Breast milk or formula? Comparison of composition and properties

Many mothers choose a type of feeding at birth and want to choose the best for their child. What's better - breastfeeding or feeding a new modern mixture? How do they differ qualitatively and on what to choose?

Only mother can decide what to choose, because a lot depends on the inner feelings of the woman. For some, breastfeeding is too intimate a moment, which is a psychological barrier. Is it worth to “step over” through your feelings and make a choice in favor of breastfeeding?

Most of the mixtures are made on the basis of milk from cows, therefore, in our comparison with breast milk, milk mixtures will be considered.

Component	In human milk	In milk formulas
Water	Contained in the amount required by the baby.	Contained in insufficient quantities, so the baby should be additionally fed.
Squirrels	Easy to digest. Do not cause allergic reactions. Presented mainly by the serum fraction and albumin.	Digested harder. Often cause allergic reactions. Present mainly casein fraction (molecules larger).
Fat	Reside in a form that is easily digested. There are omega-3 fats that are valuable for baby development. Presented by cholesterol, which is well absorbed. Complemented with lipase.	Represented by a mixture of different fats. Omega-3 fat is often not enough for the needs of the crumbs. Cholesterol is absent. Not supplemented with lipase, therefore not fully digested.
Carbohydrates	Basically lactose, which is the main source of energy for the baby. There are oligosaccharides for better bowel performance.	Lactose and oligosaccharides are added additionally. Can be represented by maltodextrin and starch.
Vitamin and mineral formula	It is represented by easily digestible forms of substances. Iron is absorbed by 50-75%.	Submitted by substances in the right dosages for an infant. Iron is absorbed by 5-10%.
Other components	There are substances that provide protection against infections (antibodies), as well as helping the intestines to develop crumbs. There are digestive enzymes, hormones.	There are no maternal antibodies, lactoferrin, lysozyme and other important ingredients.

We also note that the composition of mother's milk changes constantly - depending on what ingredients babies need for development at a certain moment, they appear in larger quantities in breast milk. The mixture has the same composition, represented by formulas for babies up to 6 months, from 6 to 12 months and after a year.

No mixture, even the most modern and high-quality, can be better for a baby than breast milk. Mother's milk is the best that a mother can give to a child, this is a guarantee of his full development. But in some cases, breastfeeding is impossible, and then come to the rescue infant formula.