Nutritional Supplements And Mother’s Milk Supply Composition
Breastfeeding is strongly recommended exclusively for the first six months for your baby, because it’s the best milk for your baby and has numerous benefits. Feeding is not only good for the baby but it’s equally good for the mother as well. For babies, it’s a complete and balanced form of food which is natural and hygienic too.
In addition, it keeps the baby safe from many infections and reduces the rates of later health problems including diabetes, obesity and asthma. For mothers, it helps them to balance their hormones, controls weight, contracts the uterus back to its previous position, controls excessive bleeding, prevents ovarian and breast cancers too.
So many doctors and experts insist on nursing your newborn even if you experience a low milk supply. They recommend many reliable breast milk supplements to boost milk supply and so a mother can sufficiently feed their baby with their breast milk.
The composition of this milk is specially designed for newborns and it changes with the babies' needs as they grow. The proteins in this milk are more easily digested by baby than any other formula or cow milk. The calcium and iron are also easily absorbed as compared to the alternates.
Breast milk composition:
The mother’s milk composition is based on several components in it, which have their own key benefits and help in child growth and development. They include proteins, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, vitamins, digestive enzymes and hormones. Plus they also have immune cells, stem cells and antibodies along with numerous other bioactive molecules. Here is some brief detail about all of them:
1-Carbohydrates
Lactose is the primary carbohydrate found in breast milk which accounts for approximately 40% of total calories of the milk to the baby. This helps in suppressing and decreasing unhealthy bacteria from the gut and stomach while improving the absorption of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. It not only kills unhealthy bacteria but also promotes healthy gut bacteria too.
2-Proteins
Human milk contains two types of proteins and that is whey and casein (curd), which are in 60% and 40% ratio, which allows this balance to be digested easily and quickly. The whey proteins are liquid and are much easier to absorb than casein. Whey also has antibodies, lactoferrin and lysozyme in it which is great in protecting from infections and diseases. Whereas artificial milk has higher ratios of casein and that’s why they are hard to digest by many babies.
3-Fats
Human milk is also enriched with essential fats in it which are very important for your baby’s health. These fats aid in brain development, absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and are a primary calorie source to gain weight. Long chain fatty acids are required for brain, retina and nervous system development. They started to deposit in the brain in the last months of pregnancy and then transferred by breast milk after delivering the baby.
4-Vitamins and minerals
Vitamins and minerals are also known as micronutrients, fully loaded in the breast milk and are important for the baby’s health. They include vitamin A, B- complex, C, E, riboflavin, niacin but are deficient in vitamin D, B-6, and K, due to certain diet restrictions.
Minerals include zinc, magnesium, calcium, sodium, selenium and many more which build strong bones, produce red blood cells and promote proper nerve and muscle function. As they’re essential, many doctors advise prenatal and postnatal supplements to avoid its deficiency.
5-Hormones
Hormones are responsible for many jobs in the human body and hormones involved in milk production include prolactin, thyroid and growth factors. Some hormones are smaller and simple in structure while others are larger and don't transfer in breast milk.
6-Water
Human breast milk is composed of 90% of water mixed with all other macro and micro nutrients with other elements in it. Water is crucial because it helps maintain hydration, regulate body temperature, lubricates joints and protects organs too.
7-Immunoglobulins (antibodies)
The primary antibody in human milk is IgA along with IgG and IgM which have numerous functions to perform. They help in fighting diseases and illnesses, protect against common cold, ear infections, diarrhea and other dangerous infections too.
8- Nutritional supplements for mother
Feeding mothers should be taking prenatal and postnatal multivitamins that contain 100 % of the recommended dietary allowance, to fuel their body with the right amount of nutrients that you may miss on a daily basis. Other than that, have plenty of fluids with a balanced daily diet to cover all food groups.
Keep yourself moving, which makes you active and reduces stress too. A proper amount of sleep will also give positive benefits to your overall health. You can also have breast milk supplements and milk supply boosters to increase your milk production sufficiently.
Conclusion
Breast milk is the best thing for your baby, without any question. Nobody till date is able to replicate this milk with its full benefits, so every mother must prefer providing their baby with their milk for the first six months.
