Regulations 

Average birth weight of a child. Weight gain in breastfed newborns

Doctors never pay so much attention to a person's growth as at birth and during the first year of life. Because for a newborn baby, this indicator is very important. It allows you to indirectly judge the well-being of the prenatal period of the baby's life and his health at the time of measurement. But apart from other parameters, this one is never evaluated.

As soon as the baby is born, doctors measure its weight, length, head and chest circumference, and this data is recorded on the card. Then, during the year, the mother is obliged to come to her district pediatrician every month, who, among other things, will also re-measure the baby and enter new data into the card, comparing the results obtained with the previous ones and with each other. It is the correspondence of all these measurements to each other at a certain age of the infant that is the main criterion for assessing his well-being. Pediatricians call this development harmonious. Each of the physiological parameters separately, in and of itself, does not matter much, because we are all different (thin, round, big-headed, tall, stocky, etc.), and this is quite natural.

Meanwhile, the correspondence of the child's height to his weight and age is of the greatest importance. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that very often measurements made in the delivery room may be inaccurate due to the presence of a generic tumor on the baby's head, increased muscle tone in the limbs and other factors. You should not try to measure the body length of the crumbs yourself - entrust this to the local nurse, because you can also get inaccurate data.

Growth of a newborn and a child up to a year by months

We immediately draw your attention to the fact that you cannot measure everyone by one yardstick. The length of our body can be influenced by various factors, determining among which are heredity (one should hardly be surprised at the small body length of the baby, if his mom and dad were also born short) and anatomical features (even small parents can grow a "big man").

Nevertheless, pediatricians and neonatologists still use tables, formulas and other methods to determine the "norm" of newborn growth. On the basis of average statistical data, it is customary to consider the normal body length of a full-term baby at birth to be within 46-56 cm.In a six-month-old child, it reaches 66 cm on average.Proceeding from this, a simple formula was created for determining the growth of a newborn by months:

  • from 1 to 6 months: 66 - 2.5xN (number of missing months);
  • from 6 to 12 months: 66 + 1.5xN (number of additional months).

This is a very convenient and simple way, but you cannot be guided by the calculations performed by this method, since it does not take into account the child's body length at birth.

The growth of a newborn baby in the table can be expressed as follows:

Growth of a newborn baby: centile table

Not all babies grow equally quickly, but during the first year of life they gain quite a lot in length, and on average these increases are 25 cm in 12 months, and the fastest, as can be seen from the table, babies grow in the first 3 months. The most active, according to scientific research, the growth processes in children occur at night, in the summer.

Most likely, you will agree that if you bring together, say, 100 children of the same age, then the differences between each other in height will be noticeable, if not significant. Moreover, boys and girls of the same age often have different heights or body lengths.

It is on this principle that the World Health Organization (WHO) compiled centile tables. Specialists "divide" newborns by height into 7 conventional categories:

1 - very low;

2 - low;

3 - below average;

4 - medium;

5 - above average;

6 - high;

7 is very high.

Centile tables of the average height of newborn boys and girls are very convenient and are widely used in pediatric practice.

Deviations from the norms in the growth of the child

As a rule, the height and weight of the newborn are always assessed together. Based on the data obtained, the Quetelet index is calculated - the correspondence of body weight to its length. To do this, divide the weight in grams by the height in centimeters. The result will be normal if it is between 60 and 70. But this method of assessment is applicable only to full-term newborns.

In addition, the circumference of the baby's head and chest must be taken into account. By and large, the only thing that matters is the dynamics in the change of these indicators and their correspondence to each other.

Experts say that normally a child's height may differ by 4 cm from generally accepted indicators in either direction. Excitement, perhaps, can only be caused by cases when the baby is very short or very tall: such extreme indicators are normal for only 3% of all children. In other cases, there are violations or pathologies.

But if you visit a pediatrician every month and undergo a medical examination, which determines the normal development of the baby, then there is no reason for worry.

By the way, there is a formula for calculating the approximate height of a child in the future, in adulthood. To do this, add up the height in centimeters of both parents, and reduce the result by 5 - for girls, or increase by 5 - for boys. If interested, you can count.

Especially for - Larisa Nezabudkina

At the pediatrician's appointment, each baby under one year old is monthly weighed and measured. Why is it so important for doctors to know how a child is growing and how much weight is he gaining? What do these parameters indicate, and what are the anthropometric norms for children of different ages?

