Weight loss after birth
After childbirth, in the first week of life, the weight gain of the newborn is negative; in the very first days, in fact, there is a quantifiable weight loss of 5-10%, linked to the stress induced by childbirth and the loss of fluids. with feces (meconium), breath, sweat and urine.
Weight loss is generally high for macrosomal infants, while it appears lower in babies with lower birth weight. It is also slightly higher in breastfed infants (7% -10%) than in infant formula (5%).
Weight gain in the first few months
The weight lost in the very first days of life is normally regained between the tenth and the fourteenth day; after having adapted to the new environment, the newborn begins to increase his weight quite evidently. Again on the basis of statistical data, the "weight gain of the" average "healthy infant is:
- 33% in the first six weeks;
- by 25% in weeks seven to twelve;
- by 20% in weeks twelve to eighteen.
More simply:
- after the first days of life, during the first five months, the weight gain of the newborn is quantifiable in 150-200 grams per week, a rhythm that normally leads him to double his weight by the middle and the end of the fourth month of life.
- The growth rate is generally highest between the third and sixth week of life.
During the first year, birth weight almost triples, while length increases by about 50%.
self:
- the weight gain of the newborn is less than 18g per day, 125g per week or 500g per month;
- the weight at 15 days of life is lower than that recorded at birth;
- the newborn urinates less than 6 times a day, with pungent and concentrated urine (dark yellow tending to orange), and evacuates hard, dry and infrequent stools.
In addition to experiencing reduced weight gain, the poorly fed infant may cry often, remain too long on the breast, appear lethargic, and dissatisfied at the end of a feed, or refuse the breast.
The percentiles shown in the images indicate the number of infants of the same sex and age who are less than a given value in weight and length.
A 6-month-old baby with a weight corresponding to the 75th percentile (about 7.6 kg), for example, has 75% of peers of the same sex weighing less than his and 25% weighing more.
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