Making breast milk is a mother’s “superpower” - The secret ingredient of breast milk that all babies need.

QUICK SUMMARY: Lactating mothers have a superpower. They produce breast milk which is the best food for a newborn baby. As well as proteins, lipids, lactose, vitamins, minerals, hormones, live cells, enzymes, growth factors, immune components, antibodies, microbes and much much more….

Breast milk also contains another almost secret ingredient — special sugars called human milk oligosaccharides. HMOs are the 3rd largest component of breast milk but rather surprisingly, HMOs don’t provide any direct nutritional value to a baby. So why are they there? Read the full post to find out!

The secret ingredient of breast milk that all babies need. Find out more in the Breast Milk and the Infant Microbiome course https://microbirth.teachable.com/p/breastmilk1

“You can make milk and that’s kind of like a superpower”

— Quote from Dr Meghan Azad, Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba

Dr Azad is also Research Chair, Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease & Research Scientist, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba & Co-Director, Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre

Why is a woman’s ability to make breast milk like a superpower?