This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Katherine Chetta about the science of breast milk. Dr. Chetta is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and a neonatologist at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Human breast milk is a complex, dynamic, and complete source of nutrition for infants. Doctor Katherine Chetta is here to talk about the science of breast milk. Doctor Chetta is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and a Neonatologist at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital. Doctor Chetta, give us a quick overview of what is in breast milk.
Dr. Chetta: We're actually learning so much about breast milk and still discovering new things almost every year. It's probably easier to talk about it in two main ways. One, that it's a complete source of nutrition, like you mentioned, but also, it's the source of immunologic protection.
Conner: And tell us about some of the components of breast milk and what they do or provide for the baby.
Dr. Chetta: From the scientific perspective, we like to talk about nutrients or macronutrients, the big nutrients or the bulk that's in milk. And those are the fats, the proteins and the carbohydrates. And if you don't look at the water, which is actually the main substance, it's made up mostly of lactose or a sugar by weight. Secondary components include the immunologic things like immunoglobulins, IgA or IgM. These are special proteins that fight bacteria and viruses and keep the baby safe.
Conner: And I understand the composition of breast milk is ever changing and it's tailored to the individual baby. Tell us about that.
Dr. Chetta: Not only does milk change with the baby's age, it actually seems to lower in calories over time as the baby starts to take other solid food and pureed food. And it does contain bioactive ingredients to help the baby's circadian rhythm or the day and night sleep cycles. So, for example, the milk will have more melatonin in it, natural melatonin is in at night and it will have more cortisol to get the baby awake during the morning. And in the very beginning of breastfeeding experience, when the mom is first starting to breastfeed, there's a lot of antibodies that come in those first milk feeds called colostrum. So, throughout the whole breastfeeding experience, the milk is changing with the baby and is fitting to what the baby needs from a neurodevelopment and also a growth standpoint.
Conner: And what does a breastfeeding mom need in order to produce breast milk or enough breast milk for their baby.
Dr. Chetta: So, most moms do produce enough milk for their babies if they're given a supportive environment, with some good breastfeeding education. We usually tell moms to get a healthy diet, to put the baby to breast as soon as possible after delivery, and let the baby go to the breast as much as they want in the first weeks of life to establish a good rhythm.
Conner: And what about moms who can't breastfeed or they choose not to breastfeed? Is formula a good option to provide what an infant needs?
Dr. Chetta: All formulas in the US have pretty extensive oversight. So as a pediatrician, I don't really favor one formula over another. They basically have the same nutrients as breast milk, with the exception of those immunologic components that we talked about, the immunoglobulins, those extra proteins that help babies fight infection. It's really hard to say that formula is better or worse than breast milk when a baby just needs something to eat. But really, breast milk is always best if it's available and formula is good too if your baby needs it.
Conner: Doctor Chettaa, thanks so much for talking with us about the science of breast milk.
Dr. Chetta: Thank you.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
