Breast milk, to be specific human milk, is the milk produced by the breasts (or mammary glands) of a human female for her infant offspring. Milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborns before they are able to eat and digest other foods; older infants and toddlers may continue to be breastfed, either exclusively or in combination with other foods.

Under the influence of the hormones prolactin and oxytocin, women produce milk after childbirth to feed the baby. The initial milk produced is often referred to as colostrum, which is high in the immunoglobulin IgA, which coats the gastrointestinal tract. This helps to protect the newborn until its own immune system is functioning properly, and creates a mild laxative effect, expelling meconium and helping to prevent the build-up of bilirubin (a contributory factor in jaundice).

Breast milk is species-specific for humans and changes according to the infant’s needs. For example, if the baby is born pre-term, breasts produce milk that has a different composition, especially suited for a premature infant. In fact, for premature babies, breast milk can make the difference in life and death. Also, the newborn’s first milk, colostrum, is in many ways different from the mature milk. It contains lots of antibodies, and acts as a laxative to purge the newborn’s bowels from waste accumulated during the time in utero.

Additionally, research published in 2010 has found that breast milk for boys is different from breast milk for girls. The milk produced for boys has a higher fat and protein content than the milk for girls.

Nutritional Importance

  • Protein in breast milk is mostly whey, which is easier to digest than casein (main protein in cow’s milk). Protein of breast milk has high amounts of amino acid taurine, which has an important role in the development of the brain and the eyes.
  • Fats in breast milk are practically self-digesting, since breast milk also contains the enzyme lipase, which breaks down the fat. Fat is the main source of calories for babies — and babies need lots of calories to grow well. Although, human milk also contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for brain development (provided the mother eats those good omega-3 fats herself).
  • Vitamins and minerals in human milk are bioavailable-meaning they get absorbed well. Breast milk contains substances that enhance the absorption of minerals and vitamins.
  • Immune boosters– In each feeding mother deliver millions of living white blood cells to her baby to help baby fight against all kinds of diseases. One more important fact is, when mother is exposed to a germ, she makes antibodies to that germ and gives these antibodies to her infant via her milk. Breast milk also contains factors that prevent microbes from attaching, and a long list of other antiviral, antibacterial and anti parasitic factors.
  • Even more amazing, if a baby contracts an illness that mom has not been exposed to previously, he will transfer this organism through his saliva to the breast, where antibodies are manufactured on site and then sent back to baby via the milk to help him cope. Mothers who wean their babies from the breast often notice that their child becomes sick more than before.
  • Hormones and enzymes– Breast milk has lots of digestive enzymes, and also many hormones. These all contribute to the baby’s well being.
  • Breast milk is even able to kill the HIV virus! An unknown component of breast milk appears to kill HIV particles and virus-infected cells, as well as blocking HIV transmission in mice with a human immune system.

Health Benefits

  • Breastfeeding prevents obesity– Formula-fed babies are more likely to be obese during adolescence. Longer periods of breastfeeding greatly reduce the risk of being overweight in adulthood.
  • Healthy teeth- Formula-fed babies have worse jaw alignment and are more likely to need orthodontic work as they get older. This is probably because the sucking action during breastfeeding improves the development of facial muscles and the shape of the palate.
  • Healthy eyes and ears– Bottle fed babies have worse vision, and get more ear infections than breast-fed infants.
  • General health– Bottle fed infants and children have more and more severe upper respiratory infections, wheezing, pneumonia and influenza. They have more diarrhea, more gastrointestinal infections and constipation.
  • Health later in life– Formula-fed babies has a raised risk of heart disease, juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, asthma and allergy. Breastfeeding may also play a role in preventing digestive diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, as well as childhood cancers

Breast milk contains several substances that help in baby’s brain development and can increase the child’s IQ.

  • It contains docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid that is important for the brain. The levels of this fatty acid in breast milk depend on the mother’s consumption of omega-3 rich foods, such as fish and flax. The DHA levels are also highest in babies who are breastfed the longest.
  • Breast milk has cholesterol, which is needed to make nerve tissue in the growing brain.
  • Breast milk is high in lactose, which is broken down in the body into glucose and galactose, and galactose is a valuable nutrient for brain tissue development.
  • Taurine, an amino acid found in breast milk, is important to the brain development. This amino acid is low in cow’s milk.

Benefits for Mother

  • Breastfeeding helps a woman to lose weight after birth. Mothers burn many calories during lactation as their bodies produce milk. In fact, some of the weight gained during pregnancy serves as an energy source for lactation.
  • Breastfeeding releases a hormone in the mother (oxytocin) that causes the uterus to return to its normal size more quickly.
  • When a woman gives birth and proceeds to nurse her baby, she protects herself from becoming pregnant again too soon, a form of birth control found to be 98 percent effective — more effective than a diaphragm or condom.
  • Breastfeeding appears to reduce the mother’s risk of developing osteoporosis in later years.
  • Diabetic women improve their health by breastfeeding. Not only do nursing infants have increased protection from juvenile diabetes, the amount of insulin that the mother requires postpartum goes down.
  • Women who lactate for a total of two or more years reduce their chances of developing breast cancer by 24 percent.
  • Women who breastfeed their children have been shown to be less likely to develop uterine, endometrial or ovarian cancer.
  • The emotional health of the mother may be enhanced by the relationship she develops with her infant during breastfeeding, resulting in fewer feelings of anxiety and a stronger sense of connection with her baby.
  • A woman’s ability to produce all of the nutrients that her child needs can provide her with a sense of confidence.
  • Researchers have pointed out that the bond of a nursing mother and child is stronger than any other human contact.
  • Holding the child to her breast provides most mothers with a more powerful psychological experience than carrying the fetus inside her uterus.

Social and Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding

  • The benefits of breastfeeding go beyond health considerations. Mothers who nurse their children enjoy social and economic advantages as well. For example: Women who breastfeed avoid the financial burden of buying infant formula.
  • Breast-fed babies are less likely to need excessive medical attention as they grow.

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