Human Milk

1
Human Milk

• Colostrum
• Produced from second trimester through first
  postpartum
• Yellow appearance
• 67 kcal / 100 ml
• High concentration of secretory IgA
• Transitional Milk
• Increasing volume and caloric content
• decreasing concentration of IgA
• Mature Milk
• 75 kcal / 100 ml
• mostly water, variable fat

2
Human Milk

• Foremilk
• Early portion of feeding
• more dilute, less fat
• Hindmilk
• secreted later in feeding
• 4-5 times fat content of foremilk

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Bonding
1) Promote special closeness between mother and
baby 2) Prolactin response increases maternal
relaxation 3) Increases maternal
self-confidence 4) Meets infants need for
safety, security, and cuddling
4
Nutrition Minerals Vitamins
Minerals Na K Calcium Phosphorous Iron Vitam
ins all water- and fat-soluble vitamins are
present in breatmilk
5
Bioactive Factors

• Anti-inflammatory agents
• antioxidants
• Cytokines
• Epithelial growth factors

6
The Breast-fed Infant What Every Pediatrician
Needs to Know
7
Drugs and Breastfeeding
Analgesics - uniformly safe, NSAID and
narcotic Antibiotics - quinolones, tetracycline,
Flagyl not recommended others SAFE Seizure
medications - safe Asthma medications - safe Oral
contraceptives - progesterone only pills
recommended to preserve milk supply, no side
effects known/poor excretion into
milk Contraindicated drugs lithium, radioactive
drugs and chemotherapy agents, drugs of abuse
(marijuana)