My pal and loyal reader Jackie passed along this article, from Chemical & Engineering News, about strides made in understanding the makeup of breastmilk:
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/86/8639cover.html
Notice how, sprinkled all through, are references to things they don’t know about why breastmilk is so perfect?
Hello, it’s the delivery system. Anyone can tell you that a good meal in perfect surroundings is superior to fast-food eaten in conveyance. So naturally, being held in the loving arms of your mother, digesting food that has evolved to be perfect for you and only you has got to be better than slurping down a bottle while you stare at the ceiling in your crib.
Duh.
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Yeah…. and as a mom with a bunch of kids, nursing provides the perfect excuse to check out and hug the baby for a while. Tuck the baby in my shirt and go lie on the bed for half an hour? LOL. When would I ever indulge that kind of luxury without an important reason? “He’s hungry. If you want me, I’ll be on the couch.” Pretty perfect little set up. love, V
When you read birth/breast feeding stuff from diverse sources for a while, there are strange linkups and “ah-ha” moments. I remember reading something about genital warts (HPV) being dangerous for the baby because the baby could develop warts on the larynx. That sounded terrible and I was worried about that even though I’ve never seen it IRL. I know of one little boy who gets warts on his eyelid occasionally but his dr. doesn’t seem to think it’s a big deal and its treated when it happens.
Then, a while later, I read something that said that scientists are trying to isolate a factor in breast milk that kills viral warts. Apparently, putting breast milk on plantar’s warts works magic. So, now, what I want to know is ‘are those kids with HPV on their larynx being bottlefed?’ There’s a simple study for some grad student.