Breastfeeding . Why Human milk is irreplaceable?

World Breastfeeding Week  1–7 August 2011

      World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 120 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration made by WHO and UNICEF policy-makers in August 1990 to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

      Breastfeeding is the best way to provide newborns with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until a baby is six months old, and continued breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.

Introduction to Breastfeeding

          Breast milk is thought to be the best form of nutrition for neonates and infants. The properties of human milk facilitate the transition of life from in utero to ex utero. This dynamic fluid provides a diverse array of bioactive substances to the developing infant during critical periods of brain, immune, and gut development. The clinician must be familiar with how the mammary gland produces human milk and how its properties nourish and protect the breastfeeding infant.

             Clinicians play a crucial role in a mother's decision to breastfeed and can facilitate her success in lactation. Although a mother may not be aware of the evidence indicating that breast milk contributes to her baby's short-term and long-term well-being, she has developed certain attitudes and cultural beliefs about breastfeeding. The issue of bonding between mother and newborn may be a strong factor; however, stronger cultural or societal barriers may result in the decision to formula feed. Such issues must be understood for successful counseling. The mother makes her decision regarding breastfeeding prior to delivery in more than 90% of cases; therefore, her choice of infant nutrition should be discussed starting in the second trimester and continue as part of an ongoing dialogue during each obstetric visit.

          Breastfeeding or bottle feeding your newborn baby is a personal decision. If you choose to breastfeed, it will be helpful if you are in a supportive environment and have resources to assist you with questions you may have or problems that may develop. 

• Consider attending a series of La Leche League meetings or reading La Leche League's book on breastfeeding (The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding) before the birth of your baby.
  
  
• Ask other breastfeeding mothers for advice.
  
  
• A supportive network including other like-minded mothers helps with the commitments of this style of feeding.
  
  
• If you are undecided at birth time, consider a one-month trial. It is easy to go from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding.
  
  
• The first month of breastfeeding is the most difficult, so if you get through that period, the rest will be easier.

Campaign Video : "Breastfeeding: First food for champions!"  

Comparison with Formula-Feeding

• The ideal food for human infants is human milk. Human milk contains all the right ingredients—protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water—in just the right balance. No formula can make that claim. Infant formula manufacturers attempt to artificially duplicate human milk. Formula feeding is a practice that is relatively recent—about 60 years—compared to the beginning of humankind (not to mention all other mammals) relying on breast milk.
  
  
• Formula does not contain the disease-fighting factors or the digestive enzymes that breast milk has. The nutrients in formula are more difficult for a baby to digest and absorb than the nutrients in human milk, requiring the baby to handle excess waste. Some formulas may have a less than optimal composition by containing too much salt and/or not enough cholesterol, fats, lactose, zinc, and iron, among other nutrients.

• Some infants fed a cow's milk-based formula may develop allergies to the proteins in the cow's milk. Infants who are allergic to cow's milk often are also allergic to "hypoallergenic" (non-allergy-causing) soy formulas.
  
  
• During the early months, a formula-fed baby may develop signs of allergy to or intolerance of a particular formula. These signs may include the following:
  
  
  • Bouts of crying after feeding
    
    
  • Vomiting after most feedings
    
    
  • Persistent diarrhea or constipation
    
    
  • Colic with a distended tense painful abdomen after feeding
    
    
  • Generally irritable behavior
    
    
  • A red, rough sandpaper-like rash especially around the face or anus or in both places
    
    
  • Frequent colds and ear infections
    
    
  • Red itchy rash especially in the folds of the elbow and knee joints
    
    
• These signs, or the baby's preference, may lead you through a series of different formulas, often each more expensive than the last.
  
  
• Formula-fed infants may be exposed to a variety of environmental substances used during the preparation of the formula or carried as a minor contaminate from which breastfed infants are protected. 

Benefits of Breastfeeding

• With rare exceptions, breast milk is the preferred feeding for infants and confers unique benefits.
  
