Breast Flashcards
Breast feeding policy
Step 10: Strives to achieve the WHO-UNICEF Ten Steps of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative to promote successful breastfeeding:
- Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health-care staff.
- Train all health-care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
- Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
- Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one half-hour of birth.
- Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants.
- Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.
- Practice rooming in: Allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
- Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
- Give no artificial teat or pacifiers (also called “dummies” or “soothers”) to breastfeeding infants.
- Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from hospitals or clinics.
Effect of breast feeding on the breastfedded child
2.1.1. Effect of Breastfeeding
on the Health of the Breastfed Child Exclusive breastfeeding provides immediate health benefits to the infant. It reduces the rate of respiratory tract infections 9-11, otitis media12-13, diarrhoea 14-17 as well as deaths due to these diseases 18-19, especially during the first six months of life.
Effect of breastfeeding on intellectual and motor development
2.1.2. Effect of Breastfeeding
on Intellectual and Motor Development While better outcomes in cognitive, oral and neurological development are not as evident, research has shown that breastfeeding still causes
an observable effect after all confounders have been taken into account 33-35. The consistency of these findings together with a dose-response relationship suggests that this difference is real and has a biological basis even if this is not fully understood yet.
Effects of breast feeding on non communicable diseases in later life
2.1.3. Effect of Breastfeeding on Noncommunicable Diseases in later life
A few observational studies have been performed on the association between breastfeeding and a number of noncommunicable diseases in later life 36. The associations studied include obesity 37, 38, diabetes 39, 40 and cancer 41, 42. A European Commission report 43 maintains that a reduction of chronic disease risk in later life can be promoted as an additional potential benefit of breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding on maternal health
2.1.4. Effect of Breastfeeding
on Maternal Health
The initiation of breastfeeding has some immediate and short-term effects on the mother by stimulating the release of oxytocin which reduces the chance of postpartum haemorrhage through various pathways, while also delaying the return of ovulation reducing the risks associated with having another pregnancy shortly after a previous one. In the longer term, breastfeeding has been shown to help protect the mother from premenopausal breast cancer and ovarian cancer, osteoporosis and coronary heart disease44-46. Mothers who breastfeed also show an earlier return to pre-pregnancy weight.
Breastfeeding on maternal psychological health
2.1.5. Effect of Breastfeeding on Maternal Psychological Health
Women often report on the desire to experience
a sense of bonding with their newborn through breastfeeding48. Breastfeeding has an effect on the mother’s psychological health by lowering the risk condition. Although research findings are not yet conclusive, some studies have found that women
who have breastfed and those with longer duration
of breastfeeding have a lower risk of postpartum depression. There seems to be a reciprocal relationship between the two variables, with postpartum depression affecting breastfeeding, and vice versa 49.
Economic benefits of breastfeeding
2.1.6. Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the cheapest way for a household to provide nutrition to the infant when compared to the cost of alternative feeding methods 50,51. Moreover, although different analyses provide different perspectives, the conclusions that formula-fed infants are more likely to have higher costs of healthcare than breastfed babies are unanimous 52,53. Apart from this, there is also a reduction in environmental costs as a result of the reduction in packaging, transport costs and wasteful by-products of both the production and use of artificial feeding 54.
Factors affecting breastfeeding
2.2. Factors Affecting Breastfeeding
The decision to breastfeed and the ability to carry
this out depend on a series of complex and often inter-related factors 55. These include cultural factors
56 affecting feeding patterns and growth monitoring based on formula feeding. Other factors include the effect of the media including the portrayal of bottle feeding as the norm and as safe 57. National factors such as insufficient education of health professionals 58, lack of education in schools 59 and the lack of supportive environments outside the home and in
the workplace come into play 60. The existence of a national policy guaranteeing breastfeeding breaks until a child is at least six months old was associated with significantly higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding 61.
Although many women are aware that breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for the baby, they are not aware of specific benefits such as protection against diarrhoea 62. Many people including health professionals erroneously believe that infant formula and breast milk are equivalent in terms of health benefits. Breastfeeding rates are lower for younger maternal ages and lower education levels 63. Lower socio-economic status of the mother and the partner are associated with lower breastfeeding rates 64. Individual factors which affect breastfeeding include the attitude and support provided by the partner and mother and peer groups as well as the embarrassment and perceived difficulty of breastfeeding in public, especially for younger mothers. Individual factors such as painful breasts and nipples and a perception of insufficient milk can affect the decision to stop.
Some mothers are uncertain what to expect during breastfeeding and how to actually carry it out. Some women expect it to be easy and then may not be prepared for the early challenges. On the other hand, there may be a misconception that many women experience difficulties with breastfeeding and this may cause excessive concern about its feasibility
65,66. Half of adults in the United States believe that a breastfeeding mother has to give up many habits in her lifestyle, so that breastfeeding can be perceived as a threat to mothers’ freedom and independence 67.
Functions of breast milk
Breast milk and its most important functions:
Supplies energy for growth.
Promotes brain and vision development.
Supports the development of a strong immune system.
Helps in the maturation of the digestive system.
Protects against allergies by strengthening the dominant intestinal flora known as bifidobacteria.
Protects against obesity (according to the German Society of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)
Composition of breast milk
The composition of breast milk
Breast milk is made up of more than 200 components. The most important for your baby are:
Carbohydrates, such as prebiotic oligosaccharides
Fats, including long-chained polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs)
Proteins
Vitamins
Minerals and trace elements
Other constituents
Breast milk consists of 87.5% water and 12.5% macronutrients, primarily carbohydrates, but also high-quality fats and proteins, as well as vital micronutrients -vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
Depending your baby’s age, one Litre of breast milk contains approximately 53-61g of lactose, 30-50g of fat and LCPs, 10-12g of indigestible carbohydrates (prebiotic oligosaccharides) and 8-10g of protein.
Breast milk adapts to babys needs
Breast milk adapts to your baby’s needs
Breast milk adapts to your baby’s needs based on their age and stage of development. In the first few days after birth, breast milk is called colostrum. Due to the high immunoglobulin (antibody) content, colostrum is very high in protein and stimulates intestinal activity – exactly what your baby needs after birth. Then the transitional milk has a higher fat and energy content, corresponding to the baby’s stronger digestive system and higher energy requirement.
About 14 days after birth, the breast milk is known as mature milk. It has high levels of fat and carbohydrates, with less protein, fewer minerals, less sodium, zinc and especially fat-soluble vitamins. Its high energy density remains relatively constant throughout the breastfeeding period.
Mature breast milk is extremely important because infants need roughly 3 times as much energy per pound of body weight as adults, due to their rapid growth. If we compare the size and capacity of the stomach, it quickly becomes clear why breastmilk has to have such high energy density: a baby’s stomach is only one tenth of the size of an adult’s. It can hold 200ml at most, while our adult stomachs can hold up to 2000ml.
