Forwarded Message:
Subj:Re: obese breastfed infant
Date:5/25/2004 12:22:56 AM Eastern Standard Time
From:IParentLLC
To:[log in to unmask]


Gonneke
You write:
"A LLL leader asked me about a baby of 9 weeks old that already gained
3000grams, with an average of around 400gr a week. Doc is concerned that this
is a
warning for an abese child and adult and wants to "do something about that
breastgfeeding"."


What you don't mention is whether or not mom and baby have experienced any
breastfeeding difficulties. In the absence of any, I would say, so this is how
this baby grows, probably a result of genetics more than anything else. OTOH,
this is also a typical growth pattern for babies whose moms have an oversupply
and often those babies will have other symptoms like reflux (silent or not),
infrequent stooling, fussiness, upset tummy, etc. When I do encounter those
babies with breastfeeding difficulties, I wonder less about the risk of obesity
(although this is certainly worthy of concern) than I do the risk of Type 2
diabetes. If the baby is growing on an overabundance of lactose (relative to fat
content), then wouldn't it be logical to question this risk? The other concern
I have is that these babies (those struggling with oversupply) often do not
suckle for comfort and may be more likely to wean prematurely, to be given
pacifiers and to attach less well since breastfeeding may be an unpleasant
experience for mom and baby. There is also the concern of a drop in milk production
several months after birth, as milk has never been efficiently removed from the
breasts.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html