Proper feeding of the baby should be carried out only in comfortable conditions. The very birth of a child is a small miracle. From the very beginning, all important functions are formed, and breastfeeding will transfer beneficial substances to the baby. The process itself is considered a particularly close relationship between the mother and the newborn baby, the right approach to breastfeeding is necessary to strengthen immunity. How to breastfeed and not harm him or himself?
Basic provisions for breastfeeding
When the mother does not know how to breastfeed the newborn, she uses a position in which she and the baby are comfortable.
- The most common option is called "Lullaby." The woman gently hugs the baby with one hand, and the other gives him the chest. This position has several options. The first is that a woman holds her chest with the hand in which the child is located, and then changes position. The head of the child is located on the forearm of mom's hand. The second option is similar, but only the mother clasps the baby with the opposite hand. This position is called a cross. It is ideal for both mom and baby, as the woman at this moment holds the baby’s head with her palm. For each mother, her baby is considered unique. All children have their own individual appetite and each gaining weight in different ways. The feeding regimen itself should be carried out under the supervision of a pediatrician. He develops his plan, taking into account how much the child added in a certain time.
- The method of properly breastfeeding an infant is called “Interception”. The method itself speaks for itself. A woman feeds a child from under her arm, and the baby himself is in a side position, and his tummy is adjacent to his mother's. The child is under the woman. For comfortable feeding, it is recommended to put a pillow under your arms. Poses during interception can be different, each woman chooses the most convenient. Such feeding is considered convenient and gentle, especially if mom passed through a cesarean section. With this feeding, the pressure on the seam area is minimal. Premature babies are also ideally placed in this position due to muscle weakness.
- The next way to properly breastfeed while lying down is as comfortable as possible. This position is both relaxed and comfortable for both the baby and mom. They lie quite close to each other. Mom’s head is on the pillow. On which side the woman lies with the same hand she feeds and breasts.
Recommendations for feeding comfort
The following recommendations are distinguished:
- For women who do not know how to breastfeed properly, a diaper will help in this situation. It must be rolled up and put under the chest. With this arrangement, the nipple looks down and it is quite convenient to feed the baby.
- To avoid overwork, do not hang over the child and lean on the elbow. This will lead to pain in the hand and will contribute to the violation of the outflow of milk.
- If the mother does not know how to breastfeed while lying down, then this should be done carefully. This method is not recommended for use at night. Since mom can fall asleep and not keep track of the process.
Basic rules for feeding
The basic rules of how to breastfeed an infant include the following:
- Take the most comfortable position so that within 10 minutes there are no difficulties.
- The child should be in a pose with his stomach to his mother and facing her. His head is not recommended to be strongly held so that during feeding he can cough if he chokes.
- During feeding, you need to ensure that the baby has enough oxygen. This applies especially to mothers who have large breasts.
- It is not necessary to offer breasts by force. The baby will find it by smell and begin to eat it.
- The child should cover the entire areola. If this does not happen, nipple injury can occur and the baby will receive excess oxygen along with milk. This, in turn, will lead to colic and increased gas formation. Therefore, with each feeding, you should be sure that the child grasped the areola correctly.
The main thing is to know how to start breastfeeding correctly, and then mom will intuitively do everything right.
Important questions
Young mothers often have many questions about how to properly breastfeed a newborn. Consider the most common:
- Do I need to wash my mammary glands before feeding? Enough morning and evening showers to keep clean. You can use soap, but do not rub it thoroughly, as this can lead to washing off of the protective layer. And, in turn, harmful bacteria can get there.
- Do you need to keep breasts while feeding? This should not be done, since the outflow of milk is disturbed, stagnation may occur and cause pain in the woman.
- Does a newborn baby need water? Pediatricians do not recommend this. With mother's milk, the child receives food and water. An exception is the use of drugs that need to be diluted with water. Doctors recommend drinking milk if the mother has too fat milk, and the child has problems with the tummy in this regard. It is better to give fluid intake with a small spoon or syringe without a needle.
