title: The growth of exclusively breastfed infants.
abstract: To determine the pattern of growth of exclusively breastfed babies and to establish their incremental weight gains, 329 babies attending a well baby clinic were studied. The weight gains were most rapid over the first 6 weeks and were of the order of 41.4 and 39.2 g/day in the boys and girls respectively. Underweight mothers did not produce lighter babies than mothers of desirable weight, nor did their nutritional status influence the weight gains of their infants over the first 6 weeks. Low birthweight infants doubled their weights by 9-10 weeks, while heavier babies took 15 to 18 weeks. The pattern of growth of exclusively breastfed infants appears to be different from that of artificially fed infants.
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D001835:Body Weight; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors; D014886:Weaning