Breastfeeding is the best way to naturally grow a healthy baby. With the mother's milk, the baby receives all the necessary nutrients, hormones and protective antibodies that control its harmonious development. This is the most useful food for your child, which does not contain bacteria, heavy metal salts and allergens, in contrast to products of artificial baby food.
How is breast milk from women formed and from where?
The female breast is a rather complicated mechanism. In addition to fat and muscle tissues, there are special cells-sacs - alveoli, which, as it were, adhere to one another, forming bunches. It is from these cells that the milk enters the nipple along the tubules. And the milk itself is formed as a result of the action of reflexes and hormones. Even during pregnancy, a woman begins hormonal changes, during which the breast is prepared for the production of breast milk. At the same time, it begins to develop, and the breasts, respectively, increase in size. After the birth of a child, the amount of hormones of progesterone and estrogen decreases, and in turn increases the production of prolactin, which stimulates the formation of milk in the chest.
Ingredients of breast milk
The main constituent element of breast milk is ordinary water and its share is about 87%. That is why, with natural feeding, pediatricians do not recommend additional dopaivat child, but due to its biologically active properties - it is easily digested. Also, breast milk contains approximately 7% of carbohydrates, which provide the baby's body with energy and help in the process of assimilation of nutrients. Fats, whose share is about 4%, contribute to the structure of cells, including cells of the brain and central nervous system. Breast milk, due to the presence of 1% protein in it, supports the immunity of the child and ensures its intensive growth and development. Another important ingredient is vitamins and microelements, thanks to which the child's organism exerts resistance to infections.
How does breast milk be produced in the breast of a woman and what contributes to it?
There is an opinion that the amount of milk produced depends on how much a woman eats, drinks and rests. Undoubtedly, these are important factors that affect the quality of breast milk, but they do not affect how much it is. The production of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for the formation of milk, is activated when the baby begins to suckle. And the more often and longer you will put the baby to your chest, the more it will produce breast milk, or rather exactly as much as your child needs.
Taste and color of breast milk
There are several factors that affect the taste of breast milk:
- diet of a nursing woman - if a young mother is fond of salty, spicy or smoked foods, this may affect the taste of breast milk;
- emotional and physical state of the mother;
- use of medicines;
- bad habits - certainly smoking or drinking alcohol affects not only the taste of milk, but also the health of the child as a whole.
It's not a secret that the color of breast milk depends on its fat content. Moreover, its composition varies in the process of one feeding. At first the baby sucks out the "front" milk, which is more watery, has a bluish tint and completely satisfies the crumbs in the drink. Next, the child receives the so-called "back" milk, which has a higher fat content and therefore, it is more dense and has a white color. It, in turn, causes the baby to feel hunger.
Remember, there is no answer to the question of what breast milk should be. And your milk is the best and most necessary thing in the world for your child.
What to do if breastfeeding is not possible
If due to circumstances your child still needs supplementation, it is necessary to approach the choice of the mixture correctly. In such cases, experts recommend a mixture that is as close to breast milk as possible so that the child does not experience metabolic disorders, allergic reactions, skin and digestive problems. Closer to the composition of human milk, the adapted mixtures on goat milk with a protein of beta casein, for example, the gold standard for baby food - MD mil SP "Kozochka." Thanks to this mixture, the baby gets all the necessary substances that help the child's body to properly form and develop.