Why the weight drops
Babies are born carrying extra fluid. Over the first few days that fluid leaves through urine and meconium, while milk intake is still small because supply is only starting. The result is weight loss, usually 5 to 7 percent of birth weight in breastfed babies, and at most around 10 percent.
A 3,200 g baby who drops to 3,000 g on day three is within the expected range. If the loss exceeds 10 percent, or the baby seems listless and rarely wets, a doctor or midwife should check whether intake is adequate.
When birth weight returns
Most babies are back to birth weight by 10 to 14 days. After that, the expected gain is roughly 150 to 200 g per week for the first three months. The exact figure varies; what matters is that the weight-for-age line keeps climbing.
Signs of enough intake in week one
- Days 1 to 2: at least 1 to 2 wet diapers a day.
- Days 3 to 4: 3 to 4 wet diapers, stools changing from black to green.
- Day 5 onward: 6 or more wet diapers, yellow seedy stools.
- The baby feeds 8 to 12 times a day and can be heard swallowing.
Logging diapers and feeds in the Catat tab during the first week is genuinely useful: the recorded pattern is the most helpful data you can bring to the check-up.
When to see a doctor
Seek care promptly if jaundice spreads to the belly or legs, the baby sleeps constantly and is hard to wake for feeds, wets fewer than 6 times a day after day five, or has not regained birth weight by two weeks.
This article is general education and does not replace a doctor’s examination. When in doubt, consult a paediatrician.
