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| Name: LB | Date: Jun 28th, 2005 8:32 PM |
| I am not a medical professional, but this is my understanding: 1. It is much easier for babies to digest, so not only do they have fewer tummy troubles (which are endless for newborns), but there poop does not smell nearly as bad. 2. It's free! 3. It has your immunities, so if you are both exposed to a cold, your body will produce antibodies, which the baby will get, and therefore won't get so sick. 4. It's milk made for humans. Regular formula is made from cow's milk, which is really designed for calves. The truth is that manufacturer's don't know everything that is in breast milk. They only recently discovered DHA which is crucial for brain development. Now they add it. But who knows what else they don't know about yet? ↑ |
| Name: Cynthiam | Date: Jun 28th, 2005 10:14 PM |
| From my understanding, the reason that is it is better is because it is natural...Before there was formula...man made...there were BOOBIES!!!! lol I just think that it has more nutrients, and it keeps the baby used to the same thing really...because you gotta think of it this way she has been eating from you for 10 months...why not keep going... ↑ |
| Name: Kristy | Date: Jul 5th, 2005 3:03 AM |
| Colostrum is in breastmilk. Some babies don't get sick if the moms breastfeed them. Breastmilk has alot of nutrients and all that stuff that babies need. You should definitely breastfeed your baby even if it's just for a couple of weeks. ↑ |
| Name: Jo | Date: Jul 11th, 2005 7:36 AM |
| Hi newmamma! I am so glad that you are considering breastfeeding. There are so many advantages to both mother and baby. Aside from the bonding and closeness, I loved the convenience. If I wanted to take the baby to the park, I just grabbed a diaper, some wipes and off we went! No mixing, measuring or lugging bottles. Perhaps a better question than what is in human milk, is what is in formula? (and what is not in formula). I know that the number of calories in breastmilk is different than in formula. I also know that if mom is healthy, you don't have to worry about contaminants in breast milk. One of the scariest things I ever saw was a recall of formula. Something to consider is the synergy of the food. That is, even if you knew all of the elements in breastmilk and combined them, you still might not come up with all of the positive effects of breastmilk because of how they go together. For example, there is a substance in tomatoes that is very good for us, but if you just take that, it is not as good as eating a tomato because of the way that all the vitamins and nutrients work together. Human milk also changes according to the baby's needs - that is higher fat content at some times of the day, changes in composition as the baby grows. Formula stays the same and could never match that kind of customization. Good luck to you and your family! ↑ |
| Name: Dan | Date: Oct 21st, 2005 8:37 AM |
| Whats in the milk??? I need to know why it is essential for the baby to have the milk from the breast ↑ |
| Name: Heather | Date: Nov 2nd, 2005 4:28 AM |
| Oh my, what happens is that you have colestum which is basically an immunization for your baby. Then your milk will come in, which is a little uncomfortable, but well worth it. Babies that are breast fed have less chance of sickness, ear infections, cancer etc. It is well worth it and is a great bonding experience with your child. I definitely recommend it. ↑ |
| Name: CB | Date: Nov 14th, 2005 11:28 AM |
| Please be smart enough to NOT BUY BREASTMILK OFF THE INTERNET! Because I say I'm healthy??? If someone has excess milk, D O N A T E it! NMB is a place I used (National Milk Bank 866-522-MILK.) Nice people to work with. They send donated milk to be pasteurized so it will be SAFE, then it is offered to hospitals for the critically ill babies in intensive care who don't have mother's milk as an option (drugs etc...) ↑ |
| Name: Jossie | Date: Feb 26th, 2006 10:10 PM |
| I have been breastfeeding my daughter for a year, and have am amazed what it has done for her. She has always slept with me since she was born and about 2 months ago she started to want to sleep by herself. Now she sleeps by herself in her little bed. Breastmilk is the best thing you can give your newborn!!! ↑ |
| Name: 3 time nursing mom | Date: Feb 27th, 2006 12:16 AM |
| What is in breastmilk? Absolutely everything that Mother Nature says a baby needs. Nothing more, nothing less. It's perfect food that cannot be duplicated. Here are some excerpts from the La Leche League website that gives us some info on the first few weeks of milk known as colostrum: "Colostrum is the first milk your breasts produce in the early days of breastfeeding. This special milk is low in fat, and high in carbohydrates, protein, and antibodies to help keep your baby healthy. It is extremely easy to digest, and is therefore the perfect first food for your baby. It is low in volume but high in concentrated nutrition for the newborn. Colostrum has a laxative effect on the baby, helping him pass his early stools, which aids in the excretion of excess bilirubin and helps prevent jaundice...... .....Your colostrum provides not only perfect nutrition tailored to the needs of your newborn, but also large amounts of living cells which will defend your baby against many harmful agents. The concentration of immune factors is much