Where did the weight and height indicators for children come from and why are they needed?

The anthropometric data of a child are one of the main indicators of the physical development and health status of children. Significant deviations from the normal values ​​of height and weight in a child almost always indicate the development or presence of certain diseases. So, if a child under one year old with sufficient nutrition gains weight poorly, then this may be one of the symptoms of rickets, anemia, immunodeficiency states, diseases of the endocrine or central nervous systems.

A significant lag in growth may indicate a lack of growth hormone somatotropin in the body, and a clear excess weight with normal growth and proper nutrition may indicate disruptions in the work of the adrenal glands, thyroid gland, and even the development of a brain tumor.

In order to detect and begin to treat such formidable diseases in time, doctors carefully monitor the anthropometric indicators of children from birth. The development standards are drawn up by the World Health Organization based on many years of research. In addition to the average normative indicator for each age, the boundaries of the norms are also calculated. Weight and height above this limit is considered high, and below it is considered low. It is for such children that doctors begin to observe especially closely.

WHO table of height and weight for girls under 1 year old

According to the norms, a healthy full-term girl is born with a height of 49.2 cm and weighs 3,200 grams. This is the average. The lower limit of the norm for a newborn is a height of 47.3 cm and a weight of 2.800 grams, and the upper limit is located at values ​​of 51 cm and 3.700 grams, respectively. Values ​​outside the lower and upper limits of the norm are marked as very low or too high. Doctors will observe such a newborn and, possibly, additionally examine.

In the first month, the newborn should grow 4.5 cm and gain a kilogram. The lower limits of the norm for a month-old girl will be 51.7 (height in cm) //3.600 (weight in grams), and the upper frames - 55.6 // 4.800.

Normal indicators for a two-month-old baby: 57, 1 cm and 5.100 gr. The lower limit of the norm: 55 // 4.500, and the upper one - 59.1 // 5.800.

By the age of three months, girls grow up to 59.8 cm and weigh 5.900 grams. Indicators less than 57.7 // 5.200 are considered low for a three-month crumb, and indicators more than 61.9 // 6.600 are considered high.

Average height and weight for a four-month-old girl: 62.1 cm and 6.400 gr. The lower limits of the norm are 59.9 // 5.700, the upper frames are 64.3 // 7.300.

By the age of five months, girls should grow up to 64 cm and weigh 6.900 grams. Low indicators - parameters less than 61.8 // 6.100. Indicators 66.3 //7.800 are the upper limits of the norm for a five-month-old girl.

Age 6 months is considered an important milestone in a child's development. A six month old girl should grow up to 65.7 cm and weigh 7.300 g. The lower limit is 63.5 // 6.500, and the upper limit is 68 // 8.300.

A seven-month-old baby grows up to 67.3 cm and weighs 7.600 grams. Indicators less than 65 // 6.800 are considered low, and indicators exceeding 69.6 //8.600 are considered high.

At eight months, the norms are: height - 68.83 cm, and 8 kg - weight. The lower limits of the norm: 66.4 // 7000, and the upper ones - 71.1 // 9000.

By nine months, the growth should be 70.1 cm, and the baby should weigh 8.200 grams. Low indicators at this age are values ​​less than 67.7 // 7.300, and high indicators are more than 72.6 // 9.300.

According to the norms, a ten-month-old baby should be 71.5 cm tall and weigh 8.500 grams. The lower limits of the norm for ten months are 69 // 7.500, and the upper limits: 74 // 9.600.

By the time she is eleven months old, the girl normally grows to 72.8 cm and weighs 8.700 grams. Indicators less than 70.3 // 7.700 are considered low. Indicators exceeding 75.3 // 9.900 will be high.

By the age of one year, according to the norms, girls should grow up to 74 cm and weigh 9.000 grams. The lower limit of the norm is considered to be the parameters 71.4 //7.900, and the upper one: 76.6 // 10.100.

WHO table height and weightfor boys under 1 year old

Guidelines for boys differ from those for girls, as boys are usually born slightly larger. So, a healthy full-term newborn boy is usually born with a weight of 3.300 grams and a height of 49.9 cm. These indicators are considered the norm. The lower limit of the norm for a newborn is a height of 48 cm and a weight of 2.900 grams, and the upper limit is at values ​​of 51.75 cm and 3.900 grams, respectively.

