The absence of physiological neonatal weight loss on the 1st-5th day is associated with decreased later physical indices.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To investigate associations between physiological neonatal weight loss on the 1st-5th day and physical indices from birth up to the age of 17 years. METHODS: Data were derived from the personal health records of healthy, full-term and breastfed children born in Vilnius in 1990 and 1996. Five hundred and thirty children (289 boys and 241 girls) who left a maternity unit on the 1st-5th day after birth were included in the analysis. RESULTS: Infants left the maternity unit on day 4.62 ± 2.33. On the day of leaving a maternity unit, infants lost 105.06 ± 130.48 g (2.85 ± 3.65%) of birth weight. Girls who did not lose or gained weight after birth had already weighed less at birth (3163 ± 547 and 3490 ± 403 g, respectively, p < 0.01) and remained lighter up to the age of 17 years (54.3 ± 8.7 and 60.8 ± 10.1 kg at the age of 17 years respectively, p < 0.001). Girls who did not lose or gained weight after birth were also shorter than those who lost weight (164.3 ± 5.7 and 168.6 ± 5.4 cm at the age of 17 years, respectively, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Girls who did not lose or gained weight immediately after birth tended to remain shorter and lighter during childhood and adolescence. Only a few statistically significant differences were obtained in boys.