slow weight gain?

We had our 4 month appointment a couple of weeks ago and my girls were still only 10lb and 9lbs 13oz. That drops them off the growth curve for their age and puts them at about the 4% if we correct for their birth. We had been exclusively breastfeeding, but I'm supplementing a little right now just to make sure they are getting enough (I have had some supply issues since I've been back at work, but I'm slowly getting it back up). My two year old has always been on the small side too, but not this small. So, where do your kids fall in growth pattern?

 

My twins are in the 75th-90th percentile, i formula feed.

 

Mine are in the 1% for weight but in the 75th for height. They have always been tiny, but my MIL and mother are petite so I figure the girls must take after them.

 

My guys are EBF and get solids. At 7 months, we finally reached 11.10 and 13.6. They are in the <3% for weight, but overall healthy and happy. As a comparison, my older son, who was also EBF was 19 lbs. at this age, so go figure!

Laura

 

My kids have all been on the large side. My DD was 9 lbs when she was born and has always been at 75% or above. She was exclusively BF. My boys were born early so they werent on the charts until 2 months, but after that they took off. They were FF.

Was your Ped concerned?

 

3 of my kids fall in the 50% or higher range, my ds twin is the only one who's belowe that, around 10-20% most of the time.

My oldest ds was BF until 7 months, my oldest dd was BF for 3 months, and the twins were BF for 6 wks.

 

Slow growth is not more common with twins (at least according to research my pedi shared). You may just have petite girls, or perhaps they will grow slower than most and then have a big growth spurt. Remember that the charts are just averages. Was your pedi concerned?

 

DD was <10% up until 4 or 5 months and then took off and last check up she was in the 50th %. However DS, he started off at 2 months like <25% or something like that and last check up he wsa 75% on height and weight but 45% on head

 

I wouldn't stress too much or get in the habit of supplementing after feeds because you will just kill your supply that way. My DS has always been in the 3-5th percentile (he started out at 5 lb 6 oz) and at 4 months he was about the size of your girls. He is still only about 16 lbs and he is 9 months old. DD is bigger but she is still 25th for weight and 95th for length so she is still skinny as far as babies go.

I would check out kellymom.com because there are growth charts there for breastfed babies...it is a known fact that BF babies do not have the rapid weight gain that FF babies do in the first couple months and many
peds don't know there are separate charts.

I totally understand the supply struggle...I have struggled with it as well because I work full time and don't pump as much as I should. The way I do it is make sure if they are getting any formula it is while I am at work and I nurse exclusively when I am home. Over the last couple of months they are getting much more formula than BM because I don't respond to the pump very well any more and I haven't seen any change in their growth...which tells me that they are just meant to be small. If your girls seem satisfied after feeds, then I am sure they are getting enough.