Breast Milk Nutrition

Breast milk provides all the nutrition an infant needs during first six months

In India, breast feeding is a common practice, the infants may be breast fed to the age of 3 years. After six months, the breast milk is supplemented with cow's milk diluted with sugar water. I do not recommend 'sugar water', or cow's milk even as a supplement before the age of 12 months.

Breastfeeding is a normal practice in India. After coming to United States, most of the Indian women turn to formula feeding. Formula fed infants are fat and chubby. This gives a wrong impression about the health of the infant.

How mother's food effects the breast milk?

Mother nourishes her unborn by placenta. During 16 week of pregnancy, she starts to produce

Colostrum. Colostrum is thick and sticky fluid which last about first five days of feeding the newborn. Thereafter, the transition period lasts about two weeks as the amount of Colostrum is reduced and replaced with mature breast milk.

After the breast milk is mature, first one ounce or so is watery fluid and called Foremilk. Hindmilk follows the foremilk making the major portion of breast milk.

Nutrition Profile of mature Human Milk (Breast Milk)

Breast milk provides all the nutrition an infant needs during first six months. After six months, the nutritional needs are not met by the breast milk, still breast milk may be used to provide the basic hormones, enzymes and immune development. The mothers milk is tailored by nature in time to meet the infant's nutritional needs. Colostrum is high calorie, high antibody easily digestible.

1. Breast milk has over 100 components that can not be duplicated in infant formula.

2. About 80 percent of the cells in breast milk are macrophages, cells that kill bacteria, fungi and viruses.

3. Breastfed infants have increased protection against pneumonia, botulism, bronchitis, staphylococcal infections, influenza, ear infections, meningitis, respiratory illnesses, and German measles.

4. Mother produces antibodies to fight diseases. These antibodies are passed through breast milk and may provide immunity for about one year.

5. Increased  immunity to allergens causing Asthma, Eczema

6. Increased protection against, Diabetes, Obesity, sudden infant death syndrome

7. No infant is allergic to the mother's milk. Infant may be allergic to something mother eats, but that can be resolved by modifying mother's diet.

8. Breast milk produces large amounts of Lactobacillus bifidus in the infant's digestive tract. This beneficial bacteria gobbles up harmful organisms.

9. Reduced constipation, diarrhea, gas.

10. Helps develop jaw.

11. Reduced risk of contracting breast or ovarian cancer by the mother

12. Breast feeding helps the womb to contact, and burn more calories. This helps mother to get back pre-pregnancy weight.

Vitamin D3

Breast Milk does not contain significant amounts of Vitamin D. Breast milk contains about 0.1-1.0mg/L of vitamin D which is about 1.5 % of that in mother's plasma. Lower Vitamin D levels in mother's plasma will lower the amount available in breast milk. Increased level of Vitamin in the plasma will not will not go over 1.0 mg/L of Vitamin D. Nursing mothers should drink about 3 cups of Vitamin D fortified milk every day.

In India, it is common to let the infants be exposed to sunlight. In United States, Vitamin D3 is added to the infant formula. The breast fed infants are given 'Baby drops' that contain Vitamin D3 along with other vitamins and minerals. Vitamin D3 in the Baby drops is not as effective as the exposure to sunlight.

For breast fed babies when at least one of the parents is of Indian origin, Vitamin D3 may be a major concern due to melatonin.

Vitamin D3 drops (200 to 300 IU per day) may be given from the age of 2 months till the infant is over 12 months old.

Vitamin E

Colostrum has about 8mg/L of Vitamin E. This is decreased to about 3.5 mg/L in mature milk. Vitamin E depends on mother's dietary intake.

Vitamin K

Breast milk has about 0.8 to 1.0mg/L of Vitamin K. This is low for infants at risk for hemorrhagic disease. The infant formula has sufficient amount of Vitamin K added. In United States it is customary to inject mother with Vitamin K supplement about 12 to 24 hours before the delivery specially if the infant is to be breastfed.

Iron

Iron is stored in the liver during the third trimester. There is adequate iron in breast milk to meet needs for six months, provided the infant is kept on breast milk only. When the infant weaned off the breast milk, infant will need iron to be supplemented.