The Charts

So my friend Madeline just commented on my last post (fretting about Robin’s recent lack of growth) to tell me something really important:

Isabel’s growth stalled out at around this same age. She was around the same percentiles for height and weight as Robin, and at around a year, she stopped gaining weight for months. Our pediatrician told us that the growth curves are based on both breast-fed and formula-fed babies, but that breast-fed babies have a different growth pattern (faster for the first 6 months or so, slower later) than formula-fed babies (steadier and more consistent). Our pediatrician told us it was nothing to worry about, and that we shouldn’t make a big effort to get her to eat more.

This is true!  And it’s something that might cause me to change pediatricians, as now I’m really angry that the doctor scared me about something he should have known was perfectly normal for a breastfed baby.

Coincidentally, one of the parenting blogs I read is having a big discussion about how unreliable those growth charts are today.


One Response to “The Charts”

  • Madeline Says:

    I’m so glad this was helpful. It makes me appreciate our pediatrician, who sometimes seems a little spacey, but I think that’s just her manner. She’s really very good.

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