Sun Tingting: The importance of breast milk for premature babies, do mothers really understand?

If your baby came out early during pregnancy, for various reasons, the baby did not reach term and came out early, the baby may need to be in the intensive care unit because of premature birth.

What does the baby eat during the separation of mother and baby? Many people may say: there is preterm baby milk powder in the hospital!

But did you know that your milk has any advantage over formula for babies?!

So, what are the benefits of milk from premature mothers for babies?

1Active ingredients in breast milk prevent the occurrence of infectious diseases

Bioactive factors in breast milk, such as secretory IgA, lactoferrin, lysozyme, oligosaccharides, nucleotides, cytokines, growth factors, enzymes, antioxidants, etc., can significantly reduce the incidence of infectious diseases (such as sepsis, respiratory, gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections).

2 Breast milk is conducive to digestion and absorption in premature infants

Compared with preterm formula, the effects of breastfeeding on the digestive tract include: enhancing small intestinal lactase activity, accelerating gastric emptying, and reducing intestinal permeability in the early postnatal period.

3 Breastfeeding helps to improve the IQ of premature babies

Breastfeeding improves cognitive and motor development in the 3rd, 7th, 12th, 18th and 30th months of preterm infants, improves IQ scores for 7.5 to 8 years of age, and promotes brainstem maturation.

4 Breastfeeding reduces the incidence of retinopathy in preterm babies

Compared with formula feeding in preterm infants, breastfed infants have better visual acuity and lower incidence and severity of retinopathy in preterm infants, which may be related to long-chain unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants in breast milk.

5 Breastfeeding reduces the prevalence of oxidative stress-related diseases and severe acute lung disease

Premature babies are at high risk of oxidative stress, and breast milk provides protection. By studying the antioxidant effects of breast milk, it has been shown that the antioxidant effects of breast milk depend on whether it is colostrum, transitional milk, or mature milk.

The data suggest that early feeding of colostrum in preterm infants is very important, especially given that some children often face oxidative stress-related diseases (such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy, necrotizing enterocolitis, etc.) and severe acute lung disease, breastfeeding can significantly reduce the prevalence of such diseases.

6The milk of preterm mothers is superior to that of term infants

In the first few weeks after preterm birth, compared with the breast milk of term infants, the concentration of some components in preterm breast milk is significantly higher, such as secretory IgA and other anti-infective components, oligosaccharides, proteins, fats and sodium, chlorine, iron, etc. May be changed in breast milk of preterm infants to accommodate higher energy requirements of premature babies.

Preterm breast milk contains more secretory IgA, lysozyme and adiponectin. Mothers below 1000 g have significantly higher breast milk immune profiles. Macronutrients such as fat, sugar and protein in preterm breast milk are significantly higher than in term breast milk, and this component difference can last until about 8 weeks postpartum, and the smaller the gestational age, the more macronutrients are contained in the milk.

In conclusion, regardless of the mechanism of influence of gestational age on differences in milk composition, breastfeeding in preterm infants can ensure optimal nutritional programming and prevent a variety of preterm birth-related health problems. Being a mother of a premature baby, being able to provide her own milk allows the mother to play a unique and very important role in the stage when the premature baby is mainly dependent on the care of medical staff.

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Resources

[1] Karen Wambach; translated by Gao Xuelian, Sun Yu, and Zhang Meihua.

Breastfeeding and human lactation [M]. Beijing:People's Medical Publishing House.]