Advice to a nursing mother during breastfeeding is very important, because the health and well-being of the baby, the calmness of his mother, depend on how correctly this process is organized. It is worth recognizing that recently, mankind has achieved a lot in technical terms, while the issue of feeding infants has also been radically changed by science. There were many prohibitions and fashion trends, which led to the fact that many mothers are increasingly putting babies to their breasts by the hour, decanting in strict order, looking for alternatives to breastfeeding.
How much to feed?
Advice to a nursing mother during breastfeeding has turned out that recently, the timing of feeding has been reduced to several months. It was only in the 2000s that the United Nations Children's Fund stated that only breast milk for the baby in its first two years of life is the only safe form of nutrition. Only in this way the risk of death from intestinal infections is many times reduced, only it fully meets the needs of the child's body. At the same time, the development of breastfeeding is relevant not only for developing countries, but also for prosperous states, where medical services and sanitary conditions are at a high level. This statement was simply overwhelming to many.
In addition, the results of numerous studies have become known, according to which only breast milk is able to fully form children's immunity due to the five hundred components that make up its composition. In addition, it contributes to the development of the brain, nervous system. No artificial formula is able to fully replace breast milk.
WHO basic principles
When breastfeeding, advice to a nursing mother should be given based on the principles of feeding formulated by the World Health Organization. They form a unified approach to this problem for all children from birth to two years of age.
These standards are based on the fact that the nursing staff must be trained in the technique of breastfeeding, who must pass this information on to young mothers. Pregnant women should be informed about the benefits of breastfeeding, and the first application should be made already in the first half hour after the birth of the baby.
Employees of medical institutions should help mothers in maintaining milk production, advise how to establish lactation. In the WHO recommendations you can find the answer to the question that worries many young parents today: "Do I need to give water to a newborn during breastfeeding?"
It is assumed that the baby should not have additional drinking and complementary foods, unless it is provided for by medical indications. In the first months of life, an infant can and should do without water and a mixture if it receives breast milk. The amount of colostrum that he receives from his mother’s breast is enough for him. In addition, this is his first vaccination against various infections, the basis for the formation of passive immunity. So mothers should not have a question whether to give water to newborns during breastfeeding.
It is also recommended that the mother and child are in the same room around the clock from the first day of the baby's life. The ability to apply to the breast on demand should become its basic skill, then milk will be produced in the required volume. Therefore, a healthy child does not need to be shared with the mother.
On-demand feeding should be encouraged. There should not be schedules, the child should be applied to the chest as soon as he feels that he is hungry. And this can occur much more often than once every three hours.
According to WHO experts, one of the most important rules is the absence of dummies and nipples during breastfeeding. The advice to a nursing mother is to limit the baby’s access to these items so that he does not develop a different sucking technique. The choice is usually not made in favor of the mother's nipple, which the newborn can begin to bite and chew on the gums. This leads to severe pain during breastfeeding and the formation of cracks. To avoid this, you need to remember that the baby does not need a nipple when breastfeeding.
Feeding schedule
The regime of breastfeeding must be carefully observed so that the baby grows up healthy and fully develops. Most importantly, there should not be a strict regime. The baby should be able to receive mother’s milk at any time of the day when he so wishes.
It must be remembered that crying is not always a sign that the child needs additional food. More often, he asks to be picked up and caressed. For some children, sucking is necessary solely in order to calm down, in addition, this contributes to the production of additional milk.
At the beginning of breastfeeding, it is important not to give the baby a drink and complementary foods. Because of this, the child takes the breast less often, the flow of milk decreases. You must always remember that breastfeeding is a great opportunity to relax for the mother. The father and everyone around him during this period should create a favorable atmosphere, help the woman in housekeeping.
Special linings
Many use special pads for breastfeeding. You need to know that this method has its advantages and disadvantages. Nipple pads are special silicone or latex products that should facilitate the breastfeeding process itself. It is important to use them only when they are truly necessary.
