Save Your Baby... Save Yourself!

Dr Yousuf Ali al Mulla - 

It is well known that nutrition during the first years of infancy is crucial for lifelong health, hence no gift I believe is more precious than breastfeeding, which mother can try serving her baby!
In fact, many medical organisations worldwide encourage sound feeding practice and given the importance of breastfeeding for infant health, it is observed that breastfeeding or formula feeding has been one of the new mothers earliest and most important decision.
Evidence suggests that breast milk as the exclusive source of nutrition for the first six months of life (with continued breastfeeding through the first year of life after the introduction of solid foods) provides substantial benefits to both baby and mother.
Regardless whether the mother try to nurse her baby or not, comically nowadays clinical teams in well-known medical institutes, use pasteurised donor human milk for a variety of conditions, including prematurity, allergies, feeding intolerance, immunologic deficiencies, post-operative nutrition, treatment of some infectious diseases, and treatment of certain inborn errors of metabolism.
A number of studies have underlined that human milk strengthens an infant’s immune system which helps fight disease and infection, besides such milk also contains growth hormones which helps to develop the infant’s intestinal system, and is easier to digest than formula. Infants who receive human milk also have better health and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
According to a recent study of American College of Neurology mothers who breastfeed for a total of at least 15 months over one or more pregnancies may be less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with those who don’t breastfeed at all or do so for up to four months. Such illness which in fact carries the catastrophic side effect on the mother’s health, in terms that it leads to potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord, however all this might be protected by breastfeeding for instance. Not only that, other studies also have suggested that breastfeeding carries other health benefits including a reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart attack.
From a clinical point of view, it is well known that breast milk contains immune molecules called antibodies that destroy germs.
The mother’s immune system makes these antibodies, which are disease fighting cells will quickly appear in the milk and the mother will pass them to her baby at the next feeding.
On the other hand, infant formula provides nutrition only. It has no benefit to the baby beyond the basic nutrition.
When I look to other benefits of mother’s milk, it has been demonstrated in different articles that breastfed children have higher IQs, in view that breast milk contains higher levels of certain fats that are required to support brain and nerve growth.
It’s beautiful and funny that breastfeeding benefits baby’s dad to save money. Studies have revealed the cost of the formula is around $1,200-1800 a year, with other costs of not breastfeeding like, more doctors visit and more need for antibiotics some time.
In addition to the plenty of benefits, I believe breastfeeding, as studies have shown, helps build the family ties. Studies have shown the emotional and psychological importance, as well as the bonding effects of breastfeeding to both mother and child, however the breastfeeding also develops mother’s confidence in her physical and emotional capacities.
Looking at all these, we should recognise that supporting women to optimally breastfeed is good for the society as a whole.