How long can you breastfeed ?

If you breastfeed your baby for simply a couple of days, he/she will receive your foremilk, or early milk. By providing certain anti-infective factors like antibodies and other types of food the baby’s brand new body expects, breastfeeding provides your baby his/her initial and best ‘immunization’. It also helps in getting the baby’s system to operate in a seamless way. It additionally helps your own body recover from post-pregnancy pain. Given how little it takes to offer it, and how much your baby stands to gain, it makes good sense to breastfeed for at least a day or two, even if you plan to bottle-feed after that.

·     If you breastfeed your baby for 4–6 weeks, you will have eased him/her through the foremost vital part of his infancy. Newborns who do not seem to be breastfed are way more seemingly to get sick or be hospitalized, and have an increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than breastfed babies, explain health practitioners at AMRI Hospitals, one of the best maternity hospital in Kolkata. After 4-6 weeks, you'll probably have worked through any early breastfeeding issues, too. Build a significant goal of breastfeeding for a month and seek advice from a qualified breastfeeding expert, if you have got any queries. These will help you to be in an exceedingly higher position to make your mind up whether continuing breastfeeding is ideal for you or not.

·       If you breastfeed your baby for 3-4 months, his/her digestive system will have matured a great deal, and he/she will be ready in a far better way to tolerate the foreign substances. Giving nothing but your breast milk to the baby for the first six months will help to safeguard the baby against various types of infections.

·     If you breastfeed your baby for 6 months without any other food or drink, you will help in ensuring good health throughout your baby's initial years of life, reduce the little one's risk of infections, and cut back on your own risk of breast cancer. Exclusive breastfeeding throughout the first six months, if your periods are yet to come back, provides 98 effective contraceptive methods. The World Health Organization and other well-known medical organizations suggest waiting for a minimum of six months before starting on solid foods.

·   If you breastfeed your baby for nine months, you will have nourished him/her for his/her quickest and most vital brain and body development on the food that was designed for the baby — your milk. Weaning could also be fairly natural at this age but then, so is breastfeeding! If you wish to avoid weaning this early, make sure that, from the beginning you breastfeed willingly so that your child is comforted and not simply fed.

·    If you breastfeed your baby for one year, you will be able to avoid the expense of feeding formula to your child, when it is a fact that your baby’s one-year-old body will be able to handle most of foods consumed by your family on a normal basis. Breastfeeding will give your kid several health benefits, which will last throughout one’s whole life, suggest doctors at AMRI Hospitals, best child care hospital in Kolkata. He/she is going to be less likely to want treatment and have a reduced risk of some childhood cancers like leukemia. Experts recommend breastfeeding for a year, or for as long as a mother and baby needs. As a result of this, it helps ensure the traditional nutrition and health for your baby.

·        If you breastfed your baby for 18 months, you may have continued to supply nutrition, comfort, and sickness protection for your baby, at a time when illness is very common in weaning babies. Your baby is perhaps well established on family foods, too. He/she has had time to create a solid bond with you, which is a healthy start line for his/her growing independence, too. At 18 months, the baby is of the right age when you can begin weaning him/her off breast milk, but at a pace that the baby can handle.

 In cultures where there's no pressure to wean, youngsters tend to feed for a minimum of two years, the World Health Organization and UNICEF strongly encourage breastfeeding throughout a baby’s days of being a toddler: Biologically human beings seem geared to of weaning age he age of 30 months and seven years. It is smart to make our children’s bones from the milk that was designed for them. Your milk provides nutrients, anti-infective factors and different protecting substances as long as your kid continues breastfeeding. 

The World Health Organization says that mothers who feed their babies for a relatively longer time have a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Breastfeeding is an essential parenting issue that has been related to a kid’s emotional development, particularly in developing the bond between children and their mothers. Breastfeeding eases each of you through the tears and tantrums that are an integral part of babyhood, besides helping to ensure that the effect of many diseases are milder and much easier to deal with.

Are there any negative effects of prolonged breastfeeding?

