Now Ye're Talking - to an infant milk scientist

lazygal

teggers5 wrote: »

hi... my son is now 6 months old. breastfed for the first week and formula since then. (Aptamil)
my question, should I move him to stage 2 milk now that he's 6 months even though he's only slowly taking to solids... Or should I leave him on stage 1 formula until weaning is more established?

Stage 2 is unnecessary. It's nothing but a marketing tool. Stay on the same milk, at year old you can switch to regular milk and phase out bottles entirely.

bovril

I have a few questions

Have you done any studies on how alcohol passes through to breastmilk?

Is there any difference between breastmilk produced for boy and girl babies?

One of the benefits of breastfeeding advertised is that it reduces childhood obesity. Can you explain why?

Thanks for doing this.

yellowlabrador

Goats milk is supposed to be better for a young child than cows milk. Is there any validity to this claim?

Wesser

Who do you work for?

ElleToro

Thanks for doing this - it's so interesting!

I was wondering about uses for breast milk. There's a belief that breast milk can be used to treat things like eye and ear infections, or to help help burns or cuts. What are your thoughts on this from a science point of view? Is it beneficial to put breast milk on something like an eye infection in child/adult?

Thanks again x

cyning

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA wrote: »

In terms of nutritional benefits, yeah, there would still be benefits. But I don't think that it should be the driving factor in continuing to BF. Obviously if you're comfortable continuing, go for it, but nutritionally cows milk will be as good, or even a piece of cheese and a glass of water.

I'm kinda surprised by this? I though nutritionally even at this age breastmilk contains vit c, d,b12 and folate not available in milk/cheese?

Why does breastfeeding reduce the risk of ear infections? I say that as the mother of a breastfed child who needed grommets at 11 months so what ever it is didn't work here

Neyite

Wesser wrote: »

Who do you work for?

Mod:

I'm not allowing our guest to answer an identifying question like that on here.

There have been several deleted posts that are inferring that she's part of the Formula industry and that this thread is somehow promoting that or some sort of backdoor advertising for them. I can verify that this is NOT the case.

The mods and Boards.ie have verified her real life details and research history and are satisfied that she is in NO way affiliated /employed with formula companies and never has been. She is a scientist in cancer research who studied breast milk as part of that research.

cornflake1

What is your opinion on the virgin gut? I have been breastfeeding but my baby had formula top ups from day 3 to day 7 due to jaundice and ABO incompatibility. Less than 200ml over the five days. Now I have come across articles on the virgin gut which say giving formula top ups in the first ten days can cause problems for the baby later like allergies and other health issues. It's almost like these many of the benefits of breastfeeding have already been negated due to the early formula top up which is very disheartening.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

Okay - have a few answers prepared here. If I missed any questions feel free to ask again!

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

brokensoul wrote: »

I have 16 week old twins, breastfed to 6 weeks and then formula fed as I developed an abscess.

One twin is flying it but the other has had rashes and reflux and generally is uncomfortable a good bit. She is putting on weight and keeping food down but obviously it would be nice for her to be more comfortable. We have moved her onto aptimil pepti on the advice of our doctor as she may have a cow milk protein allergy and it has made some difference but not an enormous amount.

I am wondering if you can explain why some babies get these allergies and if there is any way to figure out what formula might work best (lactose free, pepti etc) apart from trial and error?

Thanks so much.

16 week old twins. Cripes! Sorry to hear about your abscess. Hopefully it's well healed.

Sorry to hear that bub is uncomfortable after feeds. Nothing worse than trying to settle baby who doesn't know why she's uncomfortable!

Aptamil pepti is a semi hydrolysed infant formula. Pepti is short for peptide. Peptides are what make up proteins.

Now. This comes back to the protein size issue. Along with the different whey/casein ratio in the different milks, within the different subsets of them, there are differences.

The predominant human whey protein is alpha lactalbumin (I'll do more on this later - it's unreal and I want to do it justice!). However only about 20% of cows whey is a-lac - the predominant one here is beta lactoglobulin. But b-lac doesn't exist in human milk! Ordinarily baby can digest it, but sometimes they can't and it can upset their tummy.

So they developed a formula where they pre digest the beta lac to break it down more and make it easier on baby.

I'm afraid that there is no quick and easy way to determine the best milk. It's trial and error. The main culprits in IF would be beta lac and lactose. Beyond that your GP may be able to recommend a dairy free formula, or allergy testing. But tbh allergy tests can be hit and miss.

I hope you get sorted soon. If you need further clarification let me know. I have more info but I don't want to bamboozle you.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

teggers5 wrote: »

hi... my son is now 6 months old. breastfed for the first week and formula since then. (Aptamil)
my question, should I move him to stage 2 milk now that he's 6 months even though he's only slowly taking to solids... Or should I leave him on stage 1 formula until weaning is more established?

