The Composition of Maternal Milk |
Maternal milk is the ideal food for the baby. It is complete, and it does not require any supplements, at least during the first months of life.
It is the basic food for the baby’s nutrition during the first year because it satisfies its nutritional needs. The nutritional elements present in human milk favour an optimal psychophysical development and, at the same time, carry out an important preventive role in regard to development in adult life: obesity, diabetes, arterial hypertension, and arteriosclerosis.
It contains appropriate quantities of:
Proteins: they are more nutritious, easier to digest, less allergenic and with a stronger anti-infective function than cow’s milk.
Sugars: of which 90% is made up of lactose. The absence of saccarose in human milk prevents the baby from getting used to the consumption of food which is excessively sweet and reduces the risk of dental decay.
Fats: They are well absorbed and digested by the intestines. Human milk is particularly rich in essential fats, that is to say, those fats that the organism is not able to produce and which must be taken with food.
Mineral salts: They are not plentiful, but this is an advantage, as the kidneys of a newborn baby are still not able to eliminate an excess of mineral salts with the urine, whilst, at the same time, they keep the amount of water that the organism needs. In this way, the organism of the newborn baby avoids the risk dehydration.
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Vitamins: They are sufficient for the baby’s needs, including vitamin D, on condition that the mother’s diet is well balanced.
Calcium: It is present to a lower extent than in cow’s milk, but it is better absorbed by the intestines.
Iron: Only starting from the 6th – 9th month of life, is it necessary to integrate this element into the feeding of the baby (weaning).
Sodium: It is present in moderate quantities, which prevent the newborn baby from getting used to a salty taste. It protects the
baby against the development of arterial hypertension in the course of time.
Water: It completely covers the baby’s needs.
Human Milk Is not Always the Same
Mother’s milk is such a perfect food that its composition changes according to the phases of growth of the baby, the time of day and
the time between beast-feedings. The composition of maternal milk also changes during the course of the same feeding session:
at the end of the feeding session, the amount of proteins and fats is greater than at the beginning.
* Italian Society of Neonatology (ISN). Recommendations on maternal breast-feeding of babies born by the due date, of appropriate weight and in good health. Doctor and Child 2002;21:91-98.
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