Nature has come up with an amazing nutrient for the young - milk. As mammals, humans feed babies in the same way. Breast milk is an ideal food for newborns. It contains all the substances necessary for the baby in the right amount. In addition, the mother’s immune cells help the child develop protective functions of the body. Unfortunately, breastfeeding is not always available.
When there is no milk
Modern mothers often face a lack of milk. Scientists suggest that this is the influence of bad ecology. It often happens that after the first birth, especially if they took place at a young age, there is no milk, and after repeated deliveries it comes. If there is no milk, a woman should not feel guilty. Our body, unfortunately, is not subject to us in everything. In this case, resort to artificial feeding. If there is milk, but it is not enough, children can be fed with a mixture. This is called mixed feeding. If the proportion of baby food is more than 2/3, such feeding can be classified as artificial.
Donor milk
An alternative to infant formula in the first 3 months may be donated milk. This idea is not so new and original. At all times, wealthy families hired nurses. Sometimes nurses spent more time with children than mothers leading socialites, and became closer and dearer to the child. In the modern world, this method of feeding is not known to everyone. But although this is natural breast milk, you should treat it with caution and approach the choice of a donor responsibly.
A woman whose milk is delivered to a child should follow a proper diet for nursing mothers, lead a healthy lifestyle, and not suffer from infectious and hormonal disorders. She must undergo a medical examination. And still milk after it is pasteurized, while losing some useful substances.
Personal circumstances
Sometimes women choose artificial feeding for other reasons. It can be pain and discomfort when breastfeeding. Maybe - the child’s lack of strength or desire to suckle. Occasionally, there is a psychological barrier to touching the chest. And some are afraid to spoil her form. In this case, it is important to know that the shape of the breast changes during pregnancy, when it enlarges and prepares for feeding, and it is important to wear the right underwear. During breastfeeding, it’s also important to choose a good bra. Then, by itself, feeding does not change the appearance of the mammary glands.
On the other hand, no one has the right to tell a woman how to dispose of her own breasts. This applies to her body and the emerging relationship between her and the child, but not society at all. It is important to be aware that the type of feeding affects the digestive and immune systems of the child. But if you have made a decision - be calm. Anxious and insecure mom is much worse than eating a mixture.
Another way out
Sometimes mom is forced to go to work early or continue her studies at the institute. Two options are possible here - artificial feeding or expressing milk. While at home, you can breastfeed your baby, and the rest of the time he will receive food from the bottle. Decantation is carried out using a breast pump. They are sold in pharmacies. The shelf life of expressed milk depends on the temperature at which it will be. If it is stored indoors and the temperature does not exceed 22 ° C, milk can stand for up to 10 hours without souring and without losing useful properties. It is stored in the refrigerator for up to 8 days.
By the way, expressed milk is a good option for those kids who do not want to suckle. You can try to feed the baby from the bottle.
If breastfeeding is interrupted due to a mother’s illness or other circumstances, and now everything has returned to its rut, you can try to resume breastfeeding. The baby did not forget the sucking reflex, and the breast can begin to produce milk again. To make this happen, during the illness, you can continue to express milk, stimulating lactation. But to give it to the child, of course, is impossible.
Sometimes the transfer of a child to artificial feeding occurs not from birth, but when breastfeeding has already been tried. For example, milk disappears, discomfort in the chest appears or a disease that prevents feeding, new life conditions arise that require weaning. In this case, children usually easily get used to bottle feeding. Sometimes when switching to a mixture, digestive upset occurs. If this happens, you should definitely contact your pediatrician.
Nursing father
The advantage of artificial feeding the baby can be considered the opportunity for different family members to participate in feeding the baby. This will significantly relieve the mother and can have a beneficial effect on the attitude of other loved ones to the child. Dad will never be able to breastfeed, but from a bottle - please. At the same time, he can feel intimacy and warmth, and his paternal feelings can intensify. By the way, the body contact that occurs during breastfeeding is also available when feeding with the mixture. You can gently hold the baby to yourself and at the same time complement it with visual contact.
