Horizon Hospital - Thane

Breast Milk – Your Baby’s Birth Right

Breastfeeding is a cornerstone for child survival and health especially during early life because it provides essential irreplaceable nutrition for a child’s growth and development. Optimum nutrition is essential for a child’s survival as well as the ‘quality’ of life. The word ‘nutrition’ is derived from the word ‘nutrients’ which means ‘to suckle at the breast. ‘Breast milk is a natural food for the baby and it is ‘species specific’. Successful breastfeeding is an important child-rearing skill to be learnt and practised.

Lactation is the process of making human milk. Human milk is secreted through your mammary glands, which are located in your breasts. Lactation is hormonally driven and occurs naturally in people who are pregnant. It can also be induced in those who are not pregnant. Lactation will continue as long as milk is being removed from your breasts

Dr Manali Shilotri Leading Gynaecologist and Consultant Horizon Prime Hospital said “Breast milk is made up from the nutrition that the mother takes as well as her body stores. It has an optimal balance of fat, protein and bodily stores that is necessary for the child’s growth and development. Breast milk promotes sensory and cognitive development and is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants. It is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers. Soon after birth, the baby is awake, alert and is biologically ‘ready to feed’. The initiation of breastfeeding is therefore, easy at this point; later on, the baby goes into a prolonged sleep and therefore initiation becomes difficult. In the first few days, a small quantity of colostrum milk (10-40ml) that is secreted is all that the baby needs! Colostrum is rich in proteins and antibodies, which helps the baby to fight against infections”.

Dr Ria Vaidya, CEO, Horizon Group of Hospitals said “ We are living in the modern era of 21^st century. Even today, people still look at females breastfeeding their child in a surprising and awkward manner as it’s something new. It is a matter of ignominy that we being a part of such a modern era fail to provide a comfort zone to the mothers to breastfeed their child. Moreover, it’s a disgrace on the part of mothers who are becoming more dependent on the formula feeding or bottle milk rather than providing the child with accurate nutritional growth through Breastfeeding. Most of the women are unaware of the issues which may arise due to lack of breastfeeding. Hence, there is an emerging need to educate society as a whole as the child is not the sole responsibility of the mother. Breastfeeding is equally important to the mother and the child as well. It ensures a nourishing and healthy growth of both. Along with satisfying baby’s emotional needs, it creates a strong bonding between the mother and the baby. Breastfeeding also helps the mother to lose her body weight. Despite various benefits of breastfeeding, lack of awareness and guidance gave our country such a title. It’s a hard fact that only 42% of infants are breastfed within one hour of birth. Many of the infants remain neglected from the pros of colostrum – indeed a harsh reality!”.

Dr Ria Vaidya further said “Nowadays bottle milk and formula feeding are trending. Most of the mothers complain about lack of time, especially the working ones. They consider bottle milk ease but in the meantime, they forget that the infant is a fragile soul and demands a lot of care. Poor health of the lactating mother and growing dependence on formula feeding are the main barriers of Breastfeeding. Society needs to understand the importance of breastfeeding and must encourage women by providing them with the comfort to breastfeed their child”.

Dr Manali Shilotri further said “Breastfeeding serves as a child’s first immunization, providing protection from common childhood illnesses, such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, few of the leading causes of under-five mortality. If you want to feed your baby human milk, it’s helpful to understand the process of lactation so you know what to expect. Lactation experts will help you to prepare you for nursing and expressing milk. Remember, lactation can look different for everyone depending on your circumstances and health history. Some women struggle with lactation. Struggling with lactation is very common and lactation specialists and other healthcare providers can help you as you try to overcome these difficulties”.

Dr Hrushikesh Vaidya, Medical Director and Chairman Horizon Group of Hospitals said “On the occasion of the National Nutrition Week, which is celebrated every year from 1-7 September, WHO calls for special efforts to address the nutritional needs of mothers and infants during the ‘first 1000 days’ of life starting from conception up to two years of age. Promoting and supporting exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, and continued breastfeeding until age 2 or beyond is of crucial importance to achieve this goal”.

Breastmilk The Best For Infants. Beneficial for both Mother and Baby

 Benefits To The Baby

• It is economical and convenient.
• It has least chance of contamination.
• Promotes the growth of good bacteria in the gut.
• It is safe for the baby and provides antibodies from the mother, which helps the baby to fight infections. It also prevents the baby from getting respiratory and gastrointestinal infection.
• It ensures emotional stability and personality development because of the close contact and mother-baby bonding.
• A Breast fed baby is found to have superior IQ as compared to a non-breast fed baby.
• It helps to reduce the incidence of allergies, asthma and eczema in baby.
• The baby has a lower risk of developing obesity, cardiovascular and diabetes mellitus.