For the first month, the baby should grow by 4.8 cm, and gain 1200 grams. The lower limits of the norm for a month-old boy will be 52.8 (height in cm) // 3.900 (weight in grams), and the upper frames - 56.7 // 5.100.

Normal indicators for a two-month-old toddler: 58, 4 cm and 5.600 gr. The lower limit of the norm: 56.4 // 4.900, and the upper one - 60.4 // 6.300.

By the age of three months, boys grow up to 61.4 cm and weigh 6.400 grams. Low indicators will be parameters below 59.4 // 5.700, and high indicators will be indicators above 63.5 // 7.200.

Average height and weight for a four-month-old boy: 63.9 cm and 7000 gr. The lower frames of the norm are 61.8 // 6.300, the upper frames are 66 // 7.800.

By the age of five months, the boy should grow to 65.9 cm and weigh 6.900 grams. Low indicators - parameters less than 63.8 // 6.100. Indicators 68 //7.800 are the upper limits of the norm for a five-month-old baby.

By six months, the baby should grow to 67.6 cm and weigh 7.900 grams. The lower limit is the indicators 65.5 // 7.100, and the upper limit is 69.8 // 8.900.

A seven-month-old boy grows to 69.2 cm and weighs 8,300 grams. Indicators less than 67 // 7.400 will be considered low, and indicators exceeding 71.3 //9.300 will be considered high.

At eight months, the average for a boy is: height - 70.65 cm, and 8.600 grams - weight. The lower limits of the norm: 68.45 // 7.700, and the upper -72.85 // 9.600.

By nine months, the baby's height should be 72 cm, and he should weigh 8.900 grams. Low indicators will be less than 69.65 // 8.000, and high - more than 74.3 // 9.900.

A ten-month-old boy should normally be 73.3 cm tall and weigh 9.200 grams. The lower limits of the norm at this age are 71 // 8.200, and the upper limits: 76 // 10.200.

By eleven months, the baby normally grows to 74.5 cm and weighs 9.400 grams. Indicators less than 72.2 // 8.400 are considered low. Indicators exceeding 76.8 // 10.500 will be high.

In a year, according to the norms, boys should grow up to 75.8 cm and weigh 9.700 grams. The lower limit of the norm is the parameters 73.5 //8.700, and the upper one: 78 // 10.800.

Height and weight chart for girls from 1 to 10 years old

The growth of children begins to slow down as soon as the babies turn one year old, therefore, for children from one year to three, the norms are no longer determined monthly, but every three months. For children from 3 to 7 years old - once every six months, and for children aged seven to ten years old - the norms change once a year.

By one year and three months, a girl should normally grow to 77.5 cm and weigh 9.600 grams. Lower limits of the norm: 74.83 (height in centimeters) and 8.500 (weight in grams), upper frames: 80.3 // 10.900.

The next benchmark is for one year and six months. Norm: 80.65 // 10.200. Lower limit: 77.7 // 9.100. Upper: 83.5 // 11.600.

In a year and nine months, the norms for girls are 83.65 // 10.900. The lower limit of the norm: 80.6 // 9.600. Upper bound: 86.7 // 12.300.

By the age of two, girls normally grow up to 86.4 cm and weigh 11.500 grams. The lower limit of the norm: 83.2 // 10.200. Upper limit: 89.6 // 13.000.

Average height and weight for babies at the age of 2 years 3 months: 88.3 / 12.100. Lower border: 84.8 // 10.700. Upper limit: 91.7 // 13.700.

Girls at 2.5 years old should grow to 90.7 cm and weigh 12.700 grams. The lower limit of the norm: 86.9 // 11.200. Upper frames: 94.3 // weight 14.400.

At 2.9 years, the average values ​​are as follows: 92.9 // 13.300. Lower boundaries: 89.3 // 11.700, upper: 96.6 // weight 15.100.

Three-year-olds should be 95 cm tall and weigh 13.900 grams. Data less than 91.3 // 12.200 are assessed as low, and indicators above 98.8 // 15.800 - as high.

At 3.5 years old, the standards for a girl are 99 // 15.000. The lower boundary is 95 // 13.100, and the upper one is 103.1 // 17.200.

Average height and weight for a four-year-old girl: 102.6 // 16.100. The lower limits of the norm: 98.4 // 14.000, and the upper height and weight: 107.1 // 18.500.

At 4.5 years old, the standards for a girl: 106.2 // 17.200. The lower boundaries are: 101.6 // 14.900, and the upper ones: 110.7 // 19.900.

