Here is a line from my phd thesis: 

A recent retrospective US analysis showed 39% of babies crossed two 
percentiles of weight-for age (one usual ‘rule of thumb’ for referral and 
investigation) in their first six months: clinicians need to be aware that 
catch-up growth and catch-down growth during early childhood are normal 
phenomena affecting large numbers of children (Mei et al., 2004).
Mei ZM, Grummer-Strawn LM, Thompson D, & Dietz WH (2004). Shifts in 
percentiles of growth during early childhood: analysis of longitudinal data 
from the California child health and development study. Pediatrics 113, 
e617-e627. 


This applies to ALL babies, not just breastfed ones. 

Each centile on the chart is drawn from the recorded weight of all babies 
whose data is included in the chart.  The dots are then joined up. Imagine 
lots of babies whose plotted growth zig-zags along: once you average them 
the curves look smooth.  The idea that babies ought to grow along a centile 
or that they usually do or that if they don't it means something is wrong -- 
all of these are ASSUMPTIONS. 

Magda Sachs, PhD

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