Here is the latest addition to our family, grandchild, Baby Gordon. Of course, he is going to be the most healthy child on the planet! Here is why...
I used to milk cows to fund my way through university. Hard work, long hours. The farmer was paid, not by the volume produced, but by the milk solids; in other words, the quality of the milk determined how much the farmer was paid.
Farmers know that the quality of the milk depends on the health of the grass and this is determined by the nutrients in the soil and its structure.
When I was milking, one task was to shift the pink multi-mineral block of 'salt-lick' so that this was always available for the cows to get their trace minerals. When the cows were in milking, the farmer knew that each animal needed extra magnesium in order to prevent 'grass staggers', so they were given this in a drench.
If cows are stressed, their milk production declines that day. A good farmer ensures his cows are relaxed. He may play classical music while milking and even sing to them. I tried to sing, but my singing was too distressing! For my boss, anyway... not sure if the cows minded.
The same ideas apply for a mother nursing her newborn baby: the quality of her milk is determined by what she eats and how relaxed she is, or isn't.
You are what you eat - and so is your breast milk
Here are two samples of breast milk produced by Mary-Ann, Baby Gordon's loving and nurturing mother.
The upper sample (13 August) is of her milk PRIOR to her making dietary changes, including supplementation. The lower sample (18 August) is milk that was expressed AFTER her dietary changes.
The colour of the milk AFTER is much darker, indicating that it has more nutrients in it, including fat, protein, vitamins, trace nutrients and immune factors. The darker yellow colour is presumably due to the increased richness of the fat soluble vitamins, vitamin C and the B vitamins, all of which were increased in her diet. The addition of plant extracts such as turmeric and other bright plant nutrients may be contributing as well.
Breast milk contains the mother's antibodies and immune-boosters, such as colostrum, to protect Baby from diseases. These continue to help protect Baby during the first two years of life while his/her own immune system matures. These protective nutrients are manufactured by Mother from the nutrients she gains from her diet.
All this bodes well for Baby Gordon.