I haven’t forgotten about this series. There are still a couple of topics I want to touch on before I close it out, and before my baby isn’t a baby anymore.
I thought I would start by sharing the sizes of all of my babies at birth.
- Julia: Born at 38 weeks gestation, 8 pounds 1 ounce, 21 inches (I gained 32 pounds.)
- James: Born at 40 weeks gestation, 7 pounds, 20 inches (I gained 40 pounds.)
- Joshua: Born at 38 weeks 5 days gestation, 6 pounds 13 ounces, 20 inches (I gained 30 pounds.)
- Joseph: Born at 38 weeks 1 day gestation, 7 pounds 13 ounces, 21 inches (I gained 32 pounds.)
- Janna: Born at 38 weeks 2 days gestation, 6 pounds 10 ounces, 21 1/4 inches (I gained 35 pounds.)
There are certain factors that can affect the size of a baby at birth. Some of them include nutrition during pregnancy, health of mother during pregnancy, baby’s health, size of parents, multiples (is baby a twin or triplet), gender, and birth order.
I guess I threw the statistics out the window with my babies. My oldest, a girl, was the biggest of all.
The average size of a newborn baby is 7 1/2 pounds. However, babies ranging from 5 1/2 to 10 pounds are all considered to be of “normal” size.
A baby is considered to be “low birth weight” if he or she weighs less than 5 pounds 8 ounces. Babies are considered to be “very low birth weight” if they are born weighing less than 3 pounds.
Very large babies are generally born to mothers who have diabetes or gestational diabetes, but this isn’t always the case.
A typical newborn can lose 7-10% of his or her birth weight, but should gain it back by the time he or she is 2 weeks old. My girls both lost weight after they were born but were back up to birth weight by 2 weeks. My boys never lost any weight after birth and even gained a few ounces before we left the hospital. All of my children were breastfed.
I guess all of this information just proves the point that all babies, and all pregnancies, are different. All of my babies have been perfectly normal and healthy despite the differences in their sizes at birth.
I think it would be fun if you would leave a comment and share how big your babies were at birth.
Previous Baby Basics Topics:
- A Brand New Baby
- Cord Care
- Newborn Skin Conditions
- Tummy Time
- Clothing a Newborn
- When You Suspect a Problem
- Essential Gear
- Knowing Your Baby
- Trimming Nails & Suctioning Noses
- Baby Learning
- Jaundice
- Attachment Parenting
- Sleeping Like a Baby
- Traveling with Baby
- Pacifiers
- Crying
- Breastfeeding
- Diapering Choices
- Babywearing
- Starting Solid Foods
- Baby Learning Recap
- Teething
- Bath Time
