Mummies become mummies the second they find out they are pregnant. Because it is during this time that their motherly instincts may start to kick in and they already want to give their best to the foetus growing inside their wombs.
One of the first things doctors will suggest is that mummies start taking prenatal vitamins, like folic acid. Another thing mummies-to-be will look out for is maternal milk. New mummies may need some help with how to choose maternal milk.
Is maternal milk necessary? If so, how to choose maternal milk can be important for mummies-to-be.
Firstly, why maternal milk?
Maternal milk is typically chock-full of important nutrients for pregnant and lactating mummies. One of the key ingredients is folic acid, which is crucial in helping with the growth and development of the foetus.
During the first trimester, some mummies also experience morning sickness and have trouble keeping food down. Maternal milk is a great way to supplement their nutritional intake during this period.
There are also other factors to consider to ensure the pregnancy is a smooth-sailing one. Here are some questions you should ask yourself:
1. How much weight is a healthy amount to gain?
Of course, every pregnancy is different. Some mums gain only 5-7kg while others may even gain up to 20kg throughout their pregnancies. So, what is a healthy amount to gain?
The general rule of thumb is that if you are overweight to begin with, your weight gain should be less than that of a person with a normal BMI. A woman who is an average weight to begin with can gain anywhere between 10-15kg, while an overweight woman should aim to only gain 5-7kg.
The idea of “eating for two” is usually what gets mummies into excessive weight gain, but the fact is, you don’t have to stuff yourself with extra food at every meal. Drinking maternal milk can help you meet both your calorie and nutritional intake if you are worried about that.
2. What are the major food groups important for pregnancy?
If you were on any sort of diet before pregnancy, you will have to stop once you are pregnant as your body will need to meet all the nutritional requirements for optimal foetal development.
This means you will have to look at eating food from the five important food groups, namely fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates, dairy, protein and fat. Maternal milk is a good, easily accessible source of dairy that you need during your pregnancy.
Pregnant mummies are recommended to drink two glasses of maternal milk a day.
3. Are you getting the right nutrients for good foetal development?
Folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamin D – these are just some nutrients that the body needs for good foetal development. Maternal milk typically contains all of these nutrients that a mummy needs plus added magnesium that helps with bone development and tissue formation.
4. Are you drinking enough fluids throughout the day?
As ironic as it sounds, the less fluid intake a pregnant mummy gets, the more she will suffer from water retention. When you keep yourself sufficiently hydrated, your chances of water retention reduces.
Two glasses of maternal milk daily will not only provide the essential nutrients required but also supplement fluid requirements during pregnancy.
5. How does consuming maternal milk affect your foetus?
Multiple studies have been conducted with the same findings that there is a direct correlation between the consumption of maternal milk during pregnancy and birth outcomes in a positive manner.
Instead of buying multiple bottles of vitamins and supplements to ensure you are receiving the nutrients you need for pregnancy, maternal milk is an all-in-one option.
It is important to note that besides being an unnecessary expense, an excessive intake of these supplements can cause toxic effects or interfere with the absorption of other nutrients, according to the World Health Organization.
For many, maternal milk is a good choice as it is easily accessible and affordable to ensure pregnant mums are getting the essential nutrients recommended by Malaysia’s latest RNI (Recommended Nutrition Intake 2017).
How to choose maternal milk while you are at the supermarket? Check the labels first.
How to choose maternal milk
So, once you’ve decided to start drinking maternal milk, then begs the question: “How to choose maternal milk?”
You are walking down the supermarket aisle and you come across so many brands available.
Are they all the same? Don’t they all come from Europe or some Western country, anyways?
Wrong.
They are not all the same and no, not all powdered milk comes from Western countries. In fact, once you start studying labels more carefully, you will find that many milk brands are actually manufactured in Thailand, Singapore or Malaysia.
What does this mean? Is milk made in Asia good or bad? To help mummies make more informed decisions, let’s understand what this truly means.
Most maternal milk manufactured in Southeast Asia is sourced from a farm that they do not own – most likely a farm in Europe, Australia or New Zealand. This means that the cows are reared in farms overseas and the milk extracted from these cows are processed into powder before coming to Southeast Asia.
The various brands then reprocess the powdered milk using their own formulation (which is unique to each brand), putting the powdered milk through multiple heat treatments that could compromise the nutrient qualities. This is what is known as a double manufacturing process.
From grass to glass
How to choose maternal milk: A good indicator is knowing whether the milk is produced using a single or double manufacturing process.
Frisomum Gold is 100% made and imported from Holland and uses a single manufacturing process, with full control over the entire journey of milk production known as “grass to glass”.
This means that all the steps in the milk production process are fully done in Holland itself. From the rearing of cows in the farm to the milk extraction process to the conversion to powder and finally, packaging, Frisomum Gold is in control.
Why is this important?
First of all, it cuts down on the need to rely on third-party providers. Even from the time the cow is reared for milk production, Frisomum Gold is able to monitor the cows daily, ensure the cows are fed a balanced and nutritious diet as well as grow in a healthy and stress-free environment.
The milk also goes through a rigorous checking process to ensure it meets the highest standards, ensuring the milk is of the right colour and scent.
Next, it also means that when the milk is extracted and transported to be processed, it is done so in ideal conditions. The milk is transported fresh under 4 degrees Celsius and is gently processed using mild heat treatment to ensure all the nutrients are properly preserved.
Finally, the milk powder is then packaged neatly into cans with a unique protection lid to guarantee freshness, thus completing the grass to glass journey and making it the only maternal milk in the market to be 100% imported from Holland.
So the next time you’re walking down that supermarket aisle wondering how to choose maternal milk for yourself, check where the milk is manufactured, now that you understand the full benefits of grass to glass.
To read up on more information on Frisomum, visit their website here.