A funny story to share with you....
We all know Kayla is petite, right? That fact has been established. She was born smaller than my boys (but they were both a week overdue and she was at least a week underdue).
So she was born small (6 lbs) and stayed small. I think in the beginning she was in the 15th percentile for weight. At about 4 months she was in the 10th percentile. At 6 months, she was beneath the percentiles, and shortly after (when I started supplementing with formula) she climbed back up into the 3rd percentile. It certainly has saved me on buying new clothes!! She has been in the same clothes for much of her life. I guess by the time the cold weather rolls around, it will be time to graduate to a new size.
Well, we went to her most recent Tipat Chalav visit and she fell off the charts again. Oops. Luckily, we have a fantastic nurse and she doesn't yell or scold or anything. She just gives some suggestions and told me to come back in a month to weigh her again.
When we went home, I told Shauli about her weight and said how she used to be in the 3rd percentile and that even though she did gain weight now she is beneath the percentiles. He said, "So before, she was in the 3rd percentile. 3 percent of all babies were smaller than her and 97% were bigger than her. And now she is under the percentiles so 100% of all babies are bigger than her??" And I said, "I guess so...except for all the other babies that are also not on the chart". And he said "So she is a percentile. She is whatever percent bigger than those other babies."
Good point. I know my baby is not the smallest baby ever in the world! So there are babies that are smaller than her. So the percentages don't make sense. Right? Or are we missing something here....
1 comment:
It's a bell curve, so by definition there are those that fall below or above the mean. It's just a comparison tool, and for some babies it is cause for alarm. I wouldn't be too concerned. If she's eating well and not having any behavioral issues b/c of it, it shouldn't really be a problem. I think some people put too much stock in it as if it actually means something significant about their child, or they have to start force feeding their kid if they're not on the chart, or, G-d forbid, put their kid on some sort of diet if they're off the chart in the other direction.
If she's happy and healthy, she'll gain weight at her own pace.
-OC
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