Breast feeding and infant growth, a follow-up study in Menoufia, Egypt

ABSTRACT

Two hundred newborns were followed up from birth till six months to assess the influence of the mode of feeding on their growth patterns. Infants fed breast milk exclusively and infants fed formula milk with or without breast milk showed a decline in their standings on the centile charts. Infants fed breast milk in addition to other solid foods showed an incline in their standing on the centile charts. Reduced growth velocity in exclusive breast feeders has been attributed to decreased production of breast milk after the fourth month as shown by test feeding, in artificial feeders the reduced growth velocity may be due to dilution of formula and/or repeated infections especially gastroenteritis