Average height and weight for a five-year-old girl: 109.4 // 18.200. The lower limits of the norm: 104.7 // 15.800, and the upper ones: 114.2 // 21.200.

At 5.5 years old, girls should grow to 112.2 cm and weigh 19,000 grams. Parameters less than 107.2 // 16.600 are considered low, and indicators over 117.1 // 22.200 are considered high.

Standards for six-year-olds: 115.1 // 20.200. Lower bounds: 110 // 17.500. Upper - 120.2 // 23.500.

By the age of 6.5, girls grow up to 118 cm and weigh 21.200 grams. The lower frames at 6.5 years are indicators 112.7 // 18.300, and the upper ones - 123.3 // weight 24.900.

Average height and weight for seven-year-old girls: 120.8 and 23,000. Lower bounds: 115.3 // 21.300, upper bounds: 126.3 // 26.300.

In children over the age of seven, anthropometric indicators are monitored once a year. The standards for eight-year-old girls are 126.6 // 25.000. The lower limit for eight-year-olds will be 120.8 and 21.400. The upper limit is 132.4 // 30.000.

Norms for nine-year-olds: 132.45 // 28.200. Lower boundaries: 132.5 and 27.900, upper - 138.6 // weight 34.000.

A ten-year-old girl should, on average, be 138.55 cm tall and weigh 31.900 grams. Data less than 132.2 // 27.100 are assessed as low, and indicators above 145 // 38.200 are assessed as high.

Height and weight chart for boys from 1 to 10 years old

Boys at 1.3 years old should reach parameters 80 // 10.400. Lower normal value: 76.55 (height in centimeters) and 9.200 (weight in grams), upper frames: 82 // 11.500.

The next milestone is at one year and six months. The standard for a year and six is ​​82.3 // 10.900. From the border: 79.6 // 9.800. Before: 85 // 12.200.

At 1.9 years old, the standards for boys are 85.2 // 11.500. From the border: 82.4 // 10.300. Before: 88 // 12.900.

By the age of two, normally, the toddlers reach 88 // 12.200. From the border: 84.4 // 10.800. Up to 90.5 // 13.600.

The standard for a baby at 2.3 years old: 89.6 // 12.700. From: 86.5 // 11.300, to: 92.8 // 14.300.

By the age of 2.5 years, the toddler should grow to 91.9 cm and weigh 13.300 grams. The lower frames for this age: 88.5 // 11.800. Upper frames: 95.4 // 15.000.

At the age of 2.9 years, the standards are 94.1 / 13.800. The lower boundaries are 91 // 12.300, the upper boundaries are 97.6 // 15.600.

The height of boys at 3 years old should be 96.1 cm, weight - 14.300 grams. Results less than 92.4 // 12.700 will be assessed as low, and indicators above 100 // 16.200 - as high.

At 3.5 years old, the norms for boys are: 99.9 // 15.300. From the border: 95.9 // 13.600, to: 103.8 // 17.400.

Average height and weight for a four-year-old boy: 103.3 // 16.300. From the border: 99.1 // 14.400, to: 107.5 // 18.600.

At 4.5 years old, the boy's height reaches 107 cm, and the normal weight should be 17.300 grams. The lower bar of the norm: 102.25 // 15.200, and the upper one: 111.1 // 19.900.

Standards for boys at 5 years old: 110 // 18.300. From the bar in: 105.3 // 16.000 cm, to: 114.6 and 21.000.

By the age of 5.5, the standards for boys are -113 // 19.400. Low for 5.5 years are considered indicators less than 108.2 // 17.000, and more than 117.7 // 22.200 - high.

Average height and weight for 6 year olds: 116 / 20.500. Lower bar: 111 // 18.000. Upper: 120.9 // 23.500.

By the age of 6.5, boys reach parameters 119 // 21.700. The lower frames for this age are 113.8 // 19.000, and the upper ones - 124 // 24.900.

Norms for seven-year-old boys: 121.8 // 22.900. From the bar in: 116.4 // 20.000 cm, to: 127 // 26.400 cm.

By the age of eight, the guys grow up to 127.3 cm and weigh 25.400 grams. The lower bar of the norm for eight-year-olds will be 121.5 // 22.100. Upper - 132.8 // 29.500.

Average height and weight for 9 year olds: 132.6 / 28.100. Lower boundaries: 126.6 // 2.300, upper - 138.6 // 33.000.

