Breastmilk Simply Can't Be Replicated... and Here's Why!

There is a new wave of consciousness around the benefits of breastfeeding to both mother and infant that is not only backed by research but is also supported through the baby-friendly hospital initiative, access to public nursing stations and the availability of donor milk for mother’s who choose not to, or circumstantially cannot, breastfeed. 

First off, it’s important to understand the benefits of breastfeeding and what bioactive and physiological factors are working to sustain optimum infant health and wellness. The content of human milk reaches far beyond providing the nutritional calorie needs for a growing infant. More specifically, it contains immunoglobins, growth factors, erythropoietin and oligosaccharides provide systemic support and can have long-term benefits on a sweet baby’s tissue growth, gut microbiome and overall wellness. 

Immunoglobins and antibodies produced in human milk protect a vulnerable infant from their first interactions with the microbial and pathogen rich world.  For example, IgA, a valuable immunoglobin in breastmilk, is responsible for the development of infant mucosal membranes.  These membranes are essential as they are the first line of defense against illness. Research indicates that breastfeeding greatly reduces the likelihood or severity of many frightening communicable diseases including: bacterial meningitis, diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, ear infections, and [even] late-onset sepsis in preterm infants (Xavier, 2011).  His research also highlights the antioxidant rich properties of human milk comprised of vitamins C and E as well as “superoxide” enzymes that aid in digestion and immune function.

Next, another important make up of breast milk is growth factors.  Growth factors are vitamins or hormones that help encourage cell growth and maintain cell vitality.  Human milk contains growth factors that support skin, internal organ, nervous, cardiovascular and intestinal tissue growth and well-being. Erythropoietin or EPO is a growth factor that builds red blood cells to support oxygen to reach tissues all over the body.  Growth factors are not easily supplemented and provide a breadth of healthy tissue growth and function to an infant that has lasting effects on the whole body even into adulthood. 

An infant’s gut is essentially sterile at birth and relies on the live microbes in breastmilk to colonize by the colostrum and is maintained by mature breastmilk, which is rich in oligosaccharides.  The colostrum contains essential microbiota like Lactobacillus, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, and Bifidobacterium.  These bacteria are essential to the proper function of the intestinal tract.  Oligosaccharides are not broken down by the infant for energy like normal sugars, but are instrumental in feeding the healthy bacteria that colonize the intestinal tract.  The maintenance of a healthy microbiome has lasting implications on a person’s immune function, mood and overall health and wellness.

Reaching beyond the content of breastmilk is how the endocrine system reacts in support of both mother and child in the act of breastfeeding.  Nursing a child sends signals to the mother’s brain to secrete oxytocin which helps the uterus to contract back to its original size, reduces postpartum bleeding and also helps the mother to bond with her infant.  Also, maternal melatonin is transferred through her milk in the evening, which signals the infant that it is time to sleep and then during the morning feeding, a healthy dose cortisol which will in turn help the thriving newborn to regulate their circadian rhythm. 

Finally, many public facilities are recognizing the need to offer a private space for mothers to nurse their babies or to pump in a clean private space when they are away from their babies.  Did you know there is even an App for that?  It’s true, many hospitals, airports, supermarkets, and retail stores have a special room for mothers to use to nurse or to pump.  They are however not always easy to locate, and any mother would agree, when baby needs to eat, there isn’t much time to locate a space.  The App, “Mom’s Pump Here” was created by women and uses GPS technology to help mothers find the quickest way to a designated nursing space.  The rooms are deemed safe, clean and equipped with outlets for pumps and often even have diaper changing stations.  To read the full article on ABC.com click Mom's Pump Here.

Awareness begins Change!

 It is important to note that not all mothers choose to nurse and are often circumstantially prevented from doing so.  There is a breadth of access and information on how to share and receive donated human milk, but it can’t compete with the ease, access, and affordability of formula.  Donor milk is very costly and not often covered by insurance and certainly not covered by Medicaid or WIC.  The hope is that as this wave of consciousness continues to grow, it will offer mothers a variety of options at an affordable cost.  There is a need for policy-makers to understand the benefits of human milk.  The call to action includes funding programs connect every baby and caregiver to affordable or subsidized donor milk, should they need it.  This movement could have a potential impact on our healthcare system as a whole due to human milk’s influence on the immune system specifically during the first weeks of life. Finally, I cannot emphasize enough that there is simply no way to replicate breastmilk how its contents nourish the newborn body with benefits that can have lasting effect, even into adulthood.

References:

Ballard, O., & Morrow, A. L. (2013). Human milk composition: nutrients and bioactive factors. Pediatric clinics of North America, 60(1), 49–74. doi:10.1016/j.pcl.2012.10.002

Hampel, D., Dror, D. K., & Allen, L. H. (2018). Micronutrients in Human Milk: Analytical Methods. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 9(suppl_1), 313S–331S. doi:10.1093/advances/nmy017

La Leche League International. (no date) Retrieved from: https://www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/

Lipski, E. (2012). Digestive wellness: Strengthen the immune system and prevent disease through healthy digestion (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

van den Elsen, L., Garssen, J., Burcelin, R., & Verhasselt, V. (2019). Shaping the Gut Microbiota by Breastfeeding: The Gateway to Allergy Prevention?. Frontiers in pediatrics, 7, 47. doi:10.3389/fped.2019.00047

VanPutte, C., Regan, J., Russo, A., Seeley, R., Stephens, T., & Tate, P. (2017). Seeley's Anatomy and Physiology (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Woof, J. M., & Kerr, M. A. (2004). IgA function--variations on a theme. Immunology, 113(2), 175–177. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2567.2004.01958.x

World Trade Organization. (no date) Breastfeeding.

Retrieved From: https://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/exclusive_breastfeeding/en/

 Xavier, A. M., Rai, K., & Hegde, A. M. (2011). Total antioxidant concentrations of breastmilk--an eye-opener to the negligent. Journal of health, population, and nutrition, 29(6), 605–611. doi:10.3329/jhpn.v29i6.9897