“How should I increase my baby's weight?”
My baby is 8 months old and was a pre term baby. How can I help him gain weight since he was underweight right from his birth?
2 Answers
Sometimes supplementing breastmilk with preterm formula for added calories may help improve catch-up growth. Also, there are many baby foods and cereals and multivitamins with iron you can give to boost nutrition. Best is to discuss your concerns with the pediatrician. His weight need to be compared based on his corrected age for prematurity. He may be just fine for his corrected age.
Weight is just one aspect of child's health status. As long as everything else is ok, I would not worry about low weight. Pediatricians normally plot the weight on a standard weight curve and as long as the weight gain velocity is ok and the baby is following the weight curve adequately, I don't see much reason for concern. I would also make certain that other parameters of growth are monitored and are progressing well, such as height, head circumference and so on. I also presume that the pediatrician is conversant with health surveillance of children born preterm.
