Baby Nutrition

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Baby nutrition is often overlooked simply because we are led to believe that all formulas are alike. This simply is not true. Baby nutrition is so essential. During this critical stage of development, cells are multiplying quickly but the body has a limited diet to draw upon.^[2] Infant nutrition is also complicated by the fact that newborns do not have equal food requirements. Their nutritional needs are affected by gestational age, birth weight and growth rate.^[1] Infant nutrition is crucially important. Infants need breast milk exclusively for the first six months of life.^[2]

Fat output is the most variable component of milk and this depends, qualitatively and quantitatively, on maternal nutrition and prolactin secretion. The diet of a wellnourished mother provides the unsaturated fatty acids within a range that assures the essential fatty acid supply to the infant.^[4] Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were analyzed through gas chromatography. Results showed that milkfish is eaten once to twice a week by Filipino households.^[5]

Fats are also incorporated as structural components of the brain and cell membranes. ^[6]

Fat content is about the same in both. In a formula, the differences are compensated by diluting and/or adding different components.^[7] Fatty acid metabolism will also feature with two very exciting sessions. ^[8]

Formulas are available for infants who may have allergies to milk protein or are lactose intolerant. There are also formulas available for premature infants and those who have metabolism disorders.^[9] Formula does not fully meet the nutritional and immunity needs of infants, leaving their immune systems failing. Babies who are breast fed are less likely to get sick with diarrhea, gastrointestinal illness, urinary-tract infections, respiratory disease or pneumonia and rarely suffer sudden infant death syndrome.^[10]

Milk based, iron-fortified, and containing the extra calories and other nutrients that these special needs preemies require, this supplemental choice will provide what their small bodies crave to grow and develop as normally as possible. So while the majority of newborns come into the world full term and will not ever need this special nutritional source, it is very comforting to know that this alternative choice to breastfeeding is available for the growing number of surviving special needs babies who did not receive the benefits of remaining in utero for the proper amount of time. Milk formulas can be devised using various rules (Meig et.al's rule, Budin's rule, Pfaundler's rule, Holt's rule, Jacobi's rule, and others). Because of the improved knowledge in infant nutrition and outstanding developments in public health administration, there has been a significantly marked reduction in infant and child mortality rates since 1895.^[12]

Child nutrition is my first love and it is always a pleasure to ensure that infants are given mother?s milk as their birthright. I strongly feel there should be a law which mandates that all mothers breastfeed their babies for at least one year.^[15] Children from higher-income families have higher participation rates, perhaps because of the cost of equipment, lessons, and nature of the programs themselves (Ross & Roberts, 2000). This discrepancy among income groups in children's participation rates in the arts shows a missed opportunity to improve developmental outcomes.^[16]

Breastfeeding is an essential lifeline for millions of infants, which provides optimal nutrition, confers benefits to women's health, has no adverse effects on the environment and can reduce family poverty, which is a major cause of malnutrition. But breastmilk has to compete in a rapidly growing market for breastmilk substitutes, now worth $10.9 billion.^[18] Breastfeeding is a learned behavior in humans that must be supported and reinforced: secular factors are converging to decrease breastfeeding in most of the world. The 1974 assembly set up a working group to initiate research, to collect data on infant nutrition and breastfeeding practices, composition of breast milk in different socioeconomic milieu, methods of conducting controlled studies on mortality in relation to feeding, and effects of hormonal contraceptives on lactation.^[19] Breastfeeding women also may use the lactational amenorrhea method, alone or with other forms of contraception, for the first six months postpartum. For this method to be effective, the woman must be breastfeeding exclusively on demand, be amenorrheic (no vaginal bleeding after eight weeks postpartum), and have an infant younger than six months.^[20]

Babies fed on breast milk have also recently been shown to have lower levels of leptin, a protein associated with obesity, than formula-fed infants. And some suspect that because most infant formula is made with sucrose rather than lactose (the natural sugar in breast milk), bottle-fed babies may be more likely to develop a preference for processed sugar.^[27] Babies need water for growth and should have a good intake of fluids every day, especially in hot, humid weather.

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