Benefits To The Mother

• The baby’s sucking causes a mother’s uterus to contract sooner.
• During lactation, menstruation ceases, offering a form of a natural contraception.
• Mothers who breastfeed tend to lose weight and achieve their pre-pregnancy figure more easily than mothers who bottle feed.
• Mothers who breastfeed are less likely to develop breast cancer later in life

The Three Stages of Lactation

A series of hormonal events, which begin when you are pregnant, trigger the lactation process which is called lactogenesis which has three stages.

• Stage I lactogenesis (secretory initiation) : The first stage of lactogenesis begins sometime after your 16th week of pregnancy and continues throughout the second half of pregnancy. During this stage, your estrogen and progesterone levels rise and cause changes to your breasts:
  1. You grow more milk ducts, causing your breasts to look and feel fuller.
  2. Your nipples may darken, and your areolas, the areas around your nipples, may get larger.
  3. The Montgomery glands, which are the small bumps on your areola, start to secrete an oil to lubricate your nipples.
  4. Your body begins to make colostrum, the nutritious first milk for your baby. It’s possible to start lactation during pregnancy, and you can begin to leak colostrum before giving birth as your body prepares.
• Stage II lactogenesis (secretory activation) : The second stage of lactogenesis occurs after giving birth. When the placenta is delivered or removed, your progesterone levels drop. This leads to elevated levels of prolactin, cortisol, and insulin, which stimulate your body so you begin producing milk. Prolactin is a milk-producing hormone. About 2 or 3 days after delivery, your milk will “come in.” Your breasts may swell, and you’ll notice a sharp increase in milk production. Engorgement, or the feeling that your breasts are overly full, may occur, causing sore or tender breasts.
• Stage III lactogenesis. : Some people believe there to be a stage III of lactogenesis, which refers to the rest of your time lactating. Nursing, also called breastfeeding is the term used for when your baby drinks from your breast or chest. Your nipples are full of nerves, and when your baby suckles, those nerves tell your body to release prolactin and the hormone oxytocin. Prolactin produces the milk, and oxytocin causes the muscle contractions that allow the milk to flow through the milk ducts. After your baby has suckled for about 30 seconds, you’ll experience “let down.” This term describes the milk being released. Your body will try to replace the same amount of milk you release, whether you’re nursing or pumping. For the most part, lactation will continue until you stop expressing milk.

Dr Manali Shilotri said “Today, medical science has made it possible to help women to lactate without pregnancy, but you’ll still need the right hormones. If you need to induce lactation, you’ll be given medication to mimic the hormones typically released during pregnancy and after delivery. However, it’s not always this simple and sometimes requires working alongside an experienced healthcare provider”.

Several factors may impact your ability to lactate, including:

• Poor or insufficient nutrition
• Certain medications
• Hormonal imbalances
• Trauma or surgery to your breasts or nipples, including breast augmentation and reduction
• A history of radiation therapy
• Some medical conditions
• Using drugs or alcohol

Side Effects of Lactation

Lactation requires your body to undergo massive hormonal changes. This means that it can be rough on you both physically and mentally.

• : Engorgement is the feeling of your breasts being overly full, leading to tenderness and soreness.
• Mastitis : Mastitis is an inflammation of breast tissue that most often happens during lactation. The inflammation caused by mastitis may cause pain, swelling, redness, and warmth over the infected area. Mastitis may also be accompanied by fever and chills.
• Dysphoric milk ejection reflex : Also called D-MER, dysphoric milk ejection reflex is an emotional “drop” that happens during the let-down stage of lactation. It can cause temporary feelings of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness and a range of other negative emotions. D-MER is not postpartum depression, but the two are hormonally related.

Conclusion

Nothing can replace Breastmilk for your child. The American Academy of Paediatrics  and the World Health Organization both recommend exclusive breastfeeding until an infant is at least 6 months of age. Breast milk is composed of many essential substances for optimal growth and development, including carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The bioactive functions of the proteins in breast milk are especially important during critical periods of brain, gut, and immune development. As a result, breastfed babies have lower rates of otitis media as well as respiratory and intestinal infections. In addition to these short-term benefits, there are many long-term advantages to breastfeeding, including improved cognitive development and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.  Studies have shown that mothers also benefit from breastfeeding, with favourable maternal metabolic changes including lower rates of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and cardiovascular disease. Moreover, some studies show that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. 

Despite these overwhelming benefits for both mother and baby, the rates of breastfeeding are still not optimal. Clinicians play a crucial role in a mother’s decision to breastfeed as well as her success in lactation. Informing women of the evidence that breast milk contributes to both a baby’s short- and long-term well-being as well as its potential health benefits for the mother, clinicians can help them understand its importance.

Horizon Prime Hospital firmly believe that breastfeeding is a mother as well as the baby’s birth right. We begin by providing information on breastfeeding to the expectant mothers and continue providing support through the delivery as well as postnatal and during the well-baby check-ups. Breast milk is ‘the best and a complete source of nutrition‘ for the baby. Promoting a culture of breastfeeding will pave a way for a safe and healthy nation, in the future!