If he's happy and healthy on stage 1, leave him on it. As lazygal said, there's not much difference in them and there's no one size fits all. Stage 2 is less calorific to reflect the increase in calories from solids but once baby is happy, not hungry and not concerning medical staff with weight, stick with what works.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

sword1 wrote: »

Why not use the microwave? How. Does it change the milk?

A cup of water is easier to control temperature wise.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

SpatialPlanning wrote: »

Hi,

Thank you for such an excellent AMA! I was just reading this with my wife and she had a question about the bolded part above:

If you use a nipple shield when breastfeeding, does that interfere with the process mentioned above whereby the composition of the milk responds to changes in the baby's nutritional needs?

I'm going to claim ignorance on this as I don't know what a nipple shield is, however if babys saliva is in contact with the nipple at all, that's the trigger.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

Wesser wrote: »

Who do you work for?

Failing to see the significance of this question tbh. My current job is absolutely in no way relevant to my PhD, bar the techniques that I use.

This isn't a sales pitch for any infant formula or any pro breast feeding agenda. It was a private discussion between myself and Neyite about my PhD, and she asked if I would be able to answer questions/provide interesting info about breast milk and infant formula.

And furthermore, my project was in no way affiliated or funded by any dairy companies. It was a study on the anti cancer properties of human milk, completed in conjunction with a group in Sweden and the Swedish milk banks.

And as Neyite said, she has verified my identity IRL, and I'm sure Orion (who I frequently chat to IRL as we are friends) can vouch for me on this one too.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

ElleToro wrote: »

Thanks for doing this - it's so interesting!

I was wondering about uses for breast milk. There's a belief that breast milk can be used to treat things like eye and ear infections, or to help help burns or cuts. What are your thoughts on this from a science point of view? Is it beneficial to put breast milk on something like an eye infection in child/adult?

Thanks again x

Great question!

From a science point of view, absolutely. There are so many anti bacterial components in human milk. From a human point of view, I don't think I'd fancy squirting breast milk into my eye

But if you have some to spare and you have a cut, lash it on. It won't do any harm and it will reduce the bacteria levels.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

cyning wrote: »

I'm kinda surprised by this? I though nutritionally even at this age breastmilk contains vit c, d,b12 and folate not available in milk/cheese?

Why does breastfeeding reduce the risk of ear infections? I say that as the mother of a breastfed child who needed grommets at 11 months so what ever it is didn't work here

Yeah, BM contains folate and vitamins and whatnot, but if the toddler is eating a balanced diet including fruits and vegetables that contain folate, there's no need for extra levels of folate.

And the milk boosts the immune system, which is how it reduces the incidence of ear infections. However as a person who suffers from ear infections requiring regular hospital trips for it to be cleared, some people are just more prone to them than others.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

cornflake1 wrote: »

What is your opinion on the virgin gut? I have been breastfeeding but my baby had formula top ups from day 3 to day 7 due to jaundice and ABO incompatibility. Less than 200ml over the five days. Now I have come across articles on the virgin gut which say giving formula top ups in the first ten days can cause problems for the baby later like allergies and other health issues. It's almost like these many of the benefits of breastfeeding have already been negated due to the early formula top up which is very disheartening.

Could you link some of those articles? I can have a look at them and see whether they're from a reputable source.

In my (semi) limited experience, babies gut is "leaky" - but not in a bad way! When baby is born the intestinal wall has little gaps in it to allow for everything important to get into the blood stream. This closes up fairly rapidly - it varies from baby to baby but we're talking days. I can't see why any co-feeding with formula would cause allergies, to be honest. But I'll reserve judgment until I can read the articles.

I have read lots of articles on infant digestion. My project was on the potential formation of an anti cancer complex in the stomach of breast fed infants, so I know about the stomach. Unfortunately for this question, the protein I studied is resistant to digestion in the intestines so I didn't learn so much about that.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

yellowlabrador wrote: »

Goats milk is supposed to be better for a young child than cows milk. Is there any validity to this claim?

Goats milk is less likely to cause allergies in babies, but there's nothing to say that for babies that don't react to cows milk that goats milk is better.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

bovril wrote: »

I have a few questions

Have you done any studies on how alcohol passes through to breastmilk?

Not personally, no. Sorry! Any BM we got was anonymous donations.

bovril wrote: »

Is there any difference between breastmilk produced for boy and girl babies?

Interesting question! But no. Unless they are tandem feeding, there's no difference between milks produced for baby boys and baby girls.

bovril wrote: »

One of the benefits of breastfeeding advertised is that it reduces childhood obesity. Can you explain why?

I can try. The main source of fatty tissue is called adipose tissue. The higher calorie content of infant formula can drive the growth of adipose cells/tissues, and there are components in human milk that can regulate the growth of adipose tissue. So the more adipose tissue somebody has, the more potential there is for them to gain weight.

Essentially!

However, with a balanced diet, IF fed babies shouldn't all go on to be obese. Some of the studies can be very selective in how they present data.

bovril wrote: »

Thanks for doing this.