  Breastfed babies (for at least 6 months) may be at reduced risk for many acute and chronic diseases, including gastrointestinal tract infection (like diarrhea), lower respiratory tract infections (like a cold), urinary tract infections, otitis media (ear infections), and allergic reactions (like atopic dermatitis and asthma).
  The effect of breastfeeding in protecting against infection is well established. Infants who were fully breastfed for 6 months or more seem to have higher mental development when compared with infants who were never breastfed. Some studies show that the effects of breastfeeding may carry over and also protect young children and adolescents from becoming overweight.
  
  
• Milk has biologic specificity—meaning that every species of animal who breastfeeds their babies makes a milk that is unique for the young of that species.
  
  
• The amounts of nutrients change to match your baby's rapidly changing needs.
  
  
• The fat content increases during a feeding so that the baby gets the right amount of fat. Human milk contains the right kinds of fats along with an enzyme (lipase) that helps digest the fat.
  
  
• Cholesterol is high in human milk, lower in cow's milk, and very low in formulas. Cholesterol promotes brain growth and provides basic components of hormones, vitamin D, and intestinal bile.
  
  
• Milk (cow's, formula, and human) contains two main proteins: whey and casein. Whey is easier for humans to digest and is found in higher concentrations in human milk.
  
  
• Around 6 months of age, the baby's intestines mature and become less open to proteins that may harm the body as allergenic proteins (allergens). Giving only human milk until the intestines mature is the best way to keep potentially allergy-causing proteins out of baby's blood.
  
  
• Human milk includes helpful proteins not naturally found in milk made by cows or companies.
  
  
• Human milk is fresh and contains more lactose (sugar) than cow's milk. Formulas add sucrose or glucose (other types of sugars).
  
  
• Vitamins and minerals have a higher bioavailability in human milk. In other words, the body uses most of what is in the milk. There is very little waste.
  
  
• The germs in the baby's environment, to which the mother has been exposed, cause the mother to produce antibodies to that germ, which are passed on to the breastfeeding infant.
  
  
• Breastfeeding relaxes mother and baby.
  
  
• Women who breastfeed have a lower incidence of breast cancer.
  
  
• Breastfed babies tend to be healthier.
  
  
• Breastfeeding is less expensive.

Prepare for Breastfeeding

• There is really no physical preparation that is necessary for breastfeeding. Education about the benefits and practice of breastfeeding is the best preparation. Contrary to some popular beliefs, it is not necessary to "toughen up" or prepare the nipples in advance for breastfeeding. Some techniques of stimulating the nipples may actually be harmful.
  
  
• Sometimes women prepare for breastfeeding by exposing the nipples to air for a certain amount of time each day; while this has not been shown to be medically useful, it is likely not harmful either.
  
  
• Take a breastfeeding class. Your hospital may offer breastfeeding classes as part of the childbirth class. These classes can put you in touch with a lactation specialist who may later be your personal breastfeeding consultant.
  
  
• Join your local La Leche League or other breastfeeding support group. Call (800) LA LECHE to find your local leader.
  
  
• Talk with supportive friends who encourage your feeding choices.
  
  
• Learn proper positioning and latch-on techniques.

First Feedings

• Within a few minutes after birth, most babies can be introduced to breastfeeding. Relax. Most babies take a few licks, sucks, and pause. Sucking in frequent bursts and pauses is the usual pattern for the first few hours and sometimes even the first few days. The first milk the mother produces, colostrum, is the best food.
  
  
• Breastfeeding also helps the uterus contract, which helps stop uterine bleeding.
  
  
• Try to room-in with your baby. When you see your baby begin to open its eyes, look around, and put his or her fist into his or her mouth, then it is time to offer your breast.
  
  
  • Try to make the nurses understand that you wish to breastfeed and that your baby should not be given sugar water or formula without you and your health care provider being aware and consenting.
    
    
  • You may need to have the nurses actually put a sign on your baby's bed restricting bottle-feeding.
  
  
• Try latching the baby on at the first signs of hunger. Do not wait until the baby cries, or you will teach the baby to cry to get your attention. The baby will get upset more quickly the longer you take to respond.

