Not all mothers can immediately release their milk after giving birth. This is because your body is still adapting to balance the hormones of pregnancy and breastfeeding. What about your little one if your mother’s milk hasn’t come out yet? can a babies survive without breast milk? Miraculously, newborns can survive for 3 days without breast milk because babies have fat reserves in the body.
Morgan K. Hoke, an anthropologist from the University of Pennsylvania, United States, explains that there are two types of fat content. White fat or normal fat, and brown fat, otherwise known as ‘brown adipose tissue (BAT)’. BAT is a special type of fat found in all postnatal mammals including humans.
Just as the name suggests, brown fat is brown fat tissue in the baby’s body. This fatty tissue is often found in certain body parts such as the neck, shoulders, and around the lower spine. The higher levels of brown fat in infants function as the main body heat generator, because the baby has not been able to move freely to warm his body.
Recent research has shown the role of brown fat in infants preventing diabetes by increasing blood glucose metabolism.
Fat is an energy reserve in mammals and humans when the body does not get enough food or when food sources are irregular. One of the important functions of fat is to maintain the functioning of the brain.
Babies have a lot of fat stores at birth because they go through a kind of fasting period after birth while waiting for milk to come out. The first breast milk or colostrum itself contains proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antibodies that boost immunity, but the sugar and fat content is lower than regular breast milk.
Some mothers may feel the need to give formula milk while waiting for the milk to start coming out. Hoke added, this ‘shortcut’ (sufor) has never been available in the course of human history before. Breast milk has always been the only option to meet increasingly complex nutritional needs and protect against disease. Stored fat in infants is used as a source of energy in the transition period, which allows it to support brain performance and continue growth and development.
Wow, this is good news, Mama, so you don’t have to worry if your milk doesn’t come out immediately after giving birth. God has created the little one’s body with brown fat that allows him to survive for approximately 3 days, while waiting for the mother’s milk to come out.
Also Read: So that breast milk comes out quickly after giving birth
Enjoy your breastfeeding time, Mama. Hopefully always healthy & able to breastfeed your little one up to 2 years later.
While trying to continue breastfeeding your little one, Mama can join the breastfeeding mother community on Instagram @mamabearid & the YouTube channel “MamaBear Pelancar ASI”. Feel free to consult via the comments column, Mama.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2446425/
https://www.livescience.com/49652-what-is-brown-fat-facts.html
https://mediaindonesia.com/weekend/356505/menkenal- benefit-fat-dalam-badan-gendut-babi