Babies, Parenting, Child Health, Infant Nutrition

Child Development – Queensland Public Health Department Advises Breastfed Babies at Risk of Overfeeding

03.06.2008 | 4:03:12 pm | Posted by mummums

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

Time and time again, research has proven that breastfeeding provides numerous health benefits for both mother and baby. If you are currently breastfeeding, you may notice at your baby’s next checkup he may be slightly underweight according to the standard growth charts. That can be perfectly normal, as every baby is different and there is a great deal of growth variance between formula and breast fed babies. child development, child health

Taking note of this difference is Queensland, Australia, public health employees. In a recent article, a Queensland public health researcher warns that breastfed babies are being misdiagnosed as “failure to thrive” because they do not gain weight as quickly bottle fed babies. Failure to thrive describes a condition, not a disease, and is a general medical term used when an infant does not grow according to standardized growth charts. This allows physicians to take a closer look at the possible reasons for the condition and rule out any serious underlying medical conditions.

Growth charts utilized bottle fed babies as the model for growth rates. As a result, mothers who are breastfeeding are often encouraged to use formula to supplement the baby’s diet or discontinue breastfeeding altogether. Unfortunately, this could lead to overfeeding, which can predispose an infant to being overweight or obese later in life.

Jan Payne from the Queensland University of Technology states: "It is unnecessary for breastfed babies to be given artificial formula in many cases because there is a distinct difference in weight gain in the first 24 months between breastfed and bottle-fed babies.” Australian states currently use growth charts from the US or the UK. Babies who are exclusively breastfed and growing normally are often misdiagnosed simply because they are being compared to formula fed babies.

It is the hope of Ms. Payne, as well as many others, that authorities will adopt the new World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts, that are based on breastfed babies. The WHO Child Growth Standards are based on international studies of babies who were solely breastfed for a minimum of 4 months. Many factors are taken into account when examining a baby’s growth rate including the height and weight of the mother and father; in addition to head circumference. Babies can often be slightly “behind” on growth charts but be growing well and healthy. It is important to maintain regular check ups and discuss any concerns with your pediatrician.

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