Newborns are certainly very concerned about their development and growth. One of the things that many mothers pay attention to is their baby's weight. Not infrequently, the mother is very worried when she knows her baby's weight has dropped. However, you need to know that it is normal if the baby's weight drops after birth. You as a parent need not worry about this.
Why does the baby's weight drop after birth?
All babies must experience weight loss after birth. This is not influenced by whether he is given breast milk or formula milk. This drop in baby weight is fluid lost from the baby's body. When in the womb, the baby lives in a liquid, so that at birth the baby carries a lot of extra fluid. The extra fluid in the baby's body will disappear slowly within a few days after the baby is born, so the baby's weight also goes down. And, because babies cannot eat much and only eat breast milk at this time, so babies cannot maintain their weight.
Usually, the baby's weight drops in the first 5-7 days of life. So, at this time, you as a parent need not be surprised if the baby looks smaller and his weight drops. Don't worry, this baby's weight loss will not last long.
Usually the baby can reach his birth weight again on the 10-14th day of his birth. According to a 2003 study published by the Archives of Diseases in Children Fetal & Neonatal Edition, about 95% of baby milk bottles will reach their birth weight again for 14.5 days, while 95% of breastfeeding babies can reach birth weight within 18.7 days .
However, if the baby's weight drops in large enough numbers, the baby is sick, or the baby is premature, maybe the baby takes longer (up to three weeks) to be able to get his birth weight again. This is still normal.
The number of babies who fall is usually not large. Normally, infant formula milk decreases by 5% of its birth weight, while it is 7-10% for breastfed babies. If the number of baby's weight has fallen by more than 10%, then this can be said to be excessive or abnormal.
What if the baby's weight drops too much?
Baby weight down in excessive amounts can be caused by various reasons. One of the things that often becomes the reason is because babies have difficulty in getting intake for a long time, usually occurs in breastfed babies. After birth, your milk may take 3-5 days to come out smoothly. In addition, babies also need to try to get a lot of milk when they are breastfeeding. This makes the intake received by the baby becomes hampered. So that babies cannot maintain their weight, it decreases.
Besides being due to lack of intake, excessive weight loss can also be caused by infection or medical conditions, such as metabolic diseases, heart disease, lung disease, or kidney problems.
Excessive weight loss (exceeding 12% of birth weight) can harm the baby. That much weight loss can cause a baby to become dehydrated which can lead to jaundice. Dehydration can also cause a baby's heart rate to slow down.
If your baby is overweight, does not reach birth weight more than 2 weeks, has fever, no appetite, looks lethargic, and shows signs of dehydration (such as baby diapers rarely get wet, lips or eyes dry, and skin wrinkles) you should immediately take the baby to the doctor.