Shaping the future health of babies To ensure future mailings from SMA® Professional reach your mailbox, add smaprofessional@smaprofessional.msgfocus.com to your safe sender list. View in browser Shaping the future health of babies Featured in this eNewsletter: Guidance on Coronavirus (COVID-19) in pregnancy and advice on breastfeeding A snapshot of HMOs Getting a taste for weaning – A guide with amazing recipes to share with parents Dear [*data('salutation') || 'Healthcare Professional' *], We recognise and appreciate the work that you do as a healthcare professional, your sacrifice and effort to look after us as a nation during this period in our lives is priceless. Thank you. This month we are highlighting the guidelines for managing Coronavirus COVID-19 in pregnancy and the advice on breastfeeding as published by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists and other UK maternity health bodies. As parents work hard to maintain normality in their lives and look to you for support, we share with you a 2 minute video that highlights the importance of HMOs in breast milk in building baby's immune system, we are also sharing a free booklet on weaning, created by a registered dietitian to help guide parents with healthy eating ideas for the first few years of life, you will find amazing recipes to share with parents. Kind regards, The SMA® Professional Team Guidance on Coronavirus (COVID-19) in pregnancy and advice on breastfeeding Covid-19 is a real concern; as parents will be looking to you for advice and reassurance, we have put together a summary of the guidance and other useful links to health bodies which could help answer some of your questions. Find out more A snapshot of HMOs HMOs are abundant in breastmilk and play an important role in the maturation of a baby's immune system1. As we discover more about it through research, HMOs have become one of the trending topics in infant nutrition discussions. We are making learning easier for you with this snapshot. Click here to watch the full 2-minute video Getting a taste for weaning – A guide with amazing recipes to share with parents Teaching children about food and letting them learn to enjoy food is important for their health and relationship with food. You can download this booklet of facts and recipes to support them on their journey. Find out more ®Registered Trademark. IMPORTANT NOTICE: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that pregnant women and new mothers be informed on the benefits and superiority of breastfeeding – in particular the fact that it provides the best nutrition and protection from illness for babies. Mothers should be given guidance on the preparation for, and maintenance of, lactation, with special emphasis on the importance of a well-balanced diet both during pregnancy and after delivery. Unnecessary introduction of partial bottle-feeding or other foods and drinks should be discouraged since it will have a negative effect on breastfeeding. Similarly, mothers should be warned of the difficulty of reversing a decision not to breastfeed. Before advising a mother to use an infant formula, she should be advised of the social and financial implications of her decision: for example, if a baby is exclusively bottle-fed, more than one can (400 g) per week will be needed, so the family circumstances and costs should be kept in mind. Mothers should be reminded that breast milk is not only the best, but also the most economical food for babies. If a decision to use an infant formula is taken, it is important to give instructions on correct preparation methods, emphasising that unboiled water, unsterilised bottles or incorrect dilution can all lead to illness. References 1. Bode L. Human milk oligosaccharides: every baby needs a sugar mama. Glycobiology 2012; 22(9): 1147–62. Contact SMA® Nutrition | Terms & conditions This email is intended for residents of the UK and ROI Unsubscribe ZTC4947/04/20