Duration of exclusive breast-feeding: introduction of complementary feeding may be necessary before 6 months of age
- Reilly, John J
- Wells, JCK
DOIAbstract
The WHO recommends exclusive breast-feeding for the first 6 months of life. At present, <2 % of mothers who breast-feed in the UK do so exclusively for 6 months. We propose the testable hypothesis that this is because many mothers do not provide sufficient breast milk to feed a 6-month-old baby adequately. We review recent evidence on energy requirements during infancy, and energy transfer from mother to baby, and consider the adequacy of exclusive breast-feeding to age 6 months for mothers and babies in the developed world. Evidence from our recent systematic review suggests that mean metabolisable energy intake in exclusively breast-fed infants at 6 months is 2·2–2·4 MJ/d (525–574 kcal/d), and mean energy requirement approximately 2·6–2·7...
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