How to start breastfeeding your baby. Breastfeeding newborns and infants. Features in the first days and months. Attachment to the chest

GW Basics
Doctor Komarovsky
Rules and postures
Nutrition
Composition of breast milk
Pumping
Storage

Breastfeeding is recognized as the safest and most beneficial way to feed a baby in the first year of life. With all the simplicity breastfeeding There are quite a few misconceptions and difficulties that can interfere with lactation. Let's look at such a natural process available to every woman who has given birth, like breastfeeding (HF), in more detail.

Benefit

receiving breast milk, the baby will grow and develop harmoniously. The crumbs will feel good, the risk of developing anemia, allergies, rickets, gastrointestinal diseases and other pathologies will decrease. In addition, the emotional contact with the mother acquired during breastfeeding will contribute to the development of the personality of the little one in a positive way.

Why is breast milk necessary for babies?

To achieve an increase in milk production, more frequent attachment, feeding the baby at night, changing the drinking regimen, good nutrition, showering and bathing for the breast, as well as drinking special tea, helps to achieve an increase in milk production. It is very important that a woman is determined to breastfeed, knows correct technique feeding, contacted counselors in a timely manner and was provided with support from the family and other mothers with at least a year of breastfeeding experience.

Hyperlactation

Excess milk production in the breast causes great discomfort in a woman. She feels that the breast is bursting, the mammary glands become painful, the milk is leaking. In addition, during hyperlactation in the mother, the child receives too much liquid milk, which is called "forward", and, accordingly, receives less fat milk remaining in the posterior sections of the glands. This leads to indigestion of the baby.

The most common cause of excessive milk production in women is intense and prolonged pumping after feedings. Also, hyperlactation can lead to an excess of fluid intake and products with a lactogenic effect. It happens that hyperlactation is an individual feature of the body of a nursing mother, and then it is not easy to cope with it. It is necessary to limit drinking and control the diet so that it does not contain products that provoke excess milk production.

When expressing, you need to take a responsible approach to the procedure, as it affects the health of the breast. Read about the types of pumping and the technique of pumping the chest with your hands in other articles.

In addition, we suggest watching a video on this topic.

Baby refuses to breastfeed

The reason for refusal may be a stuffy nose, ear inflammation, stomatitis, cutting teeth, colic and other health problems for the baby. Changing the mother's diet, such as eating spicy foods or spices, can affect the taste of milk, so the baby will refuse to suckle. The use of pacifiers and feeding the baby from a bottle quite often leads to refusal.

A fairly common situation is when a grown-up peanut at 3-6 months of age may refuse to feed, as its milk requirements decrease, and the pauses between feedings lengthen. During this period, the baby explores the world around with interest and is often distracted from sucking. Over the age of 8-9 months, breastfeeding can be triggered by a very active introduction of complementary foods.

Establishing contact between the baby and mother will help to solve the problem of refusal of the breast. The baby needs to be carried more often in her arms, hug, talk with the baby. It is necessary to give complementary foods, medicines or drinks only from a spoon or from a cup, it is advisable to refuse pacifiers, and the mother’s menu should not include foods that are unpleasant for the baby.

flooding

The baby may choke with too "greedy" sucking, but this situation may also indicate an excessively rapid flow of milk from the female breast. If the newborn began to choke during feeding, it is worth changing the position in which the child eats. It is best to sit up straight and support the baby's head up.

In the case when the cause of choking is an excess of milk, you can slightly strain the breast before offering the baby. If a change in posture and puffing did not help, consult a specialist, as the causes may be various pathologies of the oral cavity, larynx, or the functioning of the nervous system.

For the most common problems and how to solve them, see the video in which experienced doctors obstetrician-gynecologists tell important nuances.

Do I need to wash my breasts before feeding?

Nursing mothers should not fanatically follow the rules of hygiene and wash the mammary glands before each feeding, especially using soap. It can destroy the natural protective film that covers the skin of the areola. Consequently frequent washing with soap is the cause of the appearance of cracks, because of which it will be very painful to feed the baby.

In addition, at detergents there is a property to interrupt the natural aroma of the skin, even if the soap does not have a perfumed fragrance. It is very important for a newborn to catch the mother's smell during feeding, therefore, without feeling it, the baby will begin to worry and may even refuse to suck milk. To maintain cleanliness, it is enough to wash the female breast once or twice during the day, and only warm water should be used for washing.

Proper Care behind the breast of a nursing mother - important point avoiding many problems. See the video for more on this.

How to apply the baby to the breast?

When organizing breastfeeding, it is especially important that the capture of the crumbs of the breast is correct, since a violation of the capture of the breast threatens with excessive swallowing of air and insufficient weight gain. In the baby's mouth, there should be not only the nipple, but also a part of the area of \u200b\u200bthe breast around the nipple, which is called the areola. In this case, the lips of the baby should be slightly turned out. In this case, the little one will be able to suck correctly.

