Science Says That Breast Milk Is Basically Magical

Nov 15, 2018 by apost team

Breast milk is known for being the healthiest way to feed a newborn child. This milk is perfectly designed by the human body to match each stage of the child's development. It can even do magical things like add new antibodies when the baby is fighting a cold. While formula was extremely popular a few decades ago, scientists now know that breast milk is the best option for your baby.

Breast milk starts with colostrum when the baby is born. Soon, it changes to match the baby's needs. The amazing thing is that breast milk can actually change based on your child's gender. When milk is produced for a girl, it tends to have less protein and fat in it.

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In one remarkable study, researchers found that this gender difference can even change between cultures. In 2012, a study reported that impoverished moms in Kenya actually made better, fattier milk for their daughters than for their sons. Researchers believe that this might be related to the fact that girls can actually boost the family's social standing through making a good marriage.

As the baby grows up, breast milk naturally adjusts the baby's changing needs. Colostrum is produced in the first couple of days. After a year, the milk has higher energy and fat content because the baby requires more calories and fat.

This is probably one of the most magical qualities of breast milk. It somewhat makes sense that breast milk would change as the baby ages. After all, it seems possible that the body could tell that time has passed. The amazing thing is that the mother's body can actually get feedback directly from her infant. When her baby suddenly catches a cold or is exposed to a virus, her milk adds extra antibodies to fight the disease.

This is astounding because it means that the baby's body is somehow communicating with the mother's body. Scientists are not sure how this actually happens, but they think that it might occur during the feeding process. The baby's mouth might send signals when it latches on to the mother's nipple. These signals then tell the mother's body to create the right antibodies. You can even see this process happening in pictures. When a baby becomes sick, the mom's milk starts to look like colostrum. This makes sense because colostrum is naturally full of leukocytes and antibodies.

This is one of the facts that most people have already heard about breastfeeding. When a child consumes breast milk, they have better physical health and lower chances of getting sick. The amazing thing is that this effect lasts for decades and possibly forever.

When you breastfeed your child, your reduce the chances that your child will ever have to deal with allergies or asthma. Scientists think that this is because the short-chain fatty acids in breast milk line the baby's colon and create a healthier immune system. Plus, proteins in breast milk may even help with fighting cancer.

Other mammals make oligosaccharides in their milk. Human moms can make a whopping 200 varieties of Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs). The interesting thing is that babies cannot actually digest these sugars.

If a baby cannot digest the simple sugars, why bother putting so much energy into making them? Scientists cannot be completely sure, but they think it is because of how HMOs interact in the baby's gut. The baby cannot actually digest the HMOs, but these sugars help their body process energy and protein more efficiently.

You have probably heard about using milk for treating adult insomnia. It turns out that this trick actually works for babies as well. Breast milk actually changes to encourage your baby to sleep. During twilight, the mother's milk develops more nucleotides to help with sleep. Because of this amazing discovery, scientists are suggesting that moms use pumped milk during the time of day when they pumped it. Otherwise, they could be missing out on chemicals that match that specific time of day.

Breastfeeding is not just healthier and cheaper than bottle feeding. It is the only option that allows the milk to adjust for the baby's age, illnesses, gender and sleep schedule. Breastfeeding is just another miracle associated with giving birth.

If you were truly amazed by these magical facts, see what your friends think about them.