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🍼 Before breastfeeding 🍼 Early baby feed
prelacteal

prelacteal

9.9
A feed given to a newborn before the mother's first breastfeeding
  • noun
  • /ˌpriːˈlæktiːəl/
  • Specialized
: alimento prelacteal
  • The nurse explained the risks of offering a prelacteal to the baby in the first hours after birth.

Examples

  • Some cultures traditionally give a prelacteal to newborns before the mother begins breastfeeding.

  • Many hospitals offer prelacteals for newborns.

  • Doctors now recommend avoiding any prelacteal feeds to support exclusive breastfeeding.

  • The nurse provided a prelacteal feed to the infant.

  • In some cultures, it is common to give a prelacteal feed to newborns before their first breastfeeding.

  • The pediatrician advised against giving any prelacteal substances to infants to encourage exclusive breastfeeding.

  • Parents were informed about the potential drawbacks of administering a prelacteal feed shortly after birth.

Surface Forms

prelacteal singular
prelacteals plural

Morphology

prelacteal = lacteal (semi-transparent) = pre + lacteal

The meaning is built straightforwardly from 'pre' plus 'lacteal', but 'lacteal' is a technical term that many learners will not know.

Etymology

Prelacteal comes from pre- 'before' and lact- 'milk', like in lactation, and it names a feed or substance given to a baby before the mother's first milk.