According to the obstetricians at AMRI Hospitals, prolonged breastfeeding does not have any effect on the baby, instead carries a positive effect. A significant positive for prolonged breastfeeding is that it helps mothers to reduce their post pregnancy weight, helps her maintain her normal figure, eve helps in weight loss. It also helps a mother to fight diseases like breast and ovarian cancers. Prolonged breastfeeding produces prolonged lactation, which helps in contraception simply by preventing it. Further, prolonged breastfeeding helps in strengthening the bond between mother and baby, subsequently helping in a child’s mental development. Babies who are breastfed for a long time achieve the developmental milestones earlier than babies who are breastfed through bottles.

Breastfeeding for an extended period is one of the most precious gifts that you can give to your child, especially during his/her first year, when it plays an essential nutritional role. After that period, the baby’s overall requirement for milk will start to dwindle, although breast milk will continue to provide excellent nutrients, immune strengthening benefits, and emotional security. It’s because of this emotional value that weaning can be tricky, particularly if there have been slight changes or stress in the family. 

If you’ve been breastfeeding for a prolonged period, it is quite natural that you might have to start to plan the weaning process of your baby, advice health practitioners at AMRI Hospitals, best maternity hospital in Kolkata. However, every parent must take note that, breastfeeding becomes so fast and easy over time it is actually quite right for you take the decision to continue nursing. One must keep in mind that there is nothing wrong or abnormal with extended breastfeeding, more so since society is changing and so are its norms.

There is practically nothing wrong with your baby breastfeeding for a longer period in time and a look at the child’s digestive enzymes will reveal that the baby was designed to be breastfed for at least two to three years or more. If the baby has been breastfed for a minimum period of nine to 18 months, he/she will be undoubtedly very reluctant to stop but this does not mean the baby is spoilt. It simply means the baby knows what is best for the self. Ultimately, how long one should breastfeed is up to the mother and the baby. There are certain advantages in both cases -- if the mother breastfeeds only for a few days, or if the baby is breastfed for years -- for both mother and child.

BREAST FEEDING-MYTHS & TRUTHS

Breast milk is undoubtedly the best food for a new-born baby. This is because a new born has various types of nutrient requirements, which include proteins, minerals and vitamins. All these nutrients are present adequately in breast milk.

There are two types of proteins present in breast milk - whey protein and casein. Breast milk is rich in whey protein and less in casein protein. Whey protein is good for infant health because it is easier to digest, explain healthcare practitioners at the Department of Obstetrics &and Maternity at AMRI Hospitals Kolkata. On the other hand, casein is a little difficult to digest. We can elaborately discuss on the two types of proteins:

Casein and Whey

Whey proteins are liquid and extremely simple to digest. Apart from it, whey protein contains certain antibodies, like lactoferrin, and muramidase, which fortifies a baby’s immunity system to repel infections.

Casein protein levels are relatively higher and these have additional complicated macromolecule molecules, which are tougher to digest. Soon after your baby is born, your breast milk contains 90% whey protein and almost 10% casein proteins. Once your breast milk comes in and becomes mature milk, it has 60% whey and 40% casein. And with the passage of time, the whey macromolecules continue to drop till there is a uniform quantity of both whey and casein later, during lactation.

If we talk about other sources of milk such as cow’s milk, then the constituency of the two types of protein is slightly different. In the case of cow milk, whey protein is less and casein is higher. Whey protein is definitely beneficial for babies, but casein is harmful because babies have difficulty in digesting it, and leads to other allergic manifestations as well, suggest medical practitioners at AMRI Hospitals, one of the best maternity hospital in Kolkata. 

This is why breast milk is always healthier than outside milk. Apart from all the proteins, vitamins and minerals in breast milk, there are some other components like lactoferrin and immunoglobulin, which are protective factors that are directly transmitted from a mother to a baby, through breast milk. And this helps in generating the inherent immunity system of babies. This immunogenicity not only helps the baby during the initial 6 months, but also protects the baby from various types of diseases like diarrhoea, allergies, etc at a later stage.

