The older generation caught the time when doctors actively intervened in the process of feeding the crumbs, strangers. The feeding system at that time included meals by the hour, pumping day and night, obligatory washing of the breast with soap before each feeding, and the nipples were also smeared with green paint to prevent the occurrence of microbes and cracks. Most of these suggestions were not backed up. scientific facts or research results. All this is very unnatural, only a few managed to feed the child at least up to a year.

Medicine and science do not stand still. Annually held different kind studies that prove the benefits of breast milk.

With the birth of a child, a lot of questions arise for the mother, the very first of them is about breastfeeding. How to properly apply, how long to feed, what are the benefits of breast milk. Breast milk- a storehouse of vitamins and microelements, which, in turn, provide everything necessary for the growing body of the baby. Each mother must decide for herself what is important to her and what kind of food she will choose for her child.

The benefits of breastfeeding

Let’s first understand what breast milk is. Breast milk is a nutrient fluid that is produced by the mammary glands. Produced from lymph and blood. In its composition, it fully meets the requirements of the baby in this period, also acts as a protection immune system crumbs.

Breast milk contains proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, macro- and microelements and other substances.

Breast milk creates almost invisible flakes in the stomach, which in turn make it easier for the baby to digest. This gives a great opportunity to often apply crumbs to the chest without fear of indigestion or overloading the gastrointestinal tract.

Lactose is a disaccharide that, when broken down by the enzyme lactase, forms glucose. Glucose is a source of energy in our body.

The fat content in breast milk ranges from 2% to 4-5%. The difference is that the fat content of hindmilk is an order of magnitude higher than that of foremilk. How many people think that foremilk, this is a drink for the child, while the back is food. During feeding, the child himself regulates his energy saturation. But how - the mechanism has not yet been elucidated.

Macro- and microelements in breast milk are found in mild form, which allows you to fully assimilate the baby.

Benefits of breast milk and breastfeeding

As we know, breast milk is the cure for all diseases. With breast milk, the child is given not only vitamins, but also antibodies that protect him from diseases..

For the body of a woman who has just given birth, breastfeeding is especially beneficial. The uterus begins to shrink faster to its original size, an emotional connection is formed between the baby and the mother.

The first hours after childbirth, a woman develops colostrum in small quantities, and immediately young mothers are afraid, will this amount be enough for a newborn? Of course, that's enough! In the first hours and days of life, the baby has a tiny stomach about the size of Walnut and because the baby does not need much. If lactation is actively stimulated, then milk will come faster.

Gradually, as the child grows older, milk production may decrease, this is the so-called lactation crisis. It happens to every third woman, and most often occurs in the second, third and fifth month of feeding. These numbers may vary, because the body of each woman is individual. The cause of the lactation crisis can be stress, hormonal changes in the body, lack of sleep. In order for this period to pass faster, a young mother needs to rest more, put the newborn to the breast more often, thereby stimulating lactation, and also sleep more. This can be done if daytime sleep go to bed with the child, then you can forget about lack of sleep.

If the child is full, then it is also not necessary to actively stimulate lactation. After all, the baby will not be able to eat more than it should be, and the young mother will suffer and experience discomfort with excess milk. There may be a need to express excess amounts. Also the most bad moment is lactostasis.

lactostasis- stagnation of milk in the mammary glands of a nursing woman.

The most common causes of lactostasis:

Prevention of lactostasis

What should be remembered in order to avoid such unpleasant phenomenon how is lactostasis? After all, if it starts lactostasis, in other words, stagnation of milk, then it will develop into mastitis.

• Completely emptying the breast will help proper attachment of the baby. The child must take the nipple correctly so that the process occurs as gently and comfortably as possible, without pain, this will help to avoid stagnation;
• Change position every feeding, then the milk lobules will be completely emptied, the possibility of squeezing the milk ducts is reduced;
• You also need to remember that untimely emptying of the chest leads to congestion in the chest, and therefore it is better feed the baby on demand, and not by the clock, then the breast will be emptied as expected, without lactostasis.

