Breast milk is your baby’s first vaccine

While most of mothers see breast milk as just food for the baby, it is actually not so; breast milk offers much more to your baby than nutrition. The amount of protection it offers your baby against diseases is the reason breast milk is termed “the first vaccine”.

To begin with, the first milk, known as colostrum, is usually bright or almost deep yellow, indicating its high content of Vitamin A, a nutrient that is well-known for its ability to strengthen the immune system and offer protection against diseases even long after the baby outgrows breastfeeding. This prevents common but serious childhood illnesses like pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis and whooping cough.