Department of Health guidance says that breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed your baby. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months of your baby’s life.
Breast milk:
- Is always available at the right temperature and is sterile.
- Can be used to comfort your baby and relieve pain.
- Is free.
- Has no carbon footprint.
- Is the most natural food for babies.
Colostrum:
- Concentrated milk produced in the first few days, tailored to baby in small amounts.
- Gives your baby immunity. It is protective and coats the intestines/gut to keep germs out so they cannot be absorbed into your baby’s system. This barrier seals your baby’s insides, preparing your baby for a healthy life.
- Kills harmful microorganisms and provides protection from inflammation.
- Is a laxative and will help clear your baby’s system of the meconium and therefore help to reduce jaundice.
- ‘Mature’ milk production increases after the first few days.
- Your baby’s stomach capacity is quite small, and breastmilk is easily digestible, meaning that your baby will probably feed frequently in the early weeks of breastfeeding.
Hormonal Influence:
There are three key factors that work together in breastfeeding:
Prolactin
- Following delivery, your levels of pregnancy hormones decline. This causes levels of the milk producing hormone, prolactin, to rise.
- Prolactin levels peak every time your baby sucks or nuzzles at the breast.
- Lots of peaks in prolactin levels in the early days “switch on” milk producing cells – one of the reasons why newborn babies feed frequently/cluster feed –they are “putting the order in”!
- Overnight, your prolactin levels – the hormone designed to support milk production – are at their highest. So, when your baby feeds frequently at night, the message to your body to boost milk supply is even stronger.
Oxytocin
- Oxytocin is also known as the love hormone – it helps you to fall in love with your baby and want to hold, stroke and protect them.
- It causes the lobules in the breasts to contract, letting down the milk to the baby (the letdown).
- It can be delayed by stress – this can be overcome by relaxed, skin-to-skin time at the breast.
- Additionally, oxytocin increases circulation to the breast, helping to release stored nutrients into the milk, and warm baby.
Feedback Inhibitor of Lactation (FIL)
- This is a protein within the milk that alerts the milk producing cells to stop producing milk.
- It helps control and regulate the supply.
- As milk is removed, levels of FIL fall.
- Milk removal drives milk production.
Formula feeding increases the risk of:
For children:
- Raised blood pressure.
- Obesity.
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
- Raised cholesterol levels.
- Childhood leukaemia.
- Type 1 and 2 diabetes.
- Urinary tract infections.
- Necrotising enterocolitis & late onset sepsis in preterm babies.
- Gastro-intestinal infections.
- Ear infections.
- Respiratory infections.
For parents:
- Breast cancer.
- Ovarian cancer.
- Osteoporosis.
- Postnatal depression.
- Hip fractures and reduced bone density.
- Maternal type 2 diabetes.