How to put the baby to the breast correctly

Application technique

When the child correctly grasped the chest, then his cheeks are inflated, not drawn inward, the lips are deployed, and underlip completely turned out, the chest does not block the nose and makes it possible to breathe deeply.

Myth #1 Breastfeeding ruins your breasts

Fact: breasts change even during pregnancy. It is then that it becomes heavier, swells and increases in size, stretch marks may even appear. Your breasts will not get better after breastfeeding. The breast becomes softer after feeding, but is it really a problem? The greatest happiness is a well-fed child, because, if you look at it, this is what a woman needs breasts for.

Myth #2 Breastfeeding spoils the figure

Fact: Basically overweight a woman gains during pregnancy. But if we compare the weight of the fetus, amniotic fluid, increased blood volume, then an average of 10 kg comes out. Immediately after childbirth, a woman can leave them in the hospital.

If you eat for two during breastfeeding, then, naturally, a woman will gain excess weight. If the young mother adheres proper nutrition, and the weight is growing, this may indicate hormonal imbalance, you need to see a doctor about this. Immediately after giving birth, breastfeeding only improves the shape! After all, the uterus begins to actively contract, thereby reducing to its own initial dimensions and thus the tummy falls into place.

Myth #3 Breasts need to be prepared for feeding.

Fact: there is no need to prepare the breast, everything is arranged by nature and after childbirth the breast is completely ready for feeding. Rubbing the chest with hard washcloths, nipple stimulation will not give pleasant results, but the consequences are most likely.

Myth #4 Until the milk comes, you need to drink more water

Fact: in the first hours and days of life, a woman produces colostrum, its quantity is quite enough for the baby, with the active sucking of the baby, lactation will soon begin. Why rush and replace?

Myth number 5 Milk is food, the child should be given to drink

Fact: Breast milk is both food and water for the baby. Because there is foremilk and hindmilk. The front one is basically considered as water for the baby, he quenches his thirst with it, the back one is denser and has a high fat content, the baby eats up with it, and therefore the child does not need additional drinks.

Myth number 6 While there is no milk, the child needs to be supplemented with formula, because he is hungry

Fact: as mentioned above, colostrum in the first days of life is enough for a child, the baby loses weight not from hunger, it physiological feature and it happens to almost every newborn. If you start supplementing with formula, then the so-called nipple confusion can happen and as a result the baby will simply refuse the breast, but why is this necessary?

Myth #7: You need to pump after every feed to keep your milk supply from decreasing.

Fact: with established lactation, additional stimulation is not needed, because there will be an excess of produced milk, after which - stagnation. If the child eats by the hour, then, in this case, the production of milk will indeed begin to decline, in order to avoid this, feed the child on demand.

Myth #8 Your baby should suck on two breasts at one feeding.

Fact: why? The child must completely empty one breast in one feeding, thereby getting enough of the fore and hind milk. If he is given both breasts, then he will eat only the foremilk, which is not as fat and nutritious as the hindmilk.

Myth #9 If a child often asks for breasts, then he is hungry.

Fact: not true. Thus, the baby simply seeks and establishes a connection with his mother. The child seeks closeness with the mother. Or quench their thirst. Don't give up on the little one.

Myth №10 If the breast is soft, then there is no milk.

Fact: This is not true. If the breast is soft, the child is calm and not hungry, then the mother has established lactation. Milk is produced during sucking, i.e. breast stimulation, and not just when he wants to.

Myth #11 Nerves can make you lose milk

Fact: Milk is produced under the influence of the hormone prolactin, and nothing else affects this.

Myth #12 The nutritional value of milk is influenced by the mother's diet

Fact: False. Maternal nutrition affects the vitamin and mineral composition of milk, but not its fat content or nutritional value. After all, milk is produced from lymph and blood, and not from the mother's food. Many women who go in for sports and watch their diet, without drinking tea with condensed milk in their diet, fully feed their children up to a year or two, and they, in turn, do not lose weight, develop properly and do not experience deficiency. useful substances.

