Common breastfeeding challenges solved!
MANILA, Philippines — Breast milk is best for babies, and studies show that breastfed children grow up to be stronger and more resistant to illnesses.
“Safe, clean, natural, and free, breastmilk contains the right amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fats, plus essential vitamins, minerals, and antibodies needed for your baby’s development and protection against diseases,” said Doctor Patricia Florestine Kho from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed).
Pregnant women have often been told this by health experts as they prepare for childbirth and motherhood to convince them to breastfeed their babies when they finally give birth. And quite a number of them commit to breastfeed.
After all, breastfeeding offers many benefits, both for babies and for their moms. For the kids, those who have been breastfed are less likely to be obese, diabetic, and asthmatic, or experience ailments like ear infections, respiratory tract infections, and upset tummy. They also grow up smarter, as evidenced by their high scores on intelligence tests. This is because breast milk contains more than just basic essential nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats. It also contains millions of live cells, including stem cells (which help organs develop and heal), as well as more than 1,000 proteins, which help babies grow and develop. Also found in breast milk are more than 200 complex sugars called oligosaccharides (which work as or good bacteria in the gut and prevent blood infections).
Of the many other beneficial stuff that breast milk contains, particularly important are the vitamins and minerals that support healthy growth and organ function and help build the teeth and bones of babies, the antibodies or immunoglobulins that protect babies against illnesses and infections, and the long-chain fatty acids that help build the nervous system and healthy brain and eye development.
Most important is the first milk that the mother’s breasts produces because it is pure colostrum. Thick and sticky and often called “liquid gold,” this early milk truly nourishes and protects newborns like no other. It is something that cannot be replicated and is
