breast milk breast milk breast milk (sometimes spelled as breastmilk) or mother's milk is milk produced by mammary glands located in the breast of a human female. breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborns, containing fat, protein, carbohydrates (lactose and human milk oligosaccharides) and variable minerals and vitamins. breast milk also contains substances that help protect an infant against infection and inflammation, whilst also contributing to healthy development of the immune system and gut microbiome. two 25-milliliter samples of human breast milk. the left-hand sample is the first milk produced by the mother while the right-hand sample was produced later during the same pumping. uses and methods of consumption pumped breast milk breast feeding latch the world health organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, with solids gradually being introduced around this age when signs of readiness are shown. supplemented breastfeeding is recommended until at least age two and then for as long as the mother and child wish. some newborn babies that are alert and healthy have the ability to latch on to the mother's breast within one hour of birth, however, on a global level, 3/5 babies are not breast fed within the first hour of being born. breast milk can also be pumped from the mother using a breast pump and fed by baby bottle, cup and/or spoon, supplementation drip system, or nasogastric tube. for infants who are born early (preterm birth) and do not have the ability to suck right away, the use of cups to feed expressed milk and other supplements is reported to result in better breastfeeding extent and duration compared with bottles and tube feeding. for women who do not produce sufficient amounts of breast milk, donor human breast milk that is pasteurized may be effective. if pasteurized donor breast milk is not available, commercial formula is suggested as a second alternative. breast milk supplied by a woman other than the baby's mother that is not pasteurized and informal breast milk sharing is associated with a risk of transmitting bacteria and viruses from the donor mother to the baby and is not considered a safe alternative. benefits breastfeeding offers health benefits to mother and child even after infancy. these benefits include proper heat production and adipose tissue development, a 73% decreased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, increased intelligence, decreased likelihood of contracting middle ear infections, cold and flu resistance, a tiny decrease in the risk of childhood leukemia, lower risk of childhood onset diabetes, decreased risk of asthma and eczema, decreased dental problems, decreased risk of obesity later in life, and a decreased risk of developing psychological disorders, including in adopted children. in addition, feeding an infant breast milk is associated with lower insulin levels and higher leptin levels compared feeding an infant via powdered-formula. many of the infection-fighting and immune system related benefits are associated with human milk oligosaccharides. breastfeeding also provides health benefits for the mother. it assists the uterus in returning to its pre-pregnancy size and reduces post-partum bleeding, through the production of oxytocin (see production). breastfeeding can also reduce the risk of breast cancer later in life. lactation may also reduce the risk for both mother and infant from both types of diabetes. lactation may protect the infant from specifically developing type 2 diabetes, as studies have shown that bioactive ingredients in human breast milk could prevent excess weight gain during childhood via contributing to a feeling of energy and satiety. a lower risk of child-onset diabetes may be more applicable to infants who were born from diabetic mothers. the reason is that while breastfeeding for at least the first six months of life minimizes the risk of type 1 diabetes from occurring in the infant, inadequate breastfeeding in an infant prenatally exposed to diabetes was associated with a higher risk of the child developing diabetes later. however, it can be argued that human breastfeeding may contribute to protective effects against the development of type 1 diabetes because the alternative of bottle-feeding may expose infants to unhygienic feeding conditions. though it now is almost universally prescribed, in some countries, in the 1950s the practice of breastfeeding went through a period where it was out of vogue and the use of infant formula was considered superior to breast milk. however, it is now universally recognized that there is no commercial formula that can substitute breast milk. in addition to the appropriate amounts of carbohydrate, protein, and fat, breast milk provides vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, and hormones. breast milk also contains antibodies and lymphocytes from the mother that help the baby resist infections. the immune function of breast milk is individualized, as the mother, through her touching and taking care of the baby, comes into contact with pathogens that colonize the baby, and, as a consequence, her body makes the appropriate antibodies and immune cells. at around four months of age, the internal iron supplies of the infant, held in the hepatic cells of the liver, are exhausted. the american academy of pediatrics recommends that at this time that an iron supplement should be introduced, however, other health organisations such as the nhs in the uk have no such recommendation. breast milk contains less iron than formula, because it is more bioavailable as lactoferrin, which carries more safety for mothers and children than ferrous sulphate. both the aap and the nhs recommend vitamin d supplementation for breastfed infants. vitamin d can be synthesised by the infant via exposure to sunlight, however, many infants are deficient due to being kept indoors or living in areas with insufficient sunlight. formula is supplemented with vitamin d for this reason. production