Myth #13 If you exercise, your milk will burn out.

Fact: not true. Many young mothers after childbirth begin to bring themselves into their original shape and go to the gym, many of them successfully breastfeed their children for more than a year. For some, this myth is just an excuse not to do it.

Myth #14 There are no nutrients in milk after a year.

Fact: after a year, milk does not lose its useful properties, the composition of milk may vary from the need of the child to different ages, but not to become "empty" and useless.

Optimal age for feeding

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding up to two years of age.

For the first six months, the baby should receive exclusively breast milk, without supplementation and complementary foods. Breast milk is the ideal food for newborns.

After six months, the child can be introduced complementary foods. Food must be introduced gradually, following the reaction and be prepared in a safe way.

Every mother knows her child better and feels better until what age it is better to feed her baby.

Conclusion

There is nothing more useful than mother's milk, in addition to the fact that it contains a sufficient amount of vitamins, proteins, fats and carbohydrates, it is also an excellent immune stimulant, because with mother's milk, antibodies are transmitted to the child, which protect the baby from various diseases.

During breastfeeding, the psycho-emotional and physical connection between mother and child is established, what could be more beautiful? When a mother hugs her child, she gives him all her warmth, love and care. The baby near the chest calms down faster, because he feels how much he is loved.

The importance of breastfeeding can hardly be overestimated: in addition to the fact that a baby receives a lot of useful substances from mother's milk, it is through breastfeeding that an invisible, but such a strong bond between mother and child is made. The mother's heart at this moment is filled with aching tenderness, and the baby, feeling this, responds to his own dear person endless devotion.

A young woman has become a mother and is ready to do everything in her power to make her beloved baby grow up healthy. The most important contribution to the health and well-being of the child will not cost you either material or physical costs, but is truly priceless. We are talking about the importance of breastfeeding - both for the mother and for the child, because nature made sure that the woman who gave birth to the baby could feed him herself. Why, then, in our country, only 10-15% of babies up to 3 months of age are provided with mother's milk? And children receiving mother's breast up to 1 year, and even less - only 5%. The situation is somewhat better in rural areas. There, women, not spoiled by civilization, use the breast for its intended purpose and feed their children for up to a year or longer, focusing only on the desire of the child and the state of lactation. However, even such a low percentage of breastfeeding continues to fall, despite the international program adopted in Russia since 1997 to support breastfeeding, developed by UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund).

Pediatricians, concerned about this state of affairs, directly link the growth of childhood morbidity with the early (and, what is most sad, unreasonable!) transfer of babies to artificial feeding.

The value of breastfeeding for a child is invaluable - it is the best thing you can give your child. Mother's milk provides not only food, but also immunity from many diseases, strengthens the bodily and spiritual bond between mother and baby, inspires him with a sense of security in this vast and mysterious world. Breastfed babies are much less likely to suffer from viral infections and different kinds of allergies than those who were bottle fed.

Breastfeeding is necessary not only for the baby, but also for his mother. The importance of breastfeeding for the mother lies in the fact that during suckling, the nerve endings of the nipple are stimulated, which leads to the production of the hormones prolactin and oxytocin. Prolactin is also called the hormone of motherhood, as it increases a young woman's feeling of love and tenderness for a child. Oxytocin reduces muscle fibers around the lobules of the mammary gland and pushes milk into the ducts, from where it is injected into the child's mouth, in addition, it helps to contract the uterus, allows you to quickly restore its former harmony, serves as a natural contraceptive. Breastfeeding women are much less likely to be exposed to such a serious disease as breast cancer, which tends to spread.

