My baby is normal weight...your baby is fat!
This is a bit of a rant and a definite rave.
Thank God for the Kelly Mom Web site! As a breastfeeding mom, I've found this site to be invaluable. I like how the information is easy-to-find and very balanced. The other breastfeeding Web site out there for La Leche League I have found to be very skewed toward almost being fanatical about breastfeeding. That's just not my thing. I support, but I'm not crazy!
Kelly Mom has kept me sane with my daughter's growth patterns. It's the only place that has the newer WHO growth charts as well as the CDC growth charts. I always get a little freaked out when my daughter goes to the doctor and is in the 25th percentile. Or was in the 40th percentile then drops to the 25th percentile. I go to Kelly Mom and find that her growth rates are perfect for a breastfed baby. The CDC charts are based on both breastfed and formula-fed babies. Thus, inaccurate for any baby! The WHO charts are based on only breastfed babies. (WHO figures if it is going to advocate breastfeeding, the growth charts better reflect that.) My daughter falls right along the 50th percentile on the WHO charts. I see that and I can breathe a sigh of relief.
Plus Kelly Mom has the CDC charts with the mean curve for breastfed babies printed on it. These CDC charts came out in response to the WHO charts. It shows that breastfed babies weight gain slows down dramatically right around 8-9 months, while if you look at the mean for all babies, it curves more up. Thus, why my little girl went from the 40th percentile to the 25th percentile on the CDC charts. Again, she stayed at the 50th percentile on the WHO charts. I notice that and breathe a sigh of relief.
So my rant is about the CDC growth charts being inaccurate for all babies. Breastfed babies cannot be compared to formula-fed babies and vice versa. And seeing that so few women still are breastfeeding at six months, let alone a year, there need to be charts to reflect how a baby is actually fed at the time that they are weighed. It would solve a lot of anxiety on breastfeeding moms. It may even keep some moms breastfeeding an entire year to know that their baby is just fine instead of hearing these crazy percentiles that aren't even based on breastfed babies! I'm sure some moms quit because they don't think their babies are gaining enough weight just because of the stupid charts or perhaps because of stupid doctors who don't understand that it's normal for a breastfed baby to fall in the lower percentiles on the CDC charts.
My rave, of course, is for Kelly Mom. Thanks for giving breastfeeding moms a factual, balanced place to go with all our questions!
Thank God for the Kelly Mom Web site! As a breastfeeding mom, I've found this site to be invaluable. I like how the information is easy-to-find and very balanced. The other breastfeeding Web site out there for La Leche League I have found to be very skewed toward almost being fanatical about breastfeeding. That's just not my thing. I support, but I'm not crazy!
Kelly Mom has kept me sane with my daughter's growth patterns. It's the only place that has the newer WHO growth charts as well as the CDC growth charts. I always get a little freaked out when my daughter goes to the doctor and is in the 25th percentile. Or was in the 40th percentile then drops to the 25th percentile. I go to Kelly Mom and find that her growth rates are perfect for a breastfed baby. The CDC charts are based on both breastfed and formula-fed babies. Thus, inaccurate for any baby! The WHO charts are based on only breastfed babies. (WHO figures if it is going to advocate breastfeeding, the growth charts better reflect that.) My daughter falls right along the 50th percentile on the WHO charts. I see that and I can breathe a sigh of relief.
Plus Kelly Mom has the CDC charts with the mean curve for breastfed babies printed on it. These CDC charts came out in response to the WHO charts. It shows that breastfed babies weight gain slows down dramatically right around 8-9 months, while if you look at the mean for all babies, it curves more up. Thus, why my little girl went from the 40th percentile to the 25th percentile on the CDC charts. Again, she stayed at the 50th percentile on the WHO charts. I notice that and breathe a sigh of relief.
So my rant is about the CDC growth charts being inaccurate for all babies. Breastfed babies cannot be compared to formula-fed babies and vice versa. And seeing that so few women still are breastfeeding at six months, let alone a year, there need to be charts to reflect how a baby is actually fed at the time that they are weighed. It would solve a lot of anxiety on breastfeeding moms. It may even keep some moms breastfeeding an entire year to know that their baby is just fine instead of hearing these crazy percentiles that aren't even based on breastfed babies! I'm sure some moms quit because they don't think their babies are gaining enough weight just because of the stupid charts or perhaps because of stupid doctors who don't understand that it's normal for a breastfed baby to fall in the lower percentiles on the CDC charts.
My rave, of course, is for Kelly Mom. Thanks for giving breastfeeding moms a factual, balanced place to go with all our questions!
Labels: breastfeeding, growth charts, Kelly Mom
posted by Beth @ 1:31 PM
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