  Conclusion :
 
          Human milk, in addition to its numerous nutrients that make it an ideal food source for the growing term infant, is a bioactive fluid that evolves from colostrum to mature milk as the infant matures. This bioactive fluid contains numerous factors and live cells that, in concert, promote the growth and well-being of the breastfeeding infant. Oliver Wendell Holmes said it best when he stated, "A pair of substantial mammary glands has the advantage over the two hemispheres of the most learned professor's brain, in the art of compounding a nutritious fluid for infants." With the ever-expanding knowledge resulting from current research, commercial formula clearly cannot replicate all of the valuable properties that are inherent in human milk.

Source:
world_breastfeeding_week
breastfeeding/article
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1835675-overview      
 http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/healthyliving/childfamily/Pages/CommonQuestions.aspx
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/healthyliving/childfamily/Page  /EducationalMaterialsforBreastfeedingFamilies.aspx
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/baby-food-nutrition-9/default.htm
http://www.happybabyfood.com/health-nutrition/47/210-happybaby-nutrition-guide
 Age by age guide to feeding your baby  http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-guide-to-feeding-your-baby_1400680.bc

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Obese Pregnant Women May Have Tougher Time Fighting Infections

Obese pregnant women may have a harder time fighting off infections than leaner women do, new research suggests. Researchers tested the blood of 30 women who were about six months pregnant. Half were obese and had a body-mass index (BMI) of more than 30 prior to becoming pregnant, while half had a normal BMI of 20 to 25. Obese women had fewer immune system cells that fight infections including T-cells and natural killer cells, researchers found. Obese women also had an impaired ability to produce those cells.

The difference could threaten the health of babies born to obese women, study author Dr. Sarbattama Sen, a researcher in the Mother Infant Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children in Boston, said in an American Academy of Pediatrics news release. "Women who are obese before pregnancy have critical differences in their immune function during pregnancy compared to normal-weight women, which has negative consequences for both mother and baby," Sen said. The issue is taking on added urgency due to the increasing numbers of obese women of reproductive age, Sen added. "Maternal obesity has consequences for the mother and baby, which we are only beginning to understand."

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List of Youngest Birth Mothers

This is a list of the youngest known birth mothers younger than 12 years of age. Three of the 12 entries for age 9 or younger are for mothers in Peru. Two of these cases are the result of rape by cousins. For entries for mothers aged 10 or 11, the United States is the most common location.

