The average weight for full-term babies is 7 pounds, 5 ounces. However, a percentage of healthy, full-term babies are born under or over that average weight. As your baby grows, their rate of weight gain will be an important indicator of overall health and development.
If you live outside of the U. Your baby may be in the 25th percentile for weight, for example. That means that 75 percent of babies at the same age weigh more than your baby and 25 percent weigh less.
Instead, doctors are interested in tracking whether your baby drops into a lower percentile over time. This may be a sign of failure to thrive. If they suddenly jump into a new percentile, this shows that they may have had a growth spurt. Research shows newborn, healthy babies typically lose some of their birth weight in the days following delivery. They eliminate this fluid quickly. Babies begin gaining weight shortly afterward.
The ounces they lose at birth are usually regained within two weeks. During their first month of life, babies gain around 5 to 7 ounces a week , according to the Mayo Clinic.
Studies show periods of rapid weight gain are also common. Right before or during a growth spurt, your baby may be fussier than usual. They may also eat more or cluster feed. Cluster feeding is when they breastfeed more frequently for set periods of time clusters. They may also sleep more or less than usual. After the growth spurt, you may notice that their clothing no longer fits.
Over their first few months, boys tend to gain more weight than girls do. But most babies double their birth weight by 5 months of age. And some newborns simply grow faster than others. If your baby is exclusively breastfed, it's unlikely that you're overfeeding her, and the extra weight gain is probably just a sign of her growing appetite.
What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy. The educational health content on What To Expect is reviewed by our medical review board and team of experts to be up-to-date and in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines, including the medically reviewed What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.
This educational content is not medical or diagnostic advice. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy. Registry Builder New. Medically Reviewed by Lauren Crosby, M. Fundal height is measured in centimeters cm. It is about the same as the number of weeks of pregnancy after the 20th week. For example, at 24 weeks' gestation, your fundal height should be close to 24 cm.
Your healthcare provider may also use fetal ultrasound to check your baby's growth and development. Ultrasound uses sound waves to create a picture of your baby. It is a more accurate than checking fundal height. Measurements can be taken of your baby's head, belly abdomen , and upper leg bone femur.
These measurements are used to estimate his or her weight. Babies are weighed within the first few hours after birth. The weight is compared against the number of weeks of pregnancy gestational age. If your baby weighs less than 2, grams 5 pounds, 8 ounces , he or she has a low birth weight.
Babies weighing less than 1, grams 3 pounds, 5 ounces at birth are considered very low birth weight. Babies who weigh less than 1, grams 2 pounds, 3 ounces are extremely low birth weight. It will also depend on how severe the condition is. Special feedings. Sometimes these are given through a tube into the stomach if a baby cannot suck.
Or they are given through an IV intravenous line. How well a baby with low birth weight does depends largely on how much the baby weighs at birth. Mothers who smoke tend to have smaller babies, as physiological changes related to smoking reduce the nutrients supplied to the baby.
In , 7. Maternal nutrition can also affect an infant's birth weight. A mother's weight gain in pregnancy is influenced by different factors, including her socioeconomic conditions, pregnancy and non-pregnancy related health conditions, and genetics.
A lack of early and regular prenatal care has been associated with lower birth weight babies. The health of an infant's mother and father can also affect a newborn's birth weight. While many factors can be modified, there are some factors that cannot be changed, such as:. If your baby is full-term, of normal birth weight, and has no medical conditions, it's not usually necessary to weigh your baby as long as they are eating well, have wet diapers, and are developing normally.
Your pediatrician will check your newborn's weight at each well-child visit and let you know if there is any cause for concern. If your infant is low birth weight, was born prematurely, or your pediatrician has any other concerns, you will likely be asked to make more frequent visits to the clinic for weight checks.
Average weight gain can vary for children who are born with low birth weight or are large for gestational age. For example, premature babies often undergo catch-up growth. If your baby was born early, your pediatrician will explain growth expectations. Otherwise, your baby's weight gain by age can be monitored using the following guidelines. Babies usually lose weight at first.
Babies usually regain their birth weight by 10 to 14 days of age. In the first 3 months of life, babies gain an average of 1. Your pediatrician will talk about normal growth rates for young children. Your doctor can also show you where your child is on a growth chart —a graph that compares your baby's height and weight to other babies of the same age.
Between the age of 4 months and 6 months, babies put on weight less rapidly at around 1 to 1. Birth weight is usually tripled by around 1 year of age.
On average, your baby's weight will roughly quadruple by the time they are about 2 and a half years old. The birth weight of babies can vary and will be affected by many factors. A baby's birth weight does not necessarily predict a child's adult size. Some very-low-birth-weight babies grow up to be quite tall or large, while large-for-gestational-age babies might be small adults. Whatever your baby's birth weight is, your pediatrician will help you understand the growth expectations for your baby.
They can use graphs to show you where your child falls in terms of their growth, and how their growth might affect their health. Get it free when you sign up for our newsletter. Healthwise Staff. University of Michigan Medicine.
Physical Growth in Newborns. Updated August 21, Stanford Children's Health. Small for Gestational Age. Large for Gestational Age. Births: Provisional data for Vital Statistics Rapid Release. National Vital Statistics System. Updated March 26,
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