The composition and benefits of breast milk

Breast milk is a unique baby food product. Today, not a single analogue has yet been invented that fully corresponds to it, because its composition was approved by nature itself. Only this food satisfies the needs of nursing babies 100%. The composition of a natural product has up to 500 substances necessary for a baby, many of them are artificially impossible to create. The mother's body begins to work on creating a food product even before a new person comes into this world.

Meet breast milk. Presentation:

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The appearance of milk in the mammary glands of women is due to the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for its release. The basis of breast milk is lymph and blood, where the body receives nutrients that have been modified during digestion.

Breast milk composition

Each woman's milk is unique, like herself, but the set of components of this product is the same for all nursing mothers. Breast milk composition:

Biologically active water (88%) - the main component, perfectly absorbed by the baby. If the baby is completely breastfed, then you do not need to additionally give him water;
Carbohydrates (7%) presented in the form of lactose (milk sugar), which accelerates the development of the brain and nervous system, contributes to the complete absorption of iron and calcium and bifidum factor with antifungal and antibacterial effect, normalizing the intestines;
Fats (4%) - the source of the baby's strength: thanks to them, immunity is strengthened and a full-fledged central nervous system is formed. Fats contain cholesterol (for the production of vitamin D), bile, and the main hormones. The balance of fats and carbohydrates in breast milk is ideal for a growing baby;
Protein (1%) - the basis of the growth of an infant who is rapidly gaining weight. They include whey protein, taurine (for the development of the central nervous system and the brain), lactoferrin (a source of iron), nucleotides (building material for DNA), lactase (for the breakdown of lactose), lipase (for the complete assimilation of fats);
Remaining components (0,2%) - iron, vitamins, minerals, 20 types of hormones (growth factors), antibodies, leukocytes (protection of the immune system).

The quality of breast milk in a nursing mother is variable, its composition can change under the influence of many factors:

The time of day is thicker during the day than at night.
Weather - liquid milk in the heat, in the cold - thickens.
Mom's health - with weakened immunity, taking medications, the composition of the product is different.
The activity of the baby - at first, liquid milk (instead of water), with intensive sucking, it thickens and grows fat.

For a mother feeding twins, dairy food can be different in composition, because it must be adapted to the needs of each baby. The volume and quality of milk largely depends on the health of the nursing mother, good nutrition, sleep and rest, medication, bad habits (nicotine, alcohol).

It is important to know: the more often you put the baby to the breast, the more priceless product is produced in it. It will be exactly as much as the baby needs, so you need to feed him on demand! We read about which feeding method to choose - by the hour or on demand.

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Milk types by age

Colostrum - A thick, sticky yellowish liquid is produced in small quantities in the first 4 days. Its composition is close to the blood serum of an infant - a significant amount of proteins, leukocytes, vitamins, immunoglobulin, salts. Promotes quick adaptation of the newborn to a new way of eating. Therefore, it is so important to put the baby to the breast in the first hours after childbirth. If the baby was born prematurely, mother's milk within 2 weeks is close in composition to colostrum, since it is such food that the baby needs during this period. On this topic: Why is it important to latch a newborn to the breast early;
Transitional milk produced in the first 2-3 weeks. In terms of composition, it is more nutritious and less proteinaceous, adapted to a growing organism and new products;
Mature milk appears from the third week. It is more oily and watery. Protein is produced less and less with age, in mature milk - mainly fatty acids, which are responsible for the normal functioning of the brain. Normally, a woman produces mature breast milk up to 1.5 liters per day. There are front and back mature milk:
- Front - bluish and liquid - released in the first minutes of feeding, it contains carbohydrates, salts and water, serves to quench thirst.
- Rear - yellowish and thick - full-value baby food.

The benefits of breast milk

Breast milk is unique not only in its composition, but also in its properties. For a baby, nutrition from mother's breast means active mental development, normal digestion, strengthening immunity, preventing pneumonia, diabetes, obesity, allergies, atherosclerosis, diarrhea and many other dangerous diseases.

Mother's milk is an excellent antidepressant for the nurse herself. Here we are not talking about a food product, but about the benefits of the processes of its formation and feeding, which develop the maternal instinct and tender feelings for the child.

According to Swedish scientists, alpha-lactalbumin in breast milk can successfully fight 40 types of cancer.

Breastfeeding can increase the immune system's response to vaccinations.

Milk forms the baby's defenses, protecting against allergies and infections. The presence of stem cells in it provides regeneration and protection, as a source of antibodies, resistant even to diseases that the baby could receive from the mother.

The antibacterial properties of milk can be used to treat a toddler's runny nose, instill eyes in conjunctivitis, or heal nipple cracks in a nursing mother.

For a baby, breast milk is not just food, the very ritual of communication with his mother is important for him: the opportunity to calm down, get rid of ailments, fears, sleep sweetly.

Economic benefits can also be seen in breastfeeding: breast milk is always usable, does not need to be prepared, and has no expiration date. Priceless milk is free; savings on mixtures are significant for the family budget of a young family.

Petra Frikke, NUK Consultant Nutritionist: Why is breast milk the best food for my baby in the first months of his life?

Perfect color and taste

Many young mothers are concerned about the color and taste of their milk. The color, as already mentioned, depends on the fat content and feeding time: the front (liquid) is bluish, the back (thick and fat) is white or yellow.

The taste of the milk will vary depending on the mother's diet. It is especially affected by salty, spicy, smoked foods, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs. A certain aftertaste appears depending on the emotional and physical state of the nursing woman.

According to the observations of scientists, babies who are breastfed from the first days of life grow up strong, sociable, kind. At an older age, they develop stress resistance. From the first days, the expectant mother needs to tune in to the fact that she must certainly breastfeed her baby. Then the baby will always be full and healthy, and the mother will be calm and happy.

Links

Breastfeeding link block:
Fundamental Breastfeeding Tips for Nursing Mothers - https://razvitie-krohi.ru/kormlenie-grudyu/grudnoe-vskarmlivanie.html;
Breastfeeding positions - https://razvitie-krohi.ru/kormlenie-grudyu/pozyi-dlya-kormleniya-grudyu.html;
Nutrition of a nursing mother during hepatitis B - https://razvitie-krohi.ru/kormlenie-grudyu/pitanie-kormyashhey-materi-v-period-gv.html;
All about correct breastfeeding (how to feed / how to apply to the breast) - https://razvitie-krohi.ru/kormlenie-grudyu/kak-pravilno-kormit-rebenka-grudyu.html;
Why does my chest hurt when feeding a baby? Reasons and what to do? - https://razvitie-krohi.ru/kormlenie-grudyu/pochemu-bolit-grud-pri-kormlenii-rebenka.html;
What can not be eaten by a nursing mother and what is absolutely not allowed - https://razvitie-krohi.ru/kormlenie-grudyu/chto-nelzya-pri-grudnom-vskarmlivanii.html;
Why does a baby not gorge on breast milk (how to understand what is not gorging on, signs, reasons and what to do) - https://razvitie-krohi.ru/kormlenie-grudyu/rebenok-ne-naedaetsya-grudnyim-molokom.html.