Human milk is a complex secretion that is the sole ideal food for babies for at least the first 6 months of life. The amount and composition of the milk is largely independent of the mother's diet. The composition of the milk changes during lactogenesis II, and these changes can be used as biochemical markers of the onset of copious milk secretion. After 1 month of lactation, there are few furt...

Adoption of the recommended breast-feeding and complementary feeding behaviors and access to the appropriate quality and quantity of foods are essential components of optimal nutrition for infants and young children between ages 6 and 24 mo. Iron, zinc and vitamin B-6 are deficient in complementary food diets in Bangladesh, Ghana, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. Low intakes of iron are consistent w...

A 15-month-old male baby of Chinese ethnicity was brought by his parents to the emergency department of our hospital with lethargy and yellowish discoloration of eyes, noticed for ;24 hours. On examination, the baby was pale and icteric. Blood tests revealed a low hemoglobin of 50 g/L, mild neutrophilia, and normal platelet count. A blood film examination showed normocytic normochromic red cell...