Hi Nikki,
We've heard quite a bit from the authors of this paper in Australia. There's 
a few things to consider in evaluating this paper that may not be clear. 
Firstly, the primary author is very focussed on the first 6 months of 
breastfeeding and does not place much weight on breastfeeding continuing 
beyond that point (interestingly though he has accepted industry funding and 
published research showing that toddler formulas are helpful). Thus, he is 
not amongst those of us who see it as a positive that the charts might 
result in mothers of breastfed babies being less likely to be pressured to 
wean in the second half of the first year of life. In addition, it is 
assumed that the reason why mother supplement in the early months of their 
baby's life is because their growth doesn't follow a line on a chart. This 
is not what my experience tells me is what happens in the majority of cases 
(I think that infant behaviour, wanting frequent feeds, not "sleeping 
through" etc and convenience is the main reason for supplementation in 
Australia). We need research to know. I also think that if a baby is not 
growing as expected that the reason for this should be examined...putting 
ones fingers in the ears and singing because you don't want to know that 
there may be a problem should not be the response of any health 
professional.
Personally, I think that you want a reference that shows how babies should 
grow....it may be inconvenient but heck, if it doesn't suit why not just 
draw your own lines on a piece of paper and make up your own, doesn't make 
any sense to me but wanting not to use the WHO standards because you don't 
like what they say makes about as much sense as that!
Karleen Gribble
Australia
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nikki Lee" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 8:42 PM
Subject: WHO Growth charts and Breastfeeding Review


> Dear Friends:
>
> The latest issue of Breastfeeding Review from Australia has some articles 
> in
> it that offer a very different view of the new WHO growth charts. 
> According
> to the various authors, the new growth charts could be seen as threatening
> to the first 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding, that only 5% of the
> population sampled had their growth patterns represented in the final
> product and that no Asian populations were represented. The weight-for-age
> growth standards in the first months on the WHO charts are heavier than 
> the
> previously used charts; that babies who were optimally-fed were used as 
> the
> reference is also criticized adversely.
>
> Very interesting to read a different perspective. The concept of saying 
> how
> babies SHOULD grow is different to saying how babies DO grow makes one
> think.
>
> As always, it isn't charts, it's their abuse that makes the problems. What
> do you all think about these points from Breastfeeding Review?
>
> warmly,
>
> Nikki Lee RN, BSN, MS, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI
> craniosacral therapy practitioner
> www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com
> www.myspace.com/adonicalee
>
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