chicken - organic or not?

mrs.mastro · November 2011

I weaned my little man a couple of months ago, but I know you ladies have all the answers so I have a question for you. Our friends are both average sized adults, but their 10 week old is in the 95% height & weight. They eat no red meat but do eat non-organic chicken almost every day, so are wondering if the hormones in the chicken are getting in the mom's breast-milk and making the baby so big.

Has anyone read/heard anything about this? I know it is definitely recommended that nursing mothers eat organically as much as possible, and I think the hormones do pass into the breastmilk. But do you think the chicken hormones are really affecting the baby so drastically?

rosiemomma · November 2011

no the baby is growing quickly because that is what babies do. My daughter also stayed in the 95th percentile until she was about 9months old then continued in the 95th for height but moved slowly down the weight percentages (totally normal and expected).

If she wants to switch to organic that could be a choice she makes based on how she eats and what she wants to eat, it is more likely causing her harm than her baby.

here is a link about this:

https://kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/weight-toomuch.html

jess!ca · November 2011

I agree with pp. DD was in the 50th percentile for her first checkup, and then at her 2nd was 95th. The Dr said that they go up and down the percentiles as they grow. I think it would take a longer time to see any effects from something like hormones in food.

zebrastripes · November 2011

I don't have any evidence of this but I am going to say no. I would think the even if the mom was eating non organic chicken, the mother's body would filter out the hormones to protect baby. The mother would get the hormones not the baby. Even if some hormones did leak into the milk, it would be a small percentage and wouldn't effect baby this drastically. This is my theory but like I said, I have no evidence to back it up and I could be wrong.

Some babies just grow faster and bigger while others are smaller and grow slower.

One reason breastfeeding moms are advised to eat organic is because organic food is more nutrient rich. If the mother is eating a nutrient rich diet then the milk for the baby is going to be more nutrient rich.

shotzie · November 2011

There aren't added hormones in the chicken - organic or not. We eat non-organic chicken and it says on the package that it's illegal to give chickens extra hormones. A quick google search also confirmed that. Like pp's have said, babies are chubby at that age and then slim down once they start crawling and walking. DD was in the 90+ percentiles for height and weight as a baby, she's slimmed down a lot now that she's running all over the place.

meg1974 · November 2011

shotzie:
There aren't added hormones in the chicken - organic or not. We eat non-organic chicken and it says on the package that it's illegal to give chickens extra hormones. A quick google search also confirmed that. Like pp's have said, babies are chubby at that age and then slim down once they start crawling and walking. DD was in the 90+ percentiles for height and weight as a baby, she's slimmed down a lot now that she's running all over the place.

This. Non-organic chicken does not have hormones.

nosoup4u · November 2011

Was he really huge when he was born? I was told by DS2's doctor (and have read it other places, too) that a baby's size the first 12-18 months is more a reflection of interuterine conditions more than anything else.

But it's never too early to stop eating chickens that have been given hormones, IMO!

BeetleLinz1125 · November 2011

Some babies are just bigger...DD is in the 97% for height. I wish I could eat organic, but I can't afford it. I don't think it's the reason she's in that percentile, it's because her dad is tall. I'm sure genetics is also playing a role in your friends's child's growth.

Bluescarf · November 2011

I eat non-rganic chicken sometimes now, and before a couple of months ago all the time. My son is only in the 2nd percentile in weight according to the WHO charts. I think some babies are just big.

changingnames · November 2011

Do I think hormones in mom's food could affect baby?- yes. Do I think it would Drastically affect his size over the course of ten week?- no. Do I think the hormones given to th cows whose milk is used to make formula for babies would have an equal or potentially greater effect on baby?-yes. I think you do what you can when you can. I eat organically, use organic skin products and makeup, cleaning products, laundry etc. But sometimes there just isn't a way to go organic with something and try not to sweat it. I think if she is over all eating healthy and chemical free then she is doing great. Maybe at some point she can explore switching to hormone and antibiotic free chicken even if she doesn't go organic. But like I said- the cows making milk for formula are ingesting all sorts of hormones so it isn't anything new for babies. Jmo.

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