The birth of a baby is the most wonderful thing that can happen to a woman. And the most important thing that a mother can give a newborn is a complete and proper nutrition. For a baby, this is breast milk. Doctors around the world insist that as many women as possible practice breastfeeding. The fact is that in its composition this product is ideal food for a barely born man, and there simply cannot be analogues to this nutrition. However, more and more women all over the world are having difficulty with lactation. Often it is not possible to establish breastfeeding or it does not last very long. Why is this happening?
Doctors tend to believe that primarily the mothers themselves are guilty - their behavior is completely wrong. So, women in labor do not know how to feed a newborn. In this article, we consider what you need to pay attention to when breastfeeding, how to learn to understand the baby, and how to avoid most mistakes.
Proper attachment
So, how to feed the newborn with breast milk? First you need to understand how to do it right. Moreover, the most important is the first application, which must be carried out correctly. If the attempt is unsuccessful, the reaction in both the mother and the newborn can be extremely negative, up to giving up the breast. Modern maternity hospitals provide the necessary assistance in establishing breastfeeding, as they have special consultants on staff. But still there are those maternity hospitals that do not provide such support, therefore it is necessary for the mother herself to know how to feed the newborn:
- You need to choose a comfortable pose. We must not forget that feeding a baby is a rather lengthy procedure, so you need to settle down so as not to get tired during this. You can feed the baby in various positions, so any woman can find one in which it will be convenient for her. Whatever position the mother takes, the child should be put on its tummy towards itself, and the face should be placed opposite the nipple. In addition, the baby's head should be able to move, so that he can control the position of the nipple in his mouth, and at the end of feeding, he could independently end the process.
- The baby's nose should be close to the chest, but not drown in it, since a superficial capture of the nipple is possible. Particular care should be taken for women with large breasts.
- In any case, the baby itself should not put a nipple in her mouth - this will almost certainly lead to an incorrect grip with all the ensuing problems. If the baby grabbed only the very tip of the nipple, gently pressing the chin needs to be released, to give the baby the opportunity to try again.
Capture
To make sure that the baby is correctly attached to the chest, you need to carefully look at how the feeding occurs. With the right grip:
- The child captured both the nipple and the areola. At the same time, his lips should be slightly turned outward.
- 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 in mom.
timetable
An important question is how often do newborns be fed? The previous generation of mothers taught that it is only necessary to feed the baby by the hour so that at least 2 hours elapse between meals. But the pediatricians of our day have come to the conclusion that it is better to feed on demand. This is also important because the amount of milk produced depends on how much the baby eats. That is, the more often you feed the baby, the better will be the lactation of the mother.
Food quantity
There are no clear boundaries on how much to feed the newborn. The amount of food eaten at one time depends on the needs of the baby. It is believed that the minimum time that kids spend on food is approximately half an hour. If the baby eats faster, it is likely that he does not eat up. There is no maximum allowable feeding time. A baby can suckle as much as he needs, it depends on the strength of the baby, and on the fat content of milk, and on the fullness of the breast, and even on the mood of the baby.
The time that the baby spends near the chest is very individual. Someone actively sucks, very quickly saturated and releases the chest. Another child eats very slowly, falling asleep periodically. If the baby continues to suck while trying to pick up the chest, it means that he has not yet eaten.
The duration of breastfeeding depends on the desire of the mother, the needs of the baby and on external factors (the need to go to work, on nutrition, illness).
On average, you can answer the question of how much to feed a newborn, like this: at the very beginning of feeding a baby is applied to the chest about 10 times a day. As the child grows, the number decreases to 7-8 times.
Saturation
While the child is small, he has few needs. And when they are all satisfied, the baby is satisfied. But it is not always possible to understand whether he has eaten up and whether he will be satisfied. Determining whether the baby is full is quite simple:
- the baby himself released the breast after feeding;
- he gains weight well and gains growth;
- the child is active and usually sleeps well.
