If you were wondering why Lisa hasn’t been appearing lately, it’s because she has been staying home taking good care of herself in the late stages of her pregnancy. And late last week, Lisa had successfully given birth to her new baby!
Lisa called me last night.
“Juliet, do you know whether breastfeeding or formula milk is better for my baby? Should I feed her both?”
In Malaysia, the National Breastfeeding Policy, in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) initiatives, recommends mothers to provide exclusive breastfeeding to babies for the first 6 months, and can continue to do so for up to 2 years.
But what about formula milk? Throughout the years, advancement in technologies and food sciences have produced numerous improvements on formula milk. I’m sure you’ve also seen many different advertisements on TV or in the media about new technologies in formula milk today.
Today, Juliet will explain in detail the characteristics and differences in breast milk and formula milk!
Breast milk/human milk
Breast milk is recommended for the first 6 months of a baby. Breastfeeding can also continue after the introduction of new food after 6 months of breast milk exclusivity. Generally, breast milk contains 87% water, 3.8% fats, 1% protein, and 7% lactose. Breast milk contains most essential vitamins except vitamins D and K, which can be supplied to your baby through other food after the 6 months of exclusive breast milk diet.
Benefits of breast milk
- Breast milk contains natural nutrients essential for the growth and development of a baby
- Breast milk contains natural antibodies to enhance illness resistance
- Breast milk is easily digested, preventing constipation and flatulence (stomach gas)
- Consumption of breast milk can lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- Consumption of breast milk is found to lead to higher intelligence during early years of childhood (no confirmation of theory for later developmental years)
- Consumption of breast milk is found to reduce the risk of babies being overweight
- Breastfeeding is found to reduce the risk of breast cancer for moms
- Breastfeeding habits is found to help moms find it easier to lose weight after childbirth
- Studies have shown that the antifungal effect of breast milk is significantly superior to other milk
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding, however, can be challenging for new moms. Here are a few tips Juliet has compiled regarding this bonding session between mummy and baby!
- It takes time to get used to breastfeeding
A good start is to have your nurse or healthcare provider put your baby on your chest as soon as possible, to help both you and your baby have a feel of skin to skin contact at birth.
- Breastfeeding can be tiring
As breast milk gets digested easily, you may have to breastfeed your baby as frequent as once per 1-2 hours, unless your baby falls asleep. When your baby is asleep, take the chance to catch a rest or a nap as well.
- Use a breast pump and store breast milk
Using a pump to collect breast milk when your baby is not hungry can let you have a rest, as your partner or caretaker can help feed the baby while you take a nap. It is also a good practice to empty your breasts with the use of a pump to avoid your breasts being overfull or overproduce milk.
- You need to take care of food and drinks intake
Even though generally normal food intake doesn’t bring a lot of adverse effects on breastfed babies, it is a good practice to keep away from substances that can harm your child’s health. These include alcohol, strong medications, artificially processed food, and cigarettes.
Lifestyle changes may be necessary for a pleasant breastfeeding experience, depending greatly on your personal health conditions. So do discuss with your doctor on how to plan your best experience!
Downsides of breastfeeding
It is also good to know that breastfeeding is not an all-rosy affair! Here are some of the potential downsides of breastfeeding:
- Breast tenderness and nipple soreness
This occurrence is normal, especially during the first week of breastfeeding - Breast engorgement or fullness
- Plugged milk ducts
- Under-production of milk (not enough milk)
- This occurrence is extremely rare
- Pollution faced by the mother can be transmitted to the child
- This includes second-hand smokes, air pollution, and careless food intake
Formula milk
Let’s now shift our attention to formula milk. Advancement in technologies has brought upon various improvements on formula milk, with some products now in similar competence with breast milk! Moreover, formula milk is a great alternative intervention so that breast milk is no longer the sole source of nutrients for babies. There are generally 2 types of formula milk usually found in Malaysian markets:
- Cow’s milk-based formula milk
Cow’s milk has different nutrient contents compared to human breast milk, so cow’s milk-based formula milk is often processed to have similar attributes to breast milk. Cow’s milk-based formula contains lactose and minerals, and usually have vegetable oils, various vitamins, and iron content to build a nutritious diet for the baby. Due to its high nutrition content, it is usually recommended to be fed to babies only after the age of 1 year. - Soy-based formula milk
Soy-based formula milk is manufactured using mainly soy proteins, so it does not contain lactose. Soy-based formula is good for babies with galactosemia (inability to metabolise sugar galactose properly) or congenital lactase deficiency (inability to break down lactose). However, unless your baby needs to have a diet of soy-based formula milk, the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) recommends cow’s milk-based formula ahead of soy-based formula milk. Studies have also found that babies who were fed soy-based formula milk were leaner in their first year and had lower fat and bone mineral content. However, there are no clear indications if this would affect the child’s growth in the future.
Benefits of formula milk
There are of course a few perks that formula milk can bring:
- Convenience
Just mix it in a bottle and you can carry it around and feed your baby anytime! - Flexibility
Your partner, or anyone, can take over your job of feeding the baby - Digested slower
Formula milk is not digested as easily as breast milk, so you won’t have to feed your baby as often - Food intake
As you don’t have to feed your baby with your own produce, you can enjoy life as it were before your pregnancy!
Downsides of formula milk
Lastly, let’s see what we need to take into consideration for formula milk!
- Expenses
Formula milk sold in the markets can be expensive, and can cost families over
RM1, 000 per year. - Not a 100% replacement
If you are fond of being natural in your ways, formula milk may not strike you as a 100% replacement for breast milk. - Antibodies
Unlike breast milk, formula milk does not provide the baby with relevant antibodies to help resist illnesses and disease symptoms. However, with constant research being done all the time, antibodies and nutrients in formula milk have been enhanced greatly! Formulations are being improved day by day, so do go through your choices to see which formula milk gives you the nutritional benefits you see best! You can also discuss with your doctor to decide on which formula milk suits your baby best!
It may be recommended traditionally to provide breastfeeding for your baby especially during the first 6 months after childbirth. However, with the enhancement of formula milk today, the flexibility of choices between the two is definitely an advantage to all mothers. After that, you can decide if you want to continue to breastfeeding with the intake of other food or switch to formula milk, as long as you have considered both options and have made an informed choice!
Juliet wishes you all the best in your journey with your baby!
Juliet’s Reminder: Make sure not to put your baby to bed with a milk bottle, as it will cause tooth decay! If your baby wants to chew on the bottle, give him/her a pacifier. Also, do not wait till your baby cries until you feed him/her, as crying means that your baby is very hungry! Watch out for signs of hunger like smacking lips or movements towards the breast. Babies usually get hungry every 4 to 5 hours! Do you have any stories to share or questions to ask? Just leave a message at juliet@erufucare.com!
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