# Foods that help boost fetal growth?



## boobs4milk

Does anyone know what I can eat to help baby grow? At our u/s yesterday, she measured 3lbs 5 oz. There is a plus/minus ratio of 8 oz SO at absolute most she would be 3lbs 13 oz, absolute least would be 2 lbs 13 oz.

My MFM tends to go with the lower of the measurements. He said that he was not going to send my home from the hospital until she was at least over 3 1/2 lbs. She did gain 7 ounces in the 11 days I have been here in the hospital. But at that rate, we'll be here another month before she is over 3 1/2 lbs. I was originally told 34 wks would be my dismissal time...so that would be about 4 more weeks.

Also worrisome is that I keep losing weight, even though I'm eating decent amounts and decent foods.

Anyone have any idea how to boost calories (good ones) to the baby?


----------



## brinalicious

I'm not sure that this "officially" helps babies get bigger, but I think a high amount of protein--like 80+ grams/day--helps them grow, but so will a higher amount of carbs. My first son was born at 33 weeks and weighed 4 lbs on the nose. Before he was born I was eating at least 80 gms of protein a day. Of course, I was just eating a lot in general, that would probably help you too. I wouldn't necessarily take this as a recommendation, but at my last visit my midwife told me to be careful about eating things with sugar in them close to bedtime because then the baby gets all the sugar but goes to sleep instead of burning the calories in it. She said this results in bigger babies, and advised me against it. I thought this was funny because our first was the premie, but our second was only a week early and was still just 6 lbs. I'm not worried about having BIG babies, IYKWIM?









Good luck to you. I am glad to hear that things are going well for you and that your little one is staying put. I continue to keep you in my prayers and in my thoughts.


----------



## StephM76

I agree with the pp about the protein. My last pregnancy I ate a large amount of protein and drank a lot of milk. DS was a full pound bigger than my last baby. I would guess I was getting close to 90gms ofprotein per day.


----------



## MiaMama

I am not sure the cause of your issues, but my baby had IUGR (Intra-uterine growth restriction) caused by celiac disease that was undiagnosed at the time. Symptoms can be triggered by a physically stressful event such as pregnancy if you have a gentic predisposition. Have you been screened for Celiac?


----------



## mariacm

My midwives advised against too much protein (ie. more than 80 gr or so a day) bc they said it results in bigger babies. I had asked about brewers diet, which has 80 - 100 gr a day I think, and they said that's too much and causes babies that are quite large. So I think if I were likely to have a preemie, I'd increase my protein.

Good luck! I hope your babe waits til it's time to come!


----------



## milimama

This might sound silly, but what's wrong with having bigger babies?

I saw a nutritionist with my twins that advised a ton of protein and my twins were 7+ lbs each.

I don't mind having a 9 or 10 lb baby and protein is crucial for development.

Just wondering why big babies aren't good?


----------



## Sharlla

Quote:


Originally Posted by *milimama* 
This might sound silly, but what's wrong with having bigger babies?

I saw a nutritionist with my twins that advised a ton of protein and my twins were 7+ lbs each.

I don't mind having a 9 or 10 lb baby and protein is crucial for development.

Just wondering why big babies aren't good?

shoulder dysplasia? increased risk for CS? Not that I agree with that but that's what I heard. DS2 was 9 lbs 3 oz (they were really concerned about him when he was born







) and I had no problem birthing him (even laying down on the "table" )


----------



## artekah

I agree with everyone's suggestion of lots of protein. A few ways to get lots of protein without having to eat till you're sick:

1 can of wild Alaskan salmon (one of the lowest-mercury fish) has 40+ grams of protein. You can also get the little cans of sardines or herring, which have about 20 grams per can.

Whey protein powder. You can even make protein shakes easily in the hospital--use an empty glass jar with a lid, add a cup of milk (any kind) and a scoop or 2 of protein powder, and shake till smooth. The kind of protein powder I use (it's called Show Me the Whey) has 18 grams of protein in one little scoop.

Eggs. Eggs are a complete protein and each egg you eat has 7-8 grams of protein.

Nuts. I think 1/4 cup of almonds or cashews has 7-9 grams of protein. You can get a lot of extra protein by snacking on nuts throughout the day.

