Maintaining Children's Growth and Development in The First 1000 Days of Life

Early life of children is an important opportunity to maximize intelligence and health. Genetic, nutritional and environmental factors greatly influence a child's growth and development. Realizing this, WHO & UNICEF recommend:

• Early Initiation of Breastfeeding (<1 Hour of Birth)
• Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months
• Complementary foods for breast milk (MPASI)  are given at the age of 6 months while continuing breastfeeding
• Give MPASI in a timely manner, with sufficient and balanced nutritional content, safe and hygienic, given in the right way.

Breast milk is the best food for babies. Breast milk not only contains macronutrients but also various enzymes and other bioactive components that are not found in formula milk. If breast milk is not available for various reasons, donor breast milk is used with various requirements, formula milk or MPASI (complementary breast milk food) if the baby is ready and > 4 months old.

Criteria for breast milk donors:

• Healthy and not taking medication or herbal supplements regularly (exceptions are prenatal supplements, insulin, thyroid hormone replacement, nasal sprays, inhalers, topical medications, eye drops, low-dose progestin or estrogen contraceptive drugs);
• Don't mind having blood tests to screen for infection
• Have enough breast milk after the baby has breastfed until he is satisfied and the baby is growing well

Criteria for mothers who cannot donate breast milk:

• Users of illegal drugs, tobacco / nicotine replacement therapy or
• Consuming more than 60 ml of alcohol regularly or more than 3 glasses of caffeinated drinks or
• Positive for  HIV, HTLV, Hepatitis B/C or syphilis or
• The sexual partner suffers from HBV, HIV, HCV and sexually transmitted diseases or one of them has had high risk behavior for getting them in the last 12 months or
• Recipient of an organ or tissue transplant or blood/blood component transfusion within 12 months
• Using radioactive drugs or other drugs or environmental exposure to very large doses of chemicals or vitamins that are known to harm the neonate and can be excreted in breast milk
• Suffering from mastitis or fungal infection in the nipple or areola, active herpes simplex or varicella zoster infection in the breast or chest area.