Those women who breastfeed more willingly and for a long time, whose husbands understand and appreciate the importance breastfeeding and support them in every possible way. Therefore, explanatory work should be carried out not only among expectant mothers. Fathers also need to talk about the benefits of breast milk for a child.

The main thing is to realize the benefits and importance of breastfeeding even before childbirth, create a mindset for breastfeeding, eat well, have time for have a nice rest and fulfill simple rules that stimulate lactation.

Breastfeeding is the simplest and most natural thing in the world. Each healthy woman, knowing about the importance of breastfeeding for a newborn child, can and should provide mother's milk to her baby, and therefore, lay the first and, perhaps, the main stone in the foundation of his health and well-being.

And one more argument in favor of breast milk: you do not have to constantly buy formulas (and they are not at all cheap), dilute them, bother with washing bottles and nipples. And your milk is always with you ready-made.

What are the benefits of breastfeeding for a baby

Of all food products, no matter how tasty and healthy they are, the most perfect is mother's milk. Created by nature, this elixir of life contains everything necessary for the favorable development of the baby.

The composition of a woman's breast milk is not constant and depends on the age of the child and the lactation period. So, in the first days after birth, when the newborn is still weak and his stomach is very small, the mother's body produces colostrum, which has an increased content of protein, vitamins, minerals, immune bodies and other protective factors that protect the child from diseases.

Colostrum by physical and chemical properties close to the tissues of the newborn, so it is easily absorbed by the body. The benefits of breastfeeding, even in the first days, are so high that even those 10-20 ml received by the baby at one time are enough to ensure his life.

As the child grows, the composition of breast milk changes, and by the 15th day it becomes mature, acquiring a constant content. Especially high is the benefit of breast milk for a premature baby. It has been proven that after premature birth in mother's milk, the concentration of protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and protective factors is higher, which ensures premature baby favorable conditions for intensive growth and development.

Recent studies by American scientists convincingly prove the benefits of breast milk: it turns out that breastfed children are far ahead of their peers fed with artificial mixtures in mental development. The point is not only that physical chemical composition mother's milk has a beneficial effect on the child's brain, but also in the fact that close contact with the mother during feeding creates an atmosphere of love and care that promotes mental and physical health.

Breast milk is so beneficial for a child that since ancient times it has been considered not only an elixir of health, but also an elixir of intelligence. Specialists in the field baby food they also say that from the way the child is fed in early childhood depends not only the degree of his mental development, but also life expectancy. This dependence underlies the program eating behavior, which is formed from the moment of birth of a child and accompanies him throughout his life. In a child fed with mother's milk, a program of proper eating behavior is laid from the first days. Therefore, growing up, it is less susceptible to atherosclerosis, and consequently, myocardial infarction, cerebral stroke and other serious diseases.

What is the chemical composition of a woman's breast milk?

So, not a single sane person doubts whether breast milk is healthy, because it is the ideal food for a baby. Compared to cow, which is most often used as the basis for artificial feeding, human milk has a number of well-known and undeniable benefits.

What is in the composition of breast milk, and what properties does it have? First, protein women's milk consists mainly of serum albumins and globulins, which are involved in the development of immunity and contain essential amino acids. In addition, human milk albumins are finely dispersed, so they are easily digested and do not require a large number digestive juices. Casein in women's milk is 10 times less than in cow's milk. And its small particles form delicate flakes in the baby's stomach, while coarse protein cow's milk curdles into larger and denser flakes.

Secondly, the amino acid composition of women's milk is unique and provides the child's body with vital substances.

Thirdly, polyunsaturated fats predominate in human milk fat. fatty acid(2 times more than in cow's milk), necessary for the development of the brain and nerve fibers, and phospholipids contribute to the production of bile and active absorption of fats in the intestine. The amount of volatile fatty acids that can irritate the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract in women's milk is reduced compared to cow's milk. A valuable quality is the high dispersion of fats, which facilitates their absorption. The fats of mother's milk are absorbed by the child's body by 80-95%, which is facilitated by the enzymes contained in milk that compensate low activity the child's own enzymes.

