The Week India - July 29, 2018

HEALTH

Milky way

A CONSTANT advice expecting or new mothers receive is to
drink milk. It is assumed that the amount of milk taken in will
equal the amount of milk produced. It makes me wonder why
we never scrutinise a cow’s dietary patterns. If we did, I reckon
milk is nowhere on the list.
So, a mother is not required to guzzle down milk. Research and
numerous studies have proven that mothers who do not have
access to nutritional food are equally capable of producing nu-
trient and antibody-rich breast milk, albeit undergoing erosion
of nutrient reserves from their body that later sets them up for
issues such as osteoporosis.
Lactation is primarily governed by the secretion of two hor-
mones—prolactin (milk making) and oxytocin (milk ejecting).
As soon as the placenta exits the mother's body and every time
your baby drains a breast signifi cantly, the brain calls for more
milk to be made.
Successful nursing, which includes milk production, ejection
and draining, depends on a mother’s intention to nurse and the
support she receives, a good latch (a baby’s grip over the moth-
er’s areola determined by proper nursing positions), regular and
on demand feeds and giving baby enough time at each breast.
It is interesting to note that human breast milk has only 0.2 per
cent calcium. Water, proteins, lipids, carbs, minerals and other
bioactive ingredients make up the rest. Then why do people (in-
cluding doctors) insist on increasing calcium intake? It
is because this mineral is crucial for the growth of
your baby’s skeletal structure and reducing risk of
pre-term births and maternal deaths. Its intake
must also continue while nursing to avoid its de-
pletion from your own reserves.
The recommended dietary allowance for cal-
cium stands at 1,000mg for pregnant, non-preg-
nant and lactating women between the ages of 19
to 50. Yes, that is how crucial calcium is in a wom-
an’s diet. Since this high dose may not be met by
diet alone every day, calcium supplementation (up
to 500mg) is often prescribed by doctors to women.
In everyday diet, this mineral can be sourced from
dairy products, leafy vegetables, beans (channa, lo-
bia), fortifi ed cereal, bread and juice.

NEXT ISSUE: What fathers can do to calm everyone around about the baby's arrival

BABY

STEPS

Lakshmy

Ramanathan

DID YOU KNOW?

◆ Over a 24-hour

period, the

average intake

of milk by a

breastfed baby

is 750-800ml.

◆ A report by

the United

Nation’s Food

and Agriculture

Organization

claimed that

the lactating

breast requires

a higher

proportion

of resting

energy than

the human

brain!

16 THE WEEK · JULY 29, 2018

Lakshmy Ramanathan is

the author of For Bumpier

Times: An Indian Mother’s

Guide to 101 Pregnancy &

Childcare Practices. She

conducts ‘Riding the Bump’

workshops for expecting

mothers and new parents.