Breast milk is considered as the first and ideal food for infants as it helps to provide optimum nutrition to newborns. It benefits both mothers and infants endlessly.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, infants should be exclusively breast fed for 6 months. It has seen that breast milk contains all essential nutrients at desired proportion, which is thought to be adequate for fulfilling the nutritional need of an infant’s body up to six months of age. After six months infants should be weaned properly as breast milk alone cannot able to fulfill their need therefore they should be consumed weaned food along with breast milk.

World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breast feeding for six months too and WHO also recommends that breast feeding can be continued for 2 years along with normal foods.

Nutritional composition of breast milk

• It has seen that 100ml of breast milk provides 60 to 75 kcal of energy
• It contains comparatively higher amount of proteins than carbohydrates. It basically composed of 8% of proteins, 6.9 to 7.2% of carbohydrates and 3% to 5% of fats
• It mainly contains lactose as carbohydrate
• It contains numerous important amino acids also
• It contains both saturated and unsaturated fat. It also contains cholesterol
• It contains numerous micronutrients, growth factors, immunoglobulins, hormones, enzymes and living cells as well

Benefits of breast feeding for infant

Nutritional benefits

• Breast milk contains lipase (an enzyme) that helps to release free fatty acids from triglycerides, which are recognized as one of the most important sources of energy for infant’s heart
• Carnitine content of breast milk helps the infant to metabolize fat
• Lactose is the main carbohydrate present in breast milk, which helps in promoting the absorption of magnesium, calcium and amino acids. It also aids in nitrogen retention
• Lactose of breast milk is also considered as the only source of galactose, which plays imperative role in promoting the growth and functionality of nervous system as galactose is the structural component of cerebrosides that help in the formation of myelin sheath
• Lactalbumin is another protein of breast milk that helps to supply numerous essential amino acids to the infants
• Breast milk also contains higher amount of methionine and cystine
• Breast milk is also rich in taurine that plays significant role in developing central nervous system of newborns
• It also contains various protein splitting enzymes that help the infant to digest proteins easily
• It contains essential fatty acids as well, which offer several health benefits. It has seen that the ratio of unsaturated fatty acid to saturated fatty acid is high in breast milk and this high fat content of breast milk is responsible for providing a feeling of satiety to infants, which ultimately helps them to regulate calorie consumption as well as weight gain

• The ratio of calcium and phosphorus of breast milk is considered as optimum for supporting the growth and development of the skeletal system of infants
• Whereas the ratio of zinc and copper is relatively high in human milk that plays significant role in reducing excess cholesterol synthesis in infants

Immnological factors

• Colostrum, the considered as the first milk, which is secreted after birth provides immense immunity to newborns
• Colostrum particles are recognized as anti-infective substances, which are stable in acid medium of stomach and also resistant to digestive enzymes and help to prevent infections
• Lysozyme is another important substance present in breast milk helps to protect infants from bacterial infestation as it helps to destroy the cell membrane of bacterial cell
• Breast milk also contains peroxidase (an enzyme), which helps to protect the infants from the harmful effects of hydrogen peroxide
• Breast milk contains an important enzyme named lactoperoxidase, which plays vital role in killing streptococcus
• It contains Vitamin C as well, which also helps to boost up the immunological responses of infants
• It contains macrophages as well, which also provide immunity to infants as they are associated with engulfing as well as digesting bacteria and also help to synthesize antibodies that help to protect them from various infectious diseases like diphtheria, polio, influenza etc
• Breast milk contains another important iron containing protein named lactoferrin that plays imperative role in inhibiting the growth of staphylococcus and E.coli

• It contains numerous immunoglobulins like IgA, IgG, IgE etc, which help to boost up overall immunity and also provide proper protection against pathogens
• It also helps to provide passive immunity to newborns

Physiological factors

• Breast feeding helps to reduce the risk of developing childhood obesity
• It helps to provide proper nourishment to infants that help to support optimum growth sprut
• Better growth is always seen in those infants who are breast fed

Disease preventive role

Breast milk helps to protect infants from various diseases, which include –

• It helps to decrease the prevalence of middle ear, sinus and throat infection
• Breast feeding is very effective for lessening the risk of respiratory tract infections
• It is also associated with decreasing gut infections
• It also helps to protect infants from SIDS or Sudden infant death syndrome
• Breast fed infants are less susceptible to develop ulcerative colitis or crohn’s disease
• It also helps to decrease the prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases like eczema or atopic dermatitis etc

Psychological factors

• It helps to develop an early child mother relationship

• Breast feeding also helps to provide a feeling of security and belongingness to infants
• While breast feeding, it has seen that the warmth of mother’s body helps to provide adequate comfort to the infant

Benefits of breast feeding for mother

Breast feeding offers numerous benefits to mothers as well, which include –

• It helps them to reduce weight, which they have gained during their gestational period
• It also helps to decrease the prevalence of postpartum bleeding
• It helps to reduce the susceptibility of urinary tract infection as well
• It also helps to return the uterus in normal size
• It has seen that ovulation does not occur during lactation, which ultimately helps the mother in spacing their baby
• Prolactin and oxytocin are the two main hormones responsible for lactation and they are also considered as soothing hormones as they play significant role in decreasing stress in lactating mothers thus breast feeding helps to provide calmness to the mothers
• It also helps to decrease the prevalence of hypertension
• Breast feeding is closely associated with reducing the prevalence of uterine cancer, ovarian cancer as well as breast cancer
• It helps to reduce the risk of lupus and rheumatoid arthritis
• Breast feeding is also related with decreasing the susceptibility of developing endometriosis
• It has seen that breast feeding mothers are less prone to develop osteoporosis in later life

• It helps to improve self esteem and significantly decreases depression

General considerations that should be taken while feeding a baby

• Lactating mothers should be in proper mental status while feeding as stress or palpitation may interfere with the action of hormones responsible for milk production and secretion
• Mother should consume plenty of water and a balance diet for maintaining the quality and quantity of breast milk

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