Pads for breastfeeding are recommended for women when stopping lactation, the appearance of cracks in the nipples, after severe birth injuries. Also, when a child’s teeth are cut, the woman has an abnormal structure of the nipple or there are some features in the structure of the oral cavity of the child. Pads can help when the baby refuses the mother’s breast. This usually happens when the mother for a long time expressed milk and gave it to the baby from the bottle. After this, the baby may not want to return to the chest, since it is much easier to get food from the bottle. The pads resemble the shape of a bottle nipple, so when switching from a bottle to a chest, their use is considered appropriate.
It is worthwhile to know that linings sometimes lead to a decrease in milk production, can interfere with sucking, the feeding process itself becomes much longer. In addition, the baby swallows more air, which leads to the formation of flatulence.
They need to be thoroughly sterilized, otherwise they can become sources of infection for the mother’s breast, with prolonged use they are addictive.
What is lactating mom?
There are many ways to increase the amount of milk produced by the body. You can find recipes for nursing mothers in this article. Nutrition must be varied, a woman should receive the necessary share of vitamins and beneficial elements.
When breastfeeding, you need to drink more fluid, it has a positive effect on lactation, contributing to the production of more milk. It is best to opt for compotes, natural juices and tea.
The body should receive a sufficient amount of vitamins during breastfeeding. Therefore, women are advised to include lean veal and beef, turkey or rabbit meat, meatballs and meatballs in the diet. From fish - zander, carp, cod, boiled a couple of times a week.
To use cheese and cottage cheese only after heat treatment (for example, to prepare cottage cheese casserole), drink cow's milk in small quantities, sour-milk products of only low fat content. Vegetables can be eaten fresh and stewed, more berries and fruits (at least 300 grams per day).
Buckwheat, wheat, corn rice and oat are recommended from cereals. But semolina in the first months of a child's life should be abandoned. You can eat rye bread, dried fruits, butter (about 25 grams per day), vegetable oil (15 grams).
It is necessary to limit the amount of flour and sweet, but some sweets are even useful for a young mother. This pastille, marshmallows, low-fat cakes, homemade cakes. Only in small quantities.
Useful recipes
A woman can get vitamins during breastfeeding from the first courses. For example, they recommend soup made of zucchini and fennel. For this recipe, take:
- two fresh fennel roots;
- one medium squash;
- liter of chicken stock;
- dill and parsley;
- salt and pepper - to taste;
- one tablespoon of butter.
Zucchini needs to be cut into small pieces, like fennel roots. Melt the butter and fry the fennel for five minutes, and then add the zucchini. After stewing for about ten minutes.
Grind the boiled chicken and add to the broth along with stewed vegetables.
Among the second courses you can highlight beef in a pot. This is a tasty and light dish, which will require only low-fat sour cream and beef fillet. The recipe for nursing mothers is as follows - fillets need to be cut across thin layers of fiber, pour each slice with olive oil. The meat must be left to marinate in its own juice for a quarter of an hour. After frying the slices in hot oil for a couple of minutes on each side. Put in a pot in layers and remove for one hour in the oven. Before serving, decorate with fresh dill.
Monthly feeding
The issue of the appearance of menstruation during breastfeeding worries many mothers. According to statistics, during lactation they begin in the eighth to ninth month. At the same time, menstruation itself is significantly different from what it was before pregnancy. Pain can be both more severe and, conversely, lessen.
There may be a delay in menstruation during breastfeeding, especially if fed regularly. And the very first menstruation can be significantly delayed. When the female body finally recovers, menstruation will go regularly.
It is worth noting that breastfeeding during menstruation is not harmful to the baby. The quality of breast milk is still normal. You can increase the amount of milk in natural ways - drink a lot of tea, use other methods for lactation.
Feeding problems
Often, mothers have problems with breastfeeding. It may be a state of health. As a rule, non-breast ailments do not affect the feeding process, exceptions, of course, are tuberculosis and HIV.
Breastfeeding is compatible with the use of many medications, in particular, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antihistamines, sedatives. In most cases, treatment with breastfeeding is possible.