Fourthly, the carbohydrates of mother's milk are represented mainly by milk sugar - lactose, which is broken down into small intestine, and a small part of it in an unsplit form enters the colon and suppresses the pathogenic flora there.

Fifth, there are fewer minerals in women's milk than in cow's milk, but they are in an easily digestible form. The content of calcium and phosphorus in an ideal ratio of 2:1 provides normal growth and development bone tissue, and baby teething. Iron from mother's milk is absorbed by 50-70%, and from cow's - only 10-30%.

Sixth, in terms of the content of vitamins (A, C, P, E, D, group B), microelements (magnesium, zinc, iodine, copper, etc.), hormones, human milk is much richer than cow's milk, which provides significant support to the baby's body in difficult first months of life.

Seventh, women's milk contains 19 enzymes that facilitate the digestion and absorption of essential nutrients against the background of reduced secretion of their own digestive enzymes child.

Eighth, with breast milk, the child receives from the mother whole complex immune bodies and protective components: lactoferrin, lysozyme (100 times more active than cow's milk lysozyme), bifidum factor and others that protect the baby from diseases.

Ninth, tenth, twentieth and hundredth... This enumeration can be continued indefinitely, but we will not test the reader's patience, but add a few more words about the undoubted merits of mother's milk.

The chemical composition of breast milk includes substances that regulate the growth and development of the baby, the so-called epidermal growth factors, nervous tissue, insulin-like growth factor, etc. Numerous breast milk hormones: gonadotropin, insulin, calcitonin, thyrotropin, thyroxine, triiodothyronine, somatostatin, etc., etc. - help the child adapt to the surrounding reality.

Useful properties of mother's breast milk

And one more important fact: the child receives mother's milk in a warm and sterile form. Unique properties breast milk is preserved in its original form.

Breast milk - unique product baby food. Today, not a single analogue has yet been invented that fully corresponds to it, because its composition was approved by nature itself. Only this food satisfies the needs infants for all 100%. Compound natural product contains up to 500 substances necessary for the baby, many of them cannot be created artificially. The mother's body begins to work on the creation of a food product even before the arrival of a new person in this world.

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The appearance of milk in the mammary glands of a woman is due to the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for its secretion. The basis of breast milk is lymph and blood, where nutrients modified during digestion.

Composition of breast milk

Each woman's milk is unique, like herself, but the set of components of this product is the same for all nursing mothers. Composition of breast milk:

• biologically active water (88%) - the main component, perfectly absorbed by the baby. If the baby is fully breastfed, then it is not necessary to give him additional water;
• Carbohydrates (7%) presented in the form of lactose (milk sugar), which accelerates the development of the brain and nervous system, which promotes the full absorption of iron and calcium and the bifidum factor with an antifungal and antibacterial effect that normalizes bowel function;
• Fats (4%) - the source of the baby's strength: thanks to them, immunity is strengthened and a full-fledged central nervous system is formed. Fats contain cholesterol (for the production of vitamin D), bile and major hormones. The balance of fats and carbohydrates in breast milk is ideal for a growing baby;
• Squirrels (1%) - the basis of the growth of the baby, rapidly gaining weight. They contain whey protein, taurine (for the development of the central nervous system and the brain), lactoferrin (a source of iron), nucleotides (building material for DNA), lactase (for the breakdown of lactose), lipase (for the complete absorption of fats);
• Remaining Components (0,2%) - iron, vitamins, minerals, 20 types of hormones (growth factors), antibodies, leukocytes (protection of the immune system).

The quality of breast milk in a nursing mother is not constant, its composition can change under the influence of many factors:

1. The time of day is thicker during the day than at night.
2. Weather - in the heat the milk is liquid, in the cold it thickens.
3. Mom's health - with a weakened immune system, taking medicines the composition of the product is different.
4. The activity of the baby - at first the milk is liquid (instead of water), with intensive sucking it thickens and becomes fat.

