How to choose milk start for lactating babies
When to switch to artificial milk?
Also known as start milk, it is a type of milk with a nutritive composition similar to breast milk. Although, as you can imagine, it is not exactly the same and should not replace breast milk (unless, due to different circumstances, it is strictly necessary).
Although the fundamental medical recommendation is to start breastfeeding, the baby is born immediately, and to keep it exclusively for the first six months of life, in some circumstances it may not be possible for the mother to follow her.
For example, it may be the case that certain common problems during breastfeeding, such as breast pain, cracks in the nipples or mastitis, prevent the mother from continuing to breastfeed.
In these cases it is most appropriate from the start to inform both the pediatrician and the midwife, as they will be the ones who help the mother by offering some useful tips and guidelines when passing from breast milk to artificial or start milk.
In the case of artificial lactation during the first 12 months of age the key is to opt for the milk start instead of the continuation milk. In the opinion of Carlos González, pediatrician of recognized prestige and author of the book'My son does not eat me', the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends giving babies who do not breastfeed the same milk throughout the first year. Moreover, "it is not that the continuation milk is better for older babies. It's worse than starting milk, because it's less adapted. "
What should you pay attention to when buying the first bottle of milk?
For this reason, the best option is always to opt for starting milk, since they will be covering the nutritional needs of both the newborn and the baby throughout their first year of life. And, when choosing it, you can look at the following basic tips:
- Milk for infantsAlso called or known as starting milk, it is the best option since it is a milk formula that adapts to your age. That is, it is a milk more adapted to the different nutritional needs of the baby, helping it to maintain an adequate rhythm of development and growth, trying to be as close as possible to the nutritional composition of breast milk.
- Nutritional composition similar to breast milk.It is very important to choose infant formulas that include nutrients found in breast milk in a natural way.
- That contains digestive substances.Although not all infant home milk contains them, it is important that the one you choose contains ingredients that help improve their tolerance, also preventing them from being astringent. This is the case of the combination of lactose with dextrinomaltose and ß-palmitate.
To finish, remember that breast milk should become the food par excellence during the first 6 months of the baby's life. But in the case of having to go to artificial lactation because you can not continue breastfeeding, remember that it is best to opt for milk starters for infants.
Bibliography:
- Camilia R. Martin, Pei-Ra Ling, George L. Blackburn. Review of Infant Feeding: Key Features of Breast Milk and Infant Formula. Nutrients 2016 May; 8 (5): 279. doi: 10.3390 / nu8050279. Available at: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4882692/
- Mary N Mugambi, Alfred Musekiwa, Martani Lombard, Taryn Young, Reneé Blaau. Synbiotics, probiotics or prebiotics in infant formula for full term infants: a systematic review. Nutr J. 2012; 11: 81. doi: 10.1186 / 1475-2891-11-81. Available at: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3544682/
- Giuseppe Puccio, Philippe Alliet, Cinzia Cajozzo, Elke Janssens, Giovanni Corsello, Norbert Sprenger, Susan Wernimont, Delphine Egli, Laura Gosoniu, Philippe Steenhout. Effects of Infant Formula With Human Milk Oligosaccharides on Growth and Morbidity: A Randomized Multicenter Trial. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2017 Apr; 64 (4): 624-631. Available at: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5378003/
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