The relationship between weight gain in exclusively breastfed babies and maternal diet

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between maternal nutrition and their breastfed infants' anthropometric measures during the first 14 weeks after delivery. METHODS: A prospective, observational study, comprising 200 mothers and their infants. The weight, length, and head circumference of the infants and the weight and dietary intake of the mothers were recorded at 6, 10, and 14 weeks. RESULTS: The relationship between weight gain in babies and calorie intake at 6, 10, and 14 weeks were significant (P value < 0.05). The relationship between weight gain in babies and protein intake at 6 and 10 weeks was not significant (P value at 6 weeks = 0.896, P value at 10 weeks = 0.127) but was significant at 14 weeks (<0.05). Mothers' weight gain during 14 weeks was significant (P value < 0.05). When mothers were distributed into four groups according to their calorie and protein intake for comparison (median value: calorie-2034 kilocalorie, protein- 78.7 grams), the weight, length and head circumference gain in infants and mothers' weight were significantly higher in Group I and Group II compared to Group III and Group IV with P value < 0.05 at 6, 10, and 14 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Calorie intake was low in mothers when compared to RDA recommendations. Infants showed lower weight, length, and head circumference gain than WHO Child Growth Standards. There is a direct relationship between the maternal diet and anthropometric measures of their infants. During postnatal period, mothers showed an increase in weight, rather than the decrease that is usually expected.