Weight loss in an infant is a serious symptom that needs immediate evaluation. The only time babies ever normally lose weight is the first week after birth. Infants do not lose weight normally at any other time. Several conditions, all needing medical treatment, can cause weight loss in a baby. Call your doctor immediately if your baby has lost weight rapidly.
Newborn Weight Loss
Newborns do lose weight after birth, when they lose up to 5 percent of their body weight for bottle-fed babies and 10 percent for breast-fed babies in the first week, lactation consultant and registered nurse Marie Davis reports. Newborns can lose weight for several reasons. A baby may retain extra fluid from intravenous fluids given to his mother in labor, which he will pass as urine in the first few days. Warmers and isolettes, when used, cause insensible water loss from the heat. Babies may also come equipped with extra fat stores that get used up in the first few days before he starts eating well.
Dehydration
A baby with vomiting and diarrhea can become seriously dehydrated in a short time. If your baby loses 5 percent of her body weight — just 1 lb. if she weighs 20 lbs. — she has mild to moderate dehydration, Dr. William Sears, reports on his website. You need to call your doctor if your baby loses even what seems like a small amount of weight from dehydration. A 10 percent loss, or 2 lbs. if she weighs 20 lbs., indicates severe dehydration and needs immediate medical care.
Failure to Thrive
Failure to thrive describes a condition, not a specific disease. While babies that lose weight can fit into the failure to thrive category, a baby that weighs 20 percent less than the ideal weight for his height may be diagnosed with the condition, Baby Center warns. Many factors can cause failure to thrive, including problems with milk supply in breastfeeding, an inability to digest formula due to allergy or conditions such as cystic fibrosis and heart conditions or other medical problems that cause the baby to tire and stop sucking before he gets enough to maintain his weight. If your baby has lost weight, your doctor will need to order tests to find out the cause. If you're having trouble with your breast milk supply, a lactation consultant may be able to help.
Caveats
Weight loss in an infant is a life-threatening condition that can also cause long-term disability. An infant's brain needs calories to grow properly. Take weight loss seriously, no matter how small the amount and seek immediate medical attention if your baby acts sick or lethragic, won't eat, has a fever or behaves abnormally in any way.
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