What's in Mama's Milk?

An American OBGYN met with an Egyptian OBGYN. He was facing a predicament. Two mothers had given birth to two babies - one a baby girl and the other a baby boy. Both mothers were under the impression that the baby boy belonged to them.

This happened long before the exitence of DNA determination and the American doctor felt he was at a dead-end in resolving this dispute.

The Egyptian doctor recommended that he consult a wise man in Eqypt, an ulema. The two doctors described the situation to the ulema.

The ulema replied, "test both mothers' breast milk and you will find a difference in their constituents."

The American doctor upon returning home, did as what he was requested. What he found in both mothers' breastmilk was shocking.

One mother had double the nutrients of the other mother. For every unit of protein of one mother, the other had 2. For every unit of minerals in the same mother, the other had 2.

He quickly reported this findings back to his Egyptian comrade. The Egyptian OBGYN consulted the ulema once again.

The ulema then relayed, "the mother with double the nutrients in her milk, is the mother to the baby boy."

As men inherit double than women, under normal circumstances reflects that men need the extra portion. Under inheritance law, men are provided with double of his female counterparts because family, including his wife, children, parents, sisters and sometimes even aunts, are dependants on a man's earnings. A woman enjoys financial freedom over her money, property and inheritance.

Accordingly, men need more than women, when it comes to earning and inheritance. The same way, baby boys need more than baby girls when growing up. Ask any mother and she will agree that her son drinks more, eats more, is more active, than her daughters. Boys and girls are different and through our physical observation, this is apparent. Boys are generally bigger and stronger than girls - and though they mature slower and take time to catch up physically, at the end of puberty - men are still physically bigger and stronger. They just need that extra more nutrients.

My family doctor had told me that story during a sick visit to the clinic. My son was ill for the first time. She asked what he drank, and I said Mama's Milk.

She says there has been no research done on breast milk to validate the story, but through her observation and experience, many more baby boys, as compared to baby girls - who are formula-fed - fall sick. Obviously formula milk is not identical to Mama's Milk - they are deficient in several nutrients - but imagine that baby boys do not receive the constituents they would need as compared to their sisters if they are not breastfed.

This is just a thought. Allah know best. After all, He provides Mama's Milk to both baby boys and girls.