The first years of the life of a little man are magical. At this time, the mother with particular strength wants to give her baby all the best and most useful. For a newborn baby, the best gift from her mother will be tenderness, warmth and affection, and, most importantly, natural breastfeeding. The question of how much you need to feed your baby with breast milk often goes into the company of young mothers. This question in our time worries many.
How old is breast milk?
Opinions of experts on this subject differ. Some of them believe that feeding is a personal matter for every woman and her baby. Mom decides when to stop feeding, focusing on the behavior of the baby. Others suggest that feeding after a year is not advisable, as milk loses its nutrients. Still others indicate the optimal age - a year and a half. So which one of them should listen to a young mother? How long to feed your baby with breast milk? A tough question.
The first six months of feeding
How long is breastfeeding a newborn baby? Public opinion, statistics, personal experience of millions show that up to six months the baby should receive mother’s breast milk, and in the amount that he asks. Exceptions are cases of problems with lactation in the woman in labor. At this age, the child eats only mother's milk. Only occasionally, in extreme heat, is it allowed to give the baby some boiled water.
The first lure for the baby
After the child reaches the age of six months (in different cases, this can happen a month earlier or later), the mother begins to introduce other foods into his diet, continuing active breastfeeding. Gradually, the baby begins to drink special infant formula (up to 8 months), then try various mashed potatoes and cereals. Very soon, the child’s menu will expand significantly. During this period, a natural question arises for mother: how many months are breast milk fed? Maybe I should start to wean the baby from the chest?
General information on the properties of breast milk up to a year
Mother's milk is an extremely valuable food for a newborn baby. Breast milk contains everything vitamins necessary for the baby.
Milk consists of various substances that stimulate the normal development of the brain of a newborn.
Children fed on breast milk have good health, high immunity, and later undergo adaptation to the outside world much faster and easier. Therefore, you should not rack your brains and worry about how long they feed the newborn with breast milk. In any case, it is rather useful than harmful.
Psychological basis
An important factor in feeding is the relationship of the child and his mother. The process of mother-child unity is priceless. It is the psychological foundation for their future relationship. Due to the modern rhythm of life, even an idle mother, a child may have a lack of maternal warmth. Do not forget that breast milk, sincere care and love are vital for your baby. Your presence is important to the baby, no matter how often you give him breasts and how old. Feeding breast milk to your newborn baby is a wonderful, unifying process for the mother and child.
Consider the stages of weaning from the chest
Weaning from mother's milk in children older than ten months is quite easy, provided timely introduction of complementary foods.
Usually at this age, the baby is applied to the breast twice a day - morning and evening, before bedtime. Sometimes a baby asks for a breast during the day, but more for his own reassurance than because of hunger, because a ten-month-old baby receives complementary foods about 3 times a day. This feeding regimen can last up to a year, in some cases longer. Try not to break the main mode, regardless of how the baby eats and how much. It is necessary to feed the baby with breast milk at his request, but the time of feeding and sleep - according to the regimen.
The first is where to start?
To begin with, you need to specifically determine your desire - do you want to wean the baby from the chest completely or reduce feeding as much as possible? Of course, twice a day - not so much, especially after six months of putting the baby to the chest 8-10 times a day, but these last two times are the most difficult.
And yet, how much to feed the newborn with breast milk? If you are going to go to work, it is advisable to wean the baby from morning feeding. Perhaps you are not going to go to work, but for some reason you have a more free morning for solitude with the baby. Then skip the evening feed. In the event that there is no difference, it is preferable to leave the evening time, since closer to the night nothing will prevent you from putting your baby to your chest and slowly enjoying the unity. Supper with mother’s milk will provide the baby with a good, sound sleep, and with mother it will facilitate the task of “laying” the tomboy in the cradle.