Mom should not feel any pain during sucking, and feeding can continue long time. If the attachment of the baby is incorrect, the woman will experience pain during feeding, damage to the nipples is possible, the baby will not be able to suck out the amount of milk he needs and will not eat up.

Experiment and find the type of attachment to the breast that will be most comfortable for you and your baby. If the nipples are damaged, you can use an emollient cream such as Bepanthena.

How to understand that the child is full?

The duration of each feeding is individual and may differ both in different children and in one infant in different situations. Most babies take 15-20 minutes to empty their breasts and eat, but there are little ones who suck for at least 30 minutes. If you stop feeding such a child earlier, he will be malnourished. Mom will understand that the little one has eaten when the baby stops sucking and releases the breast. It is not worth picking up the breast until this moment.

Debunking the Myths

Myth 1. Before childbirth, it is necessary to prepare the nipples

Women are advised to rub their nipples with a coarse cloth, but such actions are more dangerous than helpful. Stimulation of the nipples of a pregnant woman increases the risk premature birth, since there is a certain relationship between the breast and the uterus (if the nipple is stimulated, the uterus will contract).

Myth 2. A newborn needs to be fed with a mixture immediately, since milk does not come immediately

Mature milk, indeed, begins to stay from the 3-5th day after childbirth, however, until this moment, colostrum is released from the woman’s breast, which is quite enough for the baby.

Myth 3. For successful breastfeeding, you have to constantly pump after each feeding of the baby.

Pumping after feedings is recommended by close relatives and even sometimes by doctors, ostensibly to prevent lactostasis, but in fact they are the ones that cause excess milk production and stagnation. It is worth decanting the breast only with pain and strong engorgement, when the crumbs fail to capture the nipple. In this case, you need to express a small amount of milk.

Myth 4. If a child cries a lot and often requires a breast, it means that he is hungry and does not eat enough.

Compared to formula feeding, the baby really asks for the breast more often, since women's milk is absorbed very quickly, and the mixture takes longer. In addition, sucking milk from a bottle is often easier for a baby than getting it from the breast. But this behavior does not at all indicate a lack of nutrition for the little one. You should focus only on weight gain per month and the number of times the baby urinates per day.

Myth 5. Different women have different milk fat content.

Some women are lucky and have fat milk, while others are not lucky because they have low-fat blue milk. This part of the milk is a drink for the crumbs, therefore, by its color it is impossible to judge what kind of milk a woman has as a whole. If mom could express milk from the back of the breast, then she would make sure of its fat content, but it is very difficult to manually achieve it.

Myth 6. The breast has stopped pouring, which means that the baby does not have enough milk.

This situation often occurs after a month or two of feeding, when it begins to seem to a woman that milk is no longer coming in the right amount. Experiences further worsen the situation and may lead to the completion of lactation. In fact, the absence of hot flashes has nothing to do with the amount of milk in the female breast, since 1-2 months after childbirth, milk begins to be produced exactly as much as is needed for the baby, and it often arrives in the gland in the process of sucking the baby's mother's breast.

Myth 7. Breastfeeding mothers need to eat more than usual.

Without a doubt, the nutrition of a mother who is breastfeeding a baby must be of high quality and balanced. However, this should not significantly increase portions. The baby will receive all the nutrients with breast milk, even if the mother eats very little, but the health of the woman herself will be undermined by a lack of vitamins. So close attention should be paid to nutrition, but not the volume of dishes, but their usefulness. It should also be remembered that until the age of 9 months of the baby, nursing mothers should not go on diets and train hard.

Myth 8. Formula is almost identical to breast milk, so it’s the same as feeding a baby

No matter how manufacturers praise their high-quality mixtures and no matter what valuable ingredients they add, no artificial nutrition can be compared with milk from the female breast. An important difference between these two options for food for the baby is that the composition of human milk changes in accordance with the growth of the baby and the needs of the baby. Let's not forget about the psychological connection between a nursing mother and a baby.

Myth 9. After 6 months, the baby does not need milk anymore.

Although the six-month-old toddler is already beginning to introduce complementary foods, women's milk still remains the main food of the baby. It does not lose its valuable properties even when the child is one or two years old.

Myth 10

If cracks appear from sucking, then it is better to switch to a mixture. The situation when the baby rubs the nipples to the blood in the first days of sucking is quite frequent. The reason for it is incorrect application. And having corrected it, it is quite possible to breastfeed the baby long time. Also rapid healing cracks are facilitated by the use of special overlays.

When should you stop HB?

According to experts, best time to stop breastfeeding is the period of involution. Most often, this stage of lactation occurs at the age of a child from 1.5 to 2.5 years. To complete breastfeeding, it is important to take into account the readiness of both the child and the mother. The gradual curtailment of lactation will not harm either the mental state of the baby or the mother's breast.

