Why is exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months a good start for babies?

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1. What is exclusive breastfeeding?

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months is the optimal infant feeding method and is recommended worldwide. To carry out this method, the mother will only breastfeed the baby without eating or drinking any food or drink other than breast milk, including cooked water... The feeding time is in the first 6 months of life to Make sure your child has the best start in life. In addition, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months provides all the energy and nutrients a baby needs, as well as growth factors and immune components that help protect the baby from infection. coincide.

2. Benefits of breast milk

Breast milk contains more than 300 different components and one of the remarkable things about breast milk is that its composition changes according to the needs of the baby. Composition changes as the baby grows and develops.

Breast milk will be divided into types:
Colostrum Colostrum is quite special compared to other types of milk. Colostrum has a thick consistency, light yellow color and more specifically, it contains a lot of protein. Therefore, the infant should be breastfed within the first hour after birth. Because at this time, colostrum is already produced right after the baby is born.
Colostrum is produced within a few days of birth and has a different composition than the milk that follows, for example it has a lot of antibodies to help strengthen the baby's immune system. Two to three days after birth, colostrum turns into a thinner milk, and the baby will then begin to take in larger amounts of milk.
Mature milk Mature milk is the milk that is converted from colostrum after 3-4 days. The large amount of mature milk produced makes the mother's breasts full and firm. This is also the phenomenon of lactation
Foremilk Milk is secreted at first when the baby suckles. First meal milk has a clear white color, a large quantity provides a lot of protein, sugar, water as well as other nutrients.
Milk at the end of a meal Milk is secreted at the end of a baby's feeding. This milk is different from the first milk and at this time, the mother's breasts are not as full as at first. The milk at the end of the meal has a milky white color and the ingredients in the milk are mainly fat to help provide the baby with more energy for rapid growth. And this amount of fat is also much higher than the fat in foremilk.
Due to the change in composition over time, breast milk also changes in composition during a feeding, the milk available at the beginning of a feeding is thinner while providing the baby with more liquid, while the milk at the end Breastfeeding is richer in energy and nutrients. Therefore, in order to provide adequate nutrients for the baby in a single breast-feeding session, it is necessary to comply with the requirements of the breastfeeding process. In particular, the baby should finish one breast of milk before switching to a new one. This will take advantage of all the nutrients contained in a breast milk.

3. What are the benefits of breastfeeding?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life. It is also recommended that infants should not be given solid foods (and liquids other than breast milk or formula) before 17 weeks of age. However, despite the well-publicized benefits of breastfeeding for short- and long-term health, the UK still has one of the lowest rates of children in Europe. applied this method. The Newborn Feeding Survey, shows that 45% of all mothers in the UK exclusively breastfeed at one week, while 21% exclusively breastfeed after 6 weeks. At 4 months, this number drops to 7%, while at 6 months the percentage of mothers who exclusively breastfeed is negligible. So, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months offers the following benefits:
3.1. Benefits for the baby Breast milk provides nutrients to the baby with the ideal combination of nutrients in milk to meet the baby's needs and the composition of breast milk automatically changes as the baby grows. up and develop.
Breast milk provides a range of protective factors, such as growth factors and immunoglobulins. Therefore, exclusive breastfeeding for at least 3 months is positively associated with reduced incidence and severity of gastroenteritis, ear infections, and respiratory infections in infants. born.
There is increasing evidence that breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of childhood obesity and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension and insulin resistance. . will be developed in later life.
The ability to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months may also protect against certain immune system-related diseases in future life, such as: diabetes, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and could be cancer, although more research is still needed.

Furthermore, some studies have also tested and found that breastfeeding may also protect against allergies. However, the study results are still inconsistent. This requires more in-depth studies to base and clarify this result.
3.2. Benefits for the mother Studies have also found that breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in the mother and possibly ovarian cancer in later life.
Breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of osteoporosis and hip fractures in the postmenopausal period.
Breastfeeding will help the mother lose weight faster after giving birth and return the firmness of the uterus after birth.
3.3. Benefits for society In addition to breastfeeding brings benefits to both mother and baby, this activity also brings many benefits to society. That is demonstrated by reducing the risk of disease and reducing medical costs.
To protect children's health, parents should do well to breastfeed their babies exclusively for the first 6 months (if possible) and vaccinate on schedule. As soon as a child shows symptoms such as anorexia, fatigue, and crying, the child needs to go to the hospital to be consulted by a specialist for monitoring and treatment.
Pediatrics department at Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for receiving and examining diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to: viral fever, bacterial fever, otitis media, pneumonia in With a system of facilities, modern medical equipment, sterile space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread, Vinmec will bring satisfaction to customers. products and are highly regarded by industry experts.
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Reference source: nutrition.org.uk