From the first minutes of a baby’s life and up to several months, mother’s milk is the main source of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and even moisture. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to establish natural feeding immediately on the day of birth. And then the question arises before the young mother: “How to accustom the baby to the chest and maintain lactation?” We will try to give the most detailed answer to it.
The composition of human milk
Before you begin to consider how to teach a baby to suckle, you should find out what is beneficial to breast milk. Pediatricians say that not one, even the most expensive adapted mixture, can be compared with its composition. And it is difficult to disagree with this fact. In addition, nature made sure that the composition of milk changed during the process of growing up the baby, so that the child always receives the substances necessary for this period of time.
What does milk consist of?
- Micro and macro elements. In their milk, there are about 450 species. All of them are necessary for the full growth and development of crumbs.
- Water. In milk, it occupies about 97%. Water helps to dissolve all the necessary substances and further quenches thirst. That is why experts say that children who are exclusively breastfed should not be given extra liquid to drink.
- Lactose. This component makes milk sweet, which is very popular with the newborn. In addition, lactose ensures the presence of normal microflora in the intestine and takes part in the development of the brain.
- Protein. Its milk contains only 1%. But protein plays a significant role in the development of the child. In particular, he takes part in the development of the central nervous system.
- Fats. There are about 3% of them in milk. Fats are an excellent source of energy, which is so necessary for the normal development of a growing organism.
- Trace elements, vitamins, hormones. Their number may vary depending on various factors.
Based on this, it becomes clear why most mothers are ready to make every effort to feed the baby with their milk. So, the question of how to accustom a child to the chest is unlikely to ever lose its relevance. The time has come to answer him.
Why do children give up HB?
Is it possible to accustom a child to the chest if he refuses to take it? Yes! But this will take a little time and perseverance. And yet - the identification and exclusion of factors that could contribute to breast rejection:
- Incorrect attachment. It is important to make sure that the child captures not only the nipple, but the entire halo.
- Feeling sick child. A newborn, just like an adult, can suffer from headaches and other types of pain. At such moments, he doesn’t want to eat from his chest or from a bottle.
- Colic. All parents are familiar with this phenomenon firsthand. During the next attack, the baby’s colic feels painful cramps in his stomach, squeezes his legs under him and cries a lot. At such moments, he had no time for food.
- Weakness. To a greater extent this applies to small and premature babies who need some time to get stronger and gain strength for sucking.
- Distractions. Ideally, feeding should take place in a calm environment so that the baby is not distracted.
- Strong smell. A nursing mother should be extremely careful when using cosmetics. Kids do not like strong and pungent odors.
- Unpleasant taste of milk. Most often this happens during menstruation. Milk acquires an unusual taste that a child may not like.
And now it's time to answer the main question of the article - how to accustom a child to the chest. For greater convenience, we divide the information into paragraphs.
If the baby is used to the bottle
Is it realistic to accustom a baby to a breast after a bottle? Of course! But mom will have to try a little and be patient.
The first thing to do is remove all the nipples and bottles away. During accustoming to the chest, they will only interfere. If there is a need to feed the baby with milk or an artificial mixture, you need to use a spoon or a syringe without a needle.
No need to rush and remove the baby from the chest immediately, as soon as the active sucking has ended and he has satisfied his hunger. Let the baby enjoy the presence of mom. This is especially important when deciding how to accustom a premature baby to the chest, if the first few days after birth, he ate only from a bottle.
Connection with mom
The next advice that experts give while answering the question of how to teach a baby to suckle is to ensure a close relationship with mom. Let all the housework wait a bit. Now it is very important to spend as much time as possible next to the baby: play with him while awake, sleep together, and so on. And other family members can also wash the dishes, clean the apartment or cook dinner.
Mom should ensure a calm environment in the house while feeding. You can stroke the baby, hum a song or play quiet music. In such an atmosphere, the newborn will relax, which will only contribute to solving the problem. After this, the mother can proceed with more active actions: carefully put the nipple into the baby’s mouth.
