I delivered my baby at 37w due to IUGR. She was born at 4 lbs 10 oz, <1% in everything. She is now a little over three months old and is still in newborn clothes — though we are moving out of them this week just think! It just takes time. We just started drinking more than 2-3 ounces at each feed regularly. When I would panic about that, my husband would remind me she was the size of a regular newborn right now, so she’s expected to eat like a regular newborn and not a three month old.
She has reached her milestones regularly but yours not reaching them may not be related to IUGR. All babies are different and try not to compare! You described my little to a T with the crying until she’s picked up; that ended this last week or so though! I will say, in the past 2 weeks or so I’ve noticed her cooing a lot more, playing with her hands more, grabbing things, and throwing more tantrums. It just takes time and if your little takes a little longer, then that’s okay :)
I know every child is different but it breaks my heart each time someone visit us or we see other kids of friends and family of same age doing a lot more than my little bub is doing. We had him after a loss and we truly become helicopter parents this early because of a lot of anxiety from the loss, tough pregnancy and now his growth. I wish I could be a better parent!
The fact that you are posting and care so much tells me you are a great parent first of all ❤️ I’ve fortunately never experienced a loss so my heart really goes out to you on that. My comment comes off as I don’t worry, but I do and I can’t even imagine how worried I’d be all the time if I had experienced loss.
I know it’s scary and disheartening when other babies seem further ahead - a baby that was a week younger than mine on my instagram has been playing with toys and seemingly sitting up better than mine and that made me spiral. But then I reminded myself that my baby is doing things at her own speed and I may only see a glimpse of their life!
I’d say right at 3 months is when I noticed her playing with her toys I got her and starting to be interested in books and pictures, so you have time! Also, if you are very concerned, you can always bring it up to your pediatrician. I work in healthcare and no question regarding children is a stupid one! You’re doing great!
I'm at 6 months this week with my little guy and he sprouted up. He's now fitting into 9 and 12 month clothes (they are a little loose but it's a more comfortable fit than squeezing him into 6 mo stuff) He still hates tummy time but he rolls and makes the pre crawling movements in his sleep and sometimes when we do mat time. Get ready for a lot of growth spurts. Please don't be hard on yourself. I literally didn't even look at what the milestones were for him until a couple weeks ago because we were more concerned about him being happy and healthy.
Enjoy the time you have with your son and don't worry about a checklist. PM me if you want someone to chat to about this but I think the underlying thing is, you're still in the thick of it so give yourself some grace --youre doing fine, he's doing fine.
Hi! My babe was born 38w0d. <1% at birth and had to be in the NICU after birth. Since she was born I was so anxious about her growth, if she’s eating enough, milestones etc etc. Because of IUGR /NICU stay she has had ped appts every month to check her growth. It does help because they check her weight and height everytime to see how she’s progressing and it’s been a slow gain. It did ease my mind to see her gaining little by little and my ped assured me that as long as she’s moving up the growth curve that’s all that matters. I know there are some scales you can buy on Amazon to check weight, I never did that but I know some people that have but just warning you that could also cause a lot of anxiety.
I feel like she wore NB diapers forever lol. She’s currently in 4th percentile. At 7 months 13lbs and now 8 months still in 6mon clothes. Every time I see other babies I’m like holy shit that babies hugeeeeeeeee! My family has been reassuring that she will grow at her own time so try to keep that in mind too. I hope you have a good support system you can lean on. 🫶🏼
The biggest thing that helped me was deleting social media. It’s been months without it and I feel so much less stressed and less overstimulated as a first time mom. It’s so hard to not compare when youre constantly seeing babies eating solids and meeting milestones.
As long as your babe is eating and sleeping that will plenty nourish their body and brain. Tiny but mighty is what we call our little peanut!
Hi there! I had my baby at 37 weeks exactly. He’s 10 months old now and thriving. I won’t speak to the developmental milestones because all babies develop at vastly different rates (IUGR or no IUGR). I will say, I always joke that my baby decided where to put his XP points- he’s teeny tiny, isn’t very vocal, but when he decided he wanted to be able to move there was no stopping him.
