Exclusive breastfeeding or mix feeding?

As most pregnant mums will testify, it's almost impossible to get through a pregnancy without someone telling you to breastfeed.  Whether it's your Midwife or your best friend's Auntie Mable, someone is always ready to tell you it's "best".  The guidelines from the Department of Health go one step further and recommend exclusive breastfeeding for six months; which means no water, formula or other complimentary foods.  Yet ask mums why exclusive breastfeeding is different to mix feeding (ie using a combination of both breastfeeding/breastmilk and breastmilk substitutes) and many, including myself as a new parent I should add -  really aren't that sure at all.  Because it makes them healthier?

So - I hope this article helps anyone wondering why, to understand things a little better.  I want to say at this point that ANY breastmilk, even one single feed per day is better for a baby than none.  It still contains valuable hormones, cancer fighting cells, vitamins, nutrients and a whole host of other things your baby cannot get elsewhere - plus contact time at the breast which is also significant in terms of neurological development.  If you are only giving one feed, celebrate what you DO give your infant and if it's not where you want to be, get help to achieve your personal aims.

Before birth, your baby is used to an environment free from bacteria; so the tract which runs from mouth to anus is sterile.  If born normally, they are exposed to your bacteria first and they are protected from this by antibodies you passed through the placenta when pregnant.  Aside from this, baby only receives some immunity to specific viral infections.

What makes babies vulnerable at this time is that their own immature immune system takes several years to produce adult levels of some antibodies, and up to six years for others.  It needs to learn how to respond to problems, even to establish what is a problem and what isn't,  If bacteria invade, it's a bit like heading up an army with 90% less men than an adult, oh and they're also new recruits. 

The double blow for infants is until around six months they have an "open gut" - which basically means large molecules can pass from the gut, directly into their bloodstream (attacking where it hurts).  All this leaves babies and young children with a marked susceptibility to infections, and also a struggle when infection strikes, with the potential for it to spread easily.

Now everyone knows we are Mammals (the Bloodhound Gang even sang about it) and everyone knows this means we make milk for our young.  So baby and their vulnerable system isn't actually a stand alone unit - it's part of a pair.  And that's where breastmilk brings out the big guns.  It's (as if by magic) rich in the specific antibodies baby lacks, providing them with passive immunity until his own system is mature enough to take over. Mum (like any good Lara Croft would) also creates specific antibodies for baby whenever she comes in contact with harmful germs. As if that's not enough, when baby breastfeeds, he passes any germs he has picked up to mum, and her James Bond style immune system produces the antibodies and then passes them back at subsequent feedings.

Antibodies ordinarily hitting a gut would be destroyed by the stomach acids, but these are not just antibodies - they are within a product made up of hundreds of constituents (the vast majority of which cannot be replicated).  Different things within breastmilk create amazing conditions where the acid levels allow good bacteria to thrive; aiding digestion and interfering with the growth of harmful bacteria.  Antibodies, like a mass army coat the surface of the tract, acting as a seal for the “open gut”, and actively preventing germs being absorbed into baby’s bloodstream.

These antibodies are clever - they “ignore” good bacteria, but cling to and destroy harmful germs. Other consituents enter the baby's bloodstream and move throughout the body, searching for any foreign substances that may cause harm.  In fact, instead of new recruits, mum deposits highly specialised teams on search and destroy missions!  Some prevent bacteria multiplying and carry them from the body, some damage bacteria so they are unable to replicate and cause further damage, some bind to the organisms bacteria could feed on to remove their food source. Some are really clever and send out signals which mobilise other parts of the immune system, whilst others then direct the immune cells to where they are needed. Some cells within breastmilk have the ability to turn into other types of cells, serving as a sort of internal repair system! Others act as squadron leaders, showing the infant’s immune system how to respond and helping to prevent an over-reaction.  Another very special constituent has been shown to kill forty different types of cancer, whilst others such as T-Cells may be markers for lifelong health; this list goes on and on with new discoveries still being made.

When you think of what help a non breastfed baby goes without - is it any shock they are at risk of increased risk of everything from SIDS to gastroenteritis? 

The reason experts recommend exclusive feeding is that only small amounts of formula or solid foods, cause a shift that destroys this environment; wiping out the army coating and killing good bacteria. Just one formula supplement per day will result in an almost immediate shift in which good bacteria are no longer dominant. If breastmilk is given exclusively again, it takes two to four weeks to return to a state favouring good bacteria.  If breastmilk substitutes are used in the first few days, the gut flora may never reach normal levels.  Bad gut flora allows bacteria to thrive, and in addition to disease, has been linked to conditions such as yeast overgrowth, colic & reflux which can cause delayed development and growth.

The introduction of solid food causes a rapid rise in the number of bacteria which can cause infections such as Salmonella and E-Coli. Numbers also increase of other extremely antibiotic-resistant germs responsible for a variety of infections throughout the body, including ear infections, diarrhoea and even meningitis.

Around the middle of the first year, in readiness for the introduction of solids, the gut closes, preventing harmful pathogens entering the bloodstream. Introducing foods (alongside breastmilk) that are sources of “good bacteria”, or encourage them to thrive, is important to continued health.

Breastfeeding is the cornerstone of infant health, with an impact on lifelong outcome. Artificial formula has none of the above attributes; it is a static product that actively destroys protection provided by human milk. The baby therefore starts solids with a gut of harmful bacteria and may never recover.  As a result rates of sickness, disease and even mortality rates are higher in infants not exclusively breastfed - with a knock-on effect lasting right into adulthood.

Scientists are researching the potential of various breastmilk constituents in the longer term for treating conditions such as:

• Spinal injuries v
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Dementia and stroke recovery.
• Parkinson’s disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Septic shock.
• Acne

Today, some patients suffering from immunological diseases - such as HIV, leukaemia or hepatitis - or those receiving therapy that reduces the immune system, such as chemotherapy, are drinking breast milk in the hope that it can help adults, just as it helps babies. It has also been taken by cancer patients who claim it slows the progression of the disease and in the USA, some milk banks provide it to adults with a prescription from their doctor.