Here for your interest, is a message I sent a mother (I can't find the
original, though it has to be somewhere.  The paragraphs in quotes, are from
her letter.  The subject is the subject she put in.  The pediatrician wanted
her to stop nursing because her 16 month old weighed only 20 pounds and it
was attributed to nursing.

>Subject: Re: slow weight gain due to extended nursing?

It is difficult to know from one weight exactly whether this is slow or not.
I do not agree with your pediatrician however, that stopping breastfeeding
is a good idea at all.  I don't think your pediatrician would understand
what a difficult and traumatic experience this would be for everyone
involved.  And for what reason?  So that he might gain a little faster?  It
may not even be true.  He may gain at the same rate or even slower.

"But I want to continue nursing my son because I experience every day its
many benefits"

Right, you are completely right.  Unfortunately, too many physicians do not
understand these benefits and all they care about is weight.  A baby who is
growing slowly but steadily will be just fine.

"Also, I offer my son a large variety of fish, meats, vegetables, fruits,
grains and thinned juices and cow's milk. Most days my son eats fairly well,
on days when he does not feel well he mostly drinks mother's milk (when I
made a food diary my pediatrician confirmed that I offer my son a well
rounded diet). Is there scientific evidence that proves that mother's milk
is not the culprit for slow weight gain?"

Good, then don't worry.  Evidence that proves that mother's milk is not the
culprit?  Sorry, ask your pediatrician for evidence that it is.  Why should
it be?

>Attached is a chapter from my book, on breastfeeding a toddler.  Also on
"not enough milk", so that you can look at the issue of scales and weights
and so on.

Today she wrote back:

"Thank you very much for your mail. I read your chapter from your book on
breastfeeding a toddler and much of the chapter on "not enough milk". You ar
e right my doctor's scales were off by almost 2 pounds. He was in a hurry so
I didn't get to see where this measurement places my baby on the growth
chart and I wasn't able to compare how his weight increased from 3 months
ago."

Just goes to show you, eh?  And here was the pediatrician suggesting weaning
a 16 month old because of slow gain. AAAAARGH!!!

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC

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