Infant Feeding Flashcards
how does the prevelance of breastfeeding change over the first 6 months of a babies life?
Why human milk and breastfeeding matters for babies, mothers and the population as a whole:
what is the constituents of breast milk like ocmpared to regular milk?
important for infant health
what is colostrum?
the first secretion from the mammary glands after giving birth, rich in antibodies.
what are the special features of colostrum?
packed with protective factors
concentrated nutrition
storng anti-inflammatory factors
stimulated gut growth
small volumes - intentionally
laxative effect - to clear meconium (earliest stool of a mammalian infant)
no breakfeeding increases risk for who?
mother and baby
not breats feeding increases what risk for the baby?
gastroenteritis
respiratory infecitons
allergies
obesity type 1 and 2 diabetes
SIDS
NEC
not breast feeding increases the risk of what for mothers?
breast cancer
ovarian cancer
hip fractures
heart disease
Human milk: setting up baby’s ________
defences
Tiny molecules in breastmilk such as maternal antibodies and hormones also cross the gut/blood barrier to kickstart the baby’s own immature endocrine system.
In addition tiny molecules known as metabolites have various functions including stimulation of enzyme release in babies, provision of signals from mother to baby about threats in the environment (allergies, potential infections) and support of growth and development.
Microbes or bacteria also pass from the gut to the baby’s circulatory system, and when a baby is breastfed with all the protective constituents of breastmilk the baby is more likely to continue to be colonised with the friendly microbes common to her family unit.
microbiome - our bodies are made up of trillions of microbes
how do babies begin to pick up their familial microbes?
as they pass through the vagina at birth and through their mother’s milk in the postnatal period and beyond
the microbes in our gut play many imoprtant roles
Microbiome:
- Baby may receive exposure to maternal microbes in the _____
- ________ more prevalent in mother’s vagina during pregnancy
- With vaginal birth, _________ contact and breastfeeding a mother passes on her microbial heritage to her baby
- Human milk ______________ feed the new ‘friendly’ microbes in a baby’s gut
womb
Lactobacilli
skin-to-skin
oligosaccharides
If a baby is born by ________ _______ they miss out on vaginal transfer of microbes so prolonged _________ _______ and ___________ are especially important
caesarean section - If a baby misses out on transfer of vaginal microbes their gut flora will be more compromised
skin-to-skin contact - Skin-to-skin contact whereby the baby is encouraged to lick and be in contact with their mother’s skin will help colonise his gut with some of her bacteria.
breastfeeding
what is epigenetics?
emerging evidence suggest changes to our genes can be influenced by the environmental factors
these changes are then passed down to future generations via maternal line
breast feeding may result in epigenetic changes which impact on:
- brain development
- babys immune system
- babys metabolic system
Updating the baby’s immune system at each breastfeed - how is this done and what is the process?
Picture explains how the entero-mammary and broncho-mammary pathways work
Although the baby will gain passive immunity to infections the mother has had in the past via the antibodies received through the placenta and in breastmilk, his mother’s body also works to monitor her environment and produce antibodies to current infections that she detects via her lungs or gut. These antibodies are passed directly to the breastmilk so that the baby is provided with protection with as little delay as possible.
Breastfeeding - is much more than a method of _______
Breastmilk - is much more than ____
Nutrition + Protection + _______
feeding
food
Comfort
May be useful to summarise the session and leave participants in no doubt that both breastfeeding and human milk are important for optimal nutrition, protection against infection, promoting optimal health, supporting instinctive mothering behaviour and providing comfort and nurture for the baby
how is breastfeeding protected?
- The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (the Code - The Code prohibits all promotion of bottle feeding and sets out requirements for labelling and information on infant feeding. Any activity which undermines breastfeeding also violates the aim and spirit of the Code)
- The UK law
- Professional accountability
What parents using formula need to know?
1st milks for first year – no need for follow on! (The Baby Friendly standards require that parents be informed that first milks are the most appropriate formula for babies and sufficient for the first year of life)
All brands are similar
Information on preparing and sterilising (Parents need information on sterilising and preparing milks to reduce the risk of contamination.)
Cows’ milk from one year (Companies are now promoting toddler milks to increase their sales but parents need to know that ordinary non-modified cows’ milk is recommended from one year.)
Responsive bottle feeding (Bottle feeding as responsively as possible, so that baby is held close and feeds are paced, is important to reduce overfeeding and obesity.)
explain this diagram of a breast
Lactocyte - A milk-producing cell in the mammary epithelium
During pregnancy the ductal system and alveolus develop under the influence of oestrogen, progesterone and human placental lactogen.
Inside each alveolar sac are thousands of milk producing cells called lactocytes.
Surrounding the alveolus and ductal system are a series of muscle cells called the myoepithelial cells which help squeeze the milk down the ducts to the openings in the nipple.
The magnified diagram shows a section of the milk producing cells
The prolactin receptor theory - what is it?
This diagram shows a cross section of one of the grape-like structures called the alveolus which is made up of lots of lactocytes surrounded by the orange muscle (myoepithelial) cells. On the cell wall of each lactocyte are prolactin receptors. Prolactin levels in the blood stream rise in response to touch and suckling by the baby. The more circulating prolactin (due to more frequent the contact and suckling), the greater the number of lactocytes are activated
The more early, frequent surges of prolactin there are, the greater the number of receptor sites that become primed
Feedback Inhibitor of Lactation (FIL) - how is it done?
Circulating prolactin within bloodstream controls milk production
As breasts become very full either through ineffective milk removal or long spacing of feeds a whey protein in the milk called FIL slows down synthesis by signalling to the cells to stop production
believed that the down regulation (reduced milk production) is also caused by pressure within the full breast flattening and expanding the cells and the receptor sites, making it difficult for prolactin to attach to and enter the cells
what 9 stages does a baby go through after birth?
does skin to skin contract reduce stress in babies?
This slide illustrates the effect of separation from their mother on babies’ stress hormone levels – and the effect of skin contact on this. Skin-to-skin contact is a very powerful way to reduce stress in babies requiring neonatal care