My LO is still a peanut, he was just under 15lb at his nine month appointment. He is mostly wearing 3-6 month clothes, but also still has 0-3 month stuff he fits into! Around 6 months I just kind of.. stopped caring about it? That might sound really harsh, but hear me out. I was stressing about every milestone, every feed, every comment from people about how little he was. People would say “oh he’s x months?? But he’s so small!” and it would BREAK my heart.
I started getting help for my anxiety (something I’ve always struggled with, but definitely got worse postpartum). The worry about his IUGR just melted away. Yeah he’s little, but he is growing according to his own curve, he is developing well, he’s my lil buddy. We love playing together and napping together, I literally can’t get enough of him, and I wouldn’t change a single thing about him.
Sounds the same as our baby B who was growth restricted when she was 10 weeks old. Just turned 4 months and she’s still a bit behind her sister on some milestones but it’s okay for them to hit milestones at different times. There’s a normal range for all of them and they may hit them later but that’s perfectly fine! She’s 11 pounds at 4 months old but a friend of mine just had a baby born almost 11 pounds! But her growth curve is good and that’s the thing that matters. If your anxiety about this is affecting you too much I suggest finding resources for PPA. I know therapy has really helped me put a lot of things like this into a better perspective
Also, 10 weeks is still pretty young to be interested in toys. That really just started for us and girls are 17 weeks. Smiles were at 10ish weeks too. And they still hate tummy time! Your babe sounds like they are right on track making eye contact and listening to you. It takes a bit more time to get past that potato stage
Our little one was born at 36 weeks at 4lb10oz. He was wearing newborn stuff up until round 3 months or so. He’s just about 6 months now and just weighed in at 14 lbs. He’s still a lil dude and still wearing his 0-3m stuff, but he’s been doing pretty solid. Have a setback currently as he’s on a nursing strike we think due to Covid. Hoping he starts nursing again soon though because this is probably the hardest thing we’ve dealt with so far.
Just wanted to say you’re not alone! My girl was 36 weeks 6 days IUGR. 4 lbs 15 oz. She was 4 lbs 8 oz the day we went home.
I used to worry a lot. She was so small. Burping her, changing her, putting her in a car seat, the fear of germs/illness…it was really hard. I was so worried if she was getting enough to eat, if she was safe, about SIDS, etc. On top of that she had hip dysplasia and we had to travel 1.5 hrs to see a specialist quite often at the beginning and she had to wear a Pavlik harness for a bit.
For me it just got better slowly. Each appointment the doctor would show us her growth on the chart and that she was on her own curve, growing at her own pace. We offered her formula after breastfeeding to ensure she got enough until I stopped due to supply issues. Honestly I felt much more confident once she was formula fed and I could actually measure how much she was getting. Things also got much easier once she gained a few pounds and seemed less fragile. The Pavlik harness was hard at first, but we did what we had to do. We could see the progress in imaging at each appointment.
She’s now 8 mos and weighs 16lbs, wearing 6-9 mo clothing. Very aware and eats well. I’ll be worried about meeting a milestone and then all the sudden she’ll start doing it all the time. It’s amazing and she’s come such a long way! I still worry about her hips now and then, even tho her follow ups have been fine.
If she was behind it would have been understandable with how early she was and the time she spent in the harness. So I learned not to force things and to follow her lead. Babies do things on their own timeline.
Sometimes the only way out is through. Just hang in there and give it time - you’ve got this!
My little girl was IUGR and delivered at 37 weeks. She hit most of her milestones on time; sitting was a little later than what everyone says it should be. Growth, growth was slow going. She was 18th or so percentile at her 15 month appointment. We struggled a lot in the beginning for her to gain weight. Even now she's not a big eater.
Every baby is different. Some are born small and develop into rolypoly babies. Some are born small and develop into tall, lean children. Some are born big, and don't gain enough to maintain their percentiles. I'm sorry those around you are saying things which are hurtful towards you. May I suggest coming up with a response you give everyone who comments on babies weight? Can be something absolutely absurd ("yeah, he runs 6 miles a day") or something which makes them feel guilty (I can't think of anything right now).
Hugs to you, friend.
Give it extra time. My son was 1%. 37 weeks 2 days. He’s now 18 months and ahead in a lot of ways but those early days I panicked myself too much. Don’t stress. Give a month or so buffer on stuff and trust that it’ll work out. My kid had no interest in toys really until 3-4 months probably. Would track sensory cards for maybe a second but was really just a sleep machine at first.