There are situations when it is necessary to stop breastfeeding abruptly, for example, in case of an acute illness of the mother. In this case, you should be guided by the advice of a doctor so that the process of parting with the baby from the breast, and the mammary glands from milk, is the least painful for everyone.
Read more about stopping lactation in another article.

To successfully establish lactation, it is important to take care of the early attachment of the crumbs to the mother's breast. Ideally, the baby should be placed on the woman's stomach and find the breast immediately after delivery. Such contact will launch the natural mechanisms of regulation of lactation.
While waiting for the arrival of mature milk, you should not supplement the baby with a mixture. Due to the small amount of colostrum, many women worry, believing that the baby is starving. However, there are substances valuable for the baby in colostrum, and supplementary feeding with a mixture can greatly harm the development of lactation.
You should not replace your mother's breast with a pacifier. Let the baby get the breast whenever he wants to suckle. Using a pacifier will help distract your little one, but can negatively impact lactation, especially if it hasn't been established yet. In addition, the breast for a newborn is not only a source of food. During suckling, a deep psychological contact is established between the baby and the mother.
If you breastfeed your baby on demand, you don't need to supplement your baby with water. The first part of the sucked milk is represented by a more liquid part, containing a lot of water, therefore it serves as a drink for the baby. If you give your baby extra water, this can reduce the amount of lactation.
It is not necessary to express after feeding until completely empty. Such advice was common at a time when all children were advised to feed by the hour. Babies rarely latched on, and because of the lack of stimulation, less milk was produced, so milk production had to be additionally provoked by complete pumping. Now the breast is offered to the baby on demand, and during sucking, the baby gives a request for the next feeding - how much milk the baby sucks out, so much milk will be produced. If you additionally express the breast when the baby has already eaten, the next time there will be more milk than the little one needs. And this increases the risk of lactostasis.
Do not give your baby a second breast until the baby has emptied the first breast. In the first months, it is recommended to alternate breasts no more than every 1-2 hours. If you give the baby a second breast, when he has not yet sucked the hind milk from the first, this threatens with digestion problems. It may be necessary to feed a baby over 5 months of age from both breasts.
There is no need to rush to start introducing complementary foods into the children's diet. Exclusively breastfed infants receive adequate nutrition until 6 months of age. And even after six months, milk remains the main food for the baby, and with the help of all new products, the baby first simply learns tastes and textures that differ from women's milk.
Find out what are the positions for feeding, since a change in posture during the day will help prevent stagnation of milk, because in a different position the baby will suck more actively from a different part of the breast. The main positions that every breastfeeding mother should master are lying down and feeding in a sitting position from under the arm.
Doctors call the minimum period of breastfeeding 1 year, and experts consider 2-3 years to be the optimal duration of breastfeeding. Earlier weaning can be difficult for both the infant's psyche and the woman's breasts.
It is not at all necessary to refuse breastfeeding for any illness of the mother. For example, if a woman has ARVI, it is not worth interrupting feeding, as the baby will receive antibodies from mother's milk. Only those diseases that we indicated in contraindications can interfere with lactation.

For successful breastfeeding, the World Health Organization recommends:

Attach the baby for the first time to the mother's breast in the first hour after birth.
Give the baby a breast at the request of the baby.
Nutrition

Proper feeding of the baby should be carried out only in comfortable conditions. The birth of a child is small miracle. From the very beginning, all important functions are formed, and breastfeeding will give the baby useful substances. The process itself is considered to be a particularly close bond between mother and newborn child, the right approach to breastfeeding is necessary to strengthen immunity. How to properly breastfeed a child and at the same time not harm either him or yourself?

Fundamentals of breastfeeding

When a mother does not know how to properly breastfeed a newborn, she uses a position that is comfortable for both her and the baby.

The most common version is called "Lullaby". The woman carefully hugs the child with one hand, and with the other gives him a breast. This position has several options. The first is that the woman holds her breast with the hand in which the child is located, and then changes position. The head of the child is located on the forearm of the mother's hand. The second option is similar, but only the mother grabs the baby with the opposite hand. This position is called a crossover. It is ideal for both mother and baby, as the woman at this moment holds the baby's head with her palm. For every mother, her baby is considered unique. All children have their own individual appetite and everyone gains weight in different ways. The feeding regimen itself should be carried out under the supervision of a pediatrician. He develops his plan, taking into account how much the child has added in a certain time.
The method of how to properly breastfeed a baby is called "Interception". The method itself speaks for itself. The woman feeds the child from under her arm, and the baby himself is in a position on the side, and his tummy is adjacent to his mother's. The child is under the woman. For comfortable feeding, it is recommended to place a pillow under the arms. Poses during interception can be different, each woman chooses the most comfortable. Such feeding is considered convenient and gentle, especially if mommy has gone through C-section. With such feeding, the pressure on the area of \u200b\u200bthe seams is minimal. It is also ideal for premature babies to occupy this position due to muscle weakness.
The next way, as it is right, is as comfortable as possible. This position is relaxed and comfortable for both the baby and the mother. They lie close to each other, facing each other. Mom's head is on the pillow. On which side the woman lies with the same hand she gives her breasts.

