Infant formula,also called baby formula,simply formula,baby milk or infant milk,is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age,usually prepared for bottle-feeding or cup-feeding from powder or liquid. The U.S. Federal Food,Drug,and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) defines infant formula as "a food which purports to be or is represented for special dietary use solely as a food for infants by reason of its simulation of human milk or its suitability as a complete or partial substitute for human milk".
A breast pump is a mechanical device that lactating women use to extract milk from their breasts. They may be manual devices powered by hand or foot movements or automatic devices powered by electricity.
Breast milk or mother's milk is milk produced by mammary glands located in the breast of a human female. Breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborns,containing fat,protein,carbohydrates and variable minerals and vitamins. Breast milk also contains substances that help protect an infant against infection and inflammation,whilst also contributing to healthy development of the immune system and gut microbiome.
La Leche League International (LLLI) is a non-governmental,nonprofit organization that organizes advocacy,education,and training related to breastfeeding. It is present in about 89 countries.
Lactational amenorrhea,also called postpartum infertility,is the temporary postnatal infertility that occurs when a woman is amenorrheic and fully breastfeeding.
Erotic lactation is sexual arousal by breastfeeding on a woman's breast. Depending on the context,the practice can also be referred to as adult suckling,adult nursing,and adult breastfeeding. Practitioners sometimes refer to themselves as being in an adult nursing relationship (ANR). Two persons in an exclusive relationship can be called a nursing couple.
Breastfeeding difficulties refers to problems that arise from breastfeeding,the feeding of an infant or young child with milk from a woman's breasts. Although babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk,and human breast milk is usually the best source of nourishment for human infants,there are circumstances under which breastfeeding can be problematic,or even in rare instances,contraindicated.
Breastfeeding,or nursing,is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast,or may be pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that breastfeeding begin within the first hour of a baby's life and continue as often and as much as the baby wants. Health organizations,including the WHO,recommend breastfeeding exclusively for six months. This means that no other foods or drinks,other than vitamin D,are typically given. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life,followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years and beyond. Of the 135 million babies born every year,only 42% are breastfed within the first hour of life,only 38% of mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months,and 58% of mothers continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years and beyond.
Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals,although it may predate mammals. The process of feeding milk in all female creatures is called nursing,and in humans it is also called breastfeeding. Newborn infants often produce some milk from their own breast tissue,known colloquially as witch's milk.
Breastfeeding promotion refers to coordinated activities and policies to promote health among women,newborns and infants through breastfeeding.
Diana West is a leading lactation consultant and author specializing on the topic of breastfeeding.
Infant feeding is the practice of feeding infants. Breast milk provides the best nutrition when compared to infant formula. Infants are usually introduced to solid foods at around four to six months of age.
Ann Prentice is a British nutritionist.
The human milk microbiota,also known as human milk probiotics (HMP),refers to the microbiota (community of microorganisms) residing in the human mammary glands and breast milk. Human breast milk has been traditionally assumed to be sterile,but more recently both microbial culture and culture-independent techniques have confirmed that human milk contains diverse communities of bacteria which are distinct from other microbial communities inhabiting the human body.
Human milk immunity is the protection provided to the immune system of an infant via the biologically active components in human milk. Human milk was previously thought to only provide passive immunity primarily through Secretory IgA,but advances in technology have led to the identification of various immune-modulating components. Human milk constituents provide nutrition and protect the immunologically naive infant as well as regulate the infant's own immune development and growth.
Lisa Bodnar is an American nutritional and perinatal epidemiologist. She is the Vice-Chair for Research and a tenured professor at University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on the contributions of pregnancy weight gain,dietary patterns,maternal obesity,and maternal vitamin D deficiency to adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes.
Elisabeth Anderson Sierra,also known as "the milk goddess",is an American woman who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest individual donation of breast milk.
The first 1000 days describes the period from conception to 24 months of age in child development. This is considered a "critical period" in which sufficient nutrition and environmental factors have life-long effects on a child's overall health. While adequate nutrition can be exceptionally beneficial during this critical period,inadequate nutrition may also be detrimental to the child. This is because children establish many of their lifetime epigenetic characteristics in their first 1000 days. Medical and public health interventions early on in child development during the first 1000 days may have higher rates of success compared to those achieved outside of this period.
Delayed onset of lactation (DOL) describes the absence of copious milk secretion (onset of lactation) within the first 72 hours following childbirth. It affects around 20–40% of lactating women,the prevalence differs among distinct populations.
Establishment of breastfeeding refers to the initiation of providing breast milk of mother to baby. According to the World Health Organisation(WHO),breastfeeding is the best way to provide nourishment,including essential nutrients,energy and antibodies,to infants and toddlers. The start of breastfeeding is supported by the milk production which depends on the development of internal and external breast structure and hormonal control on milk secretion. Besides milk supply,adopting the correct approach of breastfeeding helps build up the maternal bond,which in turn promotes breastfeeding. Not only does nursing strengthen the mother-child relationship,but it also improves the intelligence and immunity of breastfed children and diminishes breastfeeding mothers' risks to have ovarian and breast cancer.
