Formula is not the same as breastmilk: the first year
Too many mothers who set out to exclusively breastfeed leave hospital supplementing with infant formula. These parents have made a decision in pregnancy - or even before - and expected to breastfeed their babies.
So, while a lot of focus is given to expectant parents "choosing" between breastfeeding or formula feeding, very little attention is paid to the decision whether to continue breastfeeding once formula has become part of the picture.
Mothers need encouragement and support to maintain the breastmilk supply they do have and not be dismissed by assurance that “formula is just as good”. It is a slap in the face to imply their efforts to breastfeed don't really matter.
When breastmilk supply becomes a medical “problem” it is easy for formula to be seen as a "solution". However, breastfeeding is much more than just food and mothers need time and space to consider their breastfeeding relationship with their child and how that might look going forward.
ANY breastmilk makes a difference.
Breastmilk as medicine
The very basic nutrition of a baby can be achieved with infant formula. Fat (vegetable oils), carbohydrate (lactose) and protein - usually whey from the milk of cows or goats but also derived from soy beans - with added vitamins and minerals, make up the basic ingredients of all commercially produced infant formula. But beyond those ingredients, mother nature has packed much more into human milk and it is these components that partially breastfed babies can benefit from. Any list of what makes up human milk quickly becomes outdated, so rapid is research in this field. Much of that is driven by industry whose goal is to create a product closer to breastmilk. However, the discoveries just keep proving how complex human milk is.
Donor Milk + Mothers Own Milk = YOUR milk microbiome!
When premature or sick babies are unable to be fed exclusively their own mother’s breastmilk. the recommended first option is donated milk from a milk bank. However, that milk is pasteurised before use to kill any harmful bacteria. Unfortunately, that process also removes any beneficial bacteria from the donor’s milk microbiome. People used to think human milk was sterile but, in fact, it is packed with important bugs which play a role in preventing infection - especially the devastating necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a bacterial infection of the intestines which premature babies are vulnerable to. But researchers have discovered that adding a mother’s own unpasteurised breastmilk to a batch of pasteurised donor milk and leaving it to act transfers her own microbiome to that milk and the baby benefits just as they would if she was direct feeding! This shows how powerful breastmilk is as a living, dynamic fluid which almost shouldn’t be considered as a food. Indeed, breastmilk is sometimes described as “white blood”.
Every drop is precious. Don’t let anyone tell you not to bother.
Any breastmilk in the first week: has a positive impact on health. Colostrum is packed with not only nutrition and immune support but it supports the developing gut flora. Getting colostrum into newborns, whether they go on to be breastfed or not, is one of the most important contributors to ongoing health. There is no manufactured equivalent to colostrum.
Any breastfeeding in the second week: continues to stimulate milk production and support the baby's developing immune system. Mature breastmilk isn't very different to colostrum and any that you can give to your baby have an ongoing positive benefit.
Any breastmilk in the first month is important: Breastmilk changes throughout the day and this includes hormones which support the baby's developing circadian rhythm - day and night cycle. Feeding at the breast or possibly matching expressed breastmilk with the time of day it is pumped might be significant in infant sleep development.
Breastmilk also includes sleep inducing substances which cause baby and mother to relax ready for sleep.
Any breastmilk in the first six months: Between two and six months your baby relies on the antibodies in your breastmilk to protect them while their own immune system develops. It appears that contact between the mothers nipple and the baby's saliva activates the production of antibodies to any bacteria or viruses the baby has been exposed to. Babies in childcare are exposed to more viruses and infections and breastfeeding can reduce the impact of these.
Babies who are partially or fully breastfed have a lower risk of SIDS than fully formula fed babies. Any breastfeeding reduces the risk.
In times of crisis like bushfires and floods, which cut off supply chains and pollute drinking water; pandemic restrictions or in the midst of war or conflict, babies fully-reliant on infant formula are most vulnerable. Any breastmilk can keep babies alive while milk production responds to increased demand. In an emergency, milk can be expressed by hand into a clean cup which can be used to feed a baby who does not feed at the breast. Pumps, bottles and teats require fresh water, soap and disinfection which may not be available.
Any breastmilk in the first twelve months matters: Babies have not been breastfed are more likely to be admitted to hospital for treatment of gastrointestinal or respiratory infections.
Babies who receive breastmilk experience the flavours of food their mother eats, which means they are prepared for the different tastes of family foods they when starting solids.
