Why Babies Lose Weight After Birth

Why do babies lose weight in the first few days?

Don’t worry if your baby loses weight in the first few days after birth. Babies first excrete more than they can take in from food. This will pass quickly and soon your child will gain about 30 grams per day. Breastfed babies often gain weight a little faster. Your baby should be back to birth weight after the first 14 days. This usually leads to a doubling of the birth weight in the first three months of life. With six to eight full diapers in 24 hours and a healthy appearance, you usually don’t have to worry about your baby’s development.

The 7 percent limit

If your child’s weight loss is more than seven percent in the first few days of life, your midwife will advise you to supplement. Thankfully, this is rarely necessary. Supplementary feeding can be carried out in the form of additional food made from tea or a glucose solution. A pipette, breast milk teat, soft cup or breast feeding set can be used for this. However, it is highly advisable to only give supplements if the midwife tells you so. Otherwise you will unnecessarily upset your child’s normal breastfeeding rhythm.

How much do newborns weigh?

The average weight of a newborn is between 2,800 and 4,200 grams. The newborn is about 48 to 56 centimeters tall. A number of factors can be responsible for the weight and height of a newborn: the sex of the child, genetic predisposition and the height of the parents play a role. Unfortunately, habits such as smoking and frequent alcohol consumption during pregnancy can also have an impact on the development of the child.

You can get an overview of your baby’s physical development in our size table for babies and toddlers and in our weight table for babies and toddlers or, of course, in the weight table for children . If you have any doubts or questions, you should definitely ask your midwife or pediatrician for advice.

This is how growth continues

Find out how your baby’s height and weight will develop over the next few months. In our further articles you will find a lot of interesting and useful information:

• 1st-3rd Month: Rapid growth
• 4th-6th Month: Your baby is growing more slowly
• 7th-9th Month: Weight and height are individual
• 10-12 Month: weight fluctuations

What else happens to a newborn?

Your newborn is also making progress in other areas. Here you can get an overview:

• Movement: Your baby’s reflexes
• Nutrition: The first breastfeeding meals
• Communication: This is how your baby makes contact
• Sleep: Your baby wakes up frequently
• Senses: Your baby can do that