Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

The growing foetus, and a baby that is still fully dependent on breast milk for all its nutritional needs can actually be regarded as being parasitic since it will take what it requires from the mom. So either the mom makes sure that her daily intake is adequate to cater for the greater demand, or nutrients will be taken from maternal reserves e.g. calcium from her bones and teeth, and omega 3 oils from her brain. In fact, one suggestion for post-partum depression is that the mother’s brain has been depleted of too much Omega 3 and is no longer able to function properly. 

If too few nutrients are available for the growing foetus and infant certain consequences are possible:

•  increased risk of infant mortality and miscarriage
•  low birth weight and failure to thrive
•  increased incidence of congenital abnormalities eg folic acid deficiency and neural tube defects
•  impaired development of eyesight, the brain and nervous tissue if Omega 3 oils are too low
•  increased susceptibility to chronic disease later in life

The gift of breastfeeding – 

Breast feeding creates the biggest positive result for your child’s health into the future, in many ways, but here I focus especially on building the immune system. This happens in the following ways:

•  Your baby is born with the innate immune system already in place, but still needs to develop adaptive immunity. Breast milk supports health during this stage of development.
•  It provides good bacteria especially lactic acid producing bugs and bifidobacteria.
•  Your baby borrows your antibodies in the early days – for about 3 months. These protect against both bacterial and viruses and are found mainly in the colostrum.
•  Your baby gets some of your T-cells which are part of the acquired/adaptive immunity that still needs to develop
•  Breast feeding reduces the risk of respiratory infections, ear infections, allergies, ADD, autism, asthma.
•  It supplies butyrate – a short chain fatty acid – which helps to establish tight junctions in the gut wall. This prevents Leaky Gut from occurring and so the immune system is not over-stimulated.
•  The risk for Type 1 diabetes drops in breast fed infants.
•  Breast fed babies have a more diversified micro biome
•  They have more interferon (produced by the immune system) which interferes with viral reproduction
•  Try and breast feed for a minimum of 6 months, but ideally 2 years!

So what do I recommend?

•  A well-formulated, balanced Multimineral -Multivitamin Complex from whole food sources
•  A good source of uncontaminated Omega 3 oils from fish
•  A protein shake that ensures that all the amino acids are present in the correct ratios for maximum absorption.

Contact me if you would like to talk about some supplementation to help boost your health during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

084 506 3643

andre.positiveoptions@gmail.com