IF YOU WANT A BRAINY BABY!

A FEW FACTS ABOUT BREAST MILK


Most baby formulas are derived from cow's milk (although dairy-free formulas are also available). When milk — from the breast or from a cow — is digested, it breaks down into two byproducts: curds and whey. The curd is white and rubbery, and the whey is liquid.

When cow's milk breaks down, the curd that forms is hard for human babies to digest. Breast milk, on the other hand, forms more whey than curd, and the curd is softer and more easily digested. Because the baby can digest breast milk more easily than cow's milk, he's less likely to throw up on your favorite sweater. Cow's milk is designed for baby cows after all.

One of the amazing things about breast milk is that your milk is specially formulated to have the right composition for your baby, and to contain exactly the right amounts of nutrients. Bottle-fed babies receive the exact same nutrients every time they eat. Breast milk, on the other hand, continually changes in composition so that your baby gets what he or she needs at any age.

The first liquid the breasts produce (starting a few months before the baby is born) actually doesn't even look like milk. Colostrum, which is yellow and thicker than breast milk, is a great example of how your body custom-makes the right nutrition for your baby. Here are some of its benefits:

Colostrum has a high concentration of antibodies, especially IgA, an antibody that helps protect the lungs, throat, and intestines.
Colostrum helps "seal" the permeable newborn intestines to prevent harmful substances from penetrating the gut.
Colostrum is very high in concentrated nutrition.
Colostrum has a laxative effect, which helps the baby pass the first bowel movements (and prevents newborn jaundice).
Colostrum is low in fat, high in proteins and carbohydrates, and very easy to digest.

Within a few days after delivery, your body begins to produce mature milk that takes over the work of giving your baby the necessary ingredients for healthy growth. Colostrum is still present for around two weeks; the milk produced during this time is called transitional milk.

Breast milk contains more than 100 ingredients that the formula industry simply can't duplicate. For example, breast milk is full of antibodies that protect babies from illness and help them develop their own immune systems. Some other key differences between the ingredients in breast milk and formula include the following:
Formula has a higher protein content than human milk. However, the protein in breast milk is more easily and completely digested by babies.

Breast milk has a higher carbohydrate content than formula and has large amounts of lactose, a sugar found in lower amounts in cow's milk. Research shows that animals whose milk contains higher amounts of lactose experience larger brain development.

Minerals such as iron are present in lower quantities in breast milk than in formula. However, the minerals in breast milk are more completely absorbed by the baby. In formula-fed babies, the unabsorbed portions of minerals can change the balance of bacteria in the gut, which gives harmful bacteria a chance to grow. This is one reason why bottle-fed babies generally have harder and more odorous stools than breastfed babies.

Of course I appreciate sometimes it's not possible to breast feed sometimes due to various problems however I do believe every new mother should try and persevere if there are no contra indications to breast feeding as not only does it benefit the baby but it helps the mother regain her figure much quicker, even if the mother does so for three months the benefits to mother and baby are enormous.

ARTICLE BELOW FROM THE DAILY MAIL

Breast really is best if you want a brainy baby: Just THREE months of breastfeeding boosts development by 30%

• Babies only fed breast milk have 30% extra growth in key parts of the brain
• They have better development in areas which control language and emotion
• Those fed breast milk have more white matter which is used for learning
• Those only fed formula milk have the least white matter

Breast milk boosts brain development in babies by up to 30 per cent, according to a new study.
Children exclusively fed breast milk for at least three months have up to 30 per cent extra growth in the key parts of the brain which control language, emotion, and understanding, say scientists.
The study of under-fours showed children who have breast milk as part of their diet have a clear advantage when it comes to brain development.

Children exclusively fed breast milk for at least three months have up to 30 per cent extra growth in the key parts of the brain. Image shows how white matter develops with age

Research carried out at Brown University, in the U.S., found that by the time the babies had reached their second birthday a discernible difference could be seen in their brain structure.
Dr Sean Deoni, an engineering professor and lead author, said: ‘We're finding the difference [in white matter growth] is in the order of 20 to 30 per cent, comparing the breastfed and the non-breastfed kids.’
Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) brain scans were taken of the babies who had been fed a diet of breast milk in the earliest stages of their development, and of those who had been fed formula milk.
The scans showed that babies fed breast milk alone had the fastest growth in myelinated white matter - tissue packed full of long nerve fibres that link different parts of the brain that are used for learning.
The babies who were weaned on a diet of formula were found to have the least white matter.
Dr Deoni's team carried out the study to see how early the changes in brain development took place.
‘We show that they're there almost right off the bat,’ he said.

Scans show that babies fed breast milk alone have the fastest growth in myelinated white matter - tissue packed full of long nerve fibres that link different parts of the brain that are used for learning

Researchers looked at the brains of 133 babies who were born on time and came from similar families.
By comparing the myelin in older and younger children they were able to calculate how breast milk influenced the development of white matter.
The researchers backed up the results of the scans with a set of basic cognitive tests that showed language performance, visual reception and motor control were all better in the breastfed children.
The team found that the longer the babies were fed with breast milk the more developed their brains were, especially in the areas of the brain associated with movement and coordination.
While the Brown study published in the journal NeuroImage is not the first to link breastfeeding with improved development in the young, Dr Deoni claimed it is the first time MRI scans have been used to compare the brains in breastfed and non-breastfed children.
Dr Deoni said: ‘I think it's astounding that you could have that much difference so early. I think I would argue that combined with all the other evidence, it seems like breastfeeding is absolutely beneficial.’

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