5 fascinating facts about breast milk

• More than 83% of newborns in 2019 consumed breast milk at least once. 
• What are the benefits of breastfeeding for mom and baby?
• Learn 5 fascinating facts about breast milk!

Discover five fascinating facts about breast milk! Breast milk is produced in the mammary glands to provide nutrition to newborns and it contains numerous properties that foster babies’ development after they are born.

If possible, breastfeeding exclusively is recommended to strengthen your baby’s immune system and reduce the risk of contracting some diseases. We’ve got five incredible facts about breast milk that you may not know.

5. Breast milk facts: Breastfeeding helps burn calories

Among the most fascinating facts about breast milk is that breastfeeding helps burn calories. This is because during lactation a women’s body requires additional energy to produce this vital fluid and provide her baby with nutrients.

According to La Leche League, experts estimate that milk production requires between 300 and 500 additional calories each day. Although this could help new moms lose the baby weight, it also depends on other factors such as body composition, level of physical activity and eating habits.

4. Hearing your baby cry stimulates milk production

Did you know the sound of a crying baby can help to stimulate milk production? When a baby is suckling it helps stimulate the nerve receptors located in the nipple and areola, which sends signals to the brain to release hormones connected to lactation.

Studies have shown that sound of your baby crying can stimulate your brain as well, triggering milk flow.

3. Breast milk changes as your baby develops

Perhaps one of the most fascinating facts about breast milk is that the nutrients it contains change as your baby develops. This means it adapts to your growing baby’s nutritional needs.

In the first few days after delivery, the mother’s body produces a fluid known as colostrum, which is rich in protein and antibodies that help strengthen the newborn’s immune system and help them gradually gain weight over the next few months of life.

2. Breastfeeding promotes the connection between mother and child

During the act of breastfeeding, the mother and the newborn establish skin-to-skin contact, something that has proven to be effective in promoting attachment and communication between the two, thanks to the release of hormones such as oxytocin, which help create an emotional bond and produce a sense of calm.

This can be of great help in establishing the foundations of a solid maternal relationship. This connection helps new moms respond to their babies’ needs more readily.

1. It is full of nutrients

Breast milk is a highly nutritious as it provides newborns with everything they need to fully develop and be healthy. Nutrients found in breast milk include proteins — essential for growing and strengthening tissue — and fats which promote the development of the nervous system and brain. It also contains carbohydrates which allow the absorption of calcium and iron.

Breastfeeding has also proven to be essential for babies’ digestive systems and provide them with a rich source of vitamins that reduce the risk of contracting some diseases.