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 There is no doubt that mother's milk is the best food for infants. Human milk offers an ideal balance of nutrients and also contains a rich supply of protective factors which the human infant requires. Cow's milk is dissimilar to human milk in all respects. Although commercially prepared formulas, made from cow's milk or soy beans, have progressed over the years toward a more "human" composition by significant processing of the milk and addition of nutrients, these formulas remain much more inferior than human milk. Both cows' milk and soy milk have health risk attached. Many argue that only a small percentage of infants become ill on these formula, but I disagree. Among the benefits of mother's milk is a generous supply of IgA, the protective antibody which the infant bowel lacks. This antibody helps to protect the infant from bacterial infection and probably reduces the entry of antigenic food protein fragments, reducing the incidence of food allergy. Breast feeding an infant for six months or longer appears to significantly reduce the incidence of infection and food allergy. - Infant nutritional requirements In the first six months of life, infants are dependent upon breast milk or formula for their nutrients. Infant growth is rapid and a continuous supply of nutrients is required. The infant's energy needs can be supplied by an average intake of 100-120 Kcal/Kg/day in the first four months, decreasing, as growth slows, to about 100 Kcal/Kg/day for the last six months of the first year. An infant should double birth weight at six months, and triple birth weight at one year. One ounce (oz) of breast milk is about 20 Kcal/oz or 7 Kcal/10 mL. Infants begin consuming about 20 oz/day in month 1 and progress to about 40 oz/day in month 6. Water is important to infants and should supplement breast or formula feedings. A nursing mother must maintain a high intake of water (2-3 liters/day) to provide adequate dilution of her milk. She should avoid dehydration with diuretic substances, including alcoholic beverages (AB), teas, coffee, licorice, and herbal teas. Nursing mother should take a well-balanced multivitamin-mineral supplement that includes Vitamin D, Calcium, iron, and zinc. The advice to mothers to drink extra cow's milk may be harmful to the infant who may develop milk protein allergy. - Food allergy & breast feeding One problem with mother's milk is that it may contain allergens which the mother has absorbed intact. Allergens derived from cow's milk may appear in the mother's milk and sensitize her child. The circuit of milk proteins through a mother's body, through the breast into the milk, into the infant's GIT, and into the infant's body is a remarkable biological fact! This free passage of food proteins through many body filters and defense systems demonstrates how porous we are to macromolecules. Since food allergens from the mother's diet may appear in her breast milk, the lactating mother may have to modify her diet to protect her infant. Her restrictions may include the avoidance of milk products and other highly allergenic foods like eggs, peanuts, citrus fruits, chocolate, nuts, and, sometimes, cereal grains, certain meats, and fish. Breast-feeding mothers should avoid ingesting food and beverages with drug-like or toxic properties - alcoholic beverages, tea, coffee, chocolate, herbs, and spices. Breast-feeding and smoking do not go together. Infant sensitization in uterine and with breast feeding is not a simple matter, however, and even the most conscientious maternal avoidances will not assure complete protection against infant food allergy. The effects of food antigens on an infant reflect a delicate and complex balance between tolerance and sensitivity. There are some apparent paradoxes involved. The infant who is fed large quantities of cow's milk will show tolerance to the acute effects of milk allergy - vomiting, abdominal pain, swelling, and shock - but, will manifest the more delayed results like eczema, colds, and diarrhea. The infant with little exposure will show less tolerance to the allergen and will react with the more dramatic acute responses, but may avoid the chronic delayed symptoms. Thus, the breast fed infant of a very careful mother has a greater risk of acute responses when allergenic foods are introduced than the casually fed infant with chronic symptoms. This is a distressing paradox, not confined to the infant immunological response, but observed in older children and adults as well. Dr. John Gerrard, an authority on food allergy, reported this effect in his study of 19 children with IgE-mediated immediate reactions (IMD.E1) to milk, peanut, and/or egg. He stated: "Breast feedings recommended because it provides optimal nutrition for most babies and, with placentally transferred antibody, protects the infant from a number of common infections: it also facilitates bonding between the mother and child. Breast feeding has also been said to protect the infant from the development of atopic diseases in general and eczema in particular. (Source: nutramed)   Socialize this Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in touch and receive all of TT updates right in your feed reader
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