higher in colostrum than in mature milk...... ......Colostrum actually works as a natural and 100% safe vaccine. It contains large quantities of an antibody called secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) which is a new substance to the newborn. Before your baby was born, he received the benefit of another antibody, called IgG, through your placenta. IgG worked through the baby's circulatory system, but IgA protects the baby in the places most likely to come under attack from germs, namely the mucous membranes in the throat, lungs, and intestines. Colostrum has an especially important role to play in the baby's gastrointestinal tract. A newborn's intestines are very permeable. Colostrum seals the holes by "painting" the gastrointestinal tract with a barrier which mostly prevents foreign substances from penetrating and possibly sensitizing a baby to foods the mother has eaten. Colostrum also contains high concentrations of leukocytes, protective white cells which can destroy disease-causing bacteria and viruses. Later, when you are producing mature milk for your baby, the concentrations of the antibodies in the milk will be lower, but your baby will be taking in much higher volumes of milk. The disease-fighting properties of human milk do not disappear with the colostrum. In fact, as long as your baby receives your milk, he will receive immunological protection against many different viruses and bacteria. ↑ |
| Name: 3 time nursing mom | Date: Feb 27th, 2006 12:19 AM |
| Here are some more excerpts that I have found that give us a clue of some of the properties in breast milk. But like a previous poster has noted, we don't know everything. Mother Nature knows more then we have discovered yet, so there is no way we can make formula even close to what breastmilk just naturally has. I guess it would be like us trying to create artificial water. Various excerpts – "Iron--According to THE BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK, published by LLLI, the iron in human milk is better absorbed by your baby than is the iron in cow's milk or iron-fortified formula. This means that the quantity of iron in human milk is appropriate for baby instead of the larger quantity in cow's milk. The full-term healthy baby usually has no need of additional iron until about the middle of his first year, around the time he starts taking solids. The high lactose ad vitamin C levels in human milk aid the absorption of iron, and breastfed babies do not lose iron through their bowels." " Indeed, the benefits of breastfeeding which include high levels of antioxidants may prove to be essential to compensate for and outweigh the risks of toxic effects from the environment. Today the focus of scientific concerns is being directed toward removing potentially toxic chemicals from the environment while recognizing the value of human milk, the only source of optimal nutrition for infants. " "Human milk cannot be duplicated. It is a living, changing fluid which continually adapts to the needs of the developing infant. Professional research demonstrates that breastfed infants have significantly lower morbidity rates. In addition, studies show that breastfeeding offers significant immunologic, developmental and nutritional benefits." "Breastfed babies are far healthier than their bottle-fed peers. This is not because there is anything inherently dangerous in formula, only that formula can't possibly replace all the benefits of human milk. Human milk is alive with beneficial bacteria that aid an infant's digestion and help prevent diarrhea (a frequent cause of infant death in developing countries), and with immunoglobulins that protect infants from disease. It is rich with all the nutrients that the human body requires for proper development. Cow's milk passes on many of these same benefits to calves, but the nutrients and immunological factors are specifically suited for calves, not humans, and once cow's milk is processed, any immunological factors are destroyed anyway. Cow's milk is perfect for calves, but ill-suited for human children. The effects of this mismatch are devastating. In one study, a group of infants fed artificial milk had $68,000 in health care costs in a six-month period, while an equal number of nursing babies had only $4,000 worth. In Brazil, where medical care is not readily available, an artificially fed baby is 14 times more likely to die than an exclusively breastfed baby, and at least four times more likely to die than an infant receiving both mother's milk and artificial milk. " "What are the benefits of breastfeeding my baby? There are many benefits to breastfeeding your baby! Human breast milk "contains all the nutrients babies need each day, plus many substances that help keep them healthy and promote optimal growth and development." (THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, page 333). Your milk is made to order for your baby. Research points to the significant value to infants, mothers, families and the environment from breastfeeding. Benefits for Baby Chapter 18 of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, "The Superior Infant Food," documents the benefits of breastfeeding such as the antibodies in it to protect the baby from illness. For example, "Deaths from respiratory infections in artificially fed infants were 120 times greater than among breastfed babies" (THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, page 