For moms

Why is breastfeeding worth it?

Breast milk is perfectly digestible and ideally suited to a baby’s nutritional needs. It provides them with essential nutrients and strengthens immunity, and its unique composition is tailored to the particular moment of the child’s life. It is a wholesome food that influences the proper psychophysical development of the child now and in the future. In addition, numerous scientific studies prove that long and exclusive breastfeeding positively affects the health of both the child and the mother.  

Benefits for infants

Mother’s milk meets all the needs of the baby and provides essential nutrients for the first 6 months of life. It is the best prepared and complete food, which is important for the proper development of the child now and in the future. Many scientific studies confirm that long and exclusive breastfeeding affects the health of the baby and the mother. Breast milk as the first food has a special function in human nutrition. Its availability, safety and quality can determine the later health of an adult. Breastfeeding is one of the pillars of “nutritional programming,” which begins in fetal life. In addition to its nutritional functions, breast milk plays an important role in the proper development of the immune, nervous and cardiovascular systems. Scientific research on the composition and properties of breast milk is constantly bringing new information on the health-promoting properties of breastfeeding. Breastfed babies receive a unique nourishment that is ideally suited to their particular moment in life. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a child’s life and continuing breastfeeding for as long as desired by mother and child. Breastfeeding builds the baby’s immune system to become a strong protective shield for the body. Mother’s milk contains immunoglobulins, the protein molecules of the immune system. During the first 6 months of a baby’s life, its immune system is just beginning to form. During this time, thanks to mom’s milk, the baby is protected from microorganisms in a passive way. Between the 6th and 24th months of life, the human immune system matures, moving into active work. This is when the mother’s antibodies are a kind of “teachers” for the baby’s immune system. They “teach” to recognize and fight viruses to which the mother was previously exposed. Breast milk contains thousands of active ingredients that have non-food value, and it is impossible to obtain them through a technological process. These include, for example, α-lactalbumin, thanks to which a protein-lipid complex is formed (the so-called HAMLET) with cancer cell-destroying properties, or the unique microbiota of breast milk, which is an essential element for the formation of the baby’s intestinal microbiome. Many studies show a correlation between the length of feeding and the elimination or reduction of hospitalization of children. Natural food more effectively protects against infectious diarrhea and otitis media, respiratory and urinary infections and bacterial meningitis, some of the most common reasons for children’s visits to hospitals. Breast milk is ideally suited to a newborn’s nutritional needs, contains only species-specific proteins and is the best-absorbed food. Children fed with breast milk are less likely to develop diseases of civilization in the future. Cardiovascular diseases, anemia, allergies, type 1 and type 2 diabetes and malocclusion are statistically detected more often among children fed with formula.  Breast milk is considered a so-called functional food due to its unique composition with preventive and health-promoting effects on the child’s body,. One of the most common causes of serious health complications in children born prematurely is necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). One way to prevent or treat the onset of NEC is to give the baby human milk. In the situation of premature birth, illness of the baby or mother, it is possible to give milk from another woman. This is handled by breast milk banks. These are specialized laboratories that obtain milk from honorary donors, test it for microbiology, subject it to the process of pasteurization, and store it in appropriate conditions to ensure safe administration to needy children. Milk banks are an integral part of the mother and child care system. This is in line with the indications of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the joint WHO and UNICEF Resolution that “Breast milk from a professional milk bank is the second food of choice for use in newborns and infants after the mother’s own milk” (WHO & UNICEF Join Statement, 1980).