Nutritional Facts of Breast Milk: A Perfect Balance of Everything

Health organizations around the world recommend breast milk as the ideal source of nutrition to support early life. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended by pediatricians for the first 6 months for your baby. Breast milk is composed of hundreds of macronutrients, micronutrients and bioactive molecules that are essential for the growth of your newborn.

Although infant formula also provides complete nutrition, it does not completely emulate the immune benefits of breast milk. Breast milk is not only a complete source of nutrition, but it also helps protect babies from falling sick because of the antibodies that get passed from mother to baby through milk.

Macronutrient Composition

Breast milk is basically composed of water, carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. Breast milk alone provides all water required by young babies for survival. The main carbohydrate present in breast milk is lactose. Lipids make up about 4% of breast milk, but provide over half of the calories required by your baby. It also contains fatty acids such as DHA which is needed for the development of your baby’s brain, nervous system and vision.

The proteins present in breast milk are easy on your baby’s tummy and are essential throughout every stage of lifecycle. For example, Lactoferrin is a form of protein present in the breast milk that moves iron through your baby’s body and protects your newborn’s intestines from infections.

Micronutrient Composition

Breast milk contains essential vitamins that are necessary for healthy vision, skin and bones. They are needed to prevent diseases caused due to vitamin deficiency including scurvy, rickets etc. Besides vitamins, breast milk is full of essential minerals including calcium, zinc, magnesium and iron. These are necessary to build strong bones, produce red blood cells and promote healthy nerve function.

Talk to your pediatrician to find out if there are any vitamin or calcium supplements you need to take to support breastfeeding.

Bioactive Components

These are unique components passed from mother to baby through breast milk. The primary antibody found in breast milk is Secretory Immunoglobulin (IgA) that coats the baby’s lungs and intestines creating a shield to prevent germs from entering the body and bloodstream. Several enzymes are also found in human breast milk that aid digestion by breaking down fats or proteins. Few enzymes found in breast milk also support the immune system.

Early Assessment of Learning Difficulties is a Boon

Does your child mix up or reverse letters while reading or has difficulty in focusing on work or paying attention in class? If these problems sound familiar then it is essential for you to find out what is happening with your child’s learning skill as early as possible by consulting a pediatrician. Your child may be having learning difficulties including Dyslexia (difficulty with reading), Dysgraphia (difficulty with written expression), Dyscalculia (difficulty with Mathematics), AD/HD (difficulty with memorizing or paying attention).

Early detection of the learning difficulties can help in improving the learning capability of children from the very beginning. The teachers and parents can get the right learning strategies after consulting their child’s doctor that will be specifically tailor made to each child’s specific strengths and weaknesses. Most education experts recommend a full learning assessment as the first step towards helping the child to reach their full learning potential.

What does a full learning assessment involve?

The learning test will vary according to the issues faced by the child and his/her age. Few basic practices include:

An initial review of the child’s learning history

Standardized cognitive testing (thinking & reasoning ability): This identifies any underlying issue with key skills such as processing speed, auditory processing, verbal learning issues and non-verbal learning issues.

Standardized achievement testing (includes academic skills): This test measures the abilities in key academic area such as reading, writing, spelling, mathematics or oral language.

Detailed assessment report with a clear summary and diagnostic opinion.

Specific learning recommendations for school and home

Comprehensive parent feedback session to answer their queries

With right learning strategies and support in place since the beginning, positive results can be achieved and maintained over a long term. Early action also reduces emotional problems associated with school performance such as failure, anxiety and depression. The information can enable parents to make more informed decisions related to their child’s education.

pediatrician

Tag: baby doctor