The more we learn about breast milk and breastfeeding, the more the maxim “breast is best” rings true. Breast milk delivers crucial nutrients and antibodies to babies, helping to both protect them against infection and build their immune systems. New findings show each mother’s milk has unique immunity-boosting properties.
Protecting against NEC
A baby’s early immunity is directed by antibodies from breast milk. The new research provides insight into why protection against different infections varies among infants and why some develop a life-threatening gut disease called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), the University of Pittsburgh reported.“This means that if a baby’s [mother] happens to lack particular antibodies—such as those that fend off NEC–[the baby is] never going to receive that immunity. This could help explain why some babies get NEC and others don’t,” said Mr. Hand.
“In the future, better understanding of specific bacteria that are most dangerous for preterm infants at risk of NEC could help researchers develop antibodies that could be added to formula or breast milk to boost immunity,” they wrote.
Premature babies who are fed donor milk, which is commonly pasteurized, are more likely to develop NEC. The researchers attributed this to the pasteurization process that all human milk banks use on donated milk.
Ann Miller, a registered nurse and a certified lactation counselor at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital in Fairview Park, Ohio, affirmed that pasteurizing breast milk results in loss of nutrients, but also still advocates for its use. “They don’t know exactly what the [extent of] the loss is, but we still feel that donor milk is better [than formula],” she told The Epoch Times.
“Breast milk from the mom to the baby is the perfect food. It’s tailored to the baby’s immune system,” she said. She told The Epoch Times that her facility encourages new mothers to initiate breastfeeding soon after they give birth—even if their child is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and cannot yet feed by mouth—to help build their babies’ immune systems.
“We encourage the moms [who have babies in the NICU] within six hours after delivery to begin pumping to stimulate their breasts to encourage their milk supply to come in. It is the colostrum, then the mature milk, that can really help to coat the digestive system and prevent NEC. You can’t find these antibodies [that are found in breastmilk] in formula. Mother’s milk, starting with colostrum, is best.”
Stimulating and Optimizing Milk Supply
Lactation is triggered by hormones, Ms. Miller explained, and once the placenta leaves the body after childbirth, she said, “it’s as if the body says, ‘OK, I need to pull in the prolactin and the oxytocin to make milk.’” Breast stimulation, along with skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby, makes this happen.Mothers can boost their nutrition to help them stay healthy and strong during this physically demanding time. “If a mother is healthy … then she has a better chance for a healthier milk supply,” said Ms. Miller.
Most importantly, she said, nursing mothers should focus on maintaining a healthy weight, eating a well-rounded, healthy diet, and avoiding both prescription and over-the-counter drugs if possible.
Finding Donor Milk for Your Baby
Historically, mothers who were unable to breastfeed their newborns turned to “wet nurses,” who were usually family members or friends currently breastfeeding their own children, to nourish their babies.Today, women in this situation may turn to milk banks if they wish to feed their babies donor human milk rather than formula. Milk donated to these banks is pasteurized and donors are screened for disease.
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