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Infant feeding
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Infant feeding is the practice of feeding

infants. Breast milk provides the best
nutrition when compared to infant formula.
Infants are usually introduced to solid
foods at around four to six months of age.
[1]

Breastfeeding aids in preventing anemia,

obesity, and sudden infant death
syndrome; and it promotes digestive
health, immunity, intelligence, and dental
development. The American Academy of
Pediatrics recommends exclusively
feeding an infant breast milk for the first
six months of life and continuing for one
year or longer as desired by infant and
mother, and states that formula is an
"acceptable substitute". Historically,
breastfeeding infants was the only option
for nutrition otherwise the infant would
perish. Breastfeeding is rarely
contraindicated, but is not recommended
for mothers being treated for cancer, those
with active tuberculosis, HIV, substance
abuse, or leukemia.[2] Clinicians can be
consulted to determine what the best
source of infant nutrition is for each baby.

Infant nutrition
requirements

Health benefits of
…
breast milk

Foremilk (left) has a higher water content

and a lower fat content to satisfy thirst.
Hindmilk (right) has a lower water
content and a higher fat content to
satisfy hunger.

Each year in the U.S. roughly 27% of

infants and children are affected by
disease.[8] Breastfeeding can lower the
risk of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and
other potentially life-threatening diseases.
It offers protection against obesity and
diabetes later in life, too.[3] Breast milk is
proven to be chemically different for each
mother and infant pair. For example, a
premature infant's mother will have
different milk than a mature infant's
mother. Breast milk can also change if an
infection is detected in the infant.[9] This
natural prevention is tailored toward each
infant.

Preventing anemia …

Breastfed infants are at a lower risk for

acquiring iron-deficiency anemia. Infants
that only consume cow's milk become
deficient in iron and are 50% more likely to
lose blood in their stool. If the infant is
allergic to cow's milk, it causes
inflammation of the digestive system,
resulting in chronic blood loss and
decreased absorption of iron. This is why
infant formula must be iron-enriched if
breastfeeding is not possible.[2] Breast
milk naturally contains lactoferrin, an iron
binding protein that allows better iron
absorption and digestion.[10] Allowing the
baby to absorb more iron leads to a better
gut health of the infant.[citation needed]

Preventing obesity …

Breastfed infants tend to have lower

incidence of obesity later in life. Breast
milk leads to a slower weight gain in early
infancy, and is protective against child
obesity and development of type 2
diabetes.[2] Diabetes is a serious health
problem where the body does not use
insulin correctly. This diagnosis can cause
many complications of the skin, eyes, feet,
nervous system, heart, and kidneys.[11]
Therefore, it is important to prevent
diabetes when possible, because it goes
hand-in-hand with obesity.

When an infant is breastfed, they are

exposed to a variety of flavors due to the
mother's changing diet and breast milk.[12]
A study showed that later in life breastfed
children are more likely to eat a variety of
healthy foods; this happens because food
preferences are ingrained early in life. So,
when an infant is exposed to a variety of
flavors early on, they are less likely to be
picky eaters later. Another study
confirmed a decrease in obesity at ages
two years and four years if the infant is
exclusively breastfed for at least the first
four months.[13] Therefore, breast milk is
proven again to be the best nutrition
without causing obesity.[citation needed]

Preventing sudden infant

death syndrome (SIDS) …

Infant sleeping

SIDS (crib death) is an unexplained death

occurring in an infant who is one year of
age or younger. Most deaths occur when
the infant is sleeping.[14] Breastfeeding
helps reduce the risk of SIDS when done
exclusively for any length of time.[2] It is
recommended to breastfeed the infant
from birth to 6 months exclusively to
decrease the risk of SIDS by 50%.[15]
Diarrhea and upper respiratory illnesses,
both linked to a higher risk of SIDS, occur
less frequently for infants who are
breastfed when compared to babies that
are not breastfed, thus reducing the risk.
Also, breast milk provides necessary
nutrition for the infant's brain to develop.
This allows the brain of the baby to mature
quickly enough so that he or she will have
the response to gasp for air when needed.
Lastly, breastfed babies tend to sleep for
shorter periods at a time and awaken more
easily. Research has shown that babies
who sleep shorter and awaken from their
sleep easily tend to have a lower risk of
SIDS.[16] Conclusively, most incidences
happen when the infant is asleep, so it is
important to exclusively breastfeed in
order to reduce the incidence of SIDS.
[citation needed]

