Measurements of Weight Loss and Growth in Breastfed Infants

Introduction: Healthy, full term, exclusively breastfed infants are expected to lose weight in the first days following birth. There are conflicting opinions about what constitutes a normal neonatal weight loss. This study was conducted to establish the reference weight loss pattern in exclusively breastfed neonates. Materials and methods: A cross sectional observational study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital of western Nepal for a period of 12 months. All babies delivered were recruited. Newborns with birthweight of > 2500 grams without any congenital anomalies and Apgar score >7/10 were finally included for analysis. Breast feeding was started as soon as possible and all newborns were fed within 6 hours of life. If breast feeding was not possible within first 2 hours of life, expressed breast milk (EBM) or formula feeding was initiated as recommended. Data was analyzed showing distribution and frequency of various parameters like initiation of breastfeeding, weight of babies at different time intervals and weight loss patterns. Results: Out of 1000 babies subjected to analysis, majority were males (n= 517, 51.7%). The average time of initiation of breast feeding was less than 6 hours. The weight loss pattern in babies was 7.1% at 72 hours of life. Conclusion: Breast feeding was initiated as soon as possible in all healthy term neonates. The average weight loss pattern in all term healthy newborns were almost similar.

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1405 Significant Weight Loss in Breastfed Infants in the Early Postnatal Life

Archives of Disease in Childhood ◽

10.1136/archdischild-2012-302724.1405 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 97 (Suppl 2) ◽

pp. A400-A400

Author(s):

A. Mitra ◽

E. Parish ◽

A. Sohn ◽

R. Chetan

Keyword(s):

Weight Loss ◽

Postnatal Life ◽

Significant Weight Loss ◽

Breastfed Infants ◽

Early Postnatal Life

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Categorizing Weight Loss in Breastfed Infants: A Good First Step

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.2014-3354 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 135 (1) ◽

pp. e174-e175 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

James A. Taylor ◽

Elizabeth A. Simpson

Keyword(s):

Weight Loss ◽

Breastfed Infants

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How Much Do Formula-Fed Infants Take in the First 2 Days?

Clinical Pediatrics ◽

10.1177/0009922816637647 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

pp. 46-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hugo Davila-Grijalva ◽

Andrea Hernandez Troya ◽

Elizabeth Kring ◽

Jennifer DeRidder ◽

M. Jeffrey Maisels

Keyword(s):

Weight Loss ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Breastfed Infants ◽

Term Newborns ◽

The Mean

Objective. To document the intake of exclusively formula-fed newborns during the first 2 days of life. Methods. We enrolled a cohort of 50 healthy newborns ≥37 weeks’ gestation and documented their daily formula intake until discharge. We surveyed pediatricians regarding their assessment of the intake of formula fed infants. Results. In all, 37 of 50 newborns stayed for at least 48 hours. The mean ± SD gestational age was 39.5 ± 0.88 weeks. Mean ±SD formula intake for the first 48 hours (n = 37) was 57.2 ± 20.4 mL/kg/d and mean weight loss at 45.7 ± 8.8 hours, was 2.7% of birth weight. Pediatricians underestimated the amounts taken by these infants. Conclusions. In the first 2 days, healthy term newborns, fed formula ad lib, consume about 115 mL/kg, about 2 to 3 times as much as breastfed infants, and they lose only 2.7% of their birthweight by 48 hours. Most pediatricians underestimate the intake of formula-fed infants.

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Initial Weight Loss Among Breastfed Ugandan Neonates and Its Association with Subsequent Growth

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa053_032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 827-827

Author(s):

Valerie Flaherman ◽

David Mukunya ◽

Samuel Kagongwe ◽

Victoria Laleau ◽

Victoria Nankabirwa

Keyword(s):

Weight Loss ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Weight Change ◽

Bivariate Analysis ◽

Continuous Variables ◽

Subsequent Growth ◽

Initial Weight Loss ◽

Breastfed Infants ◽

The Difference ◽

Gates Foundation

Abstract Objectives To describe initial newborn weight loss and its association with subsequent growth among at-risk newborn populations in Uganda. Methods We weighed 205 breastfeeding infants born at ≥2000 g in Kampala and Mukono, Uganda, to ± 5 g at <6 hours of age and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12 and 30 days of age. Data was collected on feeding and health outcomes. Percent weight change was defined as the difference between weight at <6 hours and subsequent weight, expressed as a proportion of birth weight. Fisher's exact and the Wilcoxon rank sum test were used for bivariate analysis of dichotomous and continuous variables, respectively, to account for outcome frequency. Results In this cohort, all infants were delivered vaginally and 99 (49%) were male (Table). Mean weight and length at birth were 3153 ± 415 g and 48.2 ± 2.0 cm, respectively; 9 (4%) infants were low birth weight (LBW). At 30 days of age, 199 (99.5%) of infants were still breastfeeding, 173 (85%) infants had received supplementary feeding during the first month, and 4 (2%) had received formula during the first month. Weight nadir occurred at 1.7 ± 1.3 days of age, when weight change was −5.6 ± 3.4% of birthweight. At 30 days of age, weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) ≤−2 occurred among 10 (5%) infants. Weight nadir was 9.3% ± 5.7% below birth weight for infants who eventually had 30-day WAZ ≤−2, compared to 5.4% ± 3.2% below birth weight for infants who eventually had 30-day WAZ >−2 (P = 0.005). In this cohort, 8 (90%) of LBW infants were born to primiparous mothers, compared to 59 (30%) non-LBW infants (P = 0.002). Infants of primiparous mothers were also more likely to have low WAZ at 30 days of age (70% vs. 31%; P = 0.02). Conclusions In this cohort of breastfed infants from Kampala and Mukono, Uganda, breastfeeding newborns lost about 6% of their birth weight at nadir, which occurred at an average of 1.7 days of age. Infants born to primiparous mothers appeared to be at greater risk of underweight at 30 days of age. Understanding the relationship between early weight loss and subsequent outcomes could inform the development of strategies to optimize growth. Funding Sources The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Weighing the Facts

Journal of Human Lactation ◽

10.1177/0890334415597681 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 28-34 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Diane Thulier

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Data Collection ◽

Clinical Studies ◽

Research Study ◽

Breastfed Infants ◽

Feeding Type ◽

The Mean ◽

Type Sample

All breastfeeding infants lose some weight in the early days of life. Conventionally, 5% to 7% loss of birth weight has been accepted as the normal and expected amount of weight loss before infants begin to gain weight steadily. When infants lose more than 7% of their birth weight, breastfeeding adequacy is sometimes questioned and formula supplementation is often given. Despite the fact that 5% to 7% is well known and commonly cited, little reliable evidence exists that supports use of this figure as a guide to practice. A systematic review of studies that focused on infant weight loss was conducted. The main objective was to determine the mean amount of weight loss for healthy, full-term exclusively breastfed infants after birth. One previous review and 9 primary studies published since 2008 were examined. The reported mean infant weight loss ranged widely among studies from 3.79% to 8.6%. The point at which most infants have lost the most amount of weight occurs 2 to 4 days after birth. Close examination of the studies, however, revealed significant methodological flaws in the research. Study limitations commonly included gaps in data collection, lack of documented feeding type, sample groups that lacked adequate numbers of exclusively breastfed infants, and the exclusion of breastfed infants who lost the most weight. Well-designed clinical studies that address these limitations are needed.

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