Sympathy Pain

After the Ultrasound, we talked with the doctor.

“Everything looks great. It couldn’t look much better. The baby is head down, which doesn’t really matter right now, but he has to be some way, and that’s the best way to be. He is exactly in the 50th percentile for weight, which puts him on track to be around 7 lb 14 oz at term. Everything looks great.”

So we were driving home.

“50th percentile…isn’t that failing?” Sarah ask.

I tried to come up with some explanation, but realized I had just accepted it as a good place to be without much reasoning.

So, because I am who I am, here is an article from the Pampers UK site…

Growing, growing, gone!

By Dieter Wolke PhD Dipl-Psych AFBPsS C.Psychol.

An important part of your child’s health record is his growth chart. Children who are growing at the expected rate and whose height or length and weight are fairly well matched are generally healthy. Your baby’s height and weight will be monitored on a percentile chart such as the ones below by your health visitor or GP. Over time, your doctor will be able to see whether your baby is growing at the expected rate. This chart will help you follow your child’s growth along with the doctor.

As your GP will tell you, healthy children come in lots of different sizes and the band of what’s considered “normal” growth is very wide. Many children, for example, move their place on the growth chart at about 6 months as they start to reflect the build they’ve inherited from their family. Earlier, their growth reflected how they grew before birth and their nutrition in the first few months. Breastfed babies are slightly fatter in the first few months and relatively thinner later on in the first year than children fed exclusively with formula. And some families have fast-growing babies, while others have slow and steady gainers. So bear these individual differences in mind as you follow your child’s growth.

To briefly explain, the 50th percentile line (line in the middle of the graph) indicates that out of 100 babies at any given age, 50 will weigh more or be taller than the baby on the 50th percentile and 50 will be lighter or smaller. You should consult your health visitor or GP if your baby’s statistics fall to the bottom of the graph and definitely contact your doctor if he is below the 2nd percentile.