at least 800 grams per month, from 6 months to 9 months - at least 500 grams. By the year the baby is gaining weight about 300 grams per month.

Why is the baby gaining weight poorly: reasons?

There are a number of reasons why a child is not gaining weight:

  • low levels of hemoglobin in the blood (anemia);
  • the presence of neurological pathology;
  • stressful situations;
  • heredity: in the family of a child, all relatives are distinguished by low weight and a certain type of physique;
  • the baby has worms;
  • diseases of the digestive system (diarrhea or, conversely, frequent constipation);
  • incorrectly introduced complementary foods (introducing it in very large quantities at once).

If the baby is breastfed, then the following number of reasons can be distinguished why the baby gains little weight:

  • the mother has little breast milk;
  • the baby often falls asleep during feeding;
  • an infant does not take the breast well into the mouth and sucks it inactively;
  • monotonous nutrition of the mother;
  • in one feeding, the baby is applied to two breasts, as a result of which the baby simply does not reach the "hind" milk, which is the most nutritious and healthy, and also contributes to weight gain.

In this case, it is important for the nursing mother to learn how to properly attach the baby to the breast so that it is comfortable and convenient for him to eat. And with a lack of milk, drink special tea for nursing mothers, which is called.

If the baby is not gaining weight well, then you can try to change his daily routine.

How do premature babies gain weight?

Babies born prematurely are considered most often underweight and require a special regimen of feeding and care. Premature babies in the first months of life gain weight at a faster rate than their counterparts born at term. It is especially important to feed a premature baby with breast milk, as it contains the entire list of useful microelements necessary for the baby (protein, amino acids, oligosaccharides, antibodies).

A premature baby is usually placed in an incubator where it is fed through a tube. In this case, breastfeeding is excluded. However, it is important for a mother to keep breastfeeding, as it is better absorbed by a premature baby, he gains weight faster and is on the mend.

In order for a premature baby to gain weight, it must be fed as often as possible. However, these children sleep a lot. AT in this case, feeding should take place at the initiative of the mother herself and be as long as possible, since the child is still very weak, and can suckle for a long time. However, the amount of milk eaten may be very small.

It should be remembered that the weight of a baby up to a year is a purely individual indicator, depending on heredity, mother's nutrition, the environment in the family, and the ecological situation. And before sounding the alarm that the child eats poorly and is underweight, it is necessary to consult a doctor and establish the true cause of low weight gain.

In the first seven days of life, the child loses up to 300 grams of total weight, which is due to physiology, and not a sign of something bad. A week after birth, the weight gradually increases, on average, the baby should gain at least 600 grams per month or 150 grams per week. After five months, an increase of 120 grams in seven days is considered the norm. If the child is not gaining weight or the increase has stopped, it is necessary to find the cause and contact the pediatrician.

The baby is not gaining weight - reasons

In most cases, insufficient weight gain lies in nutritional deficiency, so, first of all, you should find a factor that prevents the child from getting enough. It can be a weak sucking, falling asleep to satiety, poor lactation. Consider lactation deficiency in more detail. Why does he appear? During attachment to the breast, the mother's body produces prolactin, which is responsible for the production of nutrition for the baby, as well as the hormone oxytocin, which regulates the release of milk. If there are less than eight applications per day, prolactin is produced poorly -> there is not enough milk -> the child is not saturated and does not gain weight. To remedy the situation, it is enough to feed the baby as often as possible and at night, since prolactin is most active at night.

Signs of a satiated newborn:

1. The breast is soft after feeding.

2. The number of diapers is 8 - 12 per day.

3. Sleep for at least an hour.

Another factor is poor milk flow - the baby is naughty when eating, the meal time takes less than 10 minutes, and his sleep lasts less than an hour. Oxytocin is to blame for this, which is blocked during experiences, depression, and pain. To solve this problem, mom is recommended to use relaxing actions shortly before feeding - a warm bath, calm and deep breathing, physical exercises that relieve tone, if it is pain, consult a doctor about a light and safe pain reliever. When low weight is associated with sluggish suckling, a visit to the pediatrician and neurologist is necessary.

Other reasons why a newborn is not gaining weight well:

  • infectious disease
  • using a pacifier
  • additional soldering with water
  • introduction of complementary foods before six months
  • chronic gastrointestinal problems (diarrhea, milk intolerance, gastroesophageal reflux)
  • mother's low mood or postpartum depression that distracts from the baby's needs
  • cystic fibrosis
  • celiac disease
  • heart diseases
  • endocrine disorders.

The listed reasons should be diagnosed in the doctor's office, and measures to eliminate them should be taken as soon as possible.