Don't forget the fruits and veggies even though your main goal is to get her weight up--vitamins and minerals are so important too! Good luck growing that LO!


----------



## abigail_b

Just agreeing that I have read in several places that PROTEIN is supposed to be the main key in baby weight gain. radicaleel had some great suggestions with how you can increase it without having to gorge on food.


----------



## the2amigos

Another vote for protein here! Everything I've read said that protein is the ticket for good growth/weight. I keep almonds and walnuts in the fridge and have a handful a few times a day. When I had DS he was slow to gain at first and the LC suggested adding a fish oil supplement to boost the fats in my milk - boy did it work!! I wonder if that would work? I've been also using a packet of coromega every other day or so (a fish oil paste).


----------



## Aufilia

Protein! My DD was a tiny baby and I saw a perinatologist for most of my 2nd tri with her because they were concerned about growth. He was continually urging me to eat more protein, 100g/day if I could manage. I ate a lot of bean burritos and protein shakes...


----------



## Amandamarie

more protein spread throughout the day. Maybe a protein shake like Insure or Boost once a day.


----------



## Kidzaplenty

Yes, protein! I have read that protein shakes and powders make for larger babies than protein from food. I am not sure if that is true, but I am striving for getting plenty of protein from food (however, if I had need of my baby gaining weight, I would take as much powder as I could).


----------



## mrscompgeek

My midwife also said that too much protein will just make your baby huge! Which for a small person like me is scary!














We took a bradley birth class and in that they strongly suggest the 80-100 grams of protein a day but my midwife said she disagrees with it and that its too much.


----------



## Charlize

Since finding the two vessel cord at 25 weeks and learning about the possibility of IUGR later from it, I've begun eating a more heavily loaded protein diet. I've been eating almost 80-100g of protein per day from food alone. At the ultrasound at 25 weeks, she was measuring 1 lb, 15 oz and in the 69th percentile. At the ultrasound yesterday at 30 weeks, she was measuring 3 lbs, 12 oz and in the 75th percentile. I'm not worried about a huge baby since she will most likely be a repeat c-section anyways, just wanting to make sure we're not affected by IUGR in a few weeks and most likely (going by the peri I saw) we won't be.


----------



## mysticmomma

Jen, what are you eating now? Can you give us a run down of the last day or so? Maybe we can show you where to add stuff in that would boost your calories. Also be sure to mention any allergies or food aversions.


----------



## MyLilPwny

Quote:


Originally Posted by *the2amigos* 
When I had DS he was slow to gain at first and the LC suggested adding a fish oil supplement to boost the fats in my milk - boy did it work!!

I'm a big advocate of eating healthy fats such as fish oil too especially for EPA, DHA & Vitamin A. I personally take high vitamin cod liver oil from Radiant Life (I trust the brands that the Weston A. Price Foundation recommends). I eat lots of whole dairy products (raw as much as possible), eggs, fatty *grass-fed* meats, avocados, especially. These are all natural fats, very healthy, and do not cause weight gain for adults (they help us lose weight) but for babies, it helps them gain weight and develop nice healthy chub. As far as protein, I'm sure that I ate a lot of protein from all the animal products that I ate, and I carried full-term and gave birth to a 6 lb 13 oz healthy baby. I personally think that its eating a large amount of *refined* carbohydrates (sugar, bread, pasta, cereal, etc.) that can make a baby "too big."


----------



## SunnyB1978

High protein DOES make big babies! My husband was convinced that eggs were the perfect pregnancy food. He made 2 egg omletts for breakfast (just for me) and then tried to get me to eat something involving egg at dinner (quiche, boiled eggs). So I ate 2-4 eggs daily. I ate like this every day during my pregnancy and I had a 10lb baby. I was told by my nurse-midwife that the eggs were pretty likely to be the reason for the big baby since I had no other risk factor (no diabetes or anything like that.)


