The title and opening paragraphs made me angry, but the author seems to
have got the message eventually..breastfeeding IS normal!


Norma Ritter, IBCLC
private practice in Big Flats, NY
[log in to unmask]


http://www.docguide.com/dgc.nsf/news/8C4849351AD82FB68525690B00566B03?Ope
nDocument&id=5A14188C462FEA08852568E40038AB89&c=Paediatrics&count=10

Breast Milk Best For Baby Despite Initial Slower Weight Gain

DAVIS, CA -- June 27, 2000 -- Researchers have found that over the long
term, exclusive breast-feeding for the first four months of life does not
affect growth, though a short-term lag in weight gain occurs over the
first eight to 11 months.

In The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Hediger et al. used data
from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(1988-1994) to study the effect breast-feeding had on subsequent growth
patterns in infants and children ages four to 71 months.

Breast-feeding confers unique immunological, psychological, growth and
developmental benefits, and has been recommended by the American Academy
of Pediatrics as the exclusive food source for U.S. infants for up to six
months after birth.

The study sample consisted of 5594 white, black and Mexican-American
infants, of whom 21 percent were exclusively breast-fed for four months,
10 percent partially breast-fed for four months, 24 percent breast-fed
for less than four months, and 45 percent never breast-fed. Infants who
were exclusively breast-fed for at least four months weighed an average
of 0.2 kg less at eight to 11 months than infants who were not
exclusively breast-fed. By ages 12-23 months, the discrepancy in infant
weight and weight-for-length for the exclusively breast-fed infants had
disappeared. Similarity in growth status between breast-fed and other
infants persisted until the children had reached age five. Because of
concern that mothers might be advised mistakenly to supplement with
formula or stop breast-feeding to encourage infant weight gain, the World
Health Organization has proposed developing new international infant
growth references using breast-fed infants as the norm.

In examining the demographics and maternal factors of the study, the
authors found that infants and children who were exclusively breast-fed
for at least four months were more likely to be white, born to older
mothers (over 35) who were nonsmokers living in the west census region,
and had a high education level. Never breast-fed infants and children
were more likely to be black, small for gestational age, born to teenaged
mothers who were smokers living in the south census region and had less
than a high school education. The birth weights of exclusively and
partially breast-fed infants were, on average, 100 g larger than those of
never-breast-fed infants.
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