The ideal food for a vegan baby's first year of life is breast milk. Benefits to the breastfed baby include enhancement of the immune system, protection against infection, and reduced risk of allergies.
Benefits to the mom include reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer, release of stress-relieving hormones, and convenience. Breastfeeding may also help you lose weight, though you should not restrict calories when trying to establish milk supply.
Iron
The breastfed infant should be started on iron supplements or iron-fortified foods (like baby cereal) between 4 and 6 months. Formula fed babies may not need the supplement since infant formula contains iron. Iron-fortified cereals provide additional iron. If you give iron supplements to your baby, ask your pediatrician for the correct dose.
DHA
DHA is a fatty acid which appears to be important for eye and brain development. It is found primarily in animal derived foods. However, babies can make DHA from another fatty acid called linolenic acid which is found in breast milk if the mother's diet includes good sources of linolenic acid (flaxseed oil, ground flaxseed, canola oil, soy oil)
Breastfeeding could help babies cope better with stress, the researchers note, and may also signal a stronger mother-child attachment and these benefits may last.
At each of the assessments, the researchers found, children who were breastfed for shorter periods of time had worse behavior. Differences were seen for internalizing behavior, in which negativity is directed inwards, for example depression; and in externalizing behaviors, such as aggression
mother is mother....a salute to the ladies!
No comments:
Post a Comment