----------



## boobs4milk

thank you all for the suggestions. it is difficult to do some things here and it's hard to eat sometimes because i have severe acid reflux and i'm on bedrest so eating just a bit makes me so full.

today i ate:
breakfast
2 eggs
bagel
cream cheese
banana
lactaid milk (i'm lactose intolerant)

lunch
cesar chicken wrap with extra tomato
baked chips
cottage cheese

supper
pot roast
potatoes
carrots
greenbeans
dinner roll
sherbet (OOPS) 1/2 serving

i can not finish all of it, so i try to finish off the proteins first then the vegs. since i've been here, i've been eating lots of soft foods (soup) and veggies to help keep my bowels moving. i have IBS AND acid reflux along with everything else.

tomorrow is the GTT, too. lucky me! i'm going to ask the nurse if protein powder supplementation to my milk (i usually have milk at supper...forgot to order it tonight) is okay with everything i've got going on.


----------



## mysticmomma

nuts and nut butters?
Do you put butter on your toast/rolls?

Those are big meals for any pg woman. Can you space them out some? You may end up getting more calories overall.


----------



## boobs4milk

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mysticmomma* 
nuts and nut butters?
Do you put butter on your toast/rolls?

Those are big meals for any pg woman. Can you space them out some? You may end up getting more calories overall.

i usually end up eating less than 1/2 of the meals, sometimes i eat 1/2 if it's a smallish serving.

i usually put pnut butter on my bagel, but had cream cheese today. i also munch on almonds to help with my acid. in the mornings, one of the nurses brings me pnut butter to help me make it to bfast without hypoglycemic shakes!!!!

they don't really offer beans here or lots of cheeses. i think i'll have dh get me some cheese cubes and cottage cheese to keep in my mini fridge to eat instead of bagels (OH HOW I WILL MISS THEE! lol) in the mornings.

so, if i do 2 eggs + sausage or bacon (usually 2 servings), all the protein at once like that will be okay?


----------



## mama to 2 girls

I don't want to offend anyone but...what were the size of your other babies? I mean barring any health problems or a drop in measurments lets just say that your baby did only weigh about 2lbs. 13oz. if you still have about another 10 weeks to go your baby would probably gain about another 4lbs. I know lots of mamas who had 40 week and 40+week 6-7lbers. She could just be small and be perfectly healthy. And lets just say the u/s guesstimate was right on and she really was 3lbs. 5oz. that would make her to be probably about a 7lber.

Like I said don't bet me wrong..like I said I don't know the other circumstances but that doesn't sound like a terribly small baby.









Plus I agree with the others, just try and up your protein intake.....I think eating more dairy will make for a bigger baby...I ate more dairy with ds than I did with my girls and he was a 10+lber (2lbs. bigger than my girls)....but it was also genetics I think...all that women in my family had big boys.









I hope your baby gets bigger soon and you get to go home!


----------



## firewoman

Jen-I use an egg white protein powder that is awesome. I'm not sure if you are able to make smoothie at the hospital. If you can, try this:

1 cup full fat plain yogurt
2 scoops Jay Robb vanilla egg white protein
2 T high lignan flax oil
1 cup unsweetened frozen berries
1 banana

This yields about 60 grams of protein and over 700 calories

I use a stick blender because I think it is easier than a regular blender.

If you can't make a smoothie, try just mixing the protein powder in with the full fat plain yogurt in a bowl and then mix in your favorite fresh berry. I like it with raspberries. You can also mix the protein powder with milk for a little shake.

Also, try cottage cheese. It has about 30 grams of protein per cup. Add a couple hardboiled eggs and you have over 40 grams of protein. Good luck. Let's pack it on her!


----------



## mama kk

I wish I had something more to say, but it seems like you are eating a good diet for your little one... A small suggestion would be eating sprouted wheat bagels instead of the regular bagels. Because they have 9 grams of protein in them. You can get them at most health food stores. Good luck!


----------



## boobs4milk

thank you for all of the replies, ladies. amelia isn't small, dr. said that she's at and a little over the 50% range at the lowest anticipated weight. i do believe she's at least 3 lbs in there, at least my ribs tell me so.

i'm lactose intolerant, so i have to be careful with dairy. dh is going to bring me some protein powder and lactose-free milk to keep in my little fridge. i love cottage cheese, but it doesn't love me back if i eat tons of it. i'm hoping that between the powder and boosting my nut/nutbutter intake, i'll be able to up the proteins enough.

thank you all again! i'm usually an 'oh well' on the whole percentages and charts thing, but here in hospital weight is a big concern and it sort of ranks babies, especially preemies. i tend to have smallish babies, so i don't want her to be outclassed when it comes time for her arrival.


----------

