“Stop feeding cow's milk to your babies," said Dr Ekhard E. Ziegler, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Iowa. His advice was for Egyptian mothers who stop breastfeeding their babies and feed them cow's milk instead. Such milk is not healthy for a baby, because, although it contains a lot of protein, it is poor in iron. "During the baby's first five months, his body needs to absorb 1 milligram per day of iron and, if he doesn't, he will suffer from iron deficiency," explained Dr Ziegler. In order to provide her baby with this, the mother should keep breastfeeding him or switch to iron-rich food, but never feed him cow's milk, as it contains a very small amount of iron. Fruit and vegetables are also very poor in iron. "In the US, we give children cereals. Mothers could also feed their children meat, as it is a good source of iron. Iron drops are also a good choice, although the baby may spit them out. Formula too is a good source of iron," Professor Ziegler told the Egyptian Mail in an interview. The doctor was in Egypt, giving a seminar entitled ‘Iron Deficiency in Babies' during the 31st Scientific Congress of the Egyptian Society for Neonatal and Preterm Care (ESNPC), held in Marsa Alam on the Red Sea, from February 20 to 22. A study made by an infant formula milk company reveals that 65 per cent of Egyptian mothers have stopped breastfeeding and switched to cow's milk when the babies have reached the age of six months. This percentage does not only include poor mothers who can't afford meat or formula milk, but also some well-educated mothers, who don't know that cow's milk causes iron deficiency. "Of course, the lower the income, the bigger the problem. But mothers should avoid cow's milk which causes iron deficiency," stressed the doctor, who said that the country that suffers the most from iron deficiency is India, as many people there are vegetarian and don't eat meat. Doctor Ziegler also advises pregnant mothers to eat meat. "Some mothers do not eat in a healthy way during their pregnancy and this makes them weaker. "We have to remember that the baby in his mother's womb takes iron from his mother [around 250mg per day], even if she is iron deficient. That's why the mother should be healthy because, if not, she will suffer health problems. Pregnant mothers should eat meat," he explained. Dr Ziegler stressed that the main thing is to prevent iron deficiency, as it causes health problems for the children as they grow older. "The mother can tell that her baby is suffering from iron deficiency by taking note of his weight. Children with iron deficiency usually weigh less and their brains grow less than those of normal children. They are shorter and don't grow normally," he continued. A total of 62 per cent of Egyptian children suffer from anaemia, according to a recent study. "This is because most mothers feed their babies cow's milk, which is unhealthy for them," said Dr Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, the Medical Director for Egypt and Libya of the formula milk company that sponsored the 31st Scientific Congress. "Iron deficiency affects babies' brains and maturity and these effects can't be treated after the baby grows up. Our job is prevent the baby from suffering from iron deficiency," Dr Abdel-Aziz told the Mail. "Formula milks are better than cow's milk because they are very similar to mother's milk and contain a high amount of iron and could be the mother's second option after breastfeeding, in order to protect the health of her baby. “And, because babies are very important to us as they are the country's future, we in the company are trying to raise the mother's awareness through social ads and by other means. “We are also ensuring that our young doctors are properly trained to treat newborns by offering them courses and grants," he added. Babies are Egypt's future During the 31st Scientific Congress, doctors, professors and specialised medical personnel from Egypt and abroad met and discussed a lot of issues related to the health of newborn and premature babies. The topics covered included perinatology, preterm nutrition, neonatal respiratory disorders, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, care of preterm and low birth weight infants, and others. "The first minutes in the baby's life can affect his future," said Dr Gamal Sami, the head of the ESNP, during the congress. "Doctors, nurses and hospitals should be well trained, prepared and equipped to receive the newborn in his 'Golden Hours' [first hours in life], as those few minutes influence his cognitive ability in future," explained Dr Sami. He stressed that preterm babies (babies who didn't complete 28 weeks in their mothers' womb) need a lot of care. "Babies are Egypt's future," he stressed. Doctor Sami called on Egyptian hospitals to increase their neonatal intensive care units and update their equipment. "There should be more training courses for doctors in this field and nurses as well," he told this newspaper.