Women who do not know how to feed properly big breasted, in this situation, a diaper will help. It must be rolled up and placed under the chest. With this arrangement, the nipple looks down and it is quite convenient to feed the baby.
To avoid overwork, do not hang over the child and lean on the elbow. This will lead to pain in the arm and will contribute to the violation of the outflow of milk.
If the mother does not know how to properly breastfeed the baby lying down, then this should be done carefully. It is not recommended to use this method at night. Since mom can fall asleep and not follow the process.

Basic rules for feeding

The basic rules for how to properly breastfeed a baby include the following:

Take the most comfortable position so that there are no difficulties within 10 minutes.
The child should be in a position with his stomach to his mother and facing her. It is not recommended to hold his head strongly so that during feeding he can cough if he chokes.
During feeding, you need to make sure that the baby has enough oxygen. This applies especially to mothers who have large breasts.
Do not forcefully offer breasts. The baby will find it by smell and begin to eat.
The child should cover the entire areola. If this does not happen, injury to the nipple may occur and the baby will receive excess oxygen along with milk. This, in turn, will lead to colic and increased gas formation. Therefore, at each feeding, you should be sure that the child grasped the areola correctly.

The main thing is to know how to start breastfeeding correctly, and then the mother will intuitively do everything right.

Important questions

New mothers often have many questions about how to properly breastfeed a newborn. Consider the most common:

Do I need to wash the mammary glands before feeding? A morning and evening shower is enough to keep clean. You can use soap, but do not rub it thoroughly, as this can lead to washing off the protective layer. And, in turn, harmful bacteria can get there.
Should you hold your breast while breastfeeding? This should not be done, as the outflow of milk is disturbed, stagnation may appear and cause pain in a woman.
Does a newborn baby need water? Pediatricians do not recommend this. The mother's milk provides the baby with food and water. An exception is the use of drugs that must be diluted with water. Doctors recommend drinking more if the mother has too fat milk, and the child has problems with the tummy. It is better to give fluid intake from a small spoon or syringe without a needle.
Whether to breastfeed a child if mother and child are sick colds? It is not worth stopping feeding, as the baby receives antibodies with milk, which will remedy for a baby. If one mother is sick, then it is worth putting on a gauze bandage and also feeding the baby according to the schedule.
Is it possible to feed a child with cracked nipples? On this issue, first of all, you need to contact a specialist. He will individually prescribe treatment. These are mainly various creams or silicone nozzles. During wound healing, you can feed through the nozzle.

This list of questions is quite popular among mothers, but it is worth consulting with your doctor, he will competently suggest the correct solution to the issue.

Breastfeeding mode

At first, lactation in a nursing mother can fail, at this time you should not follow the regimen. Experts recommend applying the child for the first ten days only on demand. In the future, the feeding regimen should be adjusted. When the mother has enough milk, you can feed up to seven times a day, every three hours. The kid gets used to this routine, and the regime is getting better. Will milk have time to digest quickly, if This question is asked by many mothers. Doctors do not see anything wrong with this and are allowed to feed on demand of the baby.

Did the baby eat after breastfeeding?

This is a relevant and frequently asked question. After all, every mother worries about her child. This answer can be easily answered based on the following signs:

During feeding, the baby released the nipple and fell asleep.
The kid is in a great mood and calm.
Deep sleep.
Urine departs up to 8 or more times a day.
Weight gain, by all standards.
At the sight of the mother, there is a revival.

Mixtures are administered only as directed by the pediatrician. Based on the mother's weight and complaints, he may prescribe a supplement. Also, a competent doctor should first of all prescribe drugs to improve lactation.

If this method does not help, then the mixture is already introduced to avoid weight loss. The feeding situation can also occur in the opposite direction. This is when mom has a lot of milk. With an excess content of milk in the mammary gland, the baby can overeat. The main signs of overeating:

Frequent and profuse regurgitation.
The baby folds its legs and cries.
Big set in weight. In this case, it is worth considering the time of attachment and weaning the baby from the breast so that he does not overeat.

Compliance with the daily routine will help to cope with this situation and normalize the arrival of milk in the right amount. Taking the breast from the child is correct in order to avoid injury to the nipple. To do this, gently press on the baby's chin and this will force the baby to open his mouth wider and, in the course of this, carefully remove the nipple.

