Many mothers find that breastfed babies seem to be thinner than those fed with formula, which makes many breastfeeding mothers wonder whether their breast milk is not good. This is certainly not the case with
. Generally speaking, breastfed babies have better resistance and more comprehensive development in all aspects. Therefore, we don’t have to doubt the nutritional value of breast milk. It is the best way to feed the baby after birth.
Then why do babies fed with formula look fatter?
The main reasons are as follows:
1. The nutritional content of milk powder remains unchanged
When breastfeeding, there will be "foremilk" and "hindmilk". The fat content of foremilk is lower, which provides more water for the baby's body. It is secreted first during breastfeeding to meet the baby's drinking needs.
After the baby sucks continuously for a few minutes, the foremilk will be converted into hindmilk. The hindmilk contains more fat. This fat will make the baby feel full. Basically, the baby will be full without eating much hindmilk.
The nutrients before and after milk powder are the same, and the fat content is also the same, so the baby will naturally be fatter.
2. The fat content in milk powder is higher
The fat content in milk powder is about three times that of breast milk. Many experienced mothers have found that most babies fed with milk powder seem to be more resistant to hunger. But breastfed babies need to eat a meal every few hours. This is because breast milk contains less fat and is digested and absorbed faster by the baby.
Therefore, for babies who eat milk powder, their intake of fat content will be heavier and their weight will be heavier.
3. Insulin levels are higher
Scientists also found that different feeding methods have an impact on the release of insulin and gastrointestinal hormones in babies. Compared with breastfed babies, formula-fed babies have higher insulin levels in their plasma , which is more likely to stimulate fat accumulation and promote the early development of fat cells, making babies more likely to gain weight.
4. Milk powder is more likely to be passively fed
Milk powder babies are more likely to be obese, which may also be related to overfeeding.
For babies who are exclusively breastfed, mothers usually don’t worry about them eating too much, because the baby can increase or decrease the number of feedings according to their own needs, thereby regulating the mother’s milk production.
For formula-fed babies, they can get milk without much effort, and the baby consumes less. Moreover, bottle feeding is basically a standard quantitative feeding, which makes it easier for the baby to eat more, consume less, and naturally become fatter.
In the minds of many parents, a fatter baby means healthy, so some mothers will deliberately wean their babies in advance and let them drink milk powder. In fact, being fat is not necessarily good.
Obese children are more likely to face various health problems as adults, such as diabetes , cardiovascular diseases, etc. In addition, obesity may also cause psychological harm to children. They may be laughed at by classmates and even affect their normal social activities.
There are also many studies showing that breastfed babies are less likely to become obese in the future and have a preventive effect on various cardiovascular and chronic diseases.
Therefore, babies fed with milk powder will gain weight not because milk powder is more nutritious than breast milk, but because of some other external factors. For babies, breast milk is the best ration.