How to Fix Bad Weight Gain Fast

There are several simple ways to help your child gain weight faster:

  • co-sleeping - increases prolactin
  • baby massage - improves digestion
  • skin-to-skin contact – enhances maternal hormones
  • offering a second breast only after the first has finished feeding - thus, the child eats both foremilk and hindmilk (hind, more nutritious)
  • breast massage or squeezing during feeding - helps when milk flow is difficult
  • using a breast pump for two minutes before feeding - the child will quickly receive high-calorie nutrition and gain the necessary grams
  • pumping if there is milk left - a study has shown that the fuller the breast after feeding, the lower the fat content in milk.
  • Wake the child when he falls asleep during a meal before he is satiated.

If babies have a small weight gain, the main thing is to calm down! “Your girl is not gaining weight!” - said a strict neonatologist, writing out a referral for hospitalization for me and my two-week-old daughter. I realized that weight gain in babies does not accidentally excite the minds of young mothers. But in the hospital they were not going to treat us for “lack of weight”, since such a diagnosis does not exist. Weight is only a catalyst for the general condition of the baby. My daughter had problems with neurology, weakened muscle tone, and therefore she simply did not have the strength to suckle her breast, she slept for 4 hours without a break during the day and 7-8 hours at night.

In addition to all kinds of medical appointments, the attending doctor said to feed with a mixture and be sure to wake the child to feed. As a result, the daughter confidently began to gain weight.

Weight gain in infants. Only calmness!

The most interesting thing is that after all these tests, I realized that weight gain in infants is not at all a terrible problem that you need to constantly think about, nervously weighing the baby after each feeding. Not at all, I didn’t even buy scales, but only watched how many grams per month my girl was getting bigger and how she felt. In addition, after talking with "colleagues" - young mothers, I realized that each child is individual and it is not entirely correct to bring everyone under the average norm. To one acquaintance, a small and thin lady, who is worried that her baby does not look like a well-fed hamster, the wise doctor said: “Why aren’t you recovering at a fast pace yourself? Yeah, it doesn't work?!"

When should you not worry about weight gain in babies?

When my daughter had a brother, I was calm, I didn’t leaf through magazines anymore, I didn’t sit on the Internet, looking for articles on the topic “Weight Gain in Babies”. Because I knew when to worry and when not. According to all indications, the son was healthy, he suckled his breast with pleasure - on demand. Scales (they were presented to me by colleagues at work) pulled out once a month. Weighing after each feeding is not logical, because once a child can suck out 5 grams, and the other - 100. So why worry in vain? In addition, the child develops in leaps, in 2-3 weeks he can add quite a bit, and then catch up in one week. To the complaints of the local pediatrician - at first that the weight was slightly below the norm, and then that the child was overeating - I just smiled. Indeed, on breastfeeding, a child can gain weight differently than on artificial, and it is impossible to “overeat” mother's milk. After six months, the son began to move a lot and from a plump boot turned into a well-fed baby.

If the child is healthy, and it is impossible to externally determine the cause of a significant underweight, you should consult a doctor and conduct all the necessary examinations.

The reasons why children do not gain weight may be the following:
- worms (they are easy to identify);
- low hemoglobin levels as a result of anemia;
- transferred stress or neurological disease;
- any disease of the gastrointestinal tract (constipation, diarrhea, etc.);
- does not eat "hind" milk more fatty, as it is alternately applied to one or the other breast.

If parents did not gain weight well in childhood, it is likely that this will be inherited by their child.

Another reason for underweight may be low-calorie (empty) milk from the mother, as a result of which it will be necessary to introduce complementary foods into the child's diet. This should be done correctly and gradually in small quantities, since a small body needs to get used to new food so as not to greatly disrupt the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, assimilation and digestion of food.

Also, do not worry if the child is slightly underweight, this may still be due to his mobility, with the expenditure of a large amount of energy during wakefulness.

This is not a reason to worry, because it is not difficult to notice the activity of the child.

How to gain weight quickly for a small child

If the baby is often in a stressful environment, scandals, this can also affect the appetite. The child may simply not eat, refuse food, the mother may lose milk on a nervous basis or become "". Therefore, parents should avoid stress and be less nervous, as this will certainly be passed on to the child, and the consequences can be very diverse (including an unbalanced nervous system in life).

Lack of appetite may indicate reduced immunity, which must be raised to normal. This can be done with the help of special vitamins, food, walks in the fresh air, hardening and more.

It is necessary to create all conditions for the baby to grow up healthy, developed, sociable. Keeping track of his health, nutrition, culture of development is the most basic and important thing that can be done for a full life of a child. At a minimum, care and affection will create a good mood for the baby, which will help prevent a number of certain problems and diseases.