Small steps to the goal
It is possible that the child will not immediately suck the nipple. A baby can just swipe his tongue over it, play and spit it out. But do not stop there. After all, it is quite possible that next time it will be possible to go a little further, and he will accidentally squeeze the nipple by squeezing a drop of milk from it. Despite the fact that newborn children are very small, they are very smart. Soon the baby will notice the relationship between their actions and the appearance of a delicious milk, forgetting about other possible ways of eating.
Soft perseverance
Solving the problem of how to accustom a baby to the chest also involves applying for the least anxiety and crying. The more often this happens, the faster the baby will understand how well and calmly he is near his mother.
Just do not confuse persistence with importunity! No need to try to force the nipple into the baby’s mouth if he categorically refuses to do so. The same goes for holding the newborn’s head to the chest. What to do? Choose a position that is convenient for both of you, massage the breast before feeding, so that it becomes softer, squeeze out a small drop of milk so that the crumb feels its taste and aroma.
Clock feeding
Feeding by the clock is not the best choice at this stage. Of course, this is very convenient, especially for the woman herself. But such experiments are better to be postponed until the baby begins to eat only from the chest and completely abandons the bottles. In addition, by a certain age, children develop a certain sleep and feeding regimen on their own and the mother will be able to know at what time her baby will be nearby.
Proper attachment
In order not to raise the question of how to accustom a child to the chest after a bottle, you need to learn how to properly apply it. At first glance, it might seem that there is nothing complicated, everything should happen at the level of instincts. But the experience of many mothers who are faced with the problem of establishing breastfeeding, says the exact opposite.
Here are some tips that experts give about this:
- The child’s mouth should be wide open. Only in this case, the baby will take the breast correctly. If you try to put the nipple in the half-open mouth, it will not get far enough or the baby will begin to “chew” its gums, which will cause the mother not very pleasant sensations.
- Learn to understand the baby! Often the question of how to teach a child to take breasts is asked by mothers who do not understand the behavior and desires of their own baby very well. For example, many believe that if the baby near the chest begins to turn its head from side to side, it means that it is not hungry or organizes a “strike” in favor of the usual bottle. But this is a completely wrong opinion! In fact, this behavior is nothing more than a manifestation of the search reflex. The kid is hungry and is trying to find a source of food - his mother’s chest.
- If the child clamped the nipple. Many mothers at least several times, but faced with such a situation. The baby sucks the breast, and then goes down to the very tip of the nipple and begins to bite it. To correct the situation, you need to gently press on the corner of the child’s mouth to loosen the grip, and then gently pull out the chest. Do not try to get the nipple with a sharp movement! So you can only damage his delicate skin.
If the baby takes only one breast
Such a problem is faced by a sufficiently large number of mothers. It should be noted right away that there is nothing to worry about. It is natural that in one breast the ducts will be more active than in the second. But what to do in such a situation?
The problem may lie not only in the anatomical features of the mammary glands, but also in the preferences of the baby himself. If it is more convenient for him to eat, for example, from the left breast, then he can completely refuse the right one. Just because he’s so comfortable.
You can accustom a baby to an “unloved” breast when he is very hungry or immediately after sleep. The desire to eat will be stronger than his preferences. It is important to take a pose in which the baby can feel as comfortable as possible.
Another reason why a baby can suddenly give up a second breast is mastitis. During the disease, the milk in it becomes a little salty, which the crumbs do not like. That is why experts recommend changing the breast during each feeding (at least once every 3 hours). It is impossible to prevent stagnation of milk in the ducts.
Possible mistakes
In the end, it is worth recalling a few mistakes that some mothers make. Absolutely forbidden:
- Try to hold the baby’s head near the chest while he is resisting.
- Allow rude actions towards the baby (pushing, spanking, shaking, etc.) or shouting at him.
- Refuse to feed the baby in any other way. This is especially true when the baby has not yet learned to suckle.
- Ignore the crying baby.
And the most important rule: it is important to learn how to feel your child. Only in this way will it be possible to achieve harmony and eliminate problems on the way to breastfeeding and happy motherhood.