A mother who is breastfeeding twins may have different milk formulas, because it must be adapted to the needs of each baby. The volume and quality of milk largely depends on the health of the nursing mother, good nutrition, sleep and rest regimen, medication intake, bad habits(nicotine, alcohol).

It is important to know: the more often you put the baby to the breast, the more invaluable product it produces. It will be exactly as much as the baby needs, so you need to feed him on demand! Read more about how to feed — .

Types of milk by age

• Colostrum - a thick, sticky, yellowish liquid is produced in small quantities in the first 4 days. Its composition is close to the blood serum of an infant - a significant amount of proteins, leukocytes, vitamins, immunoglobulin, salts. Contributes to the rapid adaptation of the newborn to a new way of eating. Therefore, it is so important to put the baby to the breast in the first hours after childbirth. If the baby was born prematurely, mother's milk for 2 weeks is close in composition to colostrum, since it is precisely such food that the baby needs during this period. On this topic: ;
• transitional milk produced in the first 2-3 weeks. In composition, it is more nutritious and less protein, adapted to a growing organism and new products;
• mature milk appears from the third week. It is more oily and watery. Protein is produced less and less with age, in the composition of mature milk - mainly fatty acids, which are responsible for normal work brain. Normally, a woman produces mature breast milk up to 1.5 liters per day. Distinguish between anterior and hind milk:
  • Front - bluish and liquid - is released in the first minutes of feeding, it contains carbohydrates, salts and water, serves to quench thirst.
  • rear- yellowish and thick - a complete baby food.

The benefits of breast milk

Breast milk is unique not only in its composition, but also in its properties. For the baby, nutrition from the mother's breast is an active mental development, normal digestion, strengthening immunity, prevention of pneumonia, diabetes, obesity, allergies, atherosclerosis, diarrhea and many other dangerous diseases.

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Mother's milk is an excellent antidepressant for the nurse herself. Here we are talking not about a food product, but about the benefits of the processes of its formation and feeding, developing the maternal instinct and tender feelings to the child.

According to Swedish scientists, alpha-lactalbumin in breast milk can successfully fight 40 types of cancer.

Breastfeeding can increase the immune response to vaccinations.

Milk shapes defensive forces baby, protecting from allergies, infections. The presence of stem cells in it provides regeneration and protection, as a source of antibodies, resistant even to diseases that the baby could get from the mother.

The antibacterial properties of milk can be used to treat, instill eye drops for conjunctivitis or heal cracked nipples in a nursing mother.

For a baby, breast milk is not just food, the very ritual of communication with his mother is important for him: the opportunity to calm down, get rid of ailments, fears, and sleep sweetly.

In breastfeeding, you can see and economic benefit: mother's milk is always usable, it does not need to be cooked, it has no expiration date. Priceless milk is free, for family budget For a young family, savings on mixtures are significant.

NUK Consultant Dietitian Petra Fricke: Why breast milk is the best the best food for my baby in the first months of his life?

Perfect color and taste

Many new mothers are concerned about the color and taste of their milk. The color, as already mentioned, depends on the fat content and feeding time: the front (liquid) is bluish, the back (thick and fat) is white or yellow.

The taste of milk will change depending on the mother's diet. It is especially affected by salty, spicy, smoked foods, the use of alcohol, cigarettes, drugs. A certain taste appears depending on the emotional and physical condition nursing woman.

According to the observations of scientists, babies who are breastfed from the first days of life grow strong, sociable, kind. As they get older, they develop resilience. From the first days expectant mother it is necessary to tune in to the fact that she must certainly breastfeed her child. Then the baby will always be full and healthy, and the mother will be calm and happy.

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There is only one food product that, without any reservations, is suitable for a small one - this is breast milk.

It is it that is the key to not only the current, but also the future baby. Let's figure out how it is produced, what are its composition and useful properties.