Breast alternation

If a mother knows how to breastfeed while sitting or in any other position, breast milk will be produced quickly. Most often, a child sucks from one breast for one feeding. It is known that when feeding, liquid milk first comes in, which quenches the baby's thirst, and then thicker milk from the deep layers, which saturates the baby. If you want your baby to have a balanced diet, then you should alternate breasts during feedings. It will be useful for the baby and the mother will not have problems.

How to feed twins?

It is a lot of work - to feed several children at once, and many believe that after the hospital, children should be given formula. There are cases when women brought up three children. Of course, milk production will depend on correct mode day and nutrition of the mother. If her relatives help her and the woman gets enough sleep, then she is able to feed two or more children. Proper feeding is taught to a woman in labor even in the hospital, so you should listen to the advice of specialists and then everything will work out.

What can happen if the application is incorrect

If the mother is not informed about how to properly breastfeed the baby, then he does not hug the breast correctly, which causes pain to the mother. And in the future there will be an injury to the nipple and various cracks on it. And the child can remain hungry. This whole situation provokes stagnation in the mammary gland, which is called lactostasis.

Signs of misuse

The baby makes loud noises while trying to suckle.
There is pain during feeding.
The baby's lips tuck inward when feeding, which means that the areola is not completely captured.

Such signs make it clear that the mother of the child is not properly breastfeeding, and the child in this case will be capricious and may lose weight. Therefore, in order not to provoke many complications for both the baby and the mother, you need to listen to specialists and follow their recommendations.

Feeding at night

Opinions on this issue differ and pediatricians do not recommend feeding the baby at night. They believe that the baby's stomach should rest at night and supplement with water if necessary. After all, if a child sucks a lot of milk at night, then problems with lactation may appear. And doctors warn mothers that they may be left without milk. But opinions differ, and many believe that you can get mastitis if you do not feed at night. If a woman has a lot of milk in the mammary glands, then you can feed the baby on demand. And if he does not ask, then you need to express a little to avoid mastitis.

Proper expression of milk

If mastitis occurs, women are advised to pump. This procedure can be carried out at home. To do this, you need to prepare a container. It is better to express with the index and thumbs. Squeeze the breast tissue near the nipple and at the same time the milk leaves quite well. With a pronounced pain sensation, a husband can help a woman, it is necessary to completely express milk so that the pain symptom goes away. With a regular problem, you can use a breast pump. It will help to quickly cope with the stagnation of milk in the mammary gland.

Nowadays there are many types of them. Both electronic and mechanical are available. According to the instructions, it is necessary to carry out this manipulation.

Who is not allowed to breastfeed

Infectious diseases that can be transmitted to a child during breastfeeding are: an open form of tuberculosis, HIV infection, blood poisoning and scarlet fever.
Drug addiction.
Diseases in which you need to constantly use drugs.
Chronic diseases (severe anemia, cardiovascular disease).

With the above diseases, doctors do not recommend breastfeeding the baby and transfer it to artificial feeding from birth. The mother is warned that breastfeeding the child may suffer and become infected with the disease that the mother has.

How much to feed?

Also, many mothers ask the question - until what time is it worth feeding the baby and how to wean him? Up to 12 months, the child simply needs to be breastfed. This will help him both in mental development and strengthen his immunity.

It is not worth weaning the baby, he himself will gradually switch to regular food. Some mothers feed children up to three years. This option is not any pathology and is only welcomed by doctors. But after the age of three, it is necessary to gradually switch to regular milk and good nutrition.

Every mother should feel her child and know what kind of feeding he needs. Until six months, it is not recommended to introduce complementary foods, the child is all necessary substances received through breastfeeding. And then the doctors and the district nurse conduct patronage at home and explain how to start the first complementary foods for the child.

In general, breastfeeding is the most The best way that nothing can replace. With his help, the child grows and develops healthy, receives immunity from the mother and rarely gets sick. But children on artificial feeding get sick more often, this has already been proven by scientists. Therefore, doctors strongly recommend that mothers not lose this type of feeding and prescribe drugs to improve lactation.

There are cases when the mother is forbidden to feed due to relevant diseases. In this case, doctors select mixtures that will improve immunity and the child will develop in accordance with age. Of course, the family budget suffers on artificial feeding, and for many this is a problem.

Some people make the mistake of feeding their baby whole cow's milk. Doctors categorically do not recommend this, as milk can cause allergic reactions. For each child, a mixture is selected individually and experts monitor the weight every month. If it is lost, it is recommended to increase the volume or change the mixture to a more high-calorie one. It is also observed general well-being child: whether he actively eats and how he is awake. Pediatricians carefully monitor such children and give important recommendations mothers.