Nutrients present in breast milk

Water

Breast milk is formedfrom90% water, and also the rest of its nutritious contents are found in that water. The physical body desires water for nearly everything. Among other alternative things, it keeps a baby hydrated, helps in managing blood heat, lubricates joints, and protects organs.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body's best supply of energy. The primary sugar in breast milk comes from a form of lactose, known as disaccharide.

Compared to cow's milk, there are way more disaccharide in human milk. Disaccharide not only provides your baby with a serious supply of energy for growth and development, it also helps in developing the brain.

Other carbohydrates found in breast milk, like oligosaccharides are required to push healthy microorganism within the intestines. These microorganisms defend your baby's gut and help fight back diseases such as infant diarrhea.

Lipids (Fats)

Lipids may form only around 4% of breast milk on its own, but supplies50% of the calories that your baby gets from breast milk

Lipids are a serious source of energy, sterol, which help in controlling cholesterol, and essential fatty acids like DHA. According to the obstetricians at the maternity department of AMRI Hospitals, lipids are necessary for the development of baby's brain, central nervous system, and vision.

Lipids are liable for your baby's weight gain as he grows. Your breast milk contains all the lipids that your baby wants. However, if you are on a feeder diet, discuss along with your doctor whether or not you must take a DHA supplement, to make sure you are getting enough of lipid intake.

Proteins

Proteins build, strengthen, and repair the body. They are additionally required to form hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. The protein in your breast milk is very easy for your baby to digest and your kid desires protein to grow and develop. One vital protein in breast milk is lactoferrin.Lactoferrin moves iron through your baby's body and also helps in guarding the newborn's intestines from infections.

Immunoglobulins (Antibodies)

Immunoglobulins are antibodies, which fight back germs that cause ill-health and unwellness. Your breast milk is like your baby's initial immunizing agent. It contains antibodies that fight back bacteria, viruses, fungus, and parasites. The immune properties found in breast milk can also help protect your kid from respiratory illness, ear infections, vomiting, diarrhea, and different dangerous infections that have an effect on newborns and infants.

The main protein in your breast milk is secretory immunoglobulin (IgA). Immune serum globulin coats your baby's lungs and intestines. It seals them to stop germs from coming into your baby's body and blood. The antibodies in your breast milk are even more important if you have got a preterm baby or a baby,that the World  Health Organization can move to childcare.

Hormones

Hormones have many roles within the body; they control growth and development, metabolism, stress, pain, and vital signs. The hormones in breast milk are lactogen, thyroid hormones, growth factors, relaxin, endorphin, glycoprotein, cortisol, leptin, oestrogen, progestogen, and many more. Scientists are still conducting research on hormones that are present in breast milk, making an attempt to find out more about these hormones and how they function in a baby, suggest leading doctors at AMRI Hospitals.

Enzymes

Scientists have found more than 40 different enzymes in human breast milk, which are all unlike each other. Some enzymes help in digestion by breaking down fats or proteins, while others defend your baby from germs and sickness. There are some enzymes about the functions of which scientists are not yet certain. While we are yet unaware about the functions of all enzymes, we, however, understand that they do play a crucial role in the health and development of your child.

Vitamins

Vitamins contribute to healthy bones, eyes, as well as skin. They additionally facilitate to prevent diseases like scurvy and rachitis or rickets. The vitamins and minerals in breast milk are necessary for your baby's health as he/she grows. However, the amount of vitamin D, folate, or Vitamin B6 (depending on your diet) could also be lower in some female babies. Therefore, refer to your doctor and your baby's paediatrician concerning the suggested aliment supplements that you may require while breastfeeding.

Minerals

Breast milk is full of minerals, including iron, zinc, calcium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, and selenium. Vitamins are required for healthy growth and development. They help in building sturdy bones and building red blood cells so that these can move oxygen through the body, keeping muscles and nerves functioning properly.

Amino Acids

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Once the protein is digested in your baby's abdomen, it breaks down into amino acids. There are more than 20 totally different amino acids found in breast milk.

Taurine is one among such, which is found in giant amounts in breast milk but not at all found in cow milk. Studies show that taurine has several functions, in combination with bile acids and plays a crucial role in the development of a baby’s brain and eye.

