Strollerderby

I've always been told that if your child's height/weight percentiles are about the same, we are fine....or if they are really off and continue about the same all the time, everything is fine.  

I don't get the guilt thing about babies being overweight.  All three of my babies looked like miniature sumo wrestlers by the time they were 6 months old.  They are now all just fine, my oldest is extremely thin.  

I can understand why children have issues with food.  We can't even let them enjoy formula or breast milk without worrying on if they are fat or not!!!

As long as they eat, continue to gain weight and grow, let em be!!!!

It's true.  My friend's baby was born 6 weeks premature, 5 months after my son was born.  He was put on high protein formula and his weight shot up higher than my son's (who was fed breast milk and then regular, low-protein formula) within six months.  Now Micah (the premie) is up in the "95th percentile" and my son is lingering in the "10th".

It's true.  My friend's baby was born 6 weeks premature, 5 months after my son was born.  He was put on high protein formula and his weight shot up higher than my son's (who was fed breast milk and then regular, low-protein formula) within six months.  Now Micah (the premie) is up in the "95th percentile" and my son is lingering in the "10th".  I hate those stupid growth charts!

My friend had a baby who was so skinny he would crawl out of his pants. But he ate a lot and his energy was normal, so she figured, why worry? Also, mom, dad, and big sister were all tall and skinny themselves. However, the pediatrician continually harped on her about the kid's weight, until she eventually quit his practice and went somewhere else.

You're angry because you were made to feel guilty because your breastfed baby was not as heavy as his formula fed counterparts. But your blog entry here totally guilts parents who formula fed. Hey! I wasn't the one who made you feel guilty-so why are you guilting me?

Honestly, I don't know what to make of the article you liked to considering the study I saw literally three days ago that said there was no link between breastfeeding and avoiding obesity as an adult.

Ok, this is total bunk.

My little guy was nursed until 3 months and is now a very happy and healthy one year old who has enjoyed his formula quite a lot. He still eats nearly every three hours or sooner but he's getting solids now too of course. And ya know what? He's at the 50th percentile for weight and 95th for height. He crawls, wiggles and walks out of his pants all the time. I'm pretty sure I'll need to start taping on his diapers soon too if he doesn't chub up a little more.

All these studies. So. Much. Wasted. Research. Money.

There are more factors at work here than just weather a baby is formula or breast fed. My little girl is 8.5 months old, 25 pounds, 30 inches, and exclusively breast fed. That puts her somewhere at the 97th percentile. People call her fat, say I feed her too much, but I’m convinced it’s genetically driven. She’s bigger than either her father or I were at her age, but we’re both about 6 foot, so she’s gonna be tall. I also live in Iowa, the land of the giants. I know quite a few above 90% babies here, so is it regional? Humans come in all shapes and sizes. You don’t have to be average to be healthy and happy.

This is Tanya, lactation consultant and host of the Motherwear Blog.  

Just wanted to point out a couple of things;

It's been known for some time that breastfed and formula fed babies grow differently.  

Until recently the growth charts used by pediatricians were based on a sample of all formula-fed, all Caucasian babies born between 1929 and 1975 in Ohio.  These babies also often started solid foods before four months.  

These charts often made breastfed babies, who usually gain slower compared to formula fed babies after around 3 months, look like they were falling off the curve, and this frequently led to breastfed babies being supplemented or weaned.

Last year the WHO released new growth charts based on the growth patterns of breastfed babies, but I don't think they're in wide use here yet.  

I wrote about it here:

http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com/2007/03/breastfed_baby_.html

There are links in the post to the charts.  I really hope that doctors will start using these charts soon, for both breastfed and non breastfed babies, because it reflects the best information we have about normal growth.  Tell your doctor about them!