The second stage - feeding
For an easier and inconspicuous adaptation of the baby to a change in nutrition, you need to do feeding. If you decide to leave the evening for breastfeeding, then in the morning, before giving the baby a breast, feed him with infant formula (up to 8 months) or kefir (8-9 months). Enough will be 50 grams. After, put the baby to the chest and feed. With each subsequent day, slightly increase the portion of kefir (up to 100-150 g), as a result of which the child, unnoticed by himself, will stop sucking his breast. Thus, you gradually wean the baby from morning breastfeeding. Each mother has her own “feeding time”; it can last from several weeks to several months. By the time the child gets used to eating mother’s milk only once a day, in the evening, he will be about 1-1.5 years old. If your baby is already older, it's okay to continue the process slowly - the result will come, no matter how often you feed him and to what age. Breastfeeding is a long process, and weaning from it gradually is even longer.
Benefits of breast milk after a year of feeding
No need to rush to cancel and this feeding. Your milk is still very valuable for the baby. After a year of feeding, mother's milk brings vitamins A, C, calcium, proteins, folates and other equally useful substances to the baby's body.
The fat content of milk increases several times, which contributes to the formation of the gastrointestinal tract of the child.
Breastfeeding after the first year is also beneficial for the mother - the risk of breast cancer and other oncological diseases is significantly reduced. Keep this in mind when thinking how old it is to feed your baby with breast milk.
Last step
When you understand that your baby is asking for breasts not because of, in fact, milk, but more for bodily contact with you - it's time to completely wean him from the breast. For the child, this process is a lot of stress, he will begin to miss close contact with his mother, can become irritable and eat poorly. To prevent this from happening, during the weaning of the baby from the chest, pay him more attention, hold him tightly, hug him, play with him more often. It is advisable that during this period it is the mother who bathed, dressed, fed, and also walked with the child, and not someone else. This will help the child avoid the stress of breaking up with his mother, as well as its consequences. Thus, weaning from the chest will be comfortable and easy, both for the baby and for his mother.
How is the baby's mom going through the process
With a gradual decrease in the baby’s attachment to the breast, the mother becomes less and less milk, after a certain amount of time it disappears completely.
However, there are situations when milk continues to be produced in fairly large quantities, even with rare feeding. In such cases, if there is a need to wean a baby from breast at an early age, it is necessary to do the following:
- express milk as much as possible;
- cover the chest with clean medical cotton;
- pull the chest tight with a wide bandage.
Do not remove the bandage for several days. Squeeze a small amount of milk if you feel that the chest is swelling and sore. Drink less fluids and soon the milk will disappear. If this method does not help you, consult a doctor - you may have to take medications.
Important!
It is highly recommended not to stop breastfeeding in cases when the baby is sick. Especially if the baby has stomach problems, breast milk will be the best and safest medicine. There is no longer a question here at what age to breastfeed, no matter how many months or years your child needs - he needs natural nutrition. During the illness, the child is especially urgent in need of the mother, her care and participation. Do not wean the baby from the chest in the summer heat, as well as immediately after the mandatory vaccination. At this time, the child’s body is particularly at risk of infection.
Due to the need for medical treatment, some mothers have to refuse to breast-feed, since treatment can harm the baby's health. Often, moms just play it safe. There is a fairly large selection of drugs approved for use during pregnancy and lactation. In addition, according to experts, most drugs prescribed in a standard dosage have almost no effect on the health of the child, since their content in milk is negligible.
When pregnancy occurs during lactation, you can also continue to breast-feed your baby, at least in the first months.
Did you get the answer to the question “how old is breast milk”? Have you found a suitable option for weaning your baby from the chest? Was the process of weaning a baby from breastfeeding at 1.5-2 years considered optimal?
Each mother believes what is necessary for her baby. What time to bathe him, when to give him the first nipple, what and in what order the baby will do it: first sleep, and then walk or vice versa. For a small, just born person, everything is decided by his mother. But at the same time, she magically feels what her baby wants. She understands his crying without words, feels that it hurts him or what he wants at the moment. The same goes for breastfeeding. When deciding how much to feed a newborn with breast milk, trust your feelings. They won’t let you down!