Initial measurements:
“The average weight of babies born at 9 months is between 2.31 kg and 3.9 kg, and their height is between 48 cm and 53 cm. The circumference of their heads is approximately 34 cm.
If your child is above average, it is probably;
- You and your partner are above average.
- Your baby is a boy.
- You experienced diabetes during pregnancy.Your pregnancy lasted longer than it should have.
If your child is below average, it is likely that;
- You and your partner are below average.
- Your baby is a girl.
- You have been exposed to high blood pressure or asthma during pregnancy.
- You had irregular eating habits during pregnancy.
- You have given birth to two or more babies.
As you can see, there are many factors that can affect the size of your baby. For this reason, it is not possible to predict the size of your baby in later ages or in adulthood. It is not possible to say that a baby born below the average will be a petite person or that a baby above the average will grow up to be tall and robust.”
Initial checks:
Most parents worry that their baby will lose weight in the first few days, but this is normal. Because babies are born with extra body fluids, and in the first five days after birth, they lose these fluids. In the next five days, they regain this lost weight. In other words, they reach their birth weight again approximately 10 days after birth. Most babies start to gain weight rapidly after this point. In every birthcontrol, your pediatrician regularly checks your baby’s weight, height and length of the circumference of the head. The development graph in question was created using national data. Your doctor uses the development chart with the same gender and age as your baby.
- “From birth to one month of age, newborn babies take about 30 grams daily and grow about 2 centimeters.
- During the following three months, the babies gain about 750 grams of weight per month and grow about 4 centimetres per month. During this time, babies start to look overweight, but as their movements increase, these fats will turn into muscle.
- By the end of the first six months, most babies reach about twice their birth weight.
- By the end of the first year, most babies reach about three times their birth weight and are about 25 cm above their height at birth.
- By the end of the second year, most babies reach about four times their birth weight and are about 35 cm above their birth height.”
During the postnatal check-ups, your doctor will measure your baby’s height and weight, as well as the circumference of the head to monitor the growth of the baby’s brain. In order for your baby’s brain to grow, your baby’s skull must also grow. During the next four months your baby’s head will grow rapidly, from an average of 33 cm at birth to about 45 cm by the end of the first year. In the second year, it will grow about 3 centimeters larger and approach the size of an adult head.
Most parents begin to worry about the situation when their baby rises above and falls below the average. While these concerns are acceptable, it is important to keep in mind that if your baby is growing steadily and regularly, there is probably no problem.
Change of development model
Usually, babies show a steady growth pattern in the first six months. However, sometimes the growth of the baby may deviate from its previous stable state, but these are not always a sign of a health problem.
Apart from genetics, your baby’s activity level can cause a slowdown in weight gain. A baby who has just started crawling, cruising, or walking will burn more calories than a baby who spends most of their time sitting in one place. Moreover, a baby who has realized his capacity to explore the wonders of the world may not be too eager to stop and eat himself.
Finally, there is also the potential for the disease to reduce your baby’s weight and temporarily change the growth pattern. Fever or a period of diarrhoea or vomiting can cause the baby to lose fluids and its weight may drop. However, usually, a mild illness, such as a cold, does not affect the baby’s overall growth rate.
Of course, most changes in a child’s growth pattern can be explained by normal life changes, but you should always tell your paediatrician about your concerns about your child’s development. If there is no obvious reason for change, he/she will want to take things further and evaluate them.
Identifying the Problem
If your pediatrician is worried about your baby’s growth, he/she will ask about your child’s eating habits and how many calories your child eats in a day so that he /she can be sure that he / she is eating. In addition, your doctor will ask about your baby’s developmental milestones, recent illnesses, and other behavioral and social conditions. She/he will examine the baby, looking for signs of a physical problem.
The growth and development of a baby is an area of great excitement and concern for parents. Getting information, taking the baby to newborn checkups, and working with the pediatrician make you less anxious during these spectacular times of change.