Human breastmilk is the optimal form of nutrition for a baby in the first few months of life.
Short term gastro-intestinal benefits include : - Enhanced stomach emptying (better for reflux) - Increased gut motility (rare for a breastfed baby to become constipated) - Natural acquisition of beneficial gut micro-organisms (Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus) through human milk oligosaccharides to establish a healthy gut microbiome, which plays a role in metabolism, immunity and allergy prevention. - Decreases the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (serious gut infection) in premature babies Breastmilk contains many antimicrobial substances, preventing and decreasing the severity of illness during and for a period after breastfeeding : - Gastro-enteritis (diarrhoea) - Respiratory tract infections (up to the first year of life) - Acute and recurrent otitis media (middle ear infection) (up to the first 2 years of life) Long term benefits : - Post-natal flavour learning. Eating vegetables during breastfeeding will increase the chance that your baby will eat them too. - Allergy prevention - Auto-immune disease prevention (type 1 diabetes mellitus and inflammatory bowel disease) - Decreased risk of cancer (decreases leukemia risk by 20%) - Decreased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus - Improved vision and hearing - Better bonding between mom and baby Potential long term benefits (not convincingly proven yet): - Decreased risk of becoming obese (overweight) - Improved neuro-development (better IQ) - Less childhood behavioural problems Breastmilk can be frozen (in a sterilized bottle). If special containers for this purpose aren’t available, you may express into a normal (sterilized) bottle, covering it with plastic or foil to prevent contamination.
How to thaw : swirl bottle with frozen expressed breast milk under running, warm water. Don’t thaw at room temperature : it takes too long, spoiling may occur. Never heat in a microwave. Never refreeze once thawed. How long can expressed breast milk be stored? - Fridge ice compartment : 2 weeks - Freezer : 3 months. |
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