The breast milk is the most nutritious food a mother can give her newly born baby. It is also the best food for a growing infant.

Experts say that for the baby to get all the benefits inherent in it, the mother must practise exclusive breastfeeding.

Consultant Paediatrician, Dr. Yeni Olarenwaju, defines exclusive breastfeeding as the act of giving a baby only breast milk in the first six months of life without adding any supplements , food or liquids – not even water.

Even the World Health Organisation recommends that babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, after which the mother can introduce appropriate complementary foods for the next two years.

The WHO notes that exclusive breastfeeding is the single most effective intervention for preventing child deaths. Yet, less than 40 per cent of infants under six months receive the benefits.

According to the global body, approximately 1.3 million deaths can be prevented each year if at least 90 per cent of mothers practise exclusive breast feeding.

Consultant Paediatrician, Dr. Bunmi Adeniyi, says that six months exclusive breastfeeding is key to the survival of a child, as it helps in boosting the baby’s immunity level to fight diseases and infections.

According to Adeniyi, the breast milk, especially the first thick yellow milk called colostrum, contains anti-bacterial and anti-viral agents and high levels of vitamin A that protect infants against diseases. He notes that promoting exclusive breast feeding reduces the incidence of killer diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, jaundice and other respiratory infections.

“Breast milk is a natural source of food for the baby and it is important for the baby’s growth. It also contains antibodies that protect infants from bacteria, viruses and other childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and respiratory infections – diseases killing children in Nigeria.

“It is a strategy that the nation must encourage mothers to adopt to reduce the alarming infant mortality rates in Nigeria.”

Adeniyi adds that the breast milk is the safest food for a newborn as it has the right amount of energy, protein, fat, vitamins and other nutrients which the baby needs to grow optimally in the first six months.

He states,“ The body system of a baby in the first six months is most susceptible to infection. Every other food you give them is foreign apart from breast milk. The danger of introducing other foods is that they may be contaminated, and you cannot verify the source. The only safe and reliable source of food for infants is the breast milk. It cannot be duplicated or counterfeited.”

Many mothers worry about not giving their babies water while breastfeeding. However, experts warn that this practice may compromise the gains of breast feeding.

They note that they need not worry as 88 per cent of breast milk is made up of water.

He explains, “ Breast milk is already 88 per cent water, you need not add more. It has all the nutrients that the baby needs in the first six months of life. Studies show that healthy, exclusively breastfed infants under six months old do not need additional fluids, even in countries with extremely high temperatures and low humidity.

“ Offering water before six months reduces their breast milk intake, interferes with full absorption of breast milk nutrients, and increases the risk of illness from contaminated water and feeding bottles.”

Olanrewaju adds that nutrients in the breast milk are essential for the baby’s brain development, especially in the first year.

Here are some health benefits for mothers who breast feed.

Lowers cancer risk

Women who breastfeed for over six months are less likely to develop early breast cancer, than women who do not breastfeed – as long as they do not smoke – a surgeon-led study suggests.

Emilio Gonzalez-Jimenez, PhD, of the University of Granada in Spain, and his colleagues came to this position after analysing   the medical records of 504 women between 19 and 91 years of age who had been treated for breast cancer at one of the city’s hospitals.

Women who had not breastfed their babies were, on the average, found to get breast cancer 10 years earlier than breastfeeding mothers.

The university team included a number of factors in their analysis – age of breast cancer diagnosis, length of breastfeeding, family history of cancer , alcohol consumption and smoking habits.

Jimenez says, “Breastfeeding for periods of over six months not only provides children with numerous health benefits, but also protects the mother from serious diseases such as breast cancer.

Also, experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research recommend that new mothers breastfeed their children for at least the first six months. They cite convincing evidence that this practice offers cancer protection to both mother and child.

According to AICR, new mothers can directly lower their own risk of both pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer by breastfeeding.

They add that children who are breastfed are less likely to become overweight or obese, which in turn lowers their risk of several common cancers that have now been convincingly linked to excess body fat.

The scientists note that mothers who breastfeed recover from childbirth more quickly and easily. According to them, the hormone oxytocin, released during breastfeeding, acts to return the uterus to its regular size more quickly and can reduce postpartum bleeding.

Finally, exclusive breastfeeding delays the return of the mother’s menstrual period, which can help extend the time between pregnancies.

It is a natural form of contraception and family planning , if the mother’s menses have not returned.