Growth of a Breastfed Baby

All babies, breastfed or formula fed, grow at their own rate based on a variety of factors. Infant studies have led to the creation of growth charts based on averages, which can be used as a guideline to compare expected growth with actual growth at various stages of your infant's development.

Growth Rates

A healthy breastfeeding baby will typically show a fast and steady weight gain during the first months of life, eventually leveling out or even decreasing slightly somewhere around month three. This is normal for a breastfed baby, although some doctors view this decrease in weight gain after three months as a concern, based on growth charts that do not take into consideration the differences between formula fed babies and breastfed babies.

Expected Weight Gain

While every child is different, most healthy breastfeeding infants reach growth milestones within the first year of life. Newborns gain from 4 to 7 oz. a week during the first month and 1 to 2 lbs. a month during the first six months. From then on, babies should average about 1 lb. per month of weight increase until they reach their first birthday. By comparison, formula-fed babies tend to gain weight faster than breastfed babies between six months and one year. This is due to the composition of formula and should not be considered a concern.

Expected Growth

Breastfed babies can be expected to grow about 1 inch a month for the first six months. From six months on, the growth rate will slow down to about 1/2 inch a month to 1 year of age. While the growth rate of breastfed and formula-fed infants is typically similar, breastfed babies tend to be longer and thinner than formula-fed babies.

Considerations

While growth charts can give medical professionals averages to take into consideration, there are many factors that affect a breastfeeding infants growth. The weight and height of a babys parents should be taken into consideration when assessing growth, because genetics do play a part in infant development. Also babies who are constantly alert and on the go will burn calories faster than those who are more sedentary. How and when a baby eats can also play a role as well as if the child is only breastfed or if they are also being supplemented with formula.

Causes for Concern

If a child is refusing to nurse, nurses erratically, is colicky (cries a lot), spits up frequently or is not having an appropriate number of wet diapers or stools a day, he should be assessed by his pediatrician. A healthy breastfed baby who falls short of the average growth percentile should not be a cause for concern, but an infant that is not meeting developmental milestones or is showing signs of feeding intolerance needs these issues to be addressed.