Breast is Best

Breast milk is truly, nature’s gift for every child. It is specially designed to cater for all a baby’s nutritional needs in the first six months of life. For maximum benefits, breastfeeding should be initiated soon after the birth of your child so that the baby can reap the maximum benefits colostrum, and should be maintained exclusively for six months, until weaning is initiated.

Why babies need colostrum

Colostrum, a yellowish fluid rich in proteins secreted from a new mum’s breast before her milk comes in is a superior form of early nutrition for newborns. These valuable proteins are essential to the development of a healthy immune system, especially by the rapidly developing brain. Colostrum helps promote maturation of the gut and good digestion.

Naturally superior to formula

While great care has been taken to create high quality formulas for mothers who cannot or who opt not to breast feed, none can come close to what breast milk has to offer. Human milk contains both saturated and unsaturated fats, as well as cholesterol, an important constituent of brain and nerve tissue. The fat in breast milk is more digestible than that in formula. The energy breast milk provides is more efficiently utilised so that your little bundle can experience appropriate growth and development. Breast milk brims of nutrients, containing a full range of vitamins and minerals essential for your baby’s health. There are also special immune system-protective proteins present in breast milk which can’t be duplicated. These proteins offer protection against diarrhoea, food allergies and infections.

The immunoprotective components of human milk include:

• Bifidus factor: Promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut and limits the growth of disease-causing bacteria.
• Lactoferrin: Binds to iron, thus rendering it unavailable to viruses and bacteria.
• Lysozymes and milk leucocytes: Destroy viruses and bacteria.
• Secretory IgA: An immunoglobulin that destroys viruses and bacteria.

Best for the baby

• Superior nutrition
• There is an increased resistance to infections
• Less experiences of nappy rash and thrush
• Baby is less likely to develop allergies
• Less incidences of stomach upsets and constipation
• Fewer cavities
• Promotes the proper development of baby’s jaw and teeth
• Better brain development
• Babies are emotionally more stable
• Promotes mother-baby bonding
• Decreased risk of malnutrition, obesity and heart disease in the long term

Best for you

• Uterus contracts and shrinks quicker
• Reduces the flow of blood after delivery
• During lactation, menstruation ceases
• Helps new mums lose weight more easily
• Lessens the risk of developing breast cancer later in life
• Less trips to the doctor and less money spent on medications
• Promotes mother-baby bonding
• Promotes feelings of warmth and calmness in the mother
• More economical!