In plain words
A newborn weight nomogram is a chart of expected weight change in the first days of life. It shows what is typical for babies at each hour or day. Many babies lose some weight and then regain it. Clinicians compare a baby's weight with the chart to decide whether to check more closely. The chart is a guide, not a grade. One widely used chart comes from a 2015 study by Flaherman and colleagues. Charts like this help clinicians notice babies who may need extra feeding support sooner. Ask your provider where your baby's weight falls, and what the plan is if it is lower than expected.
The deeper version
A newborn weight nomogram plots percentile curves of expected weight loss and regain by hour of life, derived from large cohorts of exclusively breastfed term infants. Flaherman and colleagues (Pediatrics, 2015) published early weight-loss nomograms for exclusively breastfed newborns. Loss that crosses the upper percentile lines prompts closer evaluation and a feeding assessment, as discussed in ABM Clinical Protocol #3. Percentile position on the curve, rather than a single weight, is the basis for classification. The controversy concerns whether nomogram thresholds generalize beyond the exclusively breastfed cohorts from which they were derived, and whether they should be applied the same way to formula-fed and mixed-fed infants.
Where it comes up
- Newborn weight: the early drop and regainingBaby Basics
- Is my baby getting enough?Feeding Your Baby
- When to call the pediatrician (and when to go in)Baby Basics
- Finding a lactation consultant (and what IBCLC means)Feeding Your Baby
What mothers here say about newborn weight nomogram
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Sources
- Flaherman VJ and colleagues — Early weight loss nomograms for exclusively breastfed newborns, Pediatrics (2015)
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine — Clinical Protocol #3: Hospital Guidelines for the Use of Supplementary Feedings in the Healthy Term Breastfed Neonate