New born breast fed babies' growth pattern will become the benchmark against which the growth of babies will be measured. This will indeed mark a sea change from the practice of almost 4 decades, where babies have always been measured against a growth chart formulated on the growth pattern portrayed by formula- fed babies.
It is well known that bottle-fed children grow at a quicker rate as compared to breast fed infants and this makes them prone to becoming overweight and developing conditions like diabetes.
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Now, doctors feel that it would be a healthier option to measure children with the growth yardstick provided by a breast fed baby. A growth chart based on the growth of around 8000 breast fed babies world over, is being compiled and will be released by the WHO next week.
Rosie Dodds, policy research officer at the National Childbirth Trust, happy with the new charts said "It is certainly better to use the breast feeding babies who do tend to be a bit leaner, particularly after the first few months."
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