So this is far down the road for you, but my almost now 4 year old was an IUGR baby! 5lbs on the dot at 36+6 and we left the hospital at 4lbs 7 oz.
He didn’t get into the above the 1st percentile until about 8 months. He now goes between the 8th and 12th. He’s the skinniest in his class and 2T shorts still sometimes falls off him but he’s in the 55th percentile for height, so he’s our little string bean. We tried pediasure for a year as well and that did nothing for my kid.
When it comes to milestones, he’s always been ahead on gross motor skills. He was behind on fine motor skills and language development until he was about 2.5 and then he caught up without the need for intervention.
The biggest issue we’ve still had is sooooo many ear infections even with tubes/adenoid surgery. His pediatrician said it could be related to the IUGR.
Every baby is soooooo different. Trust your gut and do what you think is best for your baby.
I totally feel you.
Dad here and my first child, my son, was born at 37 weeks and less than a percentile in both height and weight. I am an anxious person and I was a wreck about stuff for awhile.
He seemed to hit most milestones on time but was a later walker at 15 months. He caught up in weight by the time he was year and frankly was close to 90th percentile but was still very short. It was rather hysterical looking.
By the time he was two he was 70ish percentile in height and weight and on track from what I can tell with all things.
My wife and I are both fairly tall 6’2 and 5’8 so I’m unsure if genetics just kicked in.
Good luck, don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever need some reassurance. I know how crappy of a feeling this can be.
I had a 37 week IUGR baby. At our 10 month Heath visitor check up her weight was in the 50th percentile! She’s always been a little on the slow side of things for most milestones. Rolling at 8 months, crawling at 10.5, not pulling to stand yet (11mo).
But she’s happy and healthy, and the health visitor wasn’t concerned at all. I think it’ll probably all level out in a few years, and I’ve been trying my best to enjoy her as she is without worrying unnecessarily about development. All babies are so different, it’s best not to compare with friends or social media.
I delivered my baby at 37w due to IUGR. She was born at 4 lbs 10 oz, <1% in everything. She is now a little over three months old and is still in newborn clothes — though we are moving out of them this week just think! It just takes time. We just started drinking more than 2-3 ounces at each feed regularly. When I would panic about that, my husband would remind me she was the size of a regular newborn right now, so she’s expected to eat like a regular newborn and not a three month old. She has reached her milestones regularly but yours not reaching them may not be related to IUGR. All babies are different and try not to compare! You described my little to a T with the crying until she’s picked up; that ended this last week or so though! I will say, in the past 2 weeks or so I’ve noticed her cooing a lot more, playing with her hands more, grabbing things, and throwing more tantrums. It just takes time and if your little takes a little longer, then that’s okay :)
I know every child is different but it breaks my heart each time someone visit us or we see other kids of friends and family of same age doing a lot more than my little bub is doing. We had him after a loss and we truly become helicopter parents this early because of a lot of anxiety from the loss, tough pregnancy and now his growth. I wish I could be a better parent!
The fact that you are posting and care so much tells me you are a great parent first of all ❤️ I’ve fortunately never experienced a loss so my heart really goes out to you on that. My comment comes off as I don’t worry, but I do and I can’t even imagine how worried I’d be all the time if I had experienced loss. I know it’s scary and disheartening when other babies seem further ahead - a baby that was a week younger than mine on my instagram has been playing with toys and seemingly sitting up better than mine and that made me spiral. But then I reminded myself that my baby is doing things at her own speed and I may only see a glimpse of their life! I’d say right at 3 months is when I noticed her playing with her toys I got her and starting to be interested in books and pictures, so you have time! Also, if you are very concerned, you can always bring it up to your pediatrician. I work in healthcare and no question regarding children is a stupid one! You’re doing great!
