Breast milk best for babies

BREAST milk is the best food for infants from one month to 12 months, says an official.
Health Department family services manager Dr Edward Waramin during the launching of the Infant and Young Children’s Food Supply (control) Act 2023 said breastfeeding was not only good for babies but also mothers.
“When babies breastfeed, it helps mothers to recover from childbirth, where mothers release the hormone oxytocin and it retracts the uterus and allows for the mothers to recover fully and not develop any complications later.”
Waramin added that mothers should also be aware that the first milk called colostrum, normally yellowish in colour, is the healthiest milk for the baby packed with antibodies that the baby needs.
“It’s almost like the first vaccination for the newborn child and mothers should not discard it.
Department deputy secretary, public health, Ken Wai added that we have now resorted to feeding our young with processed powder milk of animals, and now have to make laws to protect our young.
“These health policies and regulations need to be policed so that there is no breach in these health legislations.
“We need to protect our children and raise them eating healthily as they are the future of our country,” Wai said.
The Act is to safeguard the nutrition of infants and young children to reduce malnutrition rates by developing and adopting better standards of feeding products and to regulate the dealers of commercially available complementary food and feeding products.