Is there such thing as an overweight newborn?

Discussion in 'Pregnancy Help' started by AimeeThomp, Sep 12, 2010.

  1. AimeeThomp

    AimeeThomp Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    I am googling it, but haven't found a straight answer.

    This comes up b/c someone really hurt my feelings yesterday at the gym. I am gaining more weight than I need to, and I can't help it. I'm still small in the top half, but I gained 10 lbs in the first trimester so I'm about 10 pounds more than where I should be. I'm still exercising every other day for about an hour, I just get so hungry, it's not that I'm eating junk. Anyway, so yesterday someone made a comment to me that I look like I've gained about 50 lbs so far and that if I don't watch it I'm going to have an overweight baby. It's been bugging me ever since. I even told this person about how I was an 8 lb baby and DH weighed 8.5 lbs at birth, so we're thinking this is going to be a big baby and she was telling me that any bigger than 7 lbs is considered overweight and at that point you have to watch how much you feed them. That thought never crossed my mind before. I know I've read a lot of you have had 8 lb babies or bigger, were any of you told the baby was overweight or to limit food b/c of a high birth weight?
     
  2. twinmom2dana

    twinmom2dana Well-Known Member

    My first was 9lbs, I gained 60 when I was pregnant with her and looked like a whale(in my head) Six weeks after birth, I was back to my prepregnancy size. Most of the gain was water, breasts, and baby. My daughter was deemed overweight only in the sense that she was heavier than the average baby. She was also longer. So she stayed in the 95-100 percentile for height AND weight throughout infancy and into childhood. She is still an amazon, slim and tall. She is heavy for her age and tall for her age soo verweight is a relative term. I wouldn't worry yet seeing as you are still preggo.
     
  3. moski

    moski Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Liam was 8 lbs 12 oz. Nobody ever said he was overweight. My nephew was 9 lb 1 oz and my sister has never been told to limit anything for him either. Even at 6 years old, he weighs twice what my twins are put together, he's not fat, he's just big. I wouldn't worry too much about it. My sister also knows someone who had a baby that was over 11 lbs. Ask your pedi or your ob about it, but I really think that woman has her facts screwed up.
     
  4. twinmom2dana

    twinmom2dana Well-Known Member

    Oooo yes let me clarify that although my dd was a big girl, she was never put on any type of restriction or anything. She was just big.
     
  5. AimeeThomp

    AimeeThomp Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Good. I'd like to think this person just didn't know what she was talking about. She told me her son weighed 7 lbs at birth and she only put on a total of 14 lbs the whole pregnancy. I was thinking that's great, just make me feel worse.
     
  6. TwinxesMom

    TwinxesMom Well-Known Member

    I used a growth chart and figured a 23 in long and 9lb baby would 95% for height and between 90-95% for weight. It would be a big baby but not over weight per say because it is both long and heavy. Now if it was a 19-20 in baby and 9lbs it would be a butterball though.
     
  7. cheezewhiz24

    cheezewhiz24 Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    I think this person is full of crap. I'm sorry, but you never know why you gain a lot of weight while pregnant. A friend of mine had a similar situation- she was continually hungry and gained 80 lbs with a singleton. Her baby was predicted to be big but had a poor placenta and was barely 5 lbs. The continual eating helped that little girl survive. Follow your body and ignore that busybody. :hug:
     
  8. TwinLove

    TwinLove Well-Known Member

    Yes! This person is definitely full of it! :hush: I'm sorry she said this to you. :hug: You are doing a great job... if you are hungry you need to eat, your body obviously needs it. If you are also exercising and eating healthy, there isn't much more you can do, IMO. Ignore this person. :hug:
     
  9. miss_bossy18

    miss_bossy18 Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    :hug: Aimee, i'm so sorry that idiot said that to you. she doesn't know what she's talking about.

    something my midwife said to me that i thought was interesting is that as long as you are eating healthy throughout your pregnancy & listening to your body (which it sounds like you are) there really isn't any issue with how much or how little you gain. if the weight you've put on is from healthy foods, it will come off. please don't worry about this. if you are hungry, you are hungry for a reason, and you should eat what you need to, with no regard for the scale.

    i'm so angry on your behalf - i'd give that girl a piece of my mind, if i could. :aggressive:

    and babies can not be born overweight (well, unless the mom has uncontrolled diabetes, but that's extremely rare these days). what a load of hooey.
     
