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How to feed a newborn baby with breast milk?
The birth of a baby is the most wonderful thing that can happen to a woman. And the most important thing is that a mother can give a newborn a full and proper diet. For the infant, such nutrition is breast milk. Doctors all over the world insist that as many women as possible practice breastfeeding. The fact is that in its composition this product is an ideal food for a barely born little man, and analogues to this diet can not simply be. However, more and more women all over the world face difficulties in lactation. Often, to establish breastfeeding does not work or it takes a very short time. Why is this happening?
Doctors are inclined to think that first of all the fault lies with the mothers themselves - their behavior is completely wrong. So, the mothers do not know how to feed the newborn. In this article, we'll look at what to look for when breastfeeding, how to learn to understand the child, how to avoid most mistakes.
Correct application
So, how to feed a newborn baby with breast milk? First you need to understand how to do it right. And the most important is the first application, which must be done correctly. If the attempt is unsuccessful, the reaction of both the mother and the newborn can be extremely negative, up to and including rejection of the breast. Modern maternity hospitals provide the necessary assistance in setting up breastfeeding, as they have special consultants in the staff. But nevertheless there are also such maternity hospitals which do not render similar support, therefore it is necessary for mum to know how to feed the newborn:
- It is necessary to choose a comfortable pose. We must not forget that feeding a baby is a rather lengthy procedure, so you need to settle so that you do not get tired during this. Feed your baby in a variety of positions, so any woman can find something that will be convenient to her. Whatever position the mother accepts, the baby should be placed with her tummy to herself, and her face opposite the nipple. In addition, the head of the baby should be able to move so that he can control the position of the nipple in his mouth, and at the end of feeding independently had the opportunity to finish the process.
- The spout of the baby should be close to the chest, but do not sink in it, as it is possible for a superficial seizure of the nipple. Special care should be given to women with large breasts.
- To put a nipple in the mouth of the baby is by no means worth it - it almost certainly leads to a wrong capture with all the ensuing problems. If the baby grabs only the tip of the nipple, gently pressing the chin should release it, give the child the opportunity to try again.
Capture
To make sure that the baby is properly attached to the chest, you need to carefully look at how the feeding takes place. With proper grip:
- The child captured both the nipple and the areola. At the same time, his lips should be slightly turned outwards.
- The nose is pressed to the chest, but not immersed in it.
- There are no other sounds when sucking, except for the sips of the baby.
- There are no negative feelings for my mother.
schedule
The important question - how often are the newborns fed? The previous generation of mothers taught that it is necessary to feed a child only by the hour, so that at least 2 hours have passed between meals. But pediatricians of our days have come to the conclusion that it is better to feed on demand. It is also important because the amount of milk produced depends on how much the baby eats. That is, the more often the baby is fed, the better will be the lactation of the mother.
Amount of food
There are no clear limits as to how much to feed the newborn. The amount of food eaten at one time depends on the needs of the baby. It is generally accepted that the minimum time that the kids spend on food is about half an hour. If the baby eats faster, chances are high that it does not eat up. There is no maximum allowable feeding time. A child can suck breast as much as he needs, it depends on the strength of the child, on the fat content of the milk, on the fullness of the breast, and even on the mood of the baby.
The time that the baby spends at the chest is very individual. Someone actively sucks, very quickly becomes saturated and releases the breast. The other child eats very slowly, periodically falling asleep. If the baby continues to suck when trying to pick up the chest, it means that he has not ate enough.
The duration of breastfeeding depends on the desire of the mother, the needs of the child and on external factors (the need to go to work, from nutrition, disease).
On average, the answer to the question of how much a newborn should be fed can be as follows: at the very beginning of feeding the baby is applied to the breast about 10 times a day. As the child grows, the number is reduced to 7-8 times.
Saturation
While the child is small, he needs little. And when they are all satisfied, the baby is happy. But it is not always possible to understand whether he is full and happy. Determine whether the baby is satisfied, it is quite simple:
- The child himself released the breast after feeding;
- He grows well and adds to his height;
- The child is active and usually sleeps well.
Portions
In addition, how many times the newborns are fed, it is important to know how much you can give at a time. Namely - whether to feed him from one breast or to offer a second one. In most cases one meal is given for one meal. In the next feeding - the second. This alternation makes it possible to ensure the proper functioning of the mammary glands. Sucking one breast for one "approach" gives the child the opportunity to get "front" milk, replenishing the loss of fluid to the baby, and "back", thick and nutritious, which contains the bulk of the necessary elements. If it is noticeable that the child remains hungry, you need to offer him another breast.