You're welcome.

Neyite

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA wrote: »

I'm going to claim ignorance on this as I don't know what a nipple shield is, however if babys saliva is in contact with the nipple at all, that's the trigger.

I briefly used these in the first week. They are a soft silicone mould that fits over the nipple and the areola with a small hole in the tip over the nipple that allows milk to pass through. The baby can still latch and suck but it helps baby continue to take breast milk in cases where mum's nipples are sore or if mum has inverted nipples.

As far as I could tell with the usage of them, the baby's saliva didn't come into contact with the nipple or its surrounding tissue. I stand to be corrected on this though.

Lucyfur

I don't know if you'll be able to answer this but I'll ask anyway!

How long after expressing can milk be frozen? As in, if it's been in the fridge 5 days can it be frozen from there?

And, does the freeze/thaw process damage milk in any way?

bonnie_

Thanks for all the information, so interesting.

At what age can baby have regular cows milk? Ideally I'd like to avoid formula completely but I'm concerned that once I go back to work I won't be able to provide enough breastmilk as I've never been able to pump much milk. TIA

brokensoul

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA wrote: »

16 week old twins. Cripes! Sorry to hear about your abscess. Hopefully it's well healed.

Sorry to hear that bub is uncomfortable after feeds. Nothing worse than trying to settle baby who doesn't know why she's uncomfortable!

Aptamil pepti is a semi hydrolysed infant formula. Pepti is short for peptide. Peptides are what make up proteins.

Now. This comes back to the protein size issue. Along with the different whey/casein ratio in the different milks, within the different subsets of them, there are differences.

The predominant human whey protein is alpha lactalbumin (I'll do more on this later - it's unreal and I want to do it justice!). However only about 20% of cows whey is a-lac - the predominant one here is beta lactoglobulin. But b-lac doesn't exist in human milk! Ordinarily baby can digest it, but sometimes they can't and it can upset their tummy.

So they developed a formula where they pre digest the beta lac to break it down more and make it easier on baby.

I'm afraid that there is no quick and easy way to determine the best milk. It's trial and error. The main culprits in IF would be beta lac and lactose. Beyond that your GP may be able to recommend a dairy free formula, or allergy testing. But tbh allergy tests can be hit and miss.

I hope you get sorted soon. If you need further clarification let me know. I have more info but I don't want to bamboozle you.

Thanks so much for that!

Do you have any knowledge around combining infant probiotics with formula?

pwurple

Can I ask more about the research please. What types of cancers are likely to be affected by breastmilk, or where is the research concentrated?

Cakerbaker

For disclosures sake I'm currently breast feeding and have no intentions of stopping any time soon. I've read up on the benefits of breast milk over formula but I'm just curious if formula has any health or nutritional benefits over breast milk (assuming it's a healthy baby with no health issues / allergies etc which). Thanks!

Teeley

Hi..I'm currently giving my baby the recommended daily dose of Vit D. Can I also take a Vit D supplement or could that result baby receiving too high a daily dose?
I know you said no such thing as a silly question but think I might have managed it!

Lisha

Hi this is a fascinating topic.

I've always wondered if a woman with a poor (or average) diet will produce breast milk with all the possible nutrients?

Is everyone's beast milk different and are some babies better off on formula ?
Thanks for doing this ama

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

jlm29 wrote: »

Thank you! It's all very interesting! I know this might be outside of your remit, but as regards the energy requirements required for a lactating mother to feed an infant, word on the street is that it burns approx 500 cals in a day. Presumably this reduces over time, as baby starts solids, etc, but by how much?

I think it's time for me to have a baby if I can burn 500 calories a day!

As time goes on, milk production reduces, and the nutritional composition changes too, so less calories will be used to produce it. I don't know off hand how many are burned though - apologies.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

Lucyfur wrote: »

I don't know if you'll be able to answer this but I'll ask anyway!

How long after expressing can milk be frozen? As in, if it's been in the fridge 5 days can it be frozen from there?

And, does the freeze/thaw process damage milk in any way?

As the milk is unpasteurised, it will start to turn more quickly than pasteurised cows milk. I would take it on a case by case basis by looking at the milk and smelling it, but 5 days might be too long.

And for freeze thaw. .. in my research I didn't experience any negative impact on the milk with freeze thaw, but I wouldn't recommend doing it frequently - freezing a thawed milk once should be okay, but if baby doesn't finish that feed I wouldn't refreeze that milk.

I'm an infant milk scientist, AMA

bonnie_ wrote: »

Thanks for all the information, so interesting.

At what age can baby have regular cows milk? Ideally I'd like to avoid formula completely but I'm concerned that once I go back to work I won't be able to provide enough breastmilk as I've never been able to pump much milk. TIA

I'm not sure what the current guidelines are for cows milk, sorry. Can I ask why you would prefer cows milk over formula? Because formula would be better nutritionally.