The first expression of breastmilk that the infant receives is Colostrum, which is rich in factors necessary for growth and development as well as immune components, such as antibodies, antimicrobial agents, and immune cells. The passive “immune system” that the infant receives from colostrum as well as normal breastmilk is extremely powerful at neutralizing pathogens, especially bacteria. Contrary to popular thought, the infant is born with a fully functional immune system. However, activation of this immune system is put on hold to keep the infant in the anti-inflammatory state optimal for proper brain development. Thus, the mother provides the infant with immune components that destroy pathogens while allowing the infant body to remain in an anti-inflammatory state during this key time of brain development. Another reason why the infant immune system is kept “on hold” may be so that it can tolerate all the life-giving cells and other substances that the mother is providing.

Breastmilk contains a variety of growth factors that work to facilitate the maturing of blood vessels, red blood cells, the immune system, and development of the brain.

Breastmilk is not sterile. Modern research shows that the mammary glands become colonized with specific good probiotic bacteria that the mother then passes to the infant. Breastmilk contains this good probiotic bacteria that colonize the infant’s intestinal system at just the right time to promote the optimal development of the microbiome. Bacteroides, one of the first bacteria to colonize the infant gut, has an anti-inflammatory effect on the infant’s body. By lowering inflammation, the infant’s risk of allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune disease, and brain dysfunction is reduced. The bacteria that are transferred to the infant in breastmilk also teach the infant’s body which bacteria are good bacteria and can be safely ignored by the immune system.

Two milliliters of breastmilk can contain up to 80,000 stem cells that can turn into whatever type of cell the body needs to heal and repair injured tissues. Stem cells also have anti-inflammatory properties. The transfer of stem cells from both the placenta and breastmilk following birth shuts down birth-induced inflammation in the infant and facilitates any healing that needs to be done because of the birth process.

Breastmilk also transfers many substances whose role is to “program” the DNA of various tissues in the infant. Specifically, breastmilk contains microRNAs, which are tiny RNA molecules that regulate the expression of genes. In infants, research suggests that the microRNAs received from breastmilk may program the cells of the gut to promote colonization by beneficial bacteria, to promote barrier function in the gut (prevent things from leaking through the gut lining), and to reduce the expression of inflammatory genes. It is quite possible that these regulatory RNA molecules also travel to other tissues where they play a key role in regulating proper development of organs. Researchers are just beginning to understand the regulatory role these RNA molecules play in infant and adult bodies. Thus, it is extremely alarming that mRNA technology “vaccines,” which can degrade to form microRNAs, are being used because vaccine degradation byproducts may have the ability to regulate gene expression and affect development. Further, it is likely that the RNA degradation products from the vaccine are preferentially transferred from mother to infant via the breastmilk in vaccinated mothers. This will have a slew of unintended consequences which could prove devastating to the health of the infant.

Lastly, a study on infant health concluded that breastfed, unvaccinated infants were at the lowest risk for disorders such as autism, gastrointestinal disorders, severe allergies, ADD/ADHD. Vaccinated infants that were NOT breastfed were at the highest risk for these disorders. For example, infants who were vaccinated and NOT breastfed were more than 12 times as likely to be diagnosed with autism than those who were breastfed and not vaccinated. While vaccination was the factor that seemed to increase the risk for these disorders the most, breastfeeding had an astonishingly protective effect in vaccinated children. In children who were vaccinated, breastfeeding reduced the risk of developing autism and other disorders by about half.

In short, God designed a miraculous substance that can never be duplicated by man. We should never shame mothers who have difficulty with breastfeeding and therefore must resort to bottle feeding. However, we must make it a top priority to support women in every way that we can to ensure they are able to take advantage of the miracle of breastmilk that God has provided.