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Published on: February 15, 2018

The growth of exclusively breastfed infants

E A Simoes, S M Pereira

    Annals of Tropical Paediatrics
    |March 1, 1986
    PubMed

    Insights

    Exclusive breastfeeding leads to rapid infant weight gain, particularly in the first 6 weeks. Maternal weight and nutritional status did not significantly impact infant growth patterns in this study.

    Area of Science:

    • Pediatrics
    • Infant Nutrition
    • Growth Monitoring

    Background:

    • Establishing normative growth patterns for exclusively breastfed infants is crucial for accurate health assessments.
    • Understanding infant weight gain dynamics informs early identification of potential developmental issues.
    • Previous studies often included artificially fed infants, necessitating research focused solely on breastfed populations.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To define the typical growth trajectory for exclusively breastfed infants.
    • To quantify incremental weight gains during key developmental periods.
    • To investigate the influence of maternal factors on infant growth.

    Main Methods:

    • A prospective study involving 329 exclusively breastfed infants attending a well-baby clinic.
    • Regular weight measurements were recorded to calculate daily and weekly weight gains.
    • Maternal pre-pregnancy weight and nutritional status were assessed.

    Main Results:

    • Infants exhibited the most rapid weight gain in the initial 6 weeks, averaging 41.4 g/day for boys and 39.2 g/day for girls.
    • Maternal underweight status or nutritional condition did not correlate with lower infant birth weight or reduced early weight gain.
    • Low birth weight infants doubled their birth weight by 9-10 weeks, while heavier infants required 15-18 weeks.

    Conclusions:

    • The growth pattern of exclusively breastfed infants differs significantly from that of artificially fed infants.
    • Rapid early weight gain is characteristic of healthy, exclusively breastfed babies.
    • Maternal nutritional status appears to have a limited impact on infant growth during the first 6 weeks of exclusive breastfeeding.

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