A first time mother rushed her 3-day-old neonate to the emergency room for diarrhea and vomiting. She thinks that her first breast milk, which is yellowish in color, is the cause of her child's condition. She asks the nurse if she could feed her baby with formula milk instead of breastmilk. How should you answer her?

Explanation

•Breastfeeding may actively prevent diarrhea by providing more antibodies and an intestinal environment less friendly to invading organisms.

•Colostrum is a thin, watery, yellow fluid composed of protein, sugar, fat, water, minerals, vitamins, and maternal antibodies. For the first 3 or 4 days after birth, colustrum production continues.

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