Baby Weight

You’ve heard so much about how much baby should weigh at birth. But what happens after that may surprise you

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DURING PREGNANCY, your unborn baby grows at an amazing rate – from a mere 0.4g at four weeks’ gestation to 200g by week 18. This then doubles to 460g by week 22 and doubles again four weeks later to 820g by week 26. By 40 weeks, your baby should weigh (on average and if there have been no problems) 3.4kg for a boy or 3kg for a girl.

A low birth weight (LBW) baby weighs 2.5kg or less. A newborn weighing in at more than 4kg is called overweight for gestational age (OGA).

A very low birth weight (VLBW) baby can weigh less than 1.5kg.

WHY IS MY BABY LOSING WEIGHT?

Newborns can lose up to 10 percent of body weight in the first three days after birth. Although this would be drastic for an adult, taking into account the circumstances of the newborn, it’s considered normal.