You should worry if you feel weak or nauseous, depressed, unexplained anxiety and depression during feeding. This is an occasion to immediately consult a doctor so as not to harm yourself and your child.
Breastfeeding may cause problems. These are cracks in the nipples, obstruction of the duct, mastitis, thrush, painful feeding due to improper capture of the breast by the baby, pain in the nipples that appears after feeding, the appearance of blood in the milk. None of these symptoms should be missed, as soon as they occur, you should immediately consult a doctor. The doctor will tell you how to get rid of them and normalize the process of breastfeeding.
First lure
It is important to start complementary foods on time. The first feeding scheme for breastfeeding today is determined by the recommendations of pediatricians and the World Health Organization.
The first complementary foods in four to five months are prescribed only according to the recommendations of pediatricians, in most cases it is not required to introduce additional nutrition for the baby before six months. At the age of six months, this is due to the growing need for vitamins, protein and minerals. A universal sign by which you can determine whether a child is ready for feeding is the appearance of teeth. But many experts do not advise focusing on this factor, as various diseases, as well as environmental factors, can lead to too early or too late teething. Therefore, the first feeding scheme for breastfeeding is often determined strictly individually, based on the recommendations of the doctor.
Myths About Breastfeeding
There are a lot of myths about breastfeeding, most of which are untrue. For example, many believe that breastfeeding is very uncomfortable. In fact, the discomfort is not feeding itself, but errors during lactation. As a rule, if you change the feeding technique and master the correct application, the pain should pass.
Another factor that scares many away is the need to decant after each feeding. In fact, this is a stereotype. So it was necessary to do in the past, when women fed every 6-8 hours. To reduce the risk of mastitis, they were expressed. If a woman feeds on demand, she does not need it.
Some fear that feeding may ruin the shape of the breast. In fact, changes do occur, but at the very beginning of pregnancy, long before the lactation period. The mammary glands are enlarged due to the growth of glandular tissue.
The mother’s body is able to adapt to the baby’s nutritional needs about six weeks after its birth. Then he begins to produce as much milk as the baby needs. The feeling of "fullness" of the chest disappears, it becomes soft again.
Similar processes in the breast and mammary glands occur even in cases where a woman has an abortion in the first months of pregnancy. True, they occupy a much shorter period of time.
It is also believed that cracks appear if the baby is kept for a long time near the chest, so many young mothers try to limit the feeding time to a few minutes. For a child, it is often important not only to get the necessary amount of nutrients, but also to calm down, and in infancy it is easiest to do with breast in the mouth. In fact, cracks form due to improper attachment, poor skin care of the mammary glands, when a woman begins to use disinfectants and soap too often. Cracks also appear due to the frequent use of nipples instead of my mother’s breast.
None of these reasons has anything to do with the duration of a baby’s feeding. The baby at the chest needs to be kept exactly as much as he needs it.
Women during breastfeeding begin to drink a lot, often through force, this is also a mistake. You need to drink as soon as thirst arises. An excess amount of water is not necessary for a nursing mother.
It is impossible to feed with breast milk all the time, the baby’s stomach should rest from time to time. And this statement is not true. No load on the stomach occurs, milk in the baby’s stomach only “curdles”, and then immediately enters the intestines. There it is completely absorbed. There is no sense in artificial breaks during breastfeeding at all.
You must sleep at night. Of course, rest is extremely important for both the mother and the rest of the family, but it is from three in the morning until eight in the morning that the greatest amount of prolactin is produced in the woman's body. This is a special hormone on which the level of lactation for the whole future day depends.
In this regard, doctors advise you to put the baby as late as possible, bathe him about 23 hours, then feed him and send him to bed. So he will sleep for 7-8 hours, giving the whole family a rest. In the early morning you can feed him, and then lay him down again, and you can fall asleep with the baby herself.
It is important to remember that even after the introduction of complementary foods, it is in human milk that contains most of the substances necessary for the formation of the immunity of a newborn.