Cathy Fetherston posts on this thread and points out the wide range of
normal in both production, metabolism and growth.
I've been pondering on this.  Metabolic rate changes with age as I am sure
all of you on the far side of 40 have noticed.  It changes more when we are
growing at faster rates, I believe.
The newborn is mainly growing and not moving around much.  The older baby is
growing more slowly but is more physically active.  Normally the older baby
doesn't continue to get plumper and plumper, but starts to at least show
signs of having a distinct longitudinal axis by the end of the first 12
months.  The metabolic rate in one person is not the same over time, and I
suspect the rate changes more in the first year of life than it does later,
with the possible exception of puberty.
This means that the actual amount of food needed to support both growth and
activity, could be stable over many months.  In the early weeks and months,
most of the energy goes to growth, explaining why those very active babies
just refuse to get fat.  Later, more of the energy is available to support
activity, and the baby mobilizes stored fat, or simply stops laying down
depots of it, as s/he is using up more of what is being taken in.

I am now wondering whether this need to change metabolic rate in favor of
growth, is responsible for that overwhelming sleepiness so common to
pregnancy.  Many of us are slightly more active when awake!

Rachel Myr
metabolizing oh! so slowly, in Kristiansand, Norway

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