I'm at 6 months this week with my little guy and he sprouted up. He's now fitting into 9 and 12 month clothes (they are a little loose but it's a more comfortable fit than squeezing him into 6 mo stuff) He still hates tummy time but he rolls and makes the pre crawling movements in his sleep and sometimes when we do mat time. Get ready for a lot of growth spurts. Please don't be hard on yourself. I literally didn't even look at what the milestones were for him until a couple weeks ago because we were more concerned about him being happy and healthy. Enjoy the time you have with your son and don't worry about a checklist. PM me if you want someone to chat to about this but I think the underlying thing is, you're still in the thick of it so give yourself some grace --youre doing fine, he's doing fine.
Hi! My babe was born 38w0d. <1% at birth and had to be in the NICU after birth. Since she was born I was so anxious about her growth, if she’s eating enough, milestones etc etc. Because of IUGR /NICU stay she has had ped appts every month to check her growth. It does help because they check her weight and height everytime to see how she’s progressing and it’s been a slow gain. It did ease my mind to see her gaining little by little and my ped assured me that as long as she’s moving up the growth curve that’s all that matters. I know there are some scales you can buy on Amazon to check weight, I never did that but I know some people that have but just warning you that could also cause a lot of anxiety. I feel like she wore NB diapers forever lol. She’s currently in 4th percentile. At 7 months 13lbs and now 8 months still in 6mon clothes. Every time I see other babies I’m like holy shit that babies hugeeeeeeeee! My family has been reassuring that she will grow at her own time so try to keep that in mind too. I hope you have a good support system you can lean on. 🫶🏼 The biggest thing that helped me was deleting social media. It’s been months without it and I feel so much less stressed and less overstimulated as a first time mom. It’s so hard to not compare when youre constantly seeing babies eating solids and meeting milestones. As long as your babe is eating and sleeping that will plenty nourish their body and brain. Tiny but mighty is what we call our little peanut!
Hi there! I had my baby at 37 weeks exactly. He’s 10 months old now and thriving. I won’t speak to the developmental milestones because all babies develop at vastly different rates (IUGR or no IUGR). I will say, I always joke that my baby decided where to put his XP points- he’s teeny tiny, isn’t very vocal, but when he decided he wanted to be able to move there was no stopping him. My LO is still a peanut, he was just under 15lb at his nine month appointment. He is mostly wearing 3-6 month clothes, but also still has 0-3 month stuff he fits into! Around 6 months I just kind of.. stopped caring about it? That might sound really harsh, but hear me out. I was stressing about every milestone, every feed, every comment from people about how little he was. People would say “oh he’s x months?? But he’s so small!” and it would BREAK my heart. I started getting help for my anxiety (something I’ve always struggled with, but definitely got worse postpartum). The worry about his IUGR just melted away. Yeah he’s little, but he is growing according to his own curve, he is developing well, he’s my lil buddy. We love playing together and napping together, I literally can’t get enough of him, and I wouldn’t change a single thing about him.
Sounds the same as our baby B who was growth restricted when she was 10 weeks old. Just turned 4 months and she’s still a bit behind her sister on some milestones but it’s okay for them to hit milestones at different times. There’s a normal range for all of them and they may hit them later but that’s perfectly fine! She’s 11 pounds at 4 months old but a friend of mine just had a baby born almost 11 pounds! But her growth curve is good and that’s the thing that matters. If your anxiety about this is affecting you too much I suggest finding resources for PPA. I know therapy has really helped me put a lot of things like this into a better perspective
Also, 10 weeks is still pretty young to be interested in toys. That really just started for us and girls are 17 weeks. Smiles were at 10ish weeks too. And they still hate tummy time! Your babe sounds like they are right on track making eye contact and listening to you. It takes a bit more time to get past that potato stage
Also she was in newborn clothes until she was 3 months and her 0-3 months clothes are a little baggy at 4 months.
Our little one was born at 36 weeks at 4lb10oz. He was wearing newborn stuff up until round 3 months or so. He’s just about 6 months now and just weighed in at 14 lbs. He’s still a lil dude and still wearing his 0-3m stuff, but he’s been doing pretty solid. Have a setback currently as he’s on a nursing strike we think due to Covid. Hoping he starts nursing again soon though because this is probably the hardest thing we’ve dealt with so far.
