Yes, you can cringe. This is a false statement. It simply isn’t the case. Yes, some babies may need supplementing and this post isn’t to call out the babies who needed extra support. This post is to debunk the myth that all big babies need supplementing.

My not so “tiny” baby was 10lbs a birth. Took me and everyone in the room by surprise. I had only delivered "average" size babies before this..7lbs 5oz and 6lbs 6oz. By 10 days old he was past his birth weight at 10lbs 10oz. He is a big baby but he is still very much a newborn. Newborns are learning to suck and swallow and colostrum is very much needed for development and immunity, and gives opportunity for parent and baby to learn how to breastfeed. Their stomach size grows as milk transitions and quantity of milk intake increases. It wasn't till I was becoming an IBCLC that I learned feeding intake requirements or even how often a baby should breastfeed theoretically. When you mother through breastfeeding, you respond to your babies feeding cues, nurse frequently, notice your breasts becoming softer as he nurses, watch for contentment during and after a feed, have an awareness of poops and pees, and weight gain. That is how I knew things were going well. And if there was a doubt, I just offered the boob again.

At an appointment, the doctor learned I was breastfeeding and she say to me, “oh wow, and you are able to keep up?” I was surprised this physician had doubt. It opened the door to a teaching opportunity. Yes! Our bodies don’t design our milk supply for 7lb babies. Our body responds to the withdrawal of milk. To say big babies can’t be exclusively breastfed (EBF) just doesn’t make sense when you think about how milk supply works. If you have twins, you make a supply for twins based on how much milk they remove. We do not continue to increase milk the entire time we breastfed, we actually peak around ~900ml/24hrs by the end of the first week of life and maintain that till we start introducing solids around the half year mark, or drop feeds. We see rapid growth the first 3 months and then there is a gradual slowing down. Don't panic if baby isn't growing as rapidly after 3 months. Despite the weight gain being less rapid, the milk intake is still the same, and your milk composition is constantly changing to meet your child's needs.
I don’t know why my 3rd baby weighted 10lbs. Sometimes Gestational Diabetes is a factor. It wasn't the case for me. With any baby, getting them to the breast, skin to skin within that "Golden Hour", that first hour after birth, is very helpful in supporting their blood sugar levels (even more important with maternal diabetes), temperature and respiration regulation, microbiome, milk supply, hormones… Blood sugars will be a concern for health care providers when there is a baby Large for Gestational Age (LGA). Keep your baby skin to skin during this time to keep those blood sugars in the normal range and offer the breast frequently.. offering the breast in no longer gaps of 2-3 hours and more often if possible.
Feeding on demand 8-12 (at least) in 24hrs is important to allow for baby to remove enough milk. I can't stress this enough either...feeding through the night is normal and necessary for growth and development of infants. If breastfeeding is going well or if your are working on getting breastfeeding back on track after a difficult start, always remember these 3 Goals:
3 Keeps:
Keep your baby close.
2. Keep your milk flowing.
3. Keep baby fed.
If you have any feeding concerns, reach out! I hope you found this post helpful. Book your online Lactation Consult: https://www.drivenlactation.com/book-online
How big was your baby?
2-3lbs
4-5lbs
6-7lbs
8-9lbs
10+
Disclaimer: This post is intended to share information for educational purposes. It does not replace or substitute medical advice.
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