Mother's Milk

Is it a nutritionally complete food for an infant?

Being a mother is one of the best experiences a woman can ever have. She skips a heartbeat, listening to the first cry of her infant. The infant, who received all the food from the mother through the umbilical cord, fetches for food when kept near the chest of the mother. The infant who was always in a protective environment is now exposed to an unknown environment. The first milk, also known as colostrum, is fed to the infant in the first few hours of birth. It contains bioactive compounds, proteins and antioxidants that keeps the infant safe from infections that can attack in the new environment.

But the more unknown fact is the genetic glitch that is also passed to the infant from the mother that makes mother’s milk unsafe for consumption. Newborn screening when done at an early stage helps in identifying the inherited genetic disorders. Early detection helps in better management and survival of the infant.

So, what are the conditions that make mother’s milk unsafe?