What Was Your Full Term Baby Big or Small?

My son was almost 9 lbs at 40 + weeks, and 21 1/2 inches. Up until he was 4 he was always in the 25% for height. We were amazed since we are both very tall. Then all of a sudden around age 4 he sprung up and is not in the 90%. I don't think it matters what they are at birth, but more what the parents and family size is.

My son was 10lbs & 23.5 inches long at birth. Don't know those percentiles, and I'm on my phone or would look them up. He was off the charts from 6mo onward, so my led switched to Scandinavian charts (which dropped him to 50th percentiles from 99th).

My brother was 7lbs... He's now 6'4
I was 8lbs.... I was 6' by middleschool
My girlfriend in school was 10lbs... But is 5'2 as an adult
My cousin was 12.5 lbs... She's now also 6'1 same as me
Etc.

The only common denominator is the rule of thumb:

Double their height at age 2 for their adult height. Barring disorders, that one runs almost universally true.

My first was 7lbs and she's 23 now, about 5' 6" and got *all* my family's genes with the curves and hard to control weight.

My second was a breech birth and 9 lbs. She got her father's high metabolism and the tall, skinny genes. She's 5' 9" and can eat all day/all night without gaining a pound.

My third was 10+lbs at birth and is over 6' at 20 yrs old.

It's very interesting and so cool how they are all truly a mixture of both parents. In body type and in personality. And mine were all way off the charts as babies. Exclusively breast fed, I was constantly getting yelled at by the WIC ladies who said I fed them too much ... um ... *how* do you feed a breastfed baby too much? Never understood that at all. :)

I had my daughter 2 weeks past my due date and she was almost 9 pounds. I assumed she would be a large child also, but she is in the 1st grade now and since daycare she has been the smallest in her classes. She actually has a never ending appetite and is very healthy. I've come to realize that she just has a small build & not to worry...which I did alot of for a while. They are who they are & as long as they are healthy they will grow exactly as they should, whether it be big or small. :)

I think it's just genetics. My oldest son was 9.2 at 42 weeks. My 2nd was 8.12 at 40 weeks, my 3rd was 7.8 at 39 weeks. All thinned out a lot as infants (no chin rolls or chubby thighs) and are still thin now. My oldest was actually a bit of a house until about 18 months, then dropped to being long and lean. My 2nd was 10.5 lbs at 5 days old and looked giant until about 6 months, then tapered off to a very slender, average height boy. My youngest was a peanut from birth and still is both short and slim.

Also many of those growth charts are based on years of data from mostly formula-fed babies, whose growth was more steady than that of breastfed babies, who tend to gain a lot in the first few months and then taper off later in their first year.

Nope. My big babies are now big kids. But, their dad is 6'4" and I'm 5'8", so I think it has to do with our genetics. All three of my kiddos are 99th %ile for height, and weight is just right for their bodies.

My first one was almost 2 weeks early and weighted 10.12. My second was almost 2 weeks early and was 11# even. The doc said if they would have gone full term, they would have been probably 13#. Good luck.

My second baby was full term to the day - 8 lbs, 9 1/2 ounces, 21 inches long. He's 6 feet tall now and is built like an Adonis. I can't remember what his percentiles were when he was 4 years old, but they were probably like your child's. How tall are you and your husband? How about the grandfather's? Go by that. At his 2nd birthday, I asked the ped how tall she thought he'd be, and wouldn't you know, she was right on in her assessment of him now.

Dawn

I think growth rates in the first 6 months are very dependent upon feeding success. I had very low milk supply with both my children, despite seeing several lactation consultants. Both of my sons were born at 50% for height and weight. My first son just wouldn't gain weight from breastfeeding alone -- I tried, under doctor supervision -- for a month. Finally, we started supplementing, and then he stabilized, and has always remained between 50-75% for height and weight (he's now 5). I was able to exclusively breast-feed my second son, but when you look at his height and weight curves, you can see that my low milk supply was definitely keeping his growth on the low end. He was born at 50%, then slowly but steadily dropped to 10% by 4 months. At 4 months, I started introducing solids, and his height / weight crept back up to 25%. He stayed in the 25% range until 1 year of age, when I stopped breastfeeding and switched to whole milk ... and within a couple months his height / weight soared to 75% which is where he still is currently (at age 3).