At 10 years old, boys should normally reach the parameters 137.8 // 31.200. Figures less than 131.4 and 26.700 are assessed as low, and indicators above 144.2 // 37.000 are assessed as high.

Height and weight chart for teenage girls

In adolescents, anthropometric data are monitored once a year. For an eleven-year-old girl, the average is 144.5 (height in centimeters) // 34.4 (weight in kilograms). Parameters less than 136.2 // 27.8 are considered the lower normative framework, and parameters more than 153.2 // 44.6 are considered the upper ones.

Average height and weight for twelve-year-olds: 150 // 40.7. The lower limit of the norm: 142.2 // 31.8, upper: 162.2 // 51.8.

A thirteen-year-old girl normally has indicators: 155.8 // 44.3. Lower data bar: 148.3 // 38.7, upper: 163.7 // 59.

At the age of 14, the average data for a girl is 159.5 // 53.1. Lower limits of the norm: 152.6 // 43.8, upper: 167.2 // 64.

By the age of fifteen, the average height of girls reaches 161.6 cm, and the average weight is 55.5 kg. Lower data line: 154.4 // 46.8, upper: 169.2 // 66.5.

Average height and weight for sixteen-year-old girls: 162.4 // 56.5. The lower limit: 155.2 // 48.4, the upper one - 170.2 // 67.6.

For girls at the age of 17, the standard is 163.9 // 61. Lower border: 155.8 // 52.8, upper: 170.5 // 68.

Height and weight chart for teenage boys

Boys between the ages of 10 and 14 are slightly behind girls in height, this is a normal phenomenon, since hormonal changes in children begin a little later than in girls. But after fourteen years, guys begin to grow more intensively than girls, and by the age of 15 they overtake them in terms of growth.

In adolescence, anthropometric indicators significantly depend on genetic predisposition, therefore, when monitoring the physical development of adolescents, it is recommended to focus not so much on the average indicator, but on the normal limits indicated for each age and on the child's heredity. So, if the father of a young man has a height of 190 cm, then a height of 182 cm of a teenager himself at 15 years old can be considered the norm in this case.

For an 11-year-old boy, the average indicators are: 143.5 (height in centimeters) // 35.5 (weight in kilograms). Parameters less than 134.5 // 28 are the lower frames of the norm, and parameters exceeding 153 // 44.9 are the upper frames.

Average height and weight for a twelve-year-old teenager: 149 // 39.8. From the border: 140 // 30.7, to: 159.6 // 50.6.

A thirteen-year-old teenager normally has indicators: 155.5 // 44.3. From the border: 145.7 // 33.9, to: 166 // 59.

At the age of 14, the average indicators are 161.9 // 49.7. From the border: 152.3 // 38, to: 172 // 63.4.

By the age of fifteen, the average height of the guys is 168 cm, and the weight is 55.5 kg. From the border: 158.6 // 43, to: 177.6 // 70.

Average height and weight for sixteen-year-old boys: 172.3 // 66.9. From the border: 163.2 // 48.4, to 182 // 76.5.

At seventeen, the average height and weight are 176.6 // 66.9. From the border: 166.7 // 54.6, to: 186 // 80.1.

Video "The height and weight of the child, Dr. Komarovsky"

The weight of a newborn is one of the most important indicators of his health. If the baby is full-term, but weighs less than 2.8 kg, they say that he lacked nutrients in utero. But if doctors do not notice health disorders, everything is in the hands of the mother. It is her task to feed the baby with breast milk or artificial formula.

The weight of newborns decreases in the first days of life... Excess fluid leaves the body, weight is also lost with the discharge of original feces - meconium. And mom in the first 3-5 days after giving birth only has colostrum, there is very little of it, enough only to satisfy hunger, but not to make fat reserves. Normally, the weight indicators are reduced to 10%. That is, if a baby was born weighing 4 kg, after 3 days he may weigh 3.6 kg. But by the time of discharge from the hospital, weight gain has already begun in breastfed newborns, and mom has a lot of breast milk. Provided that the baby is actively sucking on the breast. If the weight continues to decrease with active breastfeeding, this is a reason for examining the child. Perhaps there are problems with the digestive system or there is a congenital lactase deficiency. For the second reason, the baby often has green stools, strong gas formation and a stomach ache during feedings.