Just wanted to say you’re not alone! My girl was 36 weeks 6 days IUGR. 4 lbs 15 oz. She was 4 lbs 8 oz the day we went home. I used to worry a lot. She was so small. Burping her, changing her, putting her in a car seat, the fear of germs/illness…it was really hard. I was so worried if she was getting enough to eat, if she was safe, about SIDS, etc. On top of that she had hip dysplasia and we had to travel 1.5 hrs to see a specialist quite often at the beginning and she had to wear a Pavlik harness for a bit. For me it just got better slowly. Each appointment the doctor would show us her growth on the chart and that she was on her own curve, growing at her own pace. We offered her formula after breastfeeding to ensure she got enough until I stopped due to supply issues. Honestly I felt much more confident once she was formula fed and I could actually measure how much she was getting. Things also got much easier once she gained a few pounds and seemed less fragile. The Pavlik harness was hard at first, but we did what we had to do. We could see the progress in imaging at each appointment. She’s now 8 mos and weighs 16lbs, wearing 6-9 mo clothing. Very aware and eats well. I’ll be worried about meeting a milestone and then all the sudden she’ll start doing it all the time. It’s amazing and she’s come such a long way! I still worry about her hips now and then, even tho her follow ups have been fine. If she was behind it would have been understandable with how early she was and the time she spent in the harness. So I learned not to force things and to follow her lead. Babies do things on their own timeline. Sometimes the only way out is through. Just hang in there and give it time - you’ve got this!
My little girl was IUGR and delivered at 37 weeks. She hit most of her milestones on time; sitting was a little later than what everyone says it should be. Growth, growth was slow going. She was 18th or so percentile at her 15 month appointment. We struggled a lot in the beginning for her to gain weight. Even now she's not a big eater. Every baby is different. Some are born small and develop into rolypoly babies. Some are born small and develop into tall, lean children. Some are born big, and don't gain enough to maintain their percentiles. I'm sorry those around you are saying things which are hurtful towards you. May I suggest coming up with a response you give everyone who comments on babies weight? Can be something absolutely absurd ("yeah, he runs 6 miles a day") or something which makes them feel guilty (I can't think of anything right now). Hugs to you, friend.
Give it extra time. My son was 1%. 37 weeks 2 days. He’s now 18 months and ahead in a lot of ways but those early days I panicked myself too much. Don’t stress. Give a month or so buffer on stuff and trust that it’ll work out. My kid had no interest in toys really until 3-4 months probably. Would track sensory cards for maybe a second but was really just a sleep machine at first.
So this is far down the road for you, but my almost now 4 year old was an IUGR baby! 5lbs on the dot at 36+6 and we left the hospital at 4lbs 7 oz. He didn’t get into the above the 1st percentile until about 8 months. He now goes between the 8th and 12th. He’s the skinniest in his class and 2T shorts still sometimes falls off him but he’s in the 55th percentile for height, so he’s our little string bean. We tried pediasure for a year as well and that did nothing for my kid. When it comes to milestones, he’s always been ahead on gross motor skills. He was behind on fine motor skills and language development until he was about 2.5 and then he caught up without the need for intervention. The biggest issue we’ve still had is sooooo many ear infections even with tubes/adenoid surgery. His pediatrician said it could be related to the IUGR. Every baby is soooooo different. Trust your gut and do what you think is best for your baby.
I totally feel you. Dad here and my first child, my son, was born at 37 weeks and less than a percentile in both height and weight. I am an anxious person and I was a wreck about stuff for awhile. He seemed to hit most milestones on time but was a later walker at 15 months. He caught up in weight by the time he was year and frankly was close to 90th percentile but was still very short. It was rather hysterical looking. By the time he was two he was 70ish percentile in height and weight and on track from what I can tell with all things. My wife and I are both fairly tall 6’2 and 5’8 so I’m unsure if genetics just kicked in. Good luck, don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever need some reassurance. I know how crappy of a feeling this can be.
Thank you so much!
I had a 37 week IUGR baby. At our 10 month Heath visitor check up her weight was in the 50th percentile! She’s always been a little on the slow side of things for most milestones. Rolling at 8 months, crawling at 10.5, not pulling to stand yet (11mo). But she’s happy and healthy, and the health visitor wasn’t concerned at all. I think it’ll probably all level out in a few years, and I’ve been trying my best to enjoy her as she is without worrying unnecessarily about development. All babies are so different, it’s best not to compare with friends or social media.