When does breast milk lose its nutritional value? When is the best time to stop breastfeeding?

In order to maintain their figure, many young mothers choose not to breastfeed or only breastfeed for 3 to 6 months. Many people say that breast milk has no nutritional value after 6 months. Is this true? When does breast milk have no nutritional value? When is the best time to stop breastfeeding? Let's take a look~

Does breast milk nutrition only last for 6 months after birth?

This is probably one of the most common misunderstandings about breast milk, and it is a misconception without scientific basis. Under normal circumstances, a newborn baby can get all the nutrients it needs for growth from birth to six months by relying solely on breast milk, without the need to add any supplementary food, including water. After six months, the nutrients needed for the baby's growth are not enough to rely solely on breast milk, and complementary food is needed.

The reason why complementary food is called "complementary" food is that it is a food that supplements breast milk. Before the baby is one year old, breast milk is still the main food and nutrition source. Every mother's breast milk is specially designed for her baby and will change as the baby grows to meet the different needs of the baby at different stages. For example, when the baby's body is attacked by new bacteria or viruses, it will transmit this new enemy to the mother's body through sucking breast milk. The mother's body will immediately produce immunoglobulins according to the "enemy situation", and then transmit them to the baby through breast milk, so as to establish a barrier in the baby's body and protect the baby from infection.

Six months is not the absolute bottom line. Some premature babies or babies with allergies refuse or cannot accept complementary food due to physical reasons. They rely entirely on breast milk for eight or nine months or even longer, and they are still well-nourished and grow up healthily. A pediatrician I know had a baby who was completely breastfed until the age of two because of allergies before he started eating solid food. In fact, until the beginning of the last century, most babies were completely breastfed before the age of one.

So far, there is no scientific evidence that breast milk loses its nutritional value at any stage. On the contrary, a large number of studies have shown that breast milk is rich in nutrients at any time, such as fat, protein, calcium and vitamins, especially immune factors that are crucial to the health of children. The immune system of a child is not fully developed until the age of six. Before that, long-term breastfeeding is equivalent to building a natural immune barrier for the child, which can effectively prevent the invasion of many diseases.

This is why authoritative organizations such as the World Health Organization, the International Lactation Association, and the U.S. Department of Health recommend that mothers around the world continue breastfeeding until their children are two years old or even longer.

The nutritional value of breast milk can last until the baby is 2 years old

Breast milk is the best, most suitable and safest natural food for babies within a few months after birth. Exclusive breastfeeding can fully meet all the nutritional needs of babies within 6 months. After 6 months, exclusive milk feeding cannot meet their needs. Please note that the milk here refers to breast milk, formula milk, etc., not just breast milk. If the baby is fed with formula milk or mixed feeding (formula milk + breast milk), food conversion is also required at this time, which is what ordinary people usually call adding complementary foods. The World Health Organization and the United Nations Foundation recommend breastfeeding to 2 years old and above, which has an irreplaceable role in the development and growth of infants and young children in terms of nutrition and psychological development.

Breast milk contains more than 400 ingredients, which are changing all the time, including the ingredients and secretion volume of each period/time, and even the ingredients of each drop will be different. The endocrine milk of the mother 4-5 days after giving birth is colostrum; 6-10 days is transitional milk; 11 days to 9 months is mature milk; and 10 months later is late milk. Colostrum is small in quantity, light yellow in color, high in protein (mainly immunoglobulin) and low in fat, rich in vitamin A, taurine and minerals, and contains colostrum globules, which are very important for the growth and development and anti-infection ability of newborns. Many research results and detailed data show that babies over 1 year old can still get a considerable amount of protein, fat, various vitamins and trace elements from breast milk, which contains more fat and milk volume to meet the baby's growth needs. For example, 448 ml of breast milk can meet most of the needs of 1-2 year old babies for vitamins A, B12, and C, and the rest can be obtained through solid food.

When is the best time to wean off breast milk?

At present, most babies in China will be weaned between 6 months and one year old. This is closely related to the length of maternity leave.

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, and breast milk can last for 2 years or more. Many mothers continue to breastfeed completely or partially after going to work.

It is best to wean your baby on demand, as this will make it easier for your baby to adapt. You may consider weaning your baby off breast milk when he or she is already eating solid foods or starts drinking from a cup.

The average duration of breastfeeding in my country is 7.42 months (±5.60), with a distribution range of 1-40 months. As children age, the breastfeeding rate decreases significantly, with 47.75% of infants aged 6-12 months still breastfed, and the proportion of breastfeeding in infants aged 12-18 months is 16.94%.

Regardless of when you start, weaning should not be a stressful experience (avoid starting it when there are big family changes). Weaning should be gradual. Ideally, weaning may take weeks or months. A gradual weaning process is good for both mother and baby.

It is generally believed that the best weaning age is 8 to 12 months after birth in urban areas and can be extended to 12 to 18 months in rural areas. However, if the mother has a poor physical condition and her milk secretion is insufficient, weaning can be done earlier.

If the mother has a good constitution and her milk secretion is still vigorous, or if the baby is weak and sickly and weaning is harmful to the baby's health, the weaning time can be appropriately postponed, but no later than 2 years old.

In addition, the specific time for weaning should be in spring or autumn.

The World Health Organization strongly recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life. From 6 months to 2 years or longer, other foods should be supplemented while continuing to breastfeed.

The World Health Organization confirms that "breast milk is the best nutritional food for infants." Breast milk contains a variety of immune components, more unsaturated fatty acids than cow's milk, and taurine that promotes the brain development of infants. Therefore, the breastfeeding period can be appropriately extended, instead of the conventional idea that "breast milk has no nutritional value after six months."