Growing up Green, for Healthy Newborn Babies

Green Baby Feeding, en route to a Greener Life,

WHO & APP recommend breast feeding exclusively during the first six months.

Be wise and careful on Powdered Infant Formula Health Issues:

Enterobacter sakazakii & Melamine contaminations !

After the babies are born, chemical compounds are readily transferred to the young children via breast milk, mother who are planning to nurse should keep up healthy habits, breast milk is the best for babies, because it provides the children with the mother’s healthy antibodies, increasing babies resistance to infections, giving the babies a possible IQ boost, breast feeding also decrease the risk of childhood obesity, juvenile diabetes, childhood cancers, and allergies, breast feeding may help counteract the effects of chemical exposures during pregnancy. The World Health Organization (WHO) and APP recommend breast feeding exclusively during the first six months, beyond that, the AAP encourages breastfeeding until at least 12 months, and longer if both the mother and baby are willing. Some women feel guilty if they don't breastfeed their babies, breastfeeding is an important time of connection between mother and baby.

What is colostrum?

Colostrum which also known as first milk / immune milk, is the first milk mother will start producing during pregnancy, is produced by the mammary glands in late pregnancy and the few days after giving birth, colostrum is the creamy yellow or golden substance that is present in the breasts before the mature milk is made. Colostrum is very high in carbohydrates, protein, and antibodies and low in fat, colostrum delivers its nutrients in a very concentrated low-volume form protein and provides an important super boost of antibodies to protect the baby and strengthen the immune system.

Colostrum also serves many other important functions to mother and her baby.

1. Has a laxative effect that helps the baby pass the first few black stools called meconium[**], usually within the first 24 to 48 hours after birth, this process clears excess bilirubin, a waste product of dead red blood cells which is produced in large quantities at birth due to blood volume reduction, from the infant's body and helps prevent jaundice.

[**]. Meconium is the earliest stools of an infant. Unlike later feces, meconium is composed of materials ingested during the time the infant spends in the uterus: intestinal epithelial cells, lanugo, mucus, amniotic fluid, bile, and water

2. Colostrum contains immunoglobulins such as IgA and IgM. IgA will be absorbed through the intestinal epithelial, travel through the blood and will be secreted onto other Type 1 mucosal surfaces, colostrum also contains a variety of growth factors (IGfs).
3. When the baby starts suckling at mother’s breast for the colostrum, this stimulates mother to start producing the mature milk, the suckling also increases the hormone oxytocin in mother’s body, which helps the uterus to contract and shrink down to its pre-pregnant size.

Benefits of breastfeeding:

• Infection-fighting: antibodies passed from a nursing mother to her baby can help lower the occurrence of many conditions, including, other factors help to protect a breastfed baby from infection by contributing to the infant's immune system by increasing the barriers to infection and decreasing the growth of organisms like bacteria and viruses.
• Nutrition and ease of digestion: breast milk is the perfect food for a human baby's digestive system, breast milk's components lactose, protein and fat are easily digested by a newborn's immature digestion system, breast milk tends to be more easily digested so that breastfed babies have fewer incidences of diarrhea or constipation, breast milk also naturally contains many of the vitamins and minerals that a newborn requires, breast milk contains the right combination of vitamins and easily absorbed iron that will be sufficient until the baby begins eating iron-rich cereals around 6 months of age, a healthy infant being nursed by a healthy mother does not need any additional vitamins or nutritional supplements, with the exception of vitamin D, breast milk does contain some vitamin D [vitamin D is produced by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight], sun exposure increases the risk of skin damage, so parents are advised to minimize exposure, as a result, the AAP recommends that all breastfed babies begin receiving vitamin D supplements during the first 2 months and continuing until the infant consumes enough vitamin D-fortified formula or milk after 1 year of age, breast milk is over 90% water, babies breastfeeding well do not require extra water, even in summer, even in the hottest weather, if they are not breastfeeding well, they also do not need extra water, but require that the breastfeeding be fixed.
• Different tastes: a nursing mother will usually need 500 extra calories per day, which means that she should eat a wide variety of well-balanced foods, this introduces breastfed babies to different tastes through their mothers' breast milk, which has different flavors depending on what their mothers have eaten.
• Convenience: breast milk is always fresh and available. And when women breastfeed, there's no need to warm up bottles in the middle of the night, it's also easy for breastfeeding mothers to be active and go out and about with their babies and know that they'll have food available for whenever their little one is hungry.
• Beneficial for mothers: the ability to nourish a baby totally can also help a new mother feel confident in her ability to care for her baby, breastfeeding also burns calories and helps shrink the uterus, so nursing moms may be able to return to their pre-pregnancy shape and weight quicker, in addition, studies show that breastfeeding helps lower the risk of breast cancer and also may help decrease the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer.
• Skin-to-skin contact: Many nursing mothers really enjoy the experience of bonding so closely with their babies. And the skin-to-skin contact can enhance the emotional connection between mother and infant.
• Smarter babies: some studies suggest that children who were exclusively breastfed have slightly higher IQs than children who were formula fed.
• Obesity prevention: some studies have found that breastfeeding may help prevent obesity.