Youngest mothers

Mother	Age of mother	Father	Location	Notes
Lina Medina	5 years, 7 months, 21 days	Unknown	Lima, Peru	1939: Entering precocious puberty at the age of 5; Medina gave birth to a 2.0 kg (4.4 lb) son, named Gerardo, by caesarean section on May 14, 1939 in Lima. Her parents, who assumed their daughter had a tumor, took her to a hospital, where she was determined to be seven months pregnant. Although Medina's father was arrested on suspicion of child sexual abuse, he was later released due to lack of evidence, and the identity of who impregnated Medina was never uncovered.[1]
Liza	6 years	Liza's grandfather	Ukraine	1934: 6-year old girl Liza gave birth naturally in 1934 in Ukraine after being impregnated by her grandfather. The baby was stillborn.
Mum-Zi	8 years, 6 months	Unknown	Calabar, Nigeria	Mum-Zi was member of Chief Akkiri's harem on the island of Calabar, Nigeria. Her daughter also gave birth extremely early, making Mum-Zi a grandmother at age 17.
Unidentified	8 years, 11 months	Unknown	Huanuco, Peru	2006: A girl from Huánuco, Peru, gave birth to a baby weighing 2 kg (4.4 lb) by caesarean section at a hospital in Lima in December 2006. Her ninth birthday occurred a couple of days later. She became pregnant after being raped by two of her cousins.
Wanwisa Janmuk	9 years	Janmuk's 27-year-old husband; Thai law allows for the arranged marriages of minors by their parents.	Phetchabun, Thailand	2001: Wanwisa Janmuk gave birth in February 2001 to a girl at a hospital in Phetchabun, a northern province of Thailand
Hilda Trujillo	9 years, 7 months	Trujillo's 22-year-old cousin, who was staying in her family's one-room house at the time, was arrested for rape.	Lima, Peru	1957: Hilda Trujillo gave birth to a girl weighing over 6 lb (2.7 kg) at a hospital in Lima, Peru in December 1957.
Venesia Xoagus	9 years	Unknown	Otjiwarongo, Namibia	July 1980: Venesia Xoagus gave birth to a healthy 3 kg (6.6 lb) boy at 9 years of age, by cesarean section.[9][10]
Unidentified	9 years	The girl was raped by the family's domestic servant.	Butare, Rwanda	2005: A girl gave birth to a baby boy by caesarean section at a hospital in Butare, Rwanda, in December 2005. The child underwent breast development at age six and menarche at age eight.
Unidentified	9 years	Unknown	Brazil	2006: A girl of the Apurinã, an indigenous people from the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, gave birth to a baby girl weighing 2.2 kg (4.8 lb) by caesarean section at a hospital in Manaus in July 2006. Police are investigating the case.
Unidentified	9 years	Unknown	Changchun, China	2010: Girl gave birth to a healthy boy weighing 6 lb (2.7 kg) in Changchun, China, February 2010
Unidentified	9 years	A 14-year-old neighbor	Penang, Malaysia	2010: A 9-year-old girl from Penang in Malaysia gave birth to a healthy baby boy in May, 2010. No police report was made by the parents.
Sally Deweese	10 years, 13 days	Unknown	Butler County, Kentucky, United States	1834: Sally Deweese of Butler County, Kentucky, was reported by Dr. D. Rowlett to have delivered a baby girl weighing 7.75 pounds (3.52 kg) on April 20, 1834. Deweese allegedly developed breasts within weeks of birth and began menstruating at 12 months[16]
Unidentified	10 years	Unknown	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States	1979: A girl aged 10 gave birth to twins six weeks premature, both weighing 3 lb 6 oz, at a hospital in Indianapolis. She is thought to have been the youngest mother of twins at the time.
Unidentified	10 years	Unknown	Houston, Texas, United States	13 July 1982: A girl aged 10 gave birth to a premature baby, weighing 4 lb 8 oz, at Hermann Hospital in Texas. All other details withheld by request.
Unidentified	10 years	A 28-year-old was arrested on a charge of rape.	Mother from Bolivia, birth in Argentina	2000: A girl from Bolivia gave birth to a baby girl weighing 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lb) by caesarean section at a hospital in Parque Patricios, Buenos Aires, Argentina on September 25, 2000.
Unidentified	10 years	The girl's father	Bolivian girl, birth in Chile	2005: A Bolivian girl living in Calama, Chile, gave birth to a baby boy by cesarean section at a hospital in Antofagasta, Chile on April 13, 2005. The child became pregnant after having been raped by her father at age nine. Her parents, who both came from Bolivia, were jailed.
Unidentified	10 years	Unknown	Switzerland	2005: A girl gave birth to a baby girl at a hospital in Sion, Switzerland in August 2005. She had immigrated to Switzerland from Cameroon with her siblings when her mother married a Swiss citizen. A 68-year-old man who was in a relationship with the mother admitted to having molested the girl but a DNA test found that he was not the father of the girl's child.
Unidentified	10 years	The girl was raped by then-26-year-old William Edward Ronca. Ronca admitted to having molested the girl over a two year period and was sentenced to 25 years in prison as a result.	Abbeville, South Carolina, United States	2006: A girl in Abbeville, South Carolina gave birth by caesarean section in 2006. The baby was placed for adoption