- Should I breastfeed if my mother and baby have colds? Stop feeding is not worth it, as the baby receives antibodies with milk, which will be a therapeutic tool for the baby. If one mother is sick, then it is worth putting on a gauze bandage and also feed the baby according to the schedule.
- With cracks in the nipples, is it possible to feed the baby? On this issue, first of all, you need to contact a specialist. He will individually prescribe treatment. These are mainly various creams or silicone nozzles. During wound healing, you can feed through the nozzle.
This list of questions is quite popular among mothers, but it is worth consulting with your doctor, he will correctly advise the correct solution to the issue.
The mode of applying the baby to the chest
At first, lactation in a nursing mother can fail, at this time you should not follow the regimen. Experts recommend applying the child the first ten days only on demand. In the future, the feeding regimen should be established. When the mother has enough milk, she can be fed up to seven times a day, every three hours. The kid gets used to this routine, and the regime is getting better. Will milk be able to digest quickly if the baby often asks for breasts? Such a question is asked by many mothers. Doctors do not see anything wrong with this and are allowed to feed at the request of the baby.
Did the baby eat after breastfeeding?
This is a relevant and frequently asked question. After all, every mother worries about her child. This answer can be safely answered based on the following symptoms:
- During feeding, the baby released the nipple and fell asleep.
- The kid is in a good mood and calm.
- Deep sleep.
- Urine goes up to 8 or more times a day.
- Weight gain, according to all standards.
- At the sight of the mother, revival is observed.
Mixtures are administered only as directed by the pediatrician. Based on the weight and complaints of the mother, he can prescribe additional food. Also, a competent doctor should first prescribe drugs to improve lactation.
If this method does not help, then the mixture is already introduced to avoid weight loss. The situation of feeding may occur in the opposite direction. This is when mom has enough milk. With an excessive content of milk in the mammary gland, the baby may overeat. The main signs of overeating:
- Frequent and profuse regurgitation.
- The baby tightens her legs and cries.
- Big set in weight. In this case, it is worth considering the time of attachment and weaning the child from the chest so that he does not overeat.
Compliance with the daily routine will help to cope with this situation and normalize the arrival of milk in the right amount. It is worth taking the breast from the baby correctly to avoid injuries to the nipple. To do this, gently press the chin of the child and this will make the child open his mouth wider and during this remove the nipple carefully.
Breast rotation
If the mother knows how to breastfeed properly while sitting or in any other position, breast milk will be produced quickly. More often than not, a baby from one breast is enough for one feeding. It is known that during feeding, first comes liquid milk that quenches the thirst of the baby, and then from the deeper layers more dense, which saturates the baby. If you want your baby to have a balanced diet, then you should alternate breasts during breastfeeding. This will be useful for the baby and the mother will not have problems.
How to feed twins?
It’s a lot of work to feed several children at once, and many believe that after the maternity hospital children should be given mixtures. There are cases when women fed three children. Of course, milk production will depend on the correct regimen of the day and the nutrition of the mother. If relatives help her and the woman gets enough sleep, then she can feed two or more children. A woman in labor is taught the correct feeding in the maternity hospital, so it is worth listening to the advice of specialists and then everything will work out.
What can happen if applied incorrectly
If the mother is not informed about how to breastfeed her baby, then he wraps his chest incorrectly, which causes the mother pain. And in the future, there will be an injury to the nipple and various cracks on it. And the baby can stay hungry. This whole situation provokes stagnation in the mammary gland, which is called lactostasis.
Symptoms when improperly applied
- The baby makes loud noises while trying to suckle.
- During feeding, pain occurs.
- The baby's lips tuck inward when feeding, which means that the areola is not completely captured.
Such signs make it clear that the mother of the child does not correctly apply to the breast, and the child in this case will be capricious and may lose weight. Therefore, in order not to provoke many complications, both the baby and the mother need to listen to the specialists and follow their recommendations.