Eat, Drink, and Medication during breast feeding:

• Eat & drink: women who are breastfeeding need to be careful about what they eat and drink, since things can be passed to the baby through the breast milk, just like during pregnancy, breastfeeding women should avoid fish that are high in mercury, limit lower mercury fish intake, if a woman has alcohol, a small amount can be passed to the baby through breast milk, she should wait to breastfeed at least 2 hours after a single alcoholic drink in order to avoid passing any alcohol to the baby. Caffeine intake should be kept to no more than 300 milligrams [about one to three cups of regular coffee] per day for breastfeeding women because it may cause problems such as restlessness and irritability in some babies, some infants are sensitive enough to caffeine to have problems even with smaller amounts of caffeine.
• Medication: women should always check with the doctor about the safety of taking medications while breastfeeding, including over-the-counter and herbal medicines, certain medications may make breastfeeding unsafe.

Breast feeding versus Powdered Infant Formula feeding:

The American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] joins other organizations such as the American Medical Association [AMA], the American Dietetic Association [ADA], and the World Health Organization [WHO] in recommending breastfeeding as the best for babies. Breastfeeding helps defend against infections, prevent allergies, and protect against a number of chronic conditions.

For mothers who are unable to breastfeed or who decide not to breastfeed their babies, infant formula is a good alternative, commercially prepared infant formulas are a nutritious alternative to breast milk, and even contain some vitamins and nutrients that breastfed babies need to get from supplements, manufactured under sterile conditions, commercial formulas attempt to duplicate mother's milk using a complex combination of proteins, sugars, fats, and vitamins, manufactured formula does not contain important antibodies that usually found in breast milk, which means that formula doesn't provide the baby with the added protection against infection and illness that breast milk does.

Powdered Infant Formula contains the right blend of vitamins, including vitamin D, supplements are usually not necessary, iron-fortified formula is recommended for a baby's first year and should contain up to 12 milligrams of iron per liter, water, juice, and other foods are usually not necessary during a baby's first 6 months, powdered infant formula provides everything babies need nutritionally until they start eating solid foods, a sufficient enough formula must be on hand at all times and stored in sterile containers.

Baby feed bottles must be prepared, the powdered and condensed formulas must be prepared with sterile water, which needs to be boiled until the baby is at least 6 months old, Bottles and nipples need to be sterilized before the first use and then washed after every use because bottles and nipples can transmit bacteria if they aren't cleaned properly, bottles left out of the refrigerator longer than 1 hour as well as any formula that a baby doesn't finish must be thrown out, prepared bottles of formula should be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 24 to 48 hours, run refrigerated bottles under warm water for a few minutes if the baby prefers a warm bottle to a cold one.

Powdered Infant Formula and Enterobacter sakazakii contamination issues:

Powdered infant formula [PIF] has been associated with serious illness and death in infants due to infections with Enterobacter sakazakii, during production, PIF can become contaminated with harmful bacteria, such as Enterobacter sakazakii[**] and Salmonella enterica, this is because, using current manufacturing technology, it is not feasible to produce sterile PIF, during the preparation of PIF, inappropriate handling practices can exacerbate the problem.

[**]. Enterobacter sakazakii is a gram-negative, non-spore-forming bacterium belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. On occasion, it has been associated with sporadic cases or small outbreaks of sepsis, meningitis, cerebritis and necrotizing enterocolitis.

Kindly read:

• Joint FAO/WHO Workshop on Enterobacter sakazakii and other microorganism in powdered infant formula

• Enterobacter sakazakii and Salmonella in powdered infant formula: Meeting report, MRA Series 10

Powdered Infant Formula and Melamine contamination issues:

Melamine chemical structure

WHO: Melamine-contamination events.

Melamine is a chemical compound that has a number of industrial uses, including the production of laminates, glues, dinnerwares / melamine-wares, adhesives, molding compounds, coatings and flame retardants. Melamine is a name used both for the chemical and for the plastic made from it, there are no approved direct food uses for melamine, nor are there any recommendations in the Codex Alimentarius. Melamine has been illegally added to inflate [increase the amount] the apparent protein content of food or feed products which has led to health problems, melamine is rich in nitrogen atom content as protein has.

WHO Guidance of Melamine levels in food: Melamine is also found as a metabolite of the pesticide cyromazine[**] in plants, goats, hens and rats (JMPR Report 2006). Melamine is also used in some fertilizers, consumer exposure to melamine is considered to be low, as consequence of cyromazine metabolism it may occur through the extraction of melamine from compression moulds by acidic foods, such as lemon or orange juice or curdled milk, at high temperature, taking into account of these sources, the estimated oral uptake of melamine is around 0,007 mg melamine / kg body weight / day (OECD 1998).

