Relationship of Feeding Human Milk by Breast Versus Bottle with Infant Growth

Abstract

Research suggests that infants fed human milk from a bottle versus the breast may have higher weight gains in the first 6 to 12 months of life. The purpose of this study was to determine if infants fed human milk directly from the breast differed in growth and adiposity measurements compared to those fed human milk from the bottle. Infant's weight, length, and tricep and subscapular skinfold thickness were measured at 2 and 4 months. Mothers reported birth weight and length and completed monthly questionnaires on infant feeding practices (e.g., number of human milk feedings by bottle or breast per day, age of introduction to complementary foods, and infant bottle‐emptying behavior). Infants were placed into 2 groups based on their reported mode of feeding at 3 months: Nursing Group (NG, n=15), infants fed predominantly at the breast with less than 25% of the feeds from a bottle and Bottle Group (BG, n=10), infants fed human milk from the bottle more than 25% of the feeds. Change in BMI Z scores from 2 to 4 months were significantly different between groups (NG=‐0.18 ± 0.67 vs BG=0.48 ± 0.73, p=0.03). Changes in skinfold thickness from 2 to 4 months were not statistically different between groups. Weight gain velocity from 2 to 4 months was compared to WHO weight velocity standards. Only 3 infants in each group exceeded the 75th percentile for weight gain velocity. The majority of parents reported those infants fed human milk from the bottle finished the bottle “most of the time” or “all of the time.” None of the infants were introduced to complementary foods before 4 months. The results of this study suggest that bottle‐feeding human milk may be related to differences in weight gain during 2 to 4 months. However, follow up for a longer time period with a larger sample size is necessary to fully investigate the relationship of bottle‐feeding with infant growth.