Re: What rate should my baby gain weight at? When should I worry, in terms of gaining too much or too little?
Most babies actually lose weight in the first week after birth. As long as yours is feeding well, making urine and stool, and doesn't drop more than 10% of birth weight, this isn't a problem. By two weeks, I expect a baby to return to birth weight. The average baby then gains about one ounce per day for the first month, and about one or two pounds a month until month six. Most babies double their birth weight by five or six months, and triple it by a year. Remember, though, these are averages. It's perfectly normal for an otherwise healthy baby to vary from these standards. I start to worry if a newborn loses more than 10% of birth weight, isn't making at least three or four wet diapers per day, doesn't seem satisfied after feedings, or doesn't get back to birth weight by two weeks.
Dr. Leigh Serra | May 11 , 2009 10:55 AM