With natural feeding, it is also necessary to observe the child and the mother to follow a diet. First of all, you should give up sweets. This can provoke allergic reactions. If the child has problems with the intestines and is often worried about pain, then first of all, the mother needs to adjust the diet.

In the first year of a baby's life, the local nurse actively conducts patronage and tells parents about the peculiarities of nutrition and that mothers need to avoid stressful situations so as not to lose milk. With a calm behavior of a woman, the child will also behave and feel. So keep breastfeeding and stick to proper nutrition breastfeeding mother is the main task.

Mother's milk is the best food for a baby. Animal milk, milk formulas, powdered milk, teas, sweetened drinks, water and cereals are significantly inferior in value to mother's milk and can often harm the child, causing a number of diseases (allergic reactions, intestinal disorders, etc.).

Mother's milk is easier for the baby to digest. It also ensures the normal growth, development and protection of the child from disease.

In the first six months of life, the baby needs only mother's milk. When breastfeeding during this period, no other food is usually required, as well as water.

Even in hot and dry climates, mother's milk fully satisfies the baby's need for liquid. Under the condition of full breastfeeding, neither water nor other types of liquid are required in the first six months of life for the child. Eating any other food or drink can cause diarrhea.

Colostrum, the thick yellowish milk that a mother produces in the first days after birth, is an excellent food for a newborn. It is highly nutritious and helps protect against infections. Sometimes mothers are advised not to feed their babies with colostrum, but this is the wrong advice.

If the birth took place in a maternity hospital or hospital, then the mother has the right to expect that her child will be in the same room with her around the clock and will not receive complementary foods or water if she is breastfeeding him.

Frequent breastfeeding stimulates milk production.

Many new mothers need to be encouraged and encouraged to start breastfeeding. To overcome uncertainty and avoid complications, they will be helped by a woman who has experience of successful breastfeeding - a relative, friend or other young mother who has completed courses in preparation for childbirth and child care.

When breastfeeding, how the mother holds the baby and how he takes the breast is of great importance. The correct position of the baby facilitates the process of latch on and suckling.

With the correct position of the child when breastfeeding:

the whole body is turned towards the mother;
the child is in sufficient proximity to the mother's body;
the child is relaxed and satisfied.

With the wrong position of the child, the following complications are possible:

sores and cracks on the nipples;
decreased milk production;
refusal of the child from the breast.

With the correct feeding procedure:

the child's mouth is wide open;
the baby's chin touches the mother's breast;
the area of the areola (circle of the areola), which is visible above the child's mouth, is larger than the one that ended up in his mouth;
sucking movements are long and deep;
there is no pain in the nipple.

The flow of milk will be sufficient for almost every woman if:

she breastfeeds her baby exclusively;
the child is in the correct position and captures the breast well;
the intervals between feedings and the duration of the sessions meet the needs of the child (both day and night);
a woman is provided with rational, nutritious nutrition, including through the introduction of balanced amounts of vitamins and microelements into the diet or, optimally, foods rich in these vitamins and microelements.

Breastfeeding regimen

From the moment of birth, the child should receive mother's milk at any time of the day at his request.

Crying is not always a sign that the baby needs extra food or drink. Crying usually means that the baby wants to be picked up and petted. Some babies need suckling just for comfort. Sucking helps produce more milk.

Mothers who worry that they don't have enough milk often give their babies solid food or drink as early as their first months of life. As a result, the baby begins to breastfeed less often, and the flow of milk from the mother decreases. There will be more milk if the mother does not give her baby food or drink and breastfeeds more often. Mothers need to be convinced that breast milk alone is sufficient if it is available in the required quantity.

During the period of breastfeeding, pacifiers or bottles should not be given to the child, since the sucking movements in this case are significantly different from breastfeeding. Using pacifiers or bottles can lead to shrinkage! the flow of milk from the mother, and the child may begin to ask for the breast less often or refuse it altogether.

Breastfeeding provides the mother with an opportunity to rest. The father of the child and other members of the family should create an atmosphere conducive to the mother's relaxation during breastfeeding. They should also help her with housekeeping.

Breastfeeding protects babies and children early age from dangerous diseases and establishes a special emotional connection between mother and child.

The use of mother's milk is the "first vaccination" for a child, protecting him from infections and other diseases. Maximum protection is provided by exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months after birth and continued breastfeeding into the first year of life.

Breastfed babies usually receive more attention than "artificial ones", which gives them a feeling of greater security, allows them to grow and develop normally.

Irrational artificial feeding can contribute to the deterioration of the child's health. If a woman is unable to breastfeed her baby, then care should be taken to ensure that the baby receives mother's milk or its substitutes from clean dishes.

Dirty bottles and nipples can contribute to diarrhea and ear infections. Diarrhea can cause the death of a child. The chance of getting sick is reduced if bottles and nipples are sterilized in boiling water before each feeding, but artificial babies are still much more susceptible to infections than breastfed babies.