As known, this product is a nutrient fluid that is produced in the mammary glands of a woman. To understand how it is formed, you need to delve a little into physiology female body. The formation of this product is due to the production of three hormones by the body, namely:

• placental lactogen, which begins to be released in the placenta for another late term and prepares the mother's body for;
• , which runs and maintains ;
• oxytocin, due to which the produced fluid moves through the milk ducts.

The alveoli located in the chest and releasing this product are connected by ducts to the lactiferous sinuses (this is, in fact, an expansion of the duct), concentrating around. The milk coming from the breast accumulates in the sinuses, and the baby squeezes it out with its jaws.

Breast milk is ideal for a baby. It quenches thirst and hunger, provides the baby with the microelements necessary for development, and, moreover, its composition changes over time (even throughout the day), adjusting to the needs child's body. It is also an antidepressant for a child, increases it, protects against infectious and other diseases.
The composition of mother's milk includes carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, various minerals, as well as many other components, including about twenty species, antibodies and leukocytes. The basis of this product (almost 90%) is biologically active water. Throughout the lactation period, the composition of this product changes. Three successive states are distinguished: colostrum, transitional, and then mature milk. Let's analyze these types in more detail.

Colostrum

This type of breast milk is produced only in the first few days (no more than five) of feeding and is a thick liquid. yellowish color, especially rich in proteins. Its composition is what is needed for the transition from intrauterine nutrition to external. The composition (per 100 g) contains:

• proteins - 2.3 g;
• fats - 2.6 g;
• carbohydrates (mainly lactose) - 5.7 g;
• potassium - 74 mg;
• sodium - 50 mg;
• calcium - 48 mg;
• vitamin A - 0.17 mg;
• vitamin E - 1.5 mg.

Did you know?Breast milk contains about 700 species of bacteria, including bifidobacteria, which suppress the development of putrefactive and pathogenic microorganisms, and also help to absorb carbohydrates.

After the production of colostrum stops in a woman, breast milk of a transitional type appears, characterized by a higher fat content and a lower protein content. It continues to develop for about two to three weeks. Its composition (based on 100 g) is shown in the following table:

• proteins - 1.6 g;
• fats - 3.5 g;
• carbohydrates (mainly lactose) - 6.4 g;
• potassium - 64 mg;
• sodium - 30 mg;
• calcium - 46 mg;
• vitamin A - 0.09 mg;
• vitamin E - 0.9 mg.

From about the third week of feeding until the end of the entire lactation period, mature breast milk begins to be produced. Its feature is the ability to change during one feeding. At the beginning of feeding, the so-called foremilk is released. It is watery, has a bluish color and low calorie content, its task is, first of all, to give the baby a drink.

• proteins - 1.1 g;
• fats - 4.5 g;
• carbohydrates (mainly lactose) - 6.8 g;
• potassium - 50 mg;
• sodium - 17 mg;
• calcium -35 mg;
• vitamin A - 0.06 mg;
• vitamin E - 0.2 mg.

The composition of these two products is quite different. So, in women's, there is about two times less protein and two times more carbohydrates than in cow's. But qualitative differences are also important. In the cow, the main protein component is casein (in the female it is also contained, but in much smaller quantities), which complicates the process of digestion of the baby and can cause.

There is less calcium and phosphorus in the breast than in the cow, but they are absorbed much better thanks to other components. In general, the composition of vitamins and minerals in it is ideal for a child.
Breast, unlike cow, is very rich in various enzymes (amylase, trypsin, lipase), which are important for the life of the baby's body. On the contrary, the content of amino acids in the breast is less than in the cow. This is preferable for a child, since his body is not yet ready to absorb them in large quantities.

So, having figured out how it is produced, what it consists of and what is useful for breast milk, it can be argued that this product is extremely useful for the baby and cannot be fully replaced by any other. Therefore, it is desirable that the baby occurs in a natural way.

