Breastfeeding: Why and How Article 1

Breastfeeding is a way of feeding ... and a life-style as well. If you are a first-time mother there will most likely be times in the early weeks that you could become frustrated and are ready to toss in the nursing bra and reach for a bottle. But before doing that consider all the benefits that breastfeeding provides for not only baby, but mother and family as well. So don't give up, strive to conquer the problems and become a master of providing the oldest and choicest in infant nourishment. Breast milk does good things not only for baby and breastfeeding does good things for mother also.

Why Breast is Best
Whether it is human or mammal milk, mother's milk is special. No two babies need the same milk and no two mothers produce the same milk. Each mother's milk is made to meet the needs of their baby. Every milk has what is called biologic specificity -- meaning every species of mammal formulates a milk that is unique for the young of that species, ensuring their growth and enhancing their survival. For instance, mother seals milk is high-fat milk because baby seals need high body fat to survive the cold water. Now a human baby's survival organ is the brain and human milk contains special nutrients that promote brain growth.

Components of Mother's Milk
Following are the main ingredients contained in the oldest living recipe. You will see how each is tailor-made to fit your baby.

Fats - Fats are the most changeable ingredient of breast milk, and vary according to the caloric needs of your growing baby. At various times during the day, and as your infant grows, the fat content of your milk changes during a feeding, adjusting like a self-formulating fuel to the energy needs of your baby. Your foremilk at the start of a feeding is low in fat, like skim milk. But as feeding progresses the fat steadily increases until your baby gets the "cream," the higher-fat bindmilk. This milk contains a built-in satiety factor that gives your infant a feeling of contented fullness and stops eating. Notice how a baby at the end of breastfeeding radiates in a "I feel good" look. The baby will breastfeed for a shorter or longer period of time depending upon how thirsty or hungry they might be. Older babies need fewer calories per unit of body weight. And the fat content of human milk lessens as baby grows, automatically changing from "whole milk" to "low-fat" during the last half of the first year. There will be periods of growth spurts, where every few weeks baby wants to feed continuously for a few days -- called frequency days or marathon feeding -- to get more energy for more growth. As the interval between feeds shorten, the fat content increases to accommodate the increased energy needs of a rapidly growing infant. Breastfeeding infants are not just passive players in the feeding game. They take an active part in shaping the food and the feeding to satisfy their individual needs.
Smarter Fats - Brain boosting fats, namely DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), omega-3 fatty acids vital for the growth and development of nerve tissue are contained in human milk. The insulating sheath around each nerve that helps electrical nerve impulses travel faster and get to where they should go known as myelin, is provided by DHA. It has been shown that DHA concentrations are highest in the brains of babies who are breastfed and highest of all in those who are breastfed the longest. Manufacturers in the United States have added DHA and ARA in infant formula. However, it is likely that DHA is only one of hundreds of ingredients in human milk that work together to give breastfed babies an edge in brain development.
Better fats, less waste - Because breast milk contains better fat than cow's milk or infant formula, less of it gets wasted. The enzyme, lipase -- a substance that helps digest fat so that more gets into the baby and less in the stools is contained in human milk. Enzymes are destroyed by the heating process used to produce formula so no enzymes are contained in a formula. Thus the malodorous stools of the formula-fed baby give a clue that the intestines are unhappy with having to process the types of fats contained in formulas. The body's food judge -- the intestines -- reject some of the fat of formula or cow's milk and allow this excess to pass into the stools, giving them an unpleasant odor -- making for unpleasant diaper changes.

There is more to come in the next article on "Breastfeeding: Why and How"