Mixes
Blends for artificial feeding are made from cow's milk. Why isn’t cow milk suitable for a newborn? Isn't everyone the same milk? Not. Different cubs have different needs. Therefore, cow's milk is more fat, but less saturated with iron and sugars. The vitamin composition is also different. Manufacturers of baby food take this into account and change the composition so that it approaches the composition of breast milk. For artificial feeding of newborns, a mixture based on whey, which is less rich in protein casein, is most suitable.
What are the mixtures?
Domestic and imported.
Adapted or partially adapted. In fully adapted mixtures, the composition is as close as possible to breast milk, in partially adapted mixtures, only partially. Of course, for newborns only the first option is suitable.
Dry and liquid. Baby food can be sold not only in powder form. There are also liquid mixtures. Their convenience is that they do not need to be bred and they already have the correct proportion. However, they are usually less stored and more expensive.
The composition of the mixture stands out not only from cow's milk, but also from goat’s milk, as well as soy. The latter are used if the child is allergic to cow's milk.
Special cases
For allergies, a special mixture is usually selected. The stronger the allergy, the stronger the proteins should be cleaved in this product. There are mixtures for premature and small babies. They are indicated by the prefix Pre and are characterized by maximum adaptability for the unprepared digestive system of babies. In addition, they are very nutritious and contain more proteins and vitamins.
There are intolerance to some components. For example, a child may have a deficiency in the lactase enzyme. In this case, the mixture will be devoid of milk sugar - lactose, which breaks down this enzyme. With phenylketonuria, babies are fed a mixture lacking phenylalanine. And when regurgitating, thickeners add polysaccharides.
There are iron fortified formulas for children with anemia. They increase hemoglobin.
There are fermented milk mixtures. They are used for digestive problems. But they are far from suitable in all cases and sometimes can only aggravate the problem. Their selection is carried out very carefully under the guidance of a doctor.
You need to understand that all specialized mixtures are prescribed by the pediatrician and you should not choose them yourself without recommendation. After all, if the baby does not need an increased content of any substances, they may be in excess in his body, and vice versa, he may be deprived of something important.
Preparation for feeding
Nutrition of a child on artificial feeding implies compliance with hygiene rules. Before feeding, the adult's hands should be thoroughly washed and all items must be sterilized. Boiled water is used to dilute the mixture. It is important to measure the amount of powder correctly. The baby will suck as much as he needs. But if the mixture is too small, he will, in fact, drink water and runs the risk of stunting in height and weight. Excess nutrients are also not at all useful. It carries with it the risk of a very dangerous condition - hypernatremia, i.e., an increased sodium content in the blood. In addition, it is fraught with obesity and constipation.
Diet
What is the regimen of the baby on artificial feeding? The daily amount of food will be exactly the same as when breastfeeding. But the mixture is absorbed by the child longer, so the intervals between meals are increased. If during breastfeeding they usually make up 2-3 hours, then with artificial feeding - 3-4 hours. On-demand feeding, as with breastfeeding, is not suitable here. The child’s body, of course, is complex and sensitive, he knows a lot. But artificial feeding of the newborn is not a very natural situation. And if, while eating breast milk, the baby himself knows how much and when he needs it, then in this case he may require the mixture more often than he is useful, preventing the product from being digested.
With age, the frequency of feeding decreases, and the amount of the mixture at a time increases. A child on artificial feeding per month eats 5 times a day for 100 g. Time goes on, the volume of the stomach increases. And with artificial feeding to the child at 7 months, 3 meals a day will be enough. However, 210 ml will need to be poured immediately into the bottle. But there is another reason for such rare feedings. Children go on complementary foods, and baby food is supplemented by solid food.
Food quantity
When determining the amount of food, it is necessary to focus on the age and weight of the child. So, in 2 months, babies need an average of 850 ml, but some will need 650 ml, and others - a liter.
