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Breastfeeding Battles the Bulge
A Candid Look at Weight Issues for Moms and Babies
By Kelly Burgess
The problem may be, in fact, not that the baby is "off the charts" but that the doctor is relying on "charts" in the first place. They can be misleading when it's a comparison of bottle-fed and breastfed babies.
"Breastfeeding babies will regulate themselves and eat what they need, and they do gain fast in the first three months," says Colleen Prorok, IBCLC, and owner of Lactation on Location.
On average, according to Prorok, a breastfed baby will gain an ounce a day in the first three months, and although breastfed babies tend to weigh a little more at 3 months, they tend to weigh a little less at 1 year.
"As the baby gets older, the nature of the breast milk changes slightly, and they need to take in fewer ounces and fewer calories," Prorok says. "Breastfeeding also helps Baby learn hunger signals. When the baby is full, he or she may continue to be at the breast without transferring milk, so nursing meets their suckling needs without them eating more. With bottles, the flow is so easy that they keep swallowing because their mouth is being filled with milk, so they tend to take in more than they need."
Also, as Curtis points out, nursing mothers don't tend to encourage their babies to keep taking milk, whereas someone giving a baby a bottle may continue to jiggle the bottle trying to convince baby to take that last couple of ounces. Therefore, even though Baby is full, he may still be eating. This can set a precedent for ignoring hunger signals that continues through childhood.
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