Recommendations for maternal nutrition during lactation do not adjust for newborn weight. Women with IUGR newborns may perceive a lower need for their own nutrition due to the small newborn size and expected relative reduction in newborn nutrient needs. We hypothesize that potential rapid catch-up growth of IUGR offspring results in increased, not decreased, nutrient requirements for the nursing mother. To facilitate increased nutrient intake, we postulate a physiologic suppression of the anorexic hormone, leptin.