  10. MusicalAli

    MusicalAli Well-Known Member

    I think it's funny you think an 8lb baby is big. LOL. Compared to my 10-11 pounders, that's tiny.

    The person you talked to is ignorant AND rude. A 14lb weight gain is actually too little (if she did it on purpose) unless she was obese to begin with. Ignore her. Feed your baby and yourself. You are doing great. I gained about 40-45lb with my singletons. Granted, they were big, but genetics plays a HUGE factor. My twins were 7 lbs each at 37 weeks and all my kids have been in the 90%-ile since birth (well, the twins didn't start there but got there very quickly. Becca was actually way off the charts but soon fell on the charts). I come from a family line of 9,10,11lb babies. My nana, mom, a couple of my sisters, myself all had babies ranging from 9-11 lbs and were that big ourselves at birth. My mom actually LOST 20lbs with pregnancy #2 and still gave birth to a 9lb15oz baby. None of us is/was obese.
     
  11. sullivanre

    sullivanre Well-Known Member

    She's full of it. A 14lb weight gain isn't not enough weight gain for most women. Like Rachel said, the only time I've heard of a baby weighing too much is when the mother has gestational diabetes.

    Because Lena was 9lbs 3oz, they checked her a few times in the first 24 hours, I guess if you have a heavy baby or a light baby the double check their blood sugar several times while you are in the hospital because heavier babies and lighter babies are at great risk for having blood sugar problems. (I think the nurse told me under 5lbs and over 9lbs they automatically check sugar.)
    LOL, that was my daughter. :) I think they were a little off on the height because she was something like 23 inches at one month, but she weighed a lot.
     
  12. TwinxesMom

    TwinxesMom Well-Known Member

    Nothing wrong with a butterball. I love chunky babies. I find that better than jazz, she was 3% at birth for height and is now 97%. :eek:
     
  13. pamallhoney

    pamallhoney Well-Known Member

    Aimee, I am so sorry for how absolutely rude this person was to you! I have had big babies, the last being 10lbs 11oz. and yes I did gain alot of weight 50-60lbs with each pregnancy, but so far all my big babies have literally turned out to be the smallest in their classes. Baby #3 was 9lbs 6oz. and now in Grade 1 is super, super petite and looks more like a preschooler. So, blah on it! My only concern would be if the baby was gaining because mama had gestational diabetes.
     
  14. twoplustwo

    twoplustwo Well-Known Member

    I agree!
     
  15. AimeeThomp

    AimeeThomp Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Thank you so much for your replies. :) I was already upset when I was at the gym b/c I'd weighed myself before I went and the number was higher than I would have liked, so when this person started talking to me while I was walking around the track I had to cut my walk short b/c I was afraid I was going to start crying. It's a really old lady who I visit with when I'm at the gym, I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt my feelings. But now I'm sure she doesn't know what she was talking about either.
     
  16. summerfun

    summerfun Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    I have never heard of an overweight newborn. I agree this person is full of crap. My oldest DD was 9 lbs 4 oz and never once did any dr. ever hint to her being over weight. There is nothing wrong with big babies. :good: And my big baby now only weighs about 55 lbs and she will be 10 next month.
     
  17. MNTwinSquared

    MNTwinSquared Well-Known Member

    I think she was trying to make herself look perfect. :rolleyes: I've certainly never heard of babies over 7lbs are 'overweight. I guess all my kids were then, including the twins! E was 10lbs 1oz!
    I gained quite a bit of weight but I wasn't *that* careful as to what I ate. I did however have excess fluid and a big baby.
    I would ignore that comment. That was rude & uncalled for. :hug:

    eta: I Just read that it was a little old woman who made the comment. Different times. That may have been what she was told when she was your age... still hurts though.
     
