A mother who is breast feeding needs extra energy and nutrients. Some of this requirement is supplied by the diet. Using energy from stores laid down in pregnancy can help mothers return to the weight they were before pregnancy. In the first few months of life, a baby drinks between 100 and 250ml of breast milk per kg body weight each day. This is divided into 5-10 feeds during the day.
Breast feeding is considered to be the best method for feeding babies.
Breast milk provides all the energy and nutrients the baby needs for growth, development and maintenance. In the early weeks after birth, the baby also obtains some nutrients from stores it laid down before it was born eg vitamin D and iron. Breast milk contains special proteins, antibodies and white blood cells which help to protect the baby against infection. It also contains growth factors, hormones and other active substances from the mother. In the first 3 days after birth a special form of breast milk called colostrum is secreted.