Breastfed and bottle-fed newborns gain from 500 grams per month. The norm is considered - from 600 grams to about 1.5 kg. Usually babies gain weight unevenly. For example, in the first month they can become heavier by 1.5 kg, and in the second by 500-600 grams. It is important that the trend in weight growth is maintained, and the overall weight gain fits within the normal range. For example, it is believed that by 6 months babies should gain the same weight that they were born with. For example, a child born 3.5 kg must weigh at least 7 kg.

In addition to the weight of honey. workers in children's clinics measure the size of the breast, head, height of the child. It must develop harmoniously. Physical and mental skills must be age appropriate. It often happens, especially in children closer to the age of one year, that the weight is slightly behind the norm, and the child himself is active and developed in age. Then doctors tend to consider this a variant of the norm, an individual feature. Perhaps the child just has a very active metabolism, and he himself is mobile, does not sit still, quickly consumes the calories received with food.

Excessive weight gain in a newborn- a sign of overeating. It often happens in babies who feed on breast milk without any regimen and in artificial people who are offered too large volumes of the mixture or prepare it incorrectly (make it too saturated). To see what normal weight gain in newborns can be expected by months - see the table. If your child is gaining weight by leaps and bounds, normalize his nutrition.

1. If your baby is breastfeeding all the time, try to introduce at least small intervals between feedings. Although they say that you cannot overeat with breast milk, in practice it turns out that it is very possible. And okay, weight, children who eat too much more often have atopic dermatitis (diathesis), stomach pains more often, infant colic persists longer.

2. If the baby is gaining weight well on artificial feeding, you need to check with the pediatrician again about the norms for the use of the mixture per day. Your baby is probably just overeating.

What to do with poor weight gain and approximate norms

Feed tighter! This is the most correct answer to the question. If your baby is slightly behind in weight, being exclusively breastfed, do not rush to introduce formula into his diet. This will lead to a decrease in the amount of milk. Often this weight loss occurs in very young children. The weight of a newborn in the first month after childbirth grows poorly, if he likes to sleep, during feedings he sleeps almost all the time, and does not suck effectively. Lazy sucking decreases mom's milk production. The child's hunger, of course, wakes up, but usually in the late afternoon, when the mother has almost no milk left in her breast. At least one that can be easily obtained without active sucking.
The lack of weight in a baby of such a plan can be explained and "treated" by frequent attachments to the breast and attempts to wake up the baby for feeding. To wake up the baby, you can ventilate the room, turn on the TV, bathe, etc. The weight gain in premature babies for this reason is often insufficient. The child is small and lethargic. However, large people born weighing 4 kg or more often like to sleep and are too lazy to suck.

If mommy wants to keep breastfeeding, you need to keep the baby at the breast almost all day without sparing yourself. Immediately after waking up, breastfeed, do not allow water from a bottle and a pacifier to be sucked, only the breast. After about a week, the situation is resolved. And if all is well, you can make the intervals between feedings a little more, but no more than 3 hours during the day and 6 hours at night.

If the norms for weight gain in breastfed babies cannot be achieved in any way, for example, the mother has completely flat nipples, and the child does not want to suck milk through silicone pads, or frequent stress, it is necessary to introduce supplementary feeding with milk formula. It should be given in feeding, when the child is definitely not full. Usually in the evening. It would be ideal to buy or rent an electronic baby scale and use it to weigh the baby for a couple of days each time before and after feeding. Thus, it will be possible to estimate the volume of milk drunk, and it will become clear how much mixture should be given to the child and at what time of the day. Just keep in mind that such supplements often lead to a decrease in GW and its complete replacement with artificial feeding.

In order to prevent the rapid end of hepatitis B and the child's refusal to eat the breast, it is necessary not to abandon attempts to increase lactation. Continue to breastfeed the baby frequently, try various lactogonics, drink more fluids and be less nervous. When the level, how much the baby should normally add during breastfeeding, is reached and even exceeded, it is time to gradually reduce the supplementary feeding with the mixture. Only gradually. Many women have managed to switch from mixed feeding back to breastfeeding. The main desire. If something does not work out, you need to contact a breastfeeding consultant. It can be found in any more or less large city.
Does the rate of weight gain depend on the sex of the child? Hardly ever. Weight gain in newborn boys is about the same as in girls, with the same amount of food. A breakdown of literally half a kilogram is possible. But the growth of boys by the year, indeed, turns out to be slightly more than that of little ladies. Girls gain weight and height faster than boys only closer to puberty.