Methodical materials

The need for feeding may occur immediately after birth or some time after birth. In the first days, colostrum is formed in the woman's breast. After three days, the colostrum in the breast of the woman who has given birth is replaced by milk. It rushes to the mammary glands, the woman’s breast begins to “burst” from the milk that has arrived.

If you do not express, then after a few feedings, its amount will return to normal, and will meet the needs of the child.

During the period of a rush of milk, a woman experiences pain, so I want to give the baby a breast more often in order to release the engorged breast. Since the newborn sleeps a lot, the question arises how to wake the newborn for feeding.

Here are some tips on how you can do this:

Breastfeed a sleeping baby. If an hour and a half has passed after feeding, then the baby can begin to suck without waking up.
You can massage the palms and feet of the baby. Massaging touches stimulate brain activity, increase blood flow and lead to awakening.
Turn on the music- at first quietly and then begin to amplify its sounds. You can not turn on the background music abruptly. This will frighten the baby and cause a sharp cry. The volume of sounds should increase gradually.
Unwrap the baby contact with cool air will cause it to wake up.

How much milk does a baby eat at a time

How much a newborn should eat per feeding is determined by his age (1 or 4 weeks). You can measure its amount by weighing the baby before and after feeding. From the difference in the results obtained, the increase that the baby ate is obtained.

In medicine, the following norms are used, which determine how much a newborn eats in one feeding:

1st day- 10 g per feeding, for only 10-12 feedings 100-120 ml per day.
2nd day- single dose - 20 g, daily - 200-240 ml.
3rd day- for one feeding - 30 g, per day - 300-320 ml.

So by the 10th day of life, the feeding dose increases to 100 g at a time and up to 600 ml of milk per day. Such norms remain up to 1.5 months. The total amount of milk eaten is 1/5 of the baby's weight. At 2 months, the baby eats 120-150 g at a time and up to 800 ml per day (1/6 of his weight).

Frequent feedings are normal

Free feeding of the baby suggests that he himself can choose the time intervals between feedings, their duration and the amount of milk eaten. These factors depend on the nature and characteristics of the child.

There are children who eat quickly and a lot, while in a hurry, often choke on milk, after feeding they burp. There are other babies who suckle slowly, often breaking away from the breast and looking thoughtfully at their surroundings. All people are different, as well as different children and their manner of eating.

How often to breastfeed a newborn

The recommendations of pediatricians twenty years ago on how to feed a newborn spoke of the obligatory observance of the regime - to feed the baby no more than 3-4 hours later. Do not keep near the breast for more than 10-15 minutes and be sure to express the remaining milk. It is good that these recommendations have gone down in history. They caused too many nutritional disorders in children and mastitis in mothers.

Modern pediatricians do not set strict limits on how much time should elapse between feedings. The frequency of feeding is determined by the needs of the child and cannot be standard for all occasions.

If the baby was active, moved his arms and legs a lot, swam in the bathroom, he spent a lot of energy. When feeding, he will suck out more milk. If the time between feedings passed quietly, the baby slept or lay in bed, did not actively communicate with the outside world - most likely, his appetite will be modest, since the need for food has not reached its maximum.

How to feed a newborn: poses of mother and child

When feeding a baby, you can sit, stand, lie down, settle down in any positions convenient for mother and child. The feeding position should be comfortable, as the time for this is quite long - from 20 to 50 minutes a day.

Lying on your side- Mom and baby are facing each other. In this position, it is convenient to feed with the breast that is located below. If necessary, the mother can lean forward a little and give the baby that breast that is higher.
lying on the jack- mother and baby can be located on the sofa (bed) with their heads to each other (feet - in opposite directions). How to feed a newborn lying down - next to or on the jack - depends on the time of day. At night, it is more convenient to lie next to the baby. During the day, both poses can be used.
In a reclining chair- baby on top In this position, it is recommended to feed those mothers who produce too much milk. Positioning the baby slightly on top reduces the flow of milk and allows the baby to suck out as much as needed.
sitting- Mom sits, the baby lies on her knees and takes the breast as if "from below". Mom holds the baby with her hand, bending it at the elbow. In order for the baby to be taller and reach the chest, a pillow is placed on the mother's knees.
Sitting out of hand- for such feeding you need a sofa and a large pillow. The baby is placed on the pillow so that it is at the level of the mother's chest. The mother sits down on the sofa and takes the baby as if "under the arm."
standing- this feeding option is also possible, especially if you are walking outside in a sling.

It's important to know: when feeding, the lobule of the mammary gland is emptied most of all, towards which the baby's chin is directed. Therefore, for the full suction of milk from the gland, it is necessary to position the baby in various ways at each feeding.