345). Breastfed babies have a decreased likelihood for allergies and dental caries. They also benefit from appropriate jaw, teeth and speech development as well as overall facial development. This means that people who were artificially fed may experience more trips to doctors and dentists. Benefits for Mother Chapter 19 of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, "How Breastfeeding Affects a Mother," describes some of the physical benefits of breastfeeding for the mother such as reduced rates of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The time saved for mother is immense also. As a breastfeeding mother, you can feed your baby even during stressful times such as when normal supplies of food and water are not available. Benefits for Employers Breastfed babies are healthier babies; thus, mothers who are employed outside the home are likely to miss fewer days of work according to a study in the BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK on page 200. To learn more about {working and breastfeeding} http://www.lalecheleague.org/bfwork.html see the collection of NEW BEGINNINGS articles. Click to learn more about {corporate lactation programs}. http://www.lalecheleague.org/corporate.html ↑ |
| Name: 3 time nursing mom | Date: Feb 27th, 2006 12:20 AM |
| And one final excerpt. Hope this all helped to answer your question. " Breastfeeding has been shown to be protective against many illnesses, including painful ear infections, upper and lower respiratory ailments, allergies, intestinal disorders, colds, viruses, staph, strep and e coli infections, diabetes, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, many childhood cancers, meningitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, salmonella, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS) as well as lifetime protection from Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, some lymphomas, insulin dependent diabetes, and for girls, breast and ovarian cancer. One way breast feeding protects your newborn from illnesses is the immune molecules, called antibodies, that are present in breast milk. Antibodies are made by your body's immune system and are very specific molecules that help you fight each illness. When babies are born, their immune systems are very immature and they have less ability to fight illness-causing germs. Through your breast milk, you give your baby immunities to illnesses to which you are immune and also those to which you have been exposed. Nursing also allows your baby to give germs to you so that your immune system can respond and can synthesize antibodies! This means that if your baby has come in contact with something which you have not, (s)he will pass these germs to you at the next nursing; during that feeding, your body will start to manufacture antibodies for that particular germ. By the time the next feeding arrives, your entire immune system will be working to provide immunities for you and your baby. If you are exposed to any bacteria or viruses, your body will be making antibodies against them and these will be in your milk. Breast milk also contains a host of other immune molecules that also help protect your baby from germs. It's an awesome system! Research shows your child's immune system will not be fully mature for many years. While it is developing, he will be protected by being breastfed. His own immune system also develops more rapidly than does baby who is fed formula. Does this mean breastfed babies never get sick? No, they can and do. However, the illness is generally less severe and lengthy than if the baby were not receiving his mother's milk. Breastmilk is liquid gold, and it's yours to give! " ↑ |
| Name: Dana | Date: Mar 3rd, 2006 11:07 PM |
| I also wanted to point out - that even if breastmilk and formula were the same (which they aren;'t) the sucking action used to get breastmilk is much more beneficial to jaw- and mouth development which eventually helps speech development. ↑ |
| Name: lisa | Date: May 13th, 2006 9:46 AM |
| I want to start the isogenix program, a weight loss program which includes cleansing for 2 days. I am concerned that the toxins which is excreted from the body, will also be excreted into the breast milk. Has anyone ever heard of this program and the effects on the baby while cleansing ↑ |
| Name: To lisa | Date: May 13th, 2006 12:29 PM |
| lisa, it is inadvisable to diet while you are breastfeeding. The nutrients you take in are the nutrients in your breastmilk. If you diet, you are making your baby diet too. Your baby may be getting milk, but it has only the nutrients you have eaten in the day. If you have not taken in enough nutrition for yourself, you are giving absolutely none to your baby. So your biggest concern should not be your toxins in your breastmilk, but first, before that concern, should be the fact that you would be starving your child for as long as you are on the program. And at their young age and rate of development, a day without nutrition, would probably be like 2 weeks for you just drinking water with no nutrition. 2 days would be like you not eating for a month. Just wait a little longer. You can lose the weight further down the line, your baby's development at this time will be with him for the rest of his life. ↑ |
| Name: Susan60 | Date: Dec 20th, 2008 6:00 PM |
| How soon does food you eat take to get to breast milk? ↑ |
