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Growth of exclusively breastfed and self-weaned children of Greece aged 0-36 months

Anna Patsourou1, Theodoros Konstantinides, Elpis Mantadakis

  • 1Breastfeeding Clinic, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Breastfeeding Medicine : the Official Journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
|September 12, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Exclusively breastfed infants demonstrate normal physical growth from birth to 36 months. Continued breastfeeding without formula supplementation is supported by these findings for healthy infant development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Human Growth and Development

Background:

  • Breastfeeding is a critical public health issue with significant social and economic impacts.
  • Infant growth patterns vary between exclusively breastfed and formula-fed babies.
  • Understanding the physical development of exclusively breastfed infants is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the physical growth of exclusively breastfed and self-weaned boys and girls in Greece.
  • To assess growth from birth up to 36 months of age.

Main Methods:

  • Monitored body weight, length/height, and head circumference from birth to 36 months.
  • Included 101 boys and 105 girls exclusively breastfed for at least 6 months.
  • Utilized Anthro software to compare growth data against World Health Organization standards.

Main Results:

  • Infants nearly tripled weight and increased length by approximately 47-48% by 12 months.
  • Head circumference increased by 33-35% by 12 months.
  • Growth rates for length/height and head circumference were highest between the first and second months of life.

Conclusions:

  • Long-term exclusively breastfed infants exhibit normal physical growth.
  • No justification exists for interrupting lactation or supplementing with formula for exclusively breastfed infants.
  • Findings support continued breastfeeding for healthy infant development.
Abstract

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