Breastfeeding Babies are Off the Charts

There is a reactionary trend back toward the fat baby model and it is one of the most vexing issues that I contend with as a lactation consultant. While it is true that breastfed babies can be quite plump, it is by no means a standard.  Take one look around the world at our breastfeeding sisters in various cultures and you will find a wide range of baby sizes and most will never be as fat as those in the Western world.

Over the past twenty to thirty plus years, the women who actually breastfed would have babies that were sometimes literally off the charts. Some would be huge, and others would seem to be lagging behind their formula fed counterparts.  What accounted for this disparity was multifactorial. 

• Growth patterns are genetic.  No matter what you give some babies they will grow at their own rate and follow in the footsteps of ancestors in their gene pool.
• The nutritional status of the mother and yes, her fat stores, may lend itself to a more high octane milk.
• Feeding styles vary.  High frequency with a quality latch will lead to increased intake.  Frequency without a focused latch may not.
• The definition of breastfeeding is not consistent; it can be exclusive or topped up by only extra breastmilk, by breastmilk and some formula, or solids.

Fast forward to today… an era in which childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes are increasing at an alarming rate in the industrialized nations.  Obesity in general is on the rise, but more alarming is that we may be setting up our breastfeeding infants to join the ranks of at risk adults.  

It is no longer true that you can’t overfeed  a breastfeeding baby, because you can increase their intake with a quality latch and very frequent feedings or supplementation with breastmilk or formula.

How did this happen that fat is where it’s at for a baby?  How have we managed to make breastfeeding a possible risk factor for obesity?”  Why are so many breastfeeding babies on drugs for reflux which is generally associated with over-eating?

 Mothers often feel so anxious about weight checks these days that their babies are being double-fed, both breast and bottle at many feedings. There is an increasing pressure to feed more and more at the breast and beyond, even when their baby spits up a lot.   This skews the mean and makes it more difficult to know what is the normal weight gaining pattern for a fully breastfed baby. 

The official growth charts still do not adequately represent babies who are exclusively breastfed.  Has your baby ever been off the charts?