How to apply the newborn for feeding

The health of the mammary gland of the mother depends on the correct attachment of the baby. To prevent injury to the nipple, it is necessary to put the entire areola into the mouth. How to breastfeed a newborn?

The baby's mouth should be wide open (as when yawning). The mouth opens wider if you raise your face up (do this experiment with yourself - lower your face and open your mouth, and then - raise it and also open your mouth). Therefore, for proper feeding, position the baby so that he slightly raises his face to your chest.
When properly grasped, the nipple should touch the baby's palate. This attachment is called asymmetric. The nipple is directed not to the center of the mouth, but to the upper palate.
The asymmetry of the application is visible from the outside - that part of the alveoli that is under the lower lip is completely inside the mouth. The part of the alveolus that lies behind upper lip, may not be taken completely.
With proper sucking, the baby's tongue "hugs" the nipple and alveolus from below. In this position, he does not compress the chest and does not create pain. The tongue protrudes from the mouth further than it is located at the usual time (without feeding). The tongue does not protrude well with a shortened frenulum (skin membrane under the tongue). Therefore, if feeding a baby is painful for you, take the baby to the doctor. If the bridle is too short, a surgical incision is made.
It is necessary to take away the breast from the baby when he releases it himself. If he is no longer suckling, but simply lies and holds the nipple in his mouth, give him the opportunity to rest. Pulling out the nipple by force is not worth it. If you really want to get up, you can easily press the baby's chin with your finger or insert your little finger into the corner of the mouth. The baby will open his mouth, and you can take the breast without pain.

When feeding, the baby's head should not be fixed rigidly. He should be able to come off the nipple and let his mother know that he is full.

Spitting up after feeding: causes and concerns

Regurgitation accompanies almost every feeding of an infant under the age of 3 months. Sometimes regurgitation is so strong that milk leaves the stomach not only through the mouth, but also through the nose. Normally, regurgitation in an infant should not exceed 10-15 ml (this is 2-3 tablespoons).

Why does a newborn spit up after feeding? The reason is the swallowing of air and its subsequent exit from the child's esophagus. In order for the baby to burp immediately after feeding, you need to hold him upright. Otherwise, the burp will take place in the supine position, along with the air from the stomach of the child, milk will be thrown out.

Some children swallow too much air, then belching occurs right during feeding. Such crumbs must be torn off from food in the middle of sucking and kept upright for several minutes.

We list the causes of regurgitation in newborns after feeding:

During sucking, the baby rested his nose on the chest, breathed through his mouth and therefore swallowed air.
For formula-fed babies, the hole in the nipple is too big.
Too much large volume milk or insufficient small volume of the stomach. The baby overeats and returns part of the milk back (the part that he cannot digest).
Digestive problems: lack of bacteria in the stomach and intestines, colic, as a result of which gas production increases.
lactose intolerance.
CNS disorders, birth trauma.

In order not to stimulate regurgitation, after feeding the baby, you do not need to slow down. It is necessary to put it on a side or back and let it lie quietly for 15-20 minutes. The best way- feed the baby before falling asleep.

Spitting up in newborns after feeding should not cause concern if:

The child is steadily gaining weight.
The baby does not have capriciousness, irritability or lethargy.
After spitting up, the baby does not cry.
Milk from regurgitation has White color no strong odor.

If a baby spit up yellow milk with bad smell- this requires medical advice and treatment.

Hiccups after feeding: why it occurs and what to do

Hiccups after feeding in newborns is not a pathology. It occurs as a result of contractions of the diaphragm - a muscle located between digestive organs and light. Why does a newborn hiccup after feeding?

Do you want something interesting?

Muscle contractions occur due to the pressure on them of the walls of the stomach. When gas is formed or air is swallowed, the stomach bursts.

Therefore, hiccups often occur before regurgitation. If the baby burps, the hiccups go away.

We list the factors that contribute to hiccups:

A newborn hiccups after feeding if he ate too hastily and at the same time swallowed a lot of air.
Newborns hiccup when overfeeding. If too much food is eaten, the stomach presses on the diaphragm and causes it to contract.
The baby hiccups if he has frequent intestinal colic. They are accompanied by the formation of gases that accumulate in the intestines and stomach. When feeding, gaziki stretch the walls of the stomach and put pressure on the diaphragm.

What to do if a newborn has hiccups after feeding:

Do not worry. Almost never hiccups are a sign of illness or other pathology. As a rule, it passes with age, when the baby's stomach becomes more capacious.
Next- do not feed so much, feed calmly and let lie on the stomach before feeding (to prevent flatulence).

Artificial feeding: what mixtures to feed

Artificial feeding of infants should be avoided. Breast milk is incomparably healthier, more nutritious, it is better absorbed and rarely causes allergies. Most right choice- Feed your newborn baby with breast milk.

Switching to artificial mixtures is justified only when the mother is ill, which does not allