Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Dec 17: Breast milk is the ideal food for infants which contains the antibodies to help protect against many common childhood illnesses, experts said.
Experts said that breast milk provides the ideal nutrition for infants. It has a nearly perfect mix of vitamins, protein, and fat and everything a baby needs to grow.
“Breast milk contains antibodies that help your baby fight off viruses and bacteria. Breastfeeding lowers your baby’s risk of having asthma or allergies. Plus, babies who are breastfed exclusively for the first six months, without any formula, have fewer ear infections, respiratory illnesses, and bouts of diarrhoea,” they said.
Dr Mohammad Yousuf Tak, President of the Doctors Association in Kashmir said that there is a lot of difference between the mother’s and the artificial milk.
Tak said that artificial milk is no substitute for the mother’s milk unless it is an emergency.
Dr Suhail Naik a paediatrician at GMC Srinagar said that breast milk is a very ideal food for infants and contains antibodies.
“It (breast milk) contains all the energy and nutrients that the infants need for the first six months of life,” Naik said.
Naik said that after six months babies should be introduced to soft food but breastfeeding should continue for about two years because it protects a child from illness.
“The baby should be fed small amounts of food with gradual increase. During an illness a child needs additional fluids and breastfeeding should not be stopped but we must take care that the baby needs more food to replenish the energy lost due to illness,” he said.
Naik said that the breastfeeding mothers need more calories and calcium.
“Mother lose around 5 percent of their bone mass during breastfeeding because a growing baby needs more calcium which is drawn from the mother’s bones,” he said.
Naik said that breastfeeding releases hormone oxytocin, which helps the uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size and may reduce uterine bleeding after birth.
“Breastfeeding also lowers your risk of breast and ovarian cancer. It may lower your risk of osteoporosis too,” he said.