Some of the other amino acids found in breast milk include aminoalkanoic acid, cysteine, lysine, essential amino acid, tyrosine, and essential amino acids.

Lactoferrin

Lactoferrin is a part of whey protein. It's an iron-binding protein, which attaches to iron and transports it throughout the body but that is not the sole function of lactoferrin. It also stimulates the system and helps breastfed babies fight back organisms that may cause bacterial, viral, and flora infections of the digestive tube.

It has been observed that prolonged breastfeeding protects a child from several diseases like: diabetes, diarrhoea, cancers, etc, especially in the later stage of a baby’s life. In all these aspects, leading obstetricians at the maternity department of AMRI Hospitals Kolkata say that breast milk is the most ideal food for the baby and feeding the baby directly from the breast is always advisable, as there are important vitamins and minerals in breast milk. However, if problem persists, then mothers can feed milk from a bottle or a bowl, but this simultaneously exposes the kid to all types of infections. So, mothers should try and feed their babies directly from the breast.

6 Benefits of In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

1. IVF works where other infertility treatments fail- In some cases, patients move through a range of fertility treatments before arriving at the IVF “station”: fertility medications, intrauterine insemination, and so on. However, there are certain infertility diagnoses that will cause your doctor to recommend IVF from the get-go so you don’t waste your time and money on fertility treatments that are less likely to work. As per AMRI Hospital some of the infertility diagnoses methods are blocked fallopian tubes, severe male infertility factor, reduced ovarian reserves and/or advanced maternal age (typically any woman over the age of 38) 
2. It can be used by anybody- In-vitro fertilization isn’t restricted to the mother of the baby, it can also be used by surrogate or gestational carriers so a range of people can become parents and participate in the pregnancy and labor experience. This includes same-sex couples, women who are physically unable to carry a baby full-term or single women, to name a few.
3. You can use donated eggs and/or sperm- There are times when a fertility specialist may recommend using donated eggs and/or sperm. In these cases, the egg can be manually fertilized in the clinic and a resulting, viable embryo can be used for IVF, which increases your chances of getting pregnant the first or second time around.
4. You have control over timing- Patients who are focused on their careers or who may have a unique life situation that affects exactly when they want their baby to be born will find that IVF gives them more overall control. Eggs or embryos can be cryopreserved for future use. You can then choose a window of time when you want to be pregnant – or when you want your baby to be born – counting backwards to determine the best time to proceed with IVF. IVF can also help with spacing children in a way that works best for your family.
5. Increase your chances of having a healthy baby- Genetic screening is a powerful new technology that helps to ensure your baby is born healthy. By utilizing genetic screening – called Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) or Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS) – you can ensure the fetuses used during IVF are free of known genetic markers. These can be linked to life-threatening medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome, sickle cell anemia and Tay Sachs disease. The tests are not done arbitrarily but, rather, if the mother and/or father tests positively for these diseases or if there is a family history of serious genetically-linked diseases.
6. Increase your chances of conception- IVF with PGS has the highest success rate of all of the other assisted reproductive options. Multiple cycles can be used if necessary to increase a woman’s chances of fertilization, a healthy pregnancy and live birth.

5 major Egg Freezing facts

1. Egg freezing is most effective if you freeze before you’re 35.

If there’s one egg freezing fact we want women to know, it’s this: freezing younger is always better. Women are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have, and as they get older, their egg count diminishes. At the same time, the eggs inside their ovaries are being exposed to all of the inevitable, but damaging forces of life: fevers, infections, stress, toxins, free radicals. This reduces their egg quality, or the state of the egg as genetically normal. So it’s a two-pronged process of fertility decline: as a woman ages, she has fewer eggs, and a lower percentage of the eggs she has left are genetically normal and able to create a healthy pregnancy.

That’s why, though there’s no strict egg freezing age limit, it’s a fact that egg freezing is most effective before 35, when a woman’s eggs are healthier and more plentiful. Not only will she produce more eggs per cycle, making it easier to freeze enough eggs for a good chance at pregnancy, the eggs she freezes are more likely to result in a healthy pregnancy later.

