Baby jumped from 90th to 75th in height

[pantrygirl]

Should I be worried?

The doc said she'd check it again in a few months but she didn't want to discuss it until she rechecked her height in a few months.

Is that normal for a breastfed baby? At her last visit (4 mth) she was at the 90th now at her 6 mth visit she's 75th. She was consistently at the 90th from day 1.

Her head and weight stayed the same.

I now the percentiles are just guides but now I'm paranoid.

Any thoughts? :36:

[brittone2]

IME, totally normal. Did they use the new charts that are out for just breastfed babies?

eta: my kids definitely moved around between 50th and 90th. I'm also not sure how accurately they always measure because trying to mark a wiggly baby on some paper on a table is not the easiest thing ever, kwim? Being a little bit off can really affect the percentiles since they are so small to start with, kwim?

Since her head and weight are fine, I personally would not worry at all.

[Snow mom]

I'm sure she's fine. Babies all grow a bit differently. I'd only worry about a major drop in percentiles.

[carolinamama]

I think it is normal - those percentiles are so close together on that chart and a half of an inch can make a big difference. (Obviously it was a measuring error, not that he really lost it.) The measurements are not scientific at best. My ds2 lost half an inch in a few days - measured 23.5 in at birth and then 23 in at the pedi's office a few days after birth. Not saying this happened, but it does help explain how your pedi feels about following trends, not just one measurement. Also, I remember when I was in elementary school sometimes I was taller than kids, sometimes shorter depending on growth spurts etc. Maybe your dd is getting ready to have a growth spurt?

BTW, I fully expect ds2 to slow at some point as dh and I are nowhere near as tall as it should take to have a baby/child at the height he has been so far.

edited to clarify

[pantrygirl]

They used the new charts not the breastfed baby charts. The doc said that she expects a huge growth spurt for breastfed babies around the 4th month but she's been consistently at 90th from day 1 so she wants to monitor her height.

She said the drop to 75th for height could just be a fluke or 'well see at the next visit'. How the heck does that not make a mom not worry?

[veronica]

Height is still pretty subjective at that age. Are they laying her down and marking the paper with a pen? If so, it depends on who does it and how they "stretch" her leg.

My DD 'shrunk' a half inch from her hospital measurment to her first visit to the Ped. three days later. Nurse said it is normal because a lot of times they "stretch" their legs out more at the hospital......

[lizajane]

schuyler was 95th or 97th until 6 months, at which point his height went to 75th and his weight to 50th. By 9 months, his height was back to 97th and his weight to 75th.

At age 5, his weight is 95th and his height has not been on the chart for THREE YEARS. He is the tallest child in the entire kindergarten.

[pantrygirl]

BTW, I fully expect ds2 to slow at some point as dh and I are nowhere near as tall as it should take to have a baby/child at the height he has been so far.

I know what you mean. DH and I aren't tall folks but a mom can dream can't she? :p

[pantrygirl]

ok, thanks for calming me down.

I'm sitting her thinking, what could be wrong? and the famous, "What did I do wrong?"

I was about to Google 'infant height issues' when my sanity returned and I came here.

Thanks. :applause: :cheerleader1:

[brittone2]

It is hard not to worry. My kids both have big heads...like 90th percentile. One time the percentile dropped dramatically. Oddly, no one really said anything, but they gave me our discharge sheet and it had dropped to like 25th percentile, which got the PT in me a little concerned.

I figured out later they measured wrong...like an entire inch off.

I think that stuff happens quite often, to tell you the truth. Sorry your doc made you feel worried.

[tylersmama]

Yep, my DS "lost" almost an inch from one well-baby visit to the next one! Measuring infant height is SO tricky and inexact. Don't panic! :hug:

[pantrygirl]

Height is still pretty subjective at that age. Are they laying her down and marking the paper with a pen? If so, it depends on who does it and how they "stretch" her leg.

They lay her on the paper and mark it with a pen. Hardly scientific but it beats that board thing they use that looks like a big giant shoe measuring doodad. The docs even admitted that she got rid of the shoe doodad because it was just too gross to put babies on that thing without disinfecting it every time. It's more sanitary to use the clean paper and measure that way but it's not very scientific.

She remeasured her three times. The first time she suspected the nurse had her on the incline of the exam table.

Thanks for the feedback and assurances. I feel better.

[o_mom]

Well, how tall are you and DH?

ETA: The difference in the 75th and 90th percentiles at 6 months is around 1.5 cm - that is less than an inch. Nothing to worry about, IMO - they most likely over measured last time or under measured this time.

[clc053103]

ITA in regards to the "paper on the table" measuring, sometimes the baby was fully stretched, sometimes not, some of the nurses rushed through it and yes, one wrote the wrong numbers down.

[JTsMom]

Yep, my DS "lost" almost an inch from one well-baby visit to the next one! Measuring infant height is SO tricky and inexact. Don't panic! :hug:

Yup, happened to me too, but it was only a couple days apart. I laughed so hard, b/c the nurse was acting like she was seriously concerned that my baby had shrunk. Seriously, don't worry about it for even a second more. Even if both measurements were perfect, I STILL wouldn't worry. Fluctuations happen- perfectly normal.

[lil_acorn]

I wouldn't be worried. Also recognize there is a level of error in teh measurements since the babys are likely squirming.

[DrSally]

Could be measurement error. It's hard to get those height measurements sometimes.

[AngelaS]

I had one go from 80% to 5% in the first 2 or so years. She kept growing, just sloooowly. She's still runty at 6.5 years, but technically in the 50% now.

[kransden]

They also could have measured her right before a serious growth spurt too. My child seemed to do that. Now at 6, she tells me her legs hurt, and I know the next fews days she'll be eating like a piglet. :)

[ahrimie]

Very normal... happened to us too. I read that those growth charts are really based on formula fed babies, who might not have the growth "plateau" (it's more like a slowing of growth) and there are just bigger babies these days than before. So, it may seem like breastfed babies are falling off the charts but as long as you have the required wet and dirty diapers, there's nothing to worry about.

But I did like bragging about how my baby would be a supermodel.. lol.

[Melaine]

Height is still pretty subjective at that age. Are they laying her down and marking the paper with a pen? If so, it depends on who does it and how they "stretch" her leg.

My DD 'shrunk' a half inch from her hospital measurment to her first visit to the Ped. three days later. Nurse said it is normal because a lot of times they "stretch" their legs out more at the hospital......


That's exactly what i was thinking. One visit one of my daughter's "shrunk" too...and I know that it was due to the inaccuracy of the measurements. Even if not, it's not a big deal at all....