Please tell me exactly why breastmilk is so amazing..

[Sheeta]

Was talking about this with a friend the other day, we know that BM is best for baby etc, but it struck me that I don't know exactly WHY..

I know it boosts the immune system, but don't understand how. I know it can provide everything your baby needs, but don't understand exactly.

I know I sound like a bit of a muppet here, but can someone please just give me the facts about the benefits of BFing?

Could someone give me a reference that shows the immunity side of breastmilk? Because as a biologist I don't quite see how the antibodies get into the baby's bloodstream given they are ingested into the gut? presumably they would be destroyed by stomach acid before they could do much. So I can see a lot of the other benefits, and can see how breastmilk could work to add antibodies into the gut, but not how they manage to prevent/reduce the severity of disease. Any references?

Actually, whilst it is better for baby because it has anti-bodies in it, it is not so much more radically better for them than formula.

women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6718276.ece

It is also the most poluted drink on the planet thanks to toxins getting into your system through the air etc but the benefits of anti-bodies far far far outweighs the negatives of breathing in pollutants.

Stigaloid, you're wrong about 'not so much better.

The expert in the Times piece you link to was misquoted and is very angry that he was misrepresented.

Here is a link to the article - in yesterday's Independent - that explains it.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/press-twisted-my-words-says-academi c-in-breastmilk-row-1766147.html

this article in the Independent debunks what was said in the Times and the Atlantic articles - straight from Dr Kramer who is spitting tacks about being misquoted.

As polluted as human breastmilk has become is it still the thing that human babies are primed to grow on. It is still, in the old language, the best thing for a baby.

Have you read any of the findings about the pollutants in cow's milk? They live breathe and eat the contents in the same soils amd air where the human foods are produced and then the diary milks go through a long production process where it risks further contamination at every step of it's evolution into formula which is not sterile or alive.

One good thing about human milk, the chain from production to consumption is one step far.

My midwife told us that 98% of Babies admitted to our local sick childrens hospital with gastroineritus every year, are bottle fed babies.

I think BM is also antibacterial. I was told to rub it into my nipples after each feed to help with soreness. It did seem to help a lot but I'm allergic to lansinol so I would try ANYTHING!

Can someone explain how an exclusively BF baby can contract chicken pox when the mother has had chicken pox herself. Would she not pass on her immunity to the baby?

I know BF is best but have never really understood the 'passing on their immunity' argument as my own BF children and all the BF babies that we know still seem to catch bugs and viruses.

Is BF not supposed to protect them from bugs?

do you reckon bfeeding my imminent twins (due 14 days) will stop them getting bad swine flu then? How does anyone reckon that might work if I am not immune to it? Just wondering in theory really, not especially worried.

Immunity is also dynamic - that is, made on the spot and driven by contact with pathogens. If you get in touch with swine flu, then your body immediately starts producing antibodies to it, which dont necessarily stop you getting it, but which reduce its impact (people with compromised immune systems are at greater risk, as we know). These antibodies then reach the breastmilk, so the baby gets a dose when he next comes to the breast.

FanjolinaJolie - my understanding is that breastfed babies can of course catch bugs, but they are better equipped to deal with them and fight them off, so perhaps the illness will be milder than it would have been had they been formula fed.

BF doesnt mean that children will never get bacterial or viral infections, it does mean that they get a head start in fighting them off as they will ingest the mothers' antibodies while their immune system is still in the process of making their own.

stigaloid, please read my link earlier on about the benefits of bf in developed countries (or the risks of formula feeding for those who prefer to put it that way!) its really interesting reading.

Also how on earth can breastmilk be more polluted than, say, water from a reservoir, coca cola, any fruit juice made with pesticided fruits, Mr Slushy, milk from heavily medicated farm cows etc etc....? Surely it is the least polluted drink on earth except maybe spring water from a Himalayan glade or similar? Or at least it is on a par with anything else that has been processed organically and then served the second it has been made...

Surely the goodness is breastmilk depends on the goodness in the mother's diet?
Is that the case?

Thanks, pooter - that's much better said!

no chilimoose - mothers' diet has little effect on the quality of the breastmilk. 'they' have studied the constituents of bm in mothers in dreadful situations - refugee camps etc, and the body raids the mothers stores for all it needs for bm to be perfect. This sounds really scary but for all but for women who are eating all diets but the very very worst and are suffering from malnutrition and starvation this isnt going to affect you. Even calcium - whenever you stop bf, no matter for how long you did it, your body will replace any calcium that was used in making your milk - and some studies have shown that you actually lay down MORE calcium than if you hadnt been bf (although the study i linked to before says there is not enough evidence to support this)

Chilimoose - no. The mother's diet has very little impact on the quality (or quantity) of the milk. There is tons of research on this. Nature has evolved over zillions of years to ensure the breastfeeding 'system' endures, even if the mother's own diet is inadequate or intermittent - if a mother is actually literally starving, it's a different matter. But low level inadequacy or temporary shortage is coped with just fine.

Well I didn't know that, but it makes sense, thank you

X posts with pooter

that is interesting tiktok, thank you.

I wonder if human breastmilk is ever bottle banked to help people with compromised immunity...

Oooh cool article in the Independant - that academic must be spitting nails. Very interesting read - thank you for providing the link.

I find it all a bit of a muchness.

I think we should live and let live. As long as our babies get the right nutrition i don't think it should matter if it comes from tit or teat.

This all sounds amazing.

I too wonder about thaliablogs' query a little further down: "Could someone give me a reference that shows the immunity side of breastmilk? Because as a biologist I don't quite see how the antibodies get into the baby's bloodstream given they are ingested into the gut? presumably they would be destroyed by stomach acid before they could do much. So I can see a lot of the other benefits, and can see how breastmilk could work to add antibodies into the gut, but not how they manage to prevent/reduce the severity of disease. Any references?"

Tiktok or anyone, how can the mother's antibodies or immunoglobins (not sure what the correct term is) be absorbed into the baby's bloodstream without being killed by the acid in the baby's gut?

Well said, stigaloid.

just did a quick google...

Antibodies: Normally, acid in the stomach is strong enough to break down and destroy immunoglobulin antibodies. However, the baby's stomach acid does not break down the antibodies in the mother's breast milk. This is because the mother's mammary (breast) glands package immunoglobulins with a protective substance. This allows the immunoglobulin to reach the infant's intestine, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream. Once the immunoglobulins enter the bloodstream, they move throughout the body, searching for any foreign substances that may harm the body.

from this article

www.wellness.com/reference/allergies/newborn-immune-system/

I thought that the protection against excema was because excema is essentially an allergic reaction caused by the same gene which causes a likelihood of hayfever, asthma etc. With these the body reacts against foreign but essentially harmless matter - such as pollen, or foreign proteins, such as cows milk - treating them as if they are harmful irritants. By avoiding introducing this foreign protein (cow's milk) to the immature gut, you are less likely to condition the gut to react to foreign proteins.

I am no scientist, but sat for ages with one, whilst learning to bf!

Thanks, pooter

Miraculous.