And, although breastfeeding tends to result in slower growth, its not always the case. I had a friend who's baby was born at 50% and was exclusively breastfeed and within a few months he was at the 99.9% percentile for height and weight. Both parents were tallish, but not unusually tall, and the mom did say that she produced a LOT of milk. He's 5 now, and is still a BIG kid (all around, not fat).

3 boys, 2 girls

6.4
6.11
7.1
6.9
6.7

All full term. All small. Which is good since I found out later I had a small pelvis. You'd never know it looking at my hips.

my daughter born at noon on her due date.. weighed 6 15. very average..

now at 6 she is 39 pounds and very low weight.

growth in utero has to do with moms nutrition, how well the placenta is working.. and probably other things we dont know about.

after they are born.. growth has to do with what they eat and how mucch they eat..

Neither, she was the National Average...exactly!

#1 8lbs 4oz 21 1/2 in long... he is now 14 and is 5'7 and 117lbs
#2 7lbs 14oz 19 in long... he is now 12 and is 4'9 and 120lbs
#3 8lbs 0oz 20 in long.. he is now 11 and is 4'10 and 125lbs
#4 8lbs 2oz 201/2 in long.. he is now 4 and 3'3 and 45lbs ( he was breach also until the night before I had him)
#5 6lbs 7oz 19in long... she is now 3 and is 3'1 and 40lbs

4 kids now in their teens and 20's. The bigger babies became bigger, taller adults. All born within 2 weeks of their due dates.

2 of my kids were small as children, riding the lower line on the growth chart. Doctor said my daughter could grow to 5'0 or 5'1 but she's 5'4". Son is 5'9, he's 15yo and might still be growing. So kid's growth can follow their own pattern.

She was 7lbs 8 oz and 21.5 inches long. She is now 10 and still tall, 4'10" and growing fast. I'm only 5'4", but her dad has tall genes.

Mine is the same way, getting taller but not fat. He was 6 pounds, 3 ounces, 19.5 inches at birth. I told his doctor recently that he won't sit still long enough to gain weight. He stays active into the night--walking and pushing and pulling and lifting. He eats table food until he's had enough. He nurses. He sweats. He's got long legs and long torso. He's strong as all get-out.

Full term to me is 37 weeks( per my docs) my first was 37w5d and she was tiny at 5lb14 oz 17", my 2nd was 37w4d 7lb3oz 17.5", 3rd was 38w6d 8lb3oz 18.5" and 4th was 37w5d and 7lb1oz 17.5". They are 11,5,3 & 22 months now and are all a lil above "average" size....about 80% for weight. So my littlest one definitely caught up.

My daughter was full term 8lbs 4oz 21 1/2 in long. Now she's 10 and the smallest in her class. She's finally hit over 4 ft tall. She's sitting at 4'3" after a growth spurt
My son , 9 days early 9lb 3oz ( measured 7.5lbs at 36 week ultrasound) , is 7 and only 2 inches shorter than his sister. He's on the tall side.

The hospital claimed my son was the 3rd biggest in the hospital. He was 7lbs.7oz. and 21 1/2 inches. He's always been underweight, but average in height from toddlerhood to now. (My wonderful string bean.) The Ped. just figures it's probably genetics, since he's very healthy and we are all small and thin. I think he's just a picky eater. I'll admit, he was bottle fed, but I don't think that really makes a difference in his case.

Well, kids sprout up at certain age junctures.
And depending how tall you and your Husband are.

My kids were both born over 8 pounds and both at 21" long at birth.
One was born 1 week early and my other born 2 weeks early (planned c-section).
Both my kids were breastfed exclusively and had ginormous appetites and grew like weeds.
And I nursed on-demand.

Both my kids have been pretty consistent since birth, at being anywhere from the 93rd-95th percentiles for height and pretty much middle range for weight. They are tall, but lean, but grow at a good rhythm for their overall measurements. They are now 5 and 9 years old and are tall for their ages. Many people think they are older then they are, due to their height.
My Husband and his side of the family are tall.
Mine are not.
My kids have his height.