[**]. Cyromazine is a triazine insect growth regulator used as an insecticide and an acaricide. It is a cyclopropyl derivative of melamine. Cyromazine works by affecting the nervous system of the immature larval stages of certain insects.

The country's existing limits for melamine in baby milk food and other dairy products need not be changed going by the latest World Health Organization [WHO] guideline, a statement on the WHO website said: taking 10 mg melamine a day is not harmful for a person who weighs 50 kg [same as 5 ppm], according to WHO's the Tolerable Daily Intake [TDI] for melamine, set at 0.2 mg per kg body weight [2 ppm] by international experts, is lower than previous limits suggested by some countries' food safety authorities.

FDA to allow trace levels of melamine in baby formula: it was safe to consume food and beverages with melamine levels below 2.5 parts per million [2.5 ppm], with the exception of infant formula, in early October 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] said 2.5 mg of melamine in 1 kg of milk product [2.5 ppm] would not cause health problems, but baby milk food exported to the US must be free of melamine, but later, the FDA said baby milk food could contain up to 1 part per million [or 1 mg in 1 kg = 1 ppm] of melamine, the same level set by China, after traces of melamine were reportedly found in the infant formula of a major US company, and a related chemical, cyanuric acid[**], was detected in another big firm's product.

In Hong Kong the maximum concentration limit of melamine for milk as well as food intended to be consumed by children under the age of 36 months, pregnant and lactating women at 1 ppm. for other food, the maximum concentration limit is set at 2.5 ppm.

China sets limit on melamine levels in dairy products: a maximum 2.5 milligrams per kilogram [2.5 ppm] was allowed for liquid milk, milk powder and food products containing at least 15 percent milk.

[**]Cyanuric acid is the cyclic trimer of the elusive species cyanic acid, used as precursor to N-chlorinated cyanurates, which are used to disinfect water, a precursor or a component of bleaches, disinfectants, and herbicides.

Baby Feeding Bottles and Nipples:

1. The better choice for baby feeding bottles are made of stainless steel, and glass, they do not leach any hazardous chemicals, they can be sanitized by boiling or heating at high temperature, wide mouth glass, jars are a proper choice for storage, as they won’t crack when heated or chilled.
2. Breast milk store in plastic bottle may lose a high percentage of its antibodies, its fat content, since fat tends to adhere to the plastic and may get left in the bottle,
3. Frequently used plastic bottle may scratched, which will increase the chances of the chemical in the plastic leaching into the food or drink contained in it, freezing and warming plastic bottles may also promote leaching, beside that, frequently used plastic bottles may contaminated with bacteria as plastic bottles can not be sterilized or sanitized by boiling or heating.
4. If plastic bottles should be used, choose safer non leaching plastic bottles, containers or bags, such as High-Density-Poly-Ethylene [HDPE] #2, Low-Density-Poly-Ethylene [LDPE] #4, Poly-Propylene [PP] #5, Poly-Ethylene-Terephthalate [PET / PETE] #1, and Poly-Sulphone [PES] bottles.
5. Use carefully Poly-Carbonate baby feed bottles [PC} #7, do not heat polycarbonate containers in the microwave, do not boil them, do not fill baby feed polycarbonate bottles with hot baby foods / drinks, instead, use glass or ceramic containers to heat baby food & drink, pour into the bottles after the temperature lower to warm enough for baby feeding, do not use harsh detergents or put bottles in the dishwasher, these factors help to degrade the plastic and break-down the bonds to release bisphenol-A, clean polycarbonate bottles with warm soapy water and a sponge.
6. Avoid using Poly-Vinyl-Chloride bottles [PVC] #3, as it leaches phthalates [DEHP] and adipates, as its platicizers, these toxic chemicals are added during production of PVC to make it soft and pliable, Diethylhexylphthalate [DEHP] has been shown to cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and reproductive systems of animal, its effects on human remain unclear.

7. Bottle-nipples: choose clear silicone bottle nipples and pacifier, which are nitrosamine free, they are safer and longer lasting than amber-colored rubber bottle-nipples, which may contain nitrosamine contaminants, these contaminants have been found to cause cancer in laboratorial animals. nitrosamine can be ingested through bottle-nipples, but it’s unknown whether this kind of exposure increases cancer risk in humans.

Nitrosamine chemical compound

Also Read :

Growing up Green, for Healthier Prenatal Babies
Growing up Green, for Healthy Babies & Kids [1]
Growing up Green, for Healthy Babies & Kids [2]
Growing up Green, for Healthy Babies & Kids [3]
Safely use of Baby Feed Polycarbonate Bottles
PET / PETE Bottle, its advantanges, and its Health issues
Safely use of Plastic Food Packaging
Cajuput Oil, the people's Green Health Cares