Immediately after birth, the baby is weighed and measured. Over the next months of his life, the little man will undergo this procedure more than once,

after all, weight and height are one of the main indicators by which pediatricians assess his physical development. Is it normal or not?
It is important to know that high weight is not always an indicator of good health, and low weight is not always a cause for alarm. The birth weight and height of a child depend on many reasons. First of all, from heredity. If the parents of the baby are tall and have a large body weight, it is likely that their baby will be large already from the moment of birth, and vice versa.
The average weight of a newborn baby ranges from 3,000 to 4,000 g with a normal gestation period of 38-40 weeks. At the same time, the growth of the crumbs varies from 46 to 56 cm. A child weighing less than 3,000 g (but 2,500 is still the lower limit of the norm!) Is considered small, and with a mass of over 4,000 g - large. According to statistics, boys are usually 100-300 g heavier than girls. It has also been noted that firstborns tend to weigh less than their siblings.
In addition, large babies are born with various diseases of the mother, for example, diabetes mellitus or thyroid gland diseases. The birth of a small baby can be the result of improper nutrition, acute and chronic diseases, bad habits of the mother. Any disturbance in the "mother - placenta - fetus" system leads to a malnutrition of the fetus and its abnormal development. Don't panic!
It should be noted that in the first few days after birth, the so-called physiological loss of body weight occurs. In a healthy full-term baby, it can be up to 10% of body weight at birth. As a rule, the maximum body weight of a newborn is reduced by 3-4 days after birth. This is mainly due to the lack of milk in the mother, and also due to the loss of water by the baby (during breathing, with sweat), the discharge of original feces (meconium) and urine.
With proper care and feeding, the baby's weight stabilizes and begins to grow by an average of 20-40 g per day and is fully restored by the time of discharge from the maternity hospital (by the 5-10th day). We are recruiting!
Subsequently, the increase in body weight during the year, on average, occurs according to the following scheme:
... 1 month - 600 g;
... 2-3 months - 800 g.
Each subsequent month is 50 g less than the previous one (750 - 700 - 650, etc.).
As for growth, the child grows most intensively in the first three months of life - on average by 3 cm per month. In the future, the increase in growth is: from 3 to 6 months - 2.5 cm each, then 1.5-2, 1 cm, etc. Excess or deficiency?
Both overweight and underweight are equally bad. Excess is usually the result of overfeeding the baby. This is especially common with artificial feeding. It is noted that the majority of breastfed babies are lighter than formula-fed babies. This is not a pathology. No need to overfeed a small baby. He eats a little less than a large child, but that's enough for him. Gradually, eating his norm, he will catch up with his peers who were born with a greater body weight, and maybe overtake them.
Lack of body weight can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, intestinal dysbiosis. A decrease or small weight gain can be observed after an illness, especially an infectious one.
You should also be aware that in the second half of life, the dynamics of weight may decrease, because the child's physical activity increases.
Therefore, both with an excess and with a deficiency in body weight, first of all, it is necessary to analyze the reasons that led to this condition. Is everything harmonious?
When assessing physical development, the body weight and height of the child are compared with the average indicators for children of this age group. If body weight and height correspond to these indicators, physical development is considered average, if they exceed these figures - above average, and, accordingly, below average, if the child's weight and height are lower than those of their peers.
In addition to assessing body weight and height, it is necessary to assess the ratio of these two indicators. If the baby's body weight matches his height or differs by plus or minus 10%, physical development is called harmonious. If the difference is from 10% to 25% - disharmonious, and if it exceeds 25% - sharply disharmonious.
It is not so important - the average, above or below average physical data of your child, it is more important for health that the ratio is harmonious. Remember that the tenderness of the baby's round cheeks in the first months can eventually turn into a fight against obesity and chronic diseases in the future. Therefore, do not forget to regularly assess the physical condition of the infant by a pediatrician. This is the guarantee of his health in the future. Alexander DECHKO, pediatrician, 1st category doctor, director of the Dobry Doctor company The interview was conducted by the correspondent of the Malyshok magazine
Anastasia SHUNTO

When a child is born in a family, the first thing that parents rush to tell all relatives and friends is the gender, height and weight of the baby. Doctors are the first to write these indicators into his medical record. What is the importance of these parameters for parents and doctors? And what should be the normal height and weight of the baby at birth?