Depositphotos

During the day, breast milk is one, at night it is another.

The composition of milk is constantly changing - depending on the age of the baby, on the time of day, even on the way the baby is born ( natural childbirth or C-section). All this is programmed by nature to best meet the needs of the child on this moment time or period of life.

At night, milk is fatter and more nutritious, and during the day it is lighter. Milk in summer more water than in winter. If the baby was born prematurely, then his mother's milk is already adapted to feed such a vulnerable baby.

As the baby grows, the composition of milk changes dramatically. It is assumed that this has a positive effect on the immunity of the child.

Useful for a child, but not for an adult

The baby itself can cause a rush of milk, irritating the nipple with the tongue. And if he is hungry, he sucks quickly and, therefore, milk arrives faster. And it’s not in vain that he tries so hard: for a child, mother’s milk always has an unusually lot of useful things: antibodies, iron, calcium, vitamins, etc., regardless of how many months he has been feeding - 1 month or 1 year.

But for adults, breast milk is practically useless - they gastrointestinal tract no longer knows how to process it, so the now fashionable experiments with baking muffins from women's milk are absolutely unfounded.

Mom does not need to eat something special to make milk healthier

We often wonder how our grandmothers and great-grandmothers raised their children during the war. So, high-quality milk is produced by a nursing woman, regardless of how well she eats, in what conditions she lives, moreover, even an extremely limited mother’s menu does not interfere breastfeeding baby.

Moreover, mothers do not have to think about what to eat, so that, for example, milk is saturated with calcium. As soon as it is time for teeth to erupt, the milk is magically enriched by itself. necessary element. And when the baby begins to intensively explore the world and will need protein to provide the desired level physical activity, then it will certainly appear in milk.

Magic Food - Colostrum

Immediately after childbirth, the mother produces colostrum, its amount is very small, no more than a teaspoon, but, because. the baby's stomach is tiny (volume is about 7 ml), it is enough for him to saturate and immunize the body with 2 ml of this liquid. There are many in colostrum a certain kind hormones, bacteria and antibodies, this is something like the first vaccination, which protects the child, including from allergies, populates the gastrointestinal tract with the necessary microflora. Interestingly, the composition of colostrum changes during the three days it is produced.

In addition, colostrum is noticeably thicker than milk, and it flows extremely slowly so that the “inexperienced” baby in feeding matters has time to get enough. When the baby has mastered the rhythm of sucking, the colostrum will already have time to be replaced by milk that flows faster.

Has a sweet taste for a short time

So, when the baby eats colostrum for three days, breast milk becomes less thick, lighter, produced in more and, most importantly, changes the composition again. It has more sugars and fats and less protein. After all, the baby is not yet so active and he does not need proteins so much, an overabundance is even harmful.

But it is necessary to quickly adapt to the outside world and grow up a little. The amount of carbohydrates and fats in the composition of this type of milk, which is sometimes called "transitional", provides it.

Two weeks after birth, it turns into a complete nutrition

Two weeks after birth, the milk changes - and again not only for appearance(even more liquid and light), but also in composition. There are already fewer fats in it (about 4%), but they are different in form - part of the saturated type and part - polyunsaturated. They are involved in the development of the nervous system and give the body energy.

The baby eats absolutely complete food, which has everything he needs - proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, trace elements.

Milk is produced around the clock

The mammary glands are made up of glandular tissue, in which there are many channels - it is literally riddled with them. On their walls are special cells that produce milk during lactation. And they do it around the clock, without interruption. Milk is produced under the influence of hormones and reflexes.

During pregnancy, certain hormonal changes begin, as a result of which breast prepares for the production of breast milk and at the same time increases in size.

When a baby is born, the hormones progesterone and estrogen begin to be produced in smaller quantities, but the amount of prolactin, which stimulates milk production, increases. Do not remain without work and hormones thyroid gland, which are responsible for the production of additional energy necessary for the secretion of milk.