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Breast milk changes to suit baby’s appetite, nutrition demands – Gynaecologists
According to gynaecologists around the nation, infants who are not nursed exclusively for the first six months of their lives may experience undernourishment and a variety of infectious disorders.
They recommend that initiatives aimed at promoting public health and health promotion should support exclusive breastfeeding for a minimum of six months without the use of water.
One of the key advantages breast milk has over baby formula, whose ingredients are constant throughout the year, according to the experts, is that the components of a mother's breast milk alter over time to meet the baby's hunger and nutritional needs.
According to the experts, infants who are nursed have greater strength and health than those who are fed formula.
Breast milk is the healthiest food for babies since it meets their nutritional needs continuously, according to Dr. Babatunde Rosiji, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
"We talk about exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months without water because of this," he stated. A youngster who has been breastfed for six months has been given the nutrients and other things that will support him throughout his early years.
"Breastfed newborns have an abundance of antibodies that strengthen their defences against illness and aid in their recovery. Unlike many other children who are not provided breast milk, they do not become ill.
Breast milk is essential because it gives the body the correct kinds of nutrients at the right times. Because it prepares the proper meal in the proper amount that the infant requires, it ensures a balanced diet.
The breast milk produced by a mother's body in the afternoon and evening is different from that produced in the morning. Because it varies, infants who are solely breastfed will never be malnourished unless there is an underlying medical problem.
"Breast milk adapts to what the baby's body desires, unlike baby formula, which provides the same thing in the morning, midday, and evening. Therefore, we support exclusive breastfeeding as a means of empowering women and nursing mothers.
"Breast milk adapts to what the baby's body desires, unlike baby formula, which provides the same thing in the morning, midday, and evening. In order to prevent malnutrition, we thus urge women and nursing moms to choose exclusive breastfeeding.
Additionally, Dr. Ngozi Obiora, a consultant surgeon and gynaecologist at Havana Hospital in Lagos, stated that breastfeeding exclusively offers many benefits over formula for infants.
The most significant component of breast milk, according to her, is the colostrum, which gives infants all the nutrients and immunity they require during the developmental stage, boosting their IQ.
Obiora explained how colostrum is created by saying, "Pregnancy hormones produced by the placenta help in the development of colostrum in the mother’s breasts.
“Colostrum helps to strengthen the baby’s immune system and establish a healthy gut by coating the intestines, which keeps harmful bacteria from being absorbed and offers ideal nutrition for the baby."
As neonates often have low supplies of vitamin A at birth, colostrum helps to make up for this shortage. Obiora went on to explain that vitamin A in colostrum is vital for a baby's vision and that its lack is a primary cause of blindness globally.
"The initial three days or so are critical for starting breastfeeding. This is also high in magnesium, which helps maintain the baby's bones and heart; copper and zinc encourage the growth of a robust immune system.
Zinc is also helpful in the development of the brain, and colostrum has about four times the amount of zinc as mature milk. Taking advantage of this occasion, I counsel expecting moms, nursing mothers, and intended mothers to make the decision to exclusively breastfeed.
Breast milk is the best option for nutrition and healthy feeding, thus after six months of exclusive nursing, moms can start combining it with infant formula. However, Obiora noted that the two should not be compared.