  18. Heathermomof5

    Heathermomof5 Well-Known Member

    I agree she was full of crap, and dangerous. She needs to be set straight because a newborn should not be limited on their intake because they weigh 7 pounds or more. You are also not doing anything to make your baby big you are eating well and exercising. Your baby will be as big as he or she will be, the baby will take what it needs from you. Your body is hungry because it needs the food. If I were you I would keep up the good work and diet after the baby arrives. If there is anything you need to adjust, your OB will tell you don't let anyone scare you.
     
  19. jrg9171

    jrg9171 Well-Known Member

    PLEASE don't listen to that ignorant person! I gained 62lbs with my DS and he weighed 9lbs4oz and was 21 1/2" long. I gained 35lbs with my DD and she weighed 10lbs2oz and was 20 1/2" long. Neither of them were ever chunky, only I was, and even to this day my DS is 15 yrs old and is 6' tall and very lanky. My DD is 12 1/2 yrs old, 5'3" and while curvy, she is in no way chunky. She is very muscular, athletic and has a figure that I would kill for. Mine were both always in the higher % on height and weight and NEVER had a weight problem. Mine and my DH's family just have large babies so do not worry about that.
     
  20. kma13

    kma13 Well-Known Member

    Oh Aimee I am sorry! I have not heard of any research on babies weighing too much at birth. In fact all the studies I could find correlated maternal obesity to high BMI after age 5 NOT at birth. There are plenty of studies on babies that are born too small. It is much better to be big than little at birth for so many reasons. I also think that weight gain is what it is. A friend of a friend gained 60lbs with her first, she ate everything in sight and didn't exercise and then swore for the 2nd that wouldn't happen so she hired a dietician and personal trainer and she gained.... 60 lbs. I am gaining too much too, my doc isn't concerned and I am just happy that this baby is already 2x the size of my DD at birth.
     
  21. 4jsinPA

    4jsinPA Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    WOW!! I cannot believe someone said that to you. I have never heard that term before. I always joke that its the tiniest people that end up having these huge babies. My sister gained 25lbs with her second son and he weighed 8lbs 8oz. He has always been her skinny boy...still is at 14.
    My mil still brags about how she didn't gain any weight during her pregnancy and went home weighing less than what she did when she got pregnant (and she was skinny to start with). I don't believe a word of it because I have seen the pics of her when she was pg. I think many of these older woman have a wild imagination of what they did or didn't do back then.
    The fact that you are still exercising is amazing...and you are eating what your body needs!
     
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  22. samiam1229

    samiam1229 Well-Known Member

    Have they done the GD test yet? It could be why you are so hungry and gaining so much...
     
  23. TennesseeMomma

    TennesseeMomma Well-Known Member

    I think people need to mind there own business! I am gaining weight fast too....some lady asked me my due date the other day, and she said,"Whoa girl! You are big!" I don't think they understand how hard it is to hear that! I wonder if because we had twins first, our bellies are easier to stretch out? And we just grow faster? I put on 60+ lbs with the twins, and didn't lose about 20 of it (right before I got pregnant I lost alot of weight) so it is frustrating for me to be this heavy right now.

    I don't think you can have an "overweight baby". As long as your doc is not concerned with gestational diabetes, and you don't eat alot of junk, I think you are doing great! :good:

    Hope things continue to go well for you!
     
  24. megkc03

    megkc03 Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Apparently she is suffering from foot-in-mouth disease. People just don't get it.

    I gained almost 50lbs with the boys, and they were 13 lbs total in weight. I had a friend, who gained over 60 lbs with her daughter, who came out weighing just over 6 lbs. So-even if you were to gain a lot of weight, doesn't mean you are going to have a big baby! Annabella was 7 lbs 9oz at birth. I gained maybe 30 or so with her.

    And the fact that you are working out.... :woman: I don't do that NOT pregnant, let alone pregnant!
     
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