Promoting digestive health …

Breast milk is important for the infant's

digestive system. It is the best substance
to give, especially over cow's milk. Infants
cannot properly digest fats, which cow's
milk is full of. Breast milk contains a lot of
fat, too, but it also contains lipase, a
substance to help break down the fat to
aid in digestion. This leads to infants
passing softer stools, so constipation is
rare in breastfed infants.[2] Human milk
also allows beneficial bacteria to grow in
the infant's intestines, which protects the
mucosal barrier of the infant's stomach.
This prevents harmful pathogens from
harming the infant's intestinal lining. The
infant's digestive mucosa is unable to
produce antibodies until they are about
four to six months old, which makes the
infant susceptible to many infections.
However, breast milk provides the
antibodies needed for the infant to stay
protected until they are able to produce
their own antibodies.[10] Breast milk also
stimulates a microbiota, which results in
the production of IgA. IgA is an
immunoglobulin that is a first line of
defense to protect the digestive tract of
the infant. This immunoglobulin is much
higher in infants that are breastfed than in
infants that were infant formula-fed.[10]

Promoting immunity …

From Colostrum to Breastmilk. (Days after

birth)

Colostrum is a great source of nutrition for

a newborn baby, it is a thick yellow fluid
that the mother produces first after birth. It
has valuable nutrition that aids the baby
with building immunity because it helps
destroy disease-causing viruses. Other
benefits of colostrum include: prevention
of jaundice, aiding the baby in passing
their first stool, building a strong immune
system, providing a great number of
vitamins and protein, and prevents low
blood sugar in babies.[17] Overall, the
sticky, thick, yellow liquid called colostrum
has many benefits for a newborn baby
which can be only provided to the baby
through breastfeeding.[citation needed]

Breast milk also contains much more

protein than cow's milk. It contains 60%
protein whereas cow's milk contains only
40% protein.[10] Protein is very important
for infants because they need more protein
per pound than adults do. For the first few
months of their life, this protein must come
from breast milk or infant formula, it
cannot come from cow's milk.[18] One
specific protein that breast milk has is
lactoferrin, which is bacteriostatic,[10]
meaning it prevents the growth of harmful
bacteria. Without this protein, the baby
cannot produce the immunity that its body
desperately needs, resulting in a higher
risk of disease and malnutrition. Breast
milk provides the best source of protein for
an infant.[citation needed]

Another immunoglobulin breast milk

provides to the infant is known as IgG. IgG
provides passive immunity from the
mother to the infant. This means that
antibodies for common childhood diseases
like diphtheria, measles, poliomyelitis, and
rubella are passed onto the infant naturally,
if the mother was immunized for these
diseases in her lifetime. The infant is then
protected for about 3 months, just enough
time to protect them until they receive
their first immunizations at 2 months.[2]

Promoting intelligence …

Parents generally want their child to be as

smart as possible and to excel in school.
Breastfeeding an infant can increase their
intelligence throughout life. Mothers who
exclusively breastfed their child have a
higher chance of increasing their child's
intelligence. Studies have shown that
infants that are breastfed for six months
versus infants who were only breast fed for
one month have a higher intelligence
score. Those children tend to have a
higher intelligence score in the third and
fifth grades. Their intelligence scores are
also higher at the age of 15 years.[19]
Breastfeeding aids in the development of
cognitive maturity which leads to a higher
intelligence. However, this only correlated
to those children who were exclusively
breastfed by their mothers as infants.[19]

Promoting oral health …

Dental caries (more commonly known as

tooth decay or cavities) is the most
common chronic childhood disease.[20]
The transition from breastfeeding or bottle
feeding can be a challenging time for both
parent and infant. Importantly, it
represents a time where the risk for
development of dental caries begins with
the eruption of the first baby teeth.
Transition from breastfeeding/bottle-
feeding usually coincides with the
introduction of solid foods that may
contain substances (i.e. sugars & other
carbohydrates) that can cause dental
caries. The consumption of cow’s milk and
other non-breast milk beverages (i.e.
juices) at 6 weeks to 12 months of age
significantly contributes to dental caries at
5 years.[21] There is a relationship between
prolonged and inappropriate bottle use
and increase in dental caries and as such,
it is recommended that infants be
encouraged to drink from a cup by their
first birthday and be weaned from the
bottle by 12–14 months of age.
Breastfeeding cessation is dependent
upon the infant and mother. Pacifier may
be used as a means of soothing or
distracting the infant. Due to the risk for
dental caries, dipping pacifiers in
sweetened liquids (i.e. sugar water, juice
etc.) is discouraged.[20]

History of
breastfeeding

See also

References

Last edited 2 months ago by CV…

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