Newborn Weight Checks Q&A
Newborns are frequently weighed while they are in the hospital and occasionally again 48–72 hours following discharge. A baby’s weight may be checked more frequently if there are any health issues. Our board-certified, professional doctor, Dr. Jeff Drasnin, MD, FAAP, and his devoted staff are pleased to serve you at ESD Pediatric Group to ensure you that your newborns are prospering and growing healthily with the help of their routine measurements and weight checks. For more information, call us or request an appointment online. We have convenient locations to serve you in Norwood and Milford OH.
Table of Contents:
When should I check my newborn’s weight?
How can I check my newborn baby’s weight?
What is the normal weight for a newborn?
How much weight should a newborn gain each week?
One of the easiest ways for parents to check in on the health of their newborn is through their weight, so it is important to understand what a healthy weight would be and what to expect for the next few months regarding weight gain.
Your newborn baby will be weighed by health care professionals immediately following birth, then again once they are around 4-6 days old, and often about 1 week later. After your newborn has returned to birth weight they will graduate to the regular well-check schedule to ensure that they are gaining weight at a healthy rate.
There is no need to weigh your baby at home. Feeding on demand and once your child has regained his or her birthweight, you can relax and follow your baby’s lead. The monitoring of weight and growth that is done at the regularly scheduled well visits is adequate unless there is something in particular that triggers concern.
The average weight for a newborn that is born anywhere between 37 and 40 weeks is somewhere between 5 pounds, 8 ounces, and 8 pounds, 13 ounces. If your newborn weighs somewhere just outside of this average, this does not mean that they are unhealthy, they just might be recommended a little bit of extra care or attention from their pediatrician for the first few months of their life. At regular well visits, your baby’s growth will be plotted on growth curves. The percentile is much less important than the trend. All babies can be different sizes but their growth rates tend to be pretty consistent and similar. Some factors that may influence your newborn’s weight at birth include the height of the parents (tall parents may have larger babies), the gender of the newborn if they are part of a set of multiples (newborns who are part of multiples tend to be a bit smaller at birth), and the health of the mother throughout the pregnancy.
It is normal for a newborn to gain about 4 to 7 ounces per week until they’re around 6 months old, equaling around 1 to 2 pounds per month.
Weighing your child at routine health and development checkups is the most effective technique to monitor their weight. Visit ESD Pediatric Group for your newborn weight checks. We have convenient locations to serve you in Norwood and Milford OH. For more information, call us or request an appointment online. We serve patients from Milford OH, Hyde Park OH, Cincinnati OH, Blue Ash OH, Montgomery OH, Loveland OH, Mt. Orab OH, Newtown OH, and Kenwood OH.