2. Egg freezing technology has improved drastically in the past decade.

Until a little over ten years ago, women who froze their eggs only had one option: slow freezing, a technique that’s, well, exactly what it sounds like. This process had a higher chance of causing damaging ice crystals to develop inside the egg cell, and only about 61% of eggs frozen using the slow freezing method survived the thawing process.

The fact about egg freezing is that speed matters. Today, advanced cryopreservation labs use vitrification, a much faster “flash freezing” technique that reduces the temperature of the egg to the required -196ºC in less than a minute, reducing the chance of ice crystals forming inside the cell. Eggs that go through vitrification have an approximately 90% survival rate.

3. Freezing eggs won’t affect their ability to create a healthy pregnancy.

One of the best studies on egg cryopreservation (or egg freezing) examined the health and pregnancy rates of frozen and “fresh” eggs from young egg donors in in vitro fertilization cycles. The study randomly assigned 600 couples to use either fresh donor eggs or frozen donor eggs for IVF. Pregnancy rates were nearly equal for both sets of couples, regardless of whether they used fresh or frozen donor eggs, demonstrating that freezing eggs doesn’t affect their ability to result in a healthy pregnancy.

4. If you freeze 10–20 eggs before you’re 35, that gives you a 70–90% chance of motherhood using those eggs later.

Of all the facts about egg freezing, this is one we’re asked about most often: does egg freezing really work?

The short answer is yes. Individual success rates typically depend on two factors: a woman’s age at the time she freezes (see egg freezing fact #1) and how many egg she freezes. Older studies suggested that, for women under 35, freezing between 10 and 15 eggs would offer a 61–85% chance of motherhood using those eggs later.

5. Egg freezing is the best—and only—technology currently available to preserve a woman’s fertility.

The fact is, there’s no “anti-aging” treatment for your ovaries. Some new studies suggest that stem cells might have some promise as a way to generate new eggs that can develop into offspring. But this research, while really exciting to experts in human reproduction, is really in its infancy. Egg freezing, on the other hand, is a generally safe and effective technique based on highly tested and established science, offering the best (and currently only) way for women to be proactive about their fertility health.

For more information contact us at –https://www.amrihospitals.in/specialty/ivf-centre

Symptoms, Types & Risk Factors of Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian Cancer, the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths in women, is severe a type of medical condition which begins in the ovaries. It is mainly caused due to an abnormal and uncontrollable growth of cells in the ovary, explain gynaecologists at AMRI Hospital, one of the best maternity hospitals in Kolkata.

Who is at the risk of ovarian cancer?

Although ovarian cancer can affect women of any age, it is mostly common in those over the age of 50. Every woman, on an average suffers from 1.38% risk of suffering from ovarian cancer in her lifetime.

Studies show that ovarian cancer usually goes undetected until it spreads within the pelvis and abdomen. It becomes difficult to treat this disease in the latter stage, as it progresses rapidly with time, warn gynaecologists at AMRI Hospitals. Timely detection and treatment of ovarian cancer in the initial stage makes it more likely to be treated successfully.

What are the types of ovarian cancers?

• Ovarian low malignant potential tumor (OLMPT)
• Germ cell tumors
• Sex cord-stromal tumors
• Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC)
• What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer?
• Constant pain or cramps in the belly or back
• Unusual bleeding from the vagina, queasiness and bloating
• Eating disorders or abnormal fullness after eating
• Changes in appetite (often a loss of appetite)
• Exhaustion, constipation and issues related to digestion
• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Heartburn and back pain
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• An increased urge to urinate
• Increase in the abdominal girth

The severity of ovarian cancer makes it important to keep a check on the symptoms of the disease, and undergo a timely treatment in order to combat it.

What increases the risk of developing ovarian cancer?

• Genes/family history of ovarian cancer
• Excessive weight
• The use of certain fertility drugs or hormone therapies
• Inability to conceive
• Endometriosis
• Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes