Growth Charts for Breastfed Babies
World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards
Aug 21, 2008
Many doctors and parents use growth charts to track a baby’s physical health and to ensure that he is growing and thriving. However, many doctors are still using outdated growth charts based on formula-fed babies. Even the 2000 Center for Disease Control (CDC) growth chart information includes formula-fed infants, creating a chart that does not accurately reflect the healthy growth of a breastfed baby. If you are breastfeeding your baby, the World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts will give you a better indication of which percentile applies to your child.
Breastfed Baby Is Not Gaining
If you are tracking your breastfed baby’s growth on a chart based on formula-fed infants, your baby may seem to gain well at the beginning, then “fall off” the chart, or drop percentiles sometime after the third month. This can be alarming to mothers, who may wonder if their milk is “drying up”. They may hurry to wean, add formula supplement or to start solids early, none of which are recommended by the World Health Organization.
WHO Charts Show How Children Should Grow
The WHO growth charts are based on infants who were exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life and who continued to breastfeed while receiving healthy, nutrient-rich complementary foods up to two years and beyond [WHO Growth Standards Backgrounder 3, 2006]. This means that if you are following the current recommendations for infant feeding, including exclusive breastfeeding, not introducing solids before 6 months of age, and introducing healthy foods into your child’s diet after 6 months, these charts will be a better indication of how your child is growing compared with other babies who have been fed similarly.
“For the first time [the charts] describe ‘how children should grow,’ which is a prescriptive approach, not just descriptive.” [World Health Organization Child Growth Standards Backgrounder 1, 2006]
Growth Chart Percentiles are Only a Guide
It is also important to remember that growth charts are not an examination to be passed by your baby, and a “higher score” does not mean a healthier baby. These charts are simply one diagnostic tool. Another tool is a parent’s intimate knowledge of her baby. If your baby feeds well at the breast, seems content after feeding, has sufficient wet and soiled diapers, and is gaining regularly, chances are she is healthy and growing the way she is meant to regardless of where she falls on the chart.
As always, you are the expert on your baby. If you are concerned about your child’s growth or development, regardless of where he falls on any growth chart, have him examined by a breastfeeding-friendly physician.
Unfortunately, growth charts have been a source of stress for many breastfeeding mothers, causing them to doubt their ability to nourish their children and leading some of them to take unnecessary steps, such as weaning or formula supplementation. Using the World Health Organization’s growth charts for breastfed infants may ease parents’ minds that their nursing baby is in fact gaining weight appropriately. Of course, if your baby is indeed not gaining well, there are steps you can take to improve your milk supply as well.
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