Tag: Infant weight gain

According to the CDC, healthy breastfed infants typically gain weight more slowly than formula-fed infants after the first few months. So, is formula or milk more fattening? The answer is more complex than a simple calorie comparison, involving differences in protein, digestion, and feeding dynamics that influence infant growth patterns.

Research shows a mother's diet can influence the *type* of fat in breast milk. The key is consuming nutrient-rich foods to provide the building blocks for healthy fats, essential for a baby's development.

While standard infant formula typically contains a similar caloric density per ounce to average mature breast milk, studies show that after the first few months, formula-fed babies often gain weight more rapidly. Understanding why involves more than just a calorie count; it requires examining differences in nutrient composition, hormonal content, and the dynamics of feeding itself to answer the question: Is formula milk more fattening than breast milk?.

Most healthy, full-term newborns lose 7 to 10 percent of their birth weight in the first few days of life, which is a normal physiological process as they excrete excess fluid. The user query asking, "Why did mother's milk lose weight?" actually stems from a common misconception, as breast milk itself does not lose weight, but various factors can affect an infant's weight gain or a mother's weight loss during breastfeeding.