The very first, the most important

The height, weight of the child at birth, as well as the girth of his chest and head are the first and most basic parameters that allow doctors to correctly assess the physical condition of the baby that was born. Too low or too heavy, body proportions are not just numbers. Based on them, experts can assume (and also exclude) many different deviations in the health of a born little man. As the child grows up, based on these data, pediatricians monitor his health, give advice to parents on the daily regimen, nutrition of the baby, massage, gymnastics, and make the necessary appointments.

That is why, immediately after birth, the baby is weighed, measured, and then these data are recorded in the medical record. Further, the entire first year of a little person's life at a pediatrician's appointment will be monthly measured, weighed, following the dynamics of changes in the basic proportions of his body. Indeed, in the first year, children grow very actively and gain weight. And the basic physical indicators can tell the pediatrician whether everything is normal in a small organism, whether there are any deviations that are worth paying attention to, whether something needs to be corrected.

What is considered the norm?

The pediatric norm for full-term newborns is a height of 45–56 cm and a body weight of 3-4 kg. At the same time, the height and normal weight of a child at birth depend on various reasons.

  • Heredity. Tall, large parents often give birth to large children, and vice versa.
  • The gestational age. Full-term babies should weigh in the region of 3-4 kg (gestational age at least 38 weeks). In premature babies, height and weight depend on the degree of prematurity. For example, for a period of up to 35 weeks, a baby may weigh a little more than 1.5 kg, and for a period of less than 28 weeks - less than 1 kg (such babies are considered extremely premature).
  • The gender of the child. According to statistics, the weight of a newborn boy is, on average, 100–300 g more than that of a girl.
  • The order of birth in the family. It is considered the norm that children born second or third in a family are larger than first-borns.

In addition, recently there has been a tendency to accelerate the biological development of children. Increasingly, they are born rather large - weighing 5 kg or even more.

For clarity, the weight of newborns (in kilograms) is given in the table:

Indicators that are in the table in the range between "below average" and "above average" can be considered normal. The rest require more attention from specialists.

After birth in the first few days, the baby loses weight a little. This is a physiological process that you shouldn't be afraid of at all. Usually, a healthy full-term baby loses up to 10% of its birth weight by 3-4 days. This is due to the lack of milk in the mother in the first days, the discharge of meconium (feces of newborns), urine, as well as the loss of moisture (when breathing the baby, in the form of sweat). But with proper care and sufficient feeding, by the time of discharge from the hospital, the baby weighs the same as when it was born.

Deviations from the norm

Large or too small babies are not always born according to the genetic principle. It happens that this is significantly influenced by risk factors that require special attention to the newborn and its further development.

So, children with a large body weight are often born to mothers who suffer from diabetes or thyroid disease. In addition, due to various violations during the course of pregnancy, the baby may be born with signs of postmaturity (such children do not have original lubricant on the body, their skin is dry, it may peel off).

Small children (less than 3 kg) are often born as a result of the mother's bad habits, her inadequate nutrition (the mother was afraid to “feed” the baby), acute or chronic diseases (including infectious diseases), other pathologies in which the nutrition of the fetus through the placenta is disturbed, genetic diseases of the fetus itself. This can lead to its incorrect development. A noticeable discrepancy between the height and weight of the fetus and the gestational age is called intrauterine growth retardation syndrome, or malnutrition.

Distinguish between symmetrical and asymmetrical form of hypotrophy. The first can be detected during an ultrasound scan even at a fairly early gestation period: all parameters of the fetus will be less than the normative ones. The second is detected after 28 weeks, while the size of the body and head of the fetus does not match the size of the abdomen in terms of development.

Do not ignore the referral for an ultrasound examination, undergo planned (and if necessary - and unscheduled) ultrasound, follow the recommendations of the doctor leading the pregnancy if medical correction is required.

In terms of severity, malnutrition can be first (lagging less than 14 days), second (lagging by 14–28 days) and third (lagging more than 28 days) degrees. Grade 1 usually does not have a significant effect on the further development of the baby. But 2 and 3 can cause pathologies (depending on which organ is lagging behind). The most dangerous complication that can result from hypotrophy is underdevelopment of the nervous system (the baby may lag behind in mental development).

That is why it is important to monitor the physical parameters of the fetus even before the baby is born. Often the problem can be solved (or minimized) even in utero. And then neither the weight, nor the height, nor the health of the newborn baby will disturb the parents.