Weight reference charts for British long-term breastfed infants.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Growth Monitoring
• Infant Nutrition Research

Background:

• The British 1990 reference is a standard for infant growth but may not accurately represent exclusively breastfed infants.
• Accurate growth monitoring is crucial for infant health and development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop modified weight reference curves specifically for long-term breastfed infants.
• To assess the accuracy of the British 1990 reference for this population.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed weight data from 120 exclusively breastfed infants from birth to 52 weeks.
• Utilized the British 1990 reference to calculate standard deviation scores (SDS) and construct modified median weight curves.
• Assumed similar variability and skewness to the British reference for constructing other centile curves.

Main Results:

• Long-term breastfed infants were slightly heavier at birth compared to the reference.
• Infants showed an upward centile crossing to +0.3 SDS at 2 months, followed by a downward trend to -0.2 SDS by 12 months.
• The mean weight for breastfed infants fell by 0.5 SDS between 2 and 12 months.

Conclusions:

• The British 1990 reference has limitations in reflecting the growth patterns of exclusively breastfed infants.
• Breastfeeding-specific centile charts are recommended for improved monitoring of weight in these infants.
• These specialized charts can aid healthcare professionals and parents in accurately assessing infant growth.