Artificially fed babies may be prone to obesity and metabolic disorders. Therefore, it is important to avoid overfeeding. If the baby drinks too much mixture and quickly gains weight, the reason may be, oddly enough, in the opening of the bottle. If it is too wide, the child absorbs the mixture so rapidly that it does not have time to feel full.
Artificial children must be added with water, and a little later with fruit decoctions. This will serve as a good prevention of constipation, which are often with this type of feeding.
Mixture change
Sometimes with artificial feeding, you may encounter a situation where the baby's body does not accept the mixture. He has an allergy or digestion. In this case, doctors recommend changing the mixture. You can do this by consulting your pediatrician. The mixture changes gradually. It is necessary to add it little by little to the child’s diet, gradually replacing the old one. It is important to ensure that the new mixture does not cause allergies and other painful reactions.
Artificial Baby Food
What else is important to know with artificial feeding? With this type of food, the baby will have to get lure sooner. Breastfed babies receive complementary foods at 6 months. This is the age of maximum readiness, when the baby most often can already sit, does not push the spoon out of his mouth, and his digestive system can absorb more complex foods. By this time, the milk is no longer enough for the growing child, and he asks for more.
With artificial feeding, this moment comes earlier. The fact is that the mixture is poorer in the components necessary for the child than milk. At the same time, it is somewhat more difficult to digest, therefore, the digestive tract of the baby is already more trained. Hurry is still not worth it. Already at 4 months, artificial feeding may involve additional complementary foods. If the child is fed up with the mixture, and blood tests are normal, such as hemoglobin, there is no need to rush. So, at 3 months, complementary foods are administered only on the recommendation of a doctor. It is also permissible to introduce additional products on artificial feeding at 5 months, if the baby feels well.
The rules for complementary feeding are generally the same as for breastfeeding. You should not enter it if the baby is sick or his teeth are cut. A new product is introduced little by little - starting with a teaspoon, after which the baby is fed with a mixture. The difference with breast-fed babies will be that the first product for the artifact child will be fruit puree or juice, rather than vegetable supplements. You should not usually start with cereals. Such children gain weight quickly and are prone to constipation, so mashed potatoes will be the perfect food.
Diet after the introduction of complementary foods
If before this feeding was distributed evenly throughout the day, now the baby is switching to an almost adult regimen. His diet consists of breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. It’s better to start with five meals a day. For example, we can cite the diet of a child on artificial feeding at 6 months:
- 6.00: we give only the mixture.
- 10.00: you can give the baby puree or porridge.
- 14.00: lunch, you can eat denser. The composition of the dinner will include vegetable soup on vegetable or meat broth, vegetable mixture, half the yolk and fruit juice.
- 18.00: mixture or kefir, cookies, cottage cheese, fruit juice.
- 20.00: mixture or kefir.
As you can see, if you compare the diet of a baby breastfed at 6 months, it will be less diverse. What's the matter? It is worth remembering that the feeding of the baby-artificer was started earlier. Artificial feeding at 6 months suggests that the child has been eating solid foods for a couple of months. A large number of products managed to enter his menu.
Mixed feeding supplement
If the baby is breastfeeding, but there is not enough milk, you need to understand how much he is getting less. For this, the baby must be weighed before feeding and after it on special baby scales. During the day, you need to do such weighings and calculate the difference, and then put everything together. So it will be possible to find out how much milk the baby consumed per day. This figure can be compared with the tables, checking the age and weight of the baby. But there is another way to determine if a child needs additional food. Usually he will be anxious if he is short of food. After all, nutrition is one of the most important needs, and a child, starving, feels a threat to life. Any healthy body will fight for food.
If with artificial feeding, children are fed from a bottle, then when feeding, this should be avoided. It is better to use a spoon or syringe without a needle. Why such tricks? Drinking from a bottle is very convenient. Unlike the breast, fluid regularly comes from it. The baby can get used to and begin to abandon the breast in favor of the bottle. If you want to continue breastfeeding, you must avoid this situation.