Breastfeeding and maternal weight changes during 24 months post-partum: a cohort study.

The relationship between breastfeeding and the loss of weight gained during pregnancy remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between breastfeeding and maternal weight changes during 24 months post-partum. We studied a dynamic cohort comprising 315 women living in two cities in the state of Bahia, Brazil.

Predictors of linear growth in the first year of life of a prospective cohort of full term children with normal birth weight.

Objective: To investigate covariates that could affect the variation in mean length/age z scores in the first year of life of children born full term with normal birth weight.

Methods: This was a prospective study of a cohort of mother-infant pairs recruited at public maternity units in two municipalities in the Brazilian state of Bahia, from March 2005 to October 2006. This paper reports the results for linear growth of 489 children who were followed-up for the first 12 months of their lives.