Health U-turn over breastmilk - Breast Feed 1st 6month!!

This is a very interesting report. The Scottish Government is advising their people to breast feed their new born baby for the 1st 6 month as a measure to prevent Kid's obesity.

My research into these is based on my late mom experience & also having the case studies myself.

Yes, the breast feed have its distinct advantages as it is the extension for Body to acquire nutrients from the mother, after birth. However, one must ensure that Mother must be on healthy diets & drinks herself prior to conceive of baby. Then, they would do good for the baby when they breastfed.

For example, if the mother of the baby, during the conceive period like to eat Curry, then the baby would likely to be have obesity at young age.

Also, if the baby mother, like to eat sweets, Titbits, Soft Drinks... then the tendancy for her baby to be having obesity is very high.

Therefore for the Great Health of your Kid's please mindful about what you eat & what you drink.


Health U-turn over breastmilk
ALISON HARDIE HEALTH CORRESPONDENT

MILLIONS of mothers around the world have been wrongly advised to stop breastfeeding and use formula milk instead, triggering a startling rise in obesity, health experts warned yesterday. The World Health Organisation has called for a radical overhaul of targets for infant growth after discovering that existing recommended weights for two and three-year-olds were 15 to 20 per cent too high.

The Scottish Executive said last night that it would seriously consider any new guidance from the UN body.

But a spokeswoman added that while the baby weight charts were useful, they were only a "guide" and that health workers always tailored their advice to individual children’s needs and birth weight.

Research by the WHO found that, typically, growth charts are based mainly on American studies of babies that have been fed formula milk.

American children also tend to be heavier than those from European countries, skewing the charts further.

The WHO said measuring breast-fed babies against the US-linked charts meant they can be judged as growing poorly from as young as two or three months when they are perfectly healthy.

As a result, their mothers are often advised to supplement their diet with formula milk or even wean the child completely, causing them to miss out on the benefits of breast milk.

These "flawed" figures - used by health authorities in countries throughout the developed and developing worlds - suggest a healthy one-year-old weighs between 22.5lbs and 28.5lbs, when in fact the true healthy weight is 21lbs to 26lbs.

Dr Mercedes de Onis, nutrition expert and co-ordinator of the WHO study, said: "The problem is that by these charts, breast-fed babies seem to be growing poorly from as early as two to three months.

"This may make paediatricians recommend the mothers to introduce complementary foods or wean the baby, because the baby seems to not be growing well.

"But the problem is not that the baby is not growing well, it is that the standards do not reflect the growth of breast-fed infants.

"Formula-fed infants have higher intakes of energy and as a result they put on more weight.

"The breast-fed baby has a lower body temperature, lower metabolic rate, different sleep patterns and is leaner. They are two different sets of babies and as a result they grow differently."

Dr de Onis said it was important to adjust the charts because too many children were missing out on breast feeding.

She added: "Children who have been breastfed go on to suffer less obesity, they have lower rates of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and so on. We are storing up health problems for the future."

According to NHS figures, 40 per cent of mothers breast feed their babies in Scotland - the Executive’s target is 50 per cent.

The spokeswoman said: "There are a range of baby growth charts available and while these are very useful they are only a guide. In the early months of a child’s life the health visitor will offer support and advice on feeding practices, healthy weight gain and development.

"Any guidance issued by the World Health Organisation on baby growth charts will be considered by the Executive and we will advise NHS boards accordingly."

The government currently recommends that babies should be fed breast milk alone for the first six months.

Scotsman.com News - Health - Health U-turn over breastmilk