Portions
In addition, how many times are newborns fed, it is important to know how much can be given at a time. Namely - whether to feed him from one breast or offer a second one. In most cases, one breast 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 in one “approach” enables the baby to receive both “front” milk, which replenishes the baby’s fluid loss, 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 during moments of sharp growth spurt of the baby. Then, in order not to be tormented by the question of how to feed a newborn, so that he still ate, it is necessary to offer him both breasts at each feeding. The next feeding should begin with the breast, which was the second in the previous process.
Some believe that soft breasts indicate a lack of milk. But this is not at all true. And to offer a second breast only because it seems that there is not enough milk, this is a direct way to overfeeding the crumbs.
Feeding frequency
And yet, how to feed newborns, if there is the possibility of overfeeding? Of course, you need to focus on the needs of the child. If he ate heavily, then he is unlikely to have time to get hungry earlier than after 2-3 hours. However, if the baby asks for the breast more often, it is necessary to feed him more often. Perhaps he didn’t have enough time to eat the last time or there is really not enough milk, or it is not nutritious. Thus, on-demand breastfeeding is 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 him. But, despite this possibility, no harm will be done to health. After all, the baby just burp out the extra milk.
If a baby gets food too often, will he have time to digest food? This is not worth worrying about. Breast milk is a perfectly balanced food, so the energy for digestion practically does not go away. Almost immediately, milk passes into the intestines, where it is absorbed very quickly.
Some young mothers are faced with unexpected situations. For example, the baby can, being at the chest, cry a lot. The logical question of how to feed a newborn, if he cries like that, appears in most mothers in this situation. To feed the child, you need to calm him down. Try to squeeze, talk, show a bright rattle, walk around the room, rocking. If it’s tears of resentment that you can’t take the breast, you can sprinkle milk in his mouth, touch the cheek with his nipple, etc. For any baby, the best way to calm down is to get the breast. So you won’t have to persuade the baby for a long time.
How to take away breasts?
You need to know not only how to feed the newborn, but also how to wean the breast so as to avoid injuries and negative feelings. Therefore, it is impossible to tear out a breast from a closed mouth. It is necessary to ensure that the baby opens his mouth himself: press a finger on the chin, carefully place the little finger in the corner of the mouth and turn it a little. This action will cause the child to loosen 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 baby is simply unable to eat everything. Stagnation of milk occurs. At the same time, it seems that the chest is “made” of stone. If you miss this symptom, not far from mastitis with mandatory surgery. What should be the response to the detected problem? When lumps are felt in the chest and the temperature has risen, you need to start acting as soon as possible. First aid - breast massage under a warm shower, active pumping or more frequent feeding. Of course, the baby will help best, but he can not always eat so much. Honey compresses with cabbage leaf dissolve stagnation well. Massage the chest very carefully so as not to damage it. Compresses should be done after each feeding. It is necessary to decant constantly, achieving resorption of lumps. Most often, all these manipulations are rather painful, but you can not leave everything as it is. If, after 2-3 days, relief does not come, and the temperature persists, you should definitely consult a doctor.
Mom's Nutrition
Of course, while breastfeeding, you have to rethink your diet. Many products need to be abandoned for a while. Do not eat citrus fruits, chocolate, carbonated drinks. Of course, it is necessary to completely abandon alcoholic beverages. Spicy foods and various flavors should be used with extreme caution. Even for a healthy baby, these products are not useful, and if he is allergic, then forget about it for a long time.
But a special regime does not mean that you need only eat steamed chicken and cottage cheese with sour cream. A nursing mother should eat varied and tasty, so as not to experience negative emotions associated with breastfeeding.
Recipes for nursing mothers of newborn babies are easy to find. With the growth of the baby, you can introduce into your diet more and more diverse products, because, in the end, the child also needs to get used to eating varied. Here is an example of one of these dishes.
This is baked potato. For cooking you will need: potatoes - 10 pcs., 30 g butter, basil, parsley, dill, a clove of garlic, olive oil (any vegetable can be), pine nuts.
Wash, peel, and make deep cuts across the entire surface. Put the product in the form, salt. Put butter on top of each potato. Put in the oven preheated to 200 degrees.
Cut greens, mix in a blender with garlic, salt and olive oil to a paste.
After 50-60 minutes, remove the potatoes, put them on plates (you can pre-cover with lettuce), pour sauce on top and sprinkle with nuts.