Night time feeding
Opinions differ on this issue and pediatricians do not recommend feeding the baby at night. They believe that the baby’s stomach should rest at night and feed with water if necessary. After all, if a child sucks a lot of milk at night, then there may be problems with lactation. And doctors warn mothers that they can be left without milk. But opinions differ, and many believe that you can earn mastitis, if not fed at night. If a woman has quite a lot of milk in the mammary glands, then it is possible to feed the baby on demand. And if he does not ask, then you need to express a little to avoid mastitis.
Proper expression of milk
If mastitis occurs, women are advised to pump. This procedure can be carried out at home. To do this, you need to prepare a container. Express better with your index finger and thumb. Squeeze the breast tissue near the nipple and at the same time the milk departs quite well. With severe pain, a husband can help a woman, it is necessary to completely express the milk so that the pain symptom is gone. With a regular problem, you can use a breast pump. It will help to quickly deal with stagnation of milk in the mammary gland.
Nowadays there are many types of them. There are both electronic and mechanical. According to the instructions, it is necessary to carry out this manipulation.
Who is not allowed to breastfeed
For some mothers, doctors do not recommend breastfeeding.
Causes:
- Infectious diseases that can be transmitted to the baby through breastfeeding are: open tuberculosis, HIV infection, blood poisoning and scarlet fever.
- Drug addiction.
- Diseases in which you need to constantly use medications.
- Chronic diseases (severe anemia, cardiovascular disease).
With the above diseases, doctors do not recommend breast-feeding a child and from birth transfer him to artificial feeding. Mom is warned that with natural feeding, the child may suffer and become infected with the disease that the mother has.
How much to feed?
Also, many mothers ask the question - how long should it take to feed the baby and how to wean it? Up to 12 months, the baby just needs to receive breastfeeding. This will help him both in mental development and strengthen his immunity.
Weaning the baby is not worth it, he himself will gradually switch to ordinary food. Some mothers feed children up to three years. This option is not any pathology and is only welcomed by doctors. But after three years of age, you must gradually switch to regular milk and good nutrition.
Every mother should feel her baby and know what type of feeding he needs. Up to six months, it is not recommended to introduce complementary foods, the baby receives all the necessary substances during breastfeeding. And after that, the doctors and the district nurse conduct patronage at home and explain how to start the first feeding for the child.
In general, breastfeeding is the best way that nothing can be replaced. With the help of his child grows and develops healthy, receives immunity from the mother and rarely gets sick. But children on artificial feeding are sick more often, this has already been proved by scientists. Therefore, doctors strongly recommend not to lose this type of feeding to mothers and prescribe drugs to improve lactation.
There are cases when a mother is forbidden to feed due to appropriate diseases. In this case, doctors select mixtures that will improve immunity and the child will develop in accordance with age. Of course, the family budget suffers on artificial feeding and for many this is a problem.
Some make a mistake and begin to feed the baby with whole cow's milk. Doctors categorically do not recommend this, since milk can cause allergic reactions. An individual mixture is selected for each child and specialists monitor the weight every month. If it is lost, it is recommended to increase the volume or change the mixture to a higher-calorie one. The general well-being of the child is also observed: does he actively eat and how awake. Pediatricians carefully monitor these children and give important recommendations to mothers.
With natural feeding, it is also necessary to observe the baby and mother to follow a diet. First of all, it is worth giving up sweets. This can cause allergic reactions. If the child has problems with the intestines and pains are often disturbing, then first of all, the mother needs to adjust the diet.
In the first year of the baby’s life, the district nurse actively conducts patronage and tells parents about the nutritional features and what stress mom needs to avoid in order not to lose milk. With the calm behavior of a woman, the child will also behave and feel. Therefore, to maintain breastfeeding and adhere to proper nutrition for breastfeeding mother is the main task.