Although there are situations when milk is produced less than the baby needs. Usually this happens at the time of rapid growth of the baby. Then, in order not to worry about the question of how to feed the newborn, so that he can still eat, it is necessary to offer him both breasts in every feeding. The next feeding should begin with the chest, which was the second in the previous process.
Some believe that the softness of the breast indicates a lack of milk. But this is not so. And to offer a second breast only because it seems that milk is small, this is the direct way to overfeeding crumbs.
Feeding frequency
And yet, how to feed newborns, if there is a possibility of overfeeding? Of course, you need to orient yourself on the child's needs. If he ate heavily, it is unlikely he will have time to get hungry earlier than after a lapse of 2-3 hours. However, if the baby often asks for a breast, it is necessary to feed it more often. Perhaps he did not have time to eat last time or there is really little milk, or it is not nutritious enough. Thus, it is feeding on demand - the main idea of breastfeeding these days.
Feeding Questions
Many worry that if they do not know how to feed a newborn, then they will overfeed it. But, despite this possibility, no harm will be done to the health. After all, the kid just spits the excess milk.
If the baby gets food too often, will he have time to digest the food? It's not worth worrying about. Breast milk is a perfectly balanced food, so there is almost no effort to digest. Almost immediately the milk passes into the intestines, where it is absorbed very quickly.
Some young mothers face unexpected situations. For example, a baby can, while at the chest, cry very hard. The natural question of how to feed a newborn, if he cries so, appears in most mothers in this situation. To feed the child, you need to reassure him. Try to squeeze, talk, show a bright rattle, walk around the room, rocking. If it is tears of resentment that it is not possible to take a breast, you can splash in his mouth with milk, touch the nipple to the cheek, etc. For any kid, the best way to calm down is to get a breast. So long to persuade the baby will not have to.
How correctly to take away a breast?
You need to know not only how to feed newborns, but also how to take away the breasts so as to avoid injuries and negative feelings. Therefore, it is impossible to tear out the breast from the closed mouth. It is necessary to achieve that the kid himself opened his mouth: press a finger on his chin, gently insert the little finger into the corner of his mouth and turn a little. This action will cause the child to weaken the grip. Now you can take away the chest.
Stagnation
Almost every woman knows about possible problems during breastfeeding. For example, if there is a lot of milk, the kid is simply unable to eat everything. There is a stagnation of milk. It seems that the breast is made of stone. If you miss this symptom, not far and to mastitis with mandatory surgery. What should be the response to the detected problem? When the lumps in the chest feel and the temperature rises, you need to start acting as soon as possible. First aid - massage of the chest under a warm shower, active pumping or more frequent feeding. Of course, the baby will help, but he can not always eat so much. Well dissolve stagnation of honey compresses with cabbage leaf. Massage your breasts very carefully so as not to damage it. Compresses should be done after each feeding. You need to express constantly, trying to resolve clots. Most often, all these manipulations are rather painful, but you can not leave it as it is. If after 2-3 days relief does not come, and the temperature will hold, be sure to consult a doctor.
Mom's nutrition
Of course, during breastfeeding, you have to reconsider your diet. Many products must be abandoned for a while. Do not eat citrus fruits, chocolate, carbonated drinks. Of course, you must completely abandon alcoholic beverages. It is extremely cautious to eat spicy food and various flavors. Even for a healthy baby these products are not useful, and if he has an allergy, then forget about it for a long time.
But the special regime does not mean that you only need to eat chicken for a couple and cottage cheese with sour cream. Feeding the nursing mother should be varied and tasty, so as not to experience negative emotions associated with breastfeeding.
Recipes for nursing mothers of newborn babies can be found easily. With the growth of the baby, you can enter into your diet more and more diverse products, because, after all, the child also needs to get used to eat in a variety of ways. Here is an example of one of these dishes.
This is baked potatoes. For cooking, you need: potatoes - 10 pcs., 30 grams of butter, basil, parsley, dill, clove of garlic, olive oil (any vegetable can), pine nuts.
Potatoes wash, clean, make deep cuts on the entire surface. Put the product in the form, salt. Top with butter for each potato. Remove the oven in a preheated oven to 200 degrees.
Cut the greens, mix in a blender with garlic, salt and olive oil until the paste is in place.
After 50-60 minutes, take out the potatoes, lay them on plates (you can pre-cover with salad leaves), top with sauce and sprinkle with nuts.
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