Unidentified	10 years	The father was a then-13-year-old boy who attended the same school as the girl.	Belgium	2006: A girl from Charleroi, Belgium gave birth in 2006. After the child began gaining weight, her mother put her on a diet, but when the girl visited a doctor, it was discovered that she was nine months pregnant. News of the birth did not become publicly known until 2007.
Unidentified	10 years	The girl became pregnant after being raped by a 47-year-old neighbor, who was sentenced to 11 years, 6 months in prison for the crime.	Jaral del Progreso, Guanajuato, Mexico	2006: A girl from Jaral del Progreso, Guanajuato, Mexico gave birth naturally to a baby girl weighing 2.3 kilograms (5.1 lb) on April 3, 2006.
Unidentified	10 years	Her pregnancy was the result of a rape committed by the 65-year-old landlord of the house which her parents rented. The man was jailed.	San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico	2007: A girl from San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico gave birth to a baby boy on July 2, 2007.[31][32][33][34]
Unidentified	10 years	37-year-old Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez was jailed on one felony count of rape.	St. Anthony, Idaho, United States	2008: In St. Anthony, Idaho, U.S., a girl gave birth to a 6 pounds (2.7 kg) baby at Madison Memorial Hospital.
Elena Chiritescu	10 years	Gheorghe Mecic, the girl's 13-year-old cousin[36]	Jerez de la Frontera, Spain	2010: In Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, a girl of Romanian origin gave birth to a baby. The mother of the girl claimed that giving birth at such a young age was common in Romania.
Unidentified	11 years, 10 months	The girl's stepbrother	Aylesbury, England, United Kingdom	1972: A girl gave birth at the age of 11 years, 10 months at Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital in Aylesbury, England.
Maria Tizziano	11 years	Vincenzo Castro, Maria's 18-year-old boyfriend	Adrano, Sicily	1992: 11-year old Italian girl Maria Tizziano gave birth to her first son. The next year the second came along and she was still only 14 when the third boy was born. Maria, her boyfriend and a father of her sons Vincenzo Castro and their three sons all lived with her mother (who became a grandmother at 29) in a two-room flat.[40]
Unidentified	11 years	The girl was raped by a 75-year-old man, who was arrested on April 17, 2002.	Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States	2002: A girl from Bridgeport, Connecticut gave birth.
Bogdana Korenkova	11 years	The girl is suspected to have been impregnated by a 26-year-old neighbor, who fled in the fear of facing prosecution.	Kharkov, Ukraine	2004: Bogdana Korenkova gave birth to a baby boy weighing 8.4 lb (3.8 kg) at a hospital in Kharkov, Ukraine in January 2004.
Nadya Gnatyuk	11 years	The girl's father	Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine	2004: Nadya Gnatyuk gave birth in April 2004 after being raped by her own father. In 2005 she got married and in December 2006 she became mother for the second time at the age of 14.
Valentina Isaeva	11 years, 10 months	19-year-old Habibula Patahonov from Tajikistan, who rented a room in a flat where Valentina was living with her grandmother.	Moscow,Russia	2005: Valentina Isaeva gave birth to a girl in Moscow, Russia. The child's father was sentenced conditionally for child abuse but was not jailed because he was willing to support Valentina and their daughter.
Unidentified	11 years	A 37-year-old man was arrested.	Mother from Africa, Birth in London, England, United Kingdom	2006: A girl of African origin gave birth to a baby boy at a hospital in west London, United Kingdom on May 5, 2006.
Unidentified	11 years	An elderly security guard was arrested in connection with rape.	Cape Town, South Africa	2007: A girl from Valhalla Park, Cape Town, South Africa gave birth to a baby boy on July 12, 2007.She agreed to give the baby up for adoption on the condition she could visit him once a month.
Unidentified	11 years	The girl's mother's boyfriend, Michael Chaffer, was sentenced to 28 years in prison on charges of felonious assault and two counts of rape.	Lockland, Ohio, United States	2007: A girl from Lockland, Ohio, gave birth to a child on November 4, 2007. The baby is under the care of relatives.
Kordeza Zhelyazkova	11 years	19-year-old husband Jeliazko Dimitrov, with whom the child was allegedly conceived a week after meeting, now faces up to six years in jail for having sex with a minor.	Sliven, Bulgaria	2009: Kordeza Zhelyazkova, a Roma school girl, gave birth to a healthy daughter in Bulgaria on her wedding day.
Unidentified	11 years	Unknown	Texas, United States	2010: A girl in Texas, USA gave birth without complications to a healthy baby boy. "My daughter and (her) baby are fine, and the baby is absolutely beautiful," said the mother of the 11-year-old girl.

Youngest grandmothers

Grandmother	Age as grandmother	Age as mother	Location	Notes
Mum-Zi (mentioned above)	17 years	8 years, 4 months	Calabar, Nigeria	She is believed to be the world's youngest grandmother.
Ridca Stanescu	23 years	13 years	Romania	A woman from Romania has become the world's youngest grandmother at the age of 23 in 2011
Unidentified	25 years	13 years	Adrano, Sicily	A 25-year-old woman from Adrano became a grandmother after her 12-year-old daughter gave birth to a baby boy c. 1997.
Unidentified	26 years	14 years	Rotherham, South Yorkshire	A woman in Britain gave birth to a daughter at 14, and her daughter gave birth to a child at 12 years in 1999. The woman is said to be Britain's youngest grandmother. The girl's first baby was fathered by a man of 23 who was also her mother's lover. He had fathered a child with her mother, too, which was born ten days before hers. He was convicted of having unlawful sexual intercourse and jailed for seven years, but the sentence was halved on appeal. Two years later the girl, then 14-year-old, was pregnant again, from 17-year old out of work boy.
Larisa (daughter Bogdana Korenkova mentioned above)	28 years	17 years	Kharkov, Ukraine	Her 11-year-old daughter, Bogdana, gave birth to a child in 2004.
Kasey Leach	28 years	?	Queensland, Australia	She was considered as the youngest grandmother in Australia in 2008, while comparing herself to the Brady Bunch.
Julia Elia	29 years	15 years	Naples, Italy	Her 14-year-old daughter, Anna, gave birth to a child in 2010.
Maria (daughter Maria Tizziano mentioned above)	29 years	18 years	Adrano, Sicily	Maria was only 29 years old when her 11-year-old daughter gave birth to her first son in 1992.
Flora M. Davis	29 years	13 years	USA	Flora M. Davis got married at 12 gave birth to her first child at 13. At 15 her daughter got married and gave birth to her daughter a year after, making Flora a grandmother at age 29 and Flora's mother a great-grandmother at age 52 in 1903.
Leticia Magee	29 years	13 years	USA	Leticia Magee, 29, who gave birth to daughter at 13, became probably the youngest grandmother in USA when her 16-year-old daughter, Celia, gave birth to a son Russell in 2007.
Trine Andreassen	29 years	16 years	Norway	Became a mother at 16 in May 1995, her daughter became a mother at 13 in September 2008.[unreliable source?]
Kelly John	29 years	14 years	Britain	Kelly John, 29, who gave birth to daughter at 14, became probably the youngest grandmother in Britain when her 14-year-old daughter set to give birth to a child in 2011.

Youngest great-grandmothers

Great-grandmother	Age as great-grandmother	Age as mother	Location	Notes
Edna Bertonelle	48 years	15 years	Paris, France	Edna Bertonelle got married at 14, and her first child, a daughter, married at the same age. At 31 she was a grandmother, and her first grandson got married at the age of 17. At 48 Edna Bertonelle became a great-grandmother in c. 190.
Stella Boyd	49 years	?	Maybole, Ayrshire	Stella Boyd became a great-grandmother at the age of 49 in May 1997 when her 13-year-old granddaughter gave birth to her son.[63]
Jean McGahey	52 years	16 years	England	Mrs. McGahey gave birth to her first child at the age of 16 and became a grandmother at 33. Her first granddaughter gave birth at age 19, making Mrs McGahey a great-grandmother at age 52 in 2000.
Sarah Bartholomew (daughter Flora M. Davis mentioned above)	52 years	22 years	Waverly, Iowa	Her daughter gave birth at 13 and her granddaughter became a mother at 16, making Mrs. Bartholomew a great-grandmother at 52 in 1903.

 Source:
Wikipedia.com

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