Breast milk substitute or bottle feeding is the term used to describe artificial baby food intended to completely replace breast milk. With the current state of research, it is possible to bottle-feed an infant from birth and forgo breastfeeding.
What is breast milk substitute?
Artificially produced breast milk substitutes must be adapted to the age and nutritional needs of the child, so the composition sometimes varies greatly depending on the age of the child. Breast milk substitute in the form of bottle feeding is an alternative nutrition for infants, babies and toddlers from birth. It is a powdered or ready-made mixture that is mixed with water and given to the baby as the only source of nutrition or as an accompanying source of nutrition. Bottle feeding can be given from birth into infancy. Artificially produced breast milk substitutes must be adapted to the age and nutritional needs of the child, so the composition sometimes varies greatly depending on the age of the child. In principle, breastfeeding is always the better option for feeding a baby, as recommended by the World Health Organization. However, if the mother cannot or does not want to breastfeed her baby, she can switch to breast milk substitutes at any time, usually without major problems, and feed her baby in this way.
Forms, types and kinds
Since some babies need breast milk substitutes from their first day of life, there are so-called PRE foods especially for newborns and small infants. This contains virtually all the nutrients that are also found in breast milk. Breast milk substitute in the PRE form does not yet contain any strongly satiating substances, but only the vital nutrients. As soon as the infant is no longer satiated by this type of bottle feeding alone, it should be switched to the next stage. Some of the subsequent bottle feedings differ greatly. For example, there are variations with and without starch to buy: starch has a satiating effect, but must also be tolerated by the baby. Most manufacturers offer a total of 3 levels of breast milk substitutes after the PRE stage, some of which contain more and some less starch and are correspondingly more or less satiating. In addition, breastmilk substitutes differ in the form of presentation. Especially the lower levels for infants and small babies are often ready to buy, while there is also the variant as a powder for mixing.
Structure and mode of operation
Breast milk substitutes are sold in dosage forms that are easy to prepare or can be given to the baby without further processing. Powdered bottle feeding is mixed with a certain amount of hot water, which is specified by the breastmilk substitute manufacturer. The water should be about body temperature, as breast milk is also similarly warm and the baby accepts the food best at this temperature. It is also important when preparing a powdered formula that it does not contain lumps. Ready breast milk substitute in liquid form can be warmed up and offered to the baby without further preparation. In any breast milk substitute, the nutrients and ingredients that are also found in breast milk are included as much as possible. However, what is missing in bottle feeds are the immune substances that only the mother’s body can give to the baby – they cannot be found in artificial food. Therefore, even mothers who cannot or do not want to breastfeed are recommended to give their baby at least the first portion of breast milk immediately after birth, as this contains particularly many and important immune substances. After that, it is possible to switch to suitable bottle feeding and the baby still enjoys good immune protection. From the stage when starch is added to breast milk substitute, it again differs more from breast milk. The differences can be seen, for example, in the fact that bottle-fed babies need the bottle far less often than a breast-fed baby needs to be put on, because they stay full longer.
Medical and health benefits
The World Health Organization generally recommends that breastfeeding should always be done for as long as the mother is able and for as long as the baby can get full from it alone. Nevertheless, sometimes it is not possible for medical reasons, whether it is due to drug treatments of the breastfeeding mother or even just because she does not want it anymore.While in some cases pumping milk using a breast pump is still possible, if a baby can no longer have breast milk, it is not enough, or there are breastfeeding problems, the baby needs a substitute formula. Breast milk substitutes were considered a great achievement of the modern era when they were introduced to the market, as they significantly increased the life expectancy of babies and reduced the mortality rate due to reasons that are now unnecessary. While bottle feeding still provides nutrition for many babies today, it also gives the mother the freedom to decide whether she wants to breastfeed at all and for how long. If breastfeeding causes her problems, there is nothing to stop her from switching to breastmilk substitutes. Today, no mother has to forego important antibiotics or, in certain cases, even more important treatments such as chemotherapy, since the nutrition of her child is guaranteed by the substitute. The switch to bottle feeding should nevertheless be made in consultation with the pediatrician, especially if breastfeeding has been used before.
