Question
A four and a half month old baby has gained only half a kilogram in weight over the past month. Is this normal? The baby currently weighs six and a half kilograms, with an average monthly weight gain of about one kilogram in the first three months, but only half a kilogram in the last month. At birth, the baby’s height was 45 centimeters, and now it is 62 centimeters. Does her growth and development meet the standards for a four-month-old girl? Additionally, her milk intake has recently decreased to about 600 to 700 milliliters per day. Is this milk intake too low?
Answer
Insufficient breast milk may be related to various factors, such as not starting breastfeeding early enough, prematurely introducing formula milk causing the baby to develop a wrong impression of the nipple, insufficient breastfeeding frequency or incorrect posture, poor maternal diet, overexertion, emotional tension, anxiety, or depression, as well as a lack of confidence in breastfeeding or postpartum weakness due to cesarean section. Firstly, the mother should maintain confidence in breastfeeding, keep a cheerful mood, consume a balanced diet to ensure nutrition, drink more soups like crucian carp soup, chicken soup, and soybean pork foot soup, etc. Please note the combination of work and rest, ensuring sufficient deep sleep and rest, preferably synchronized with the baby’s rest. The number of feedings per day should not be less than eight to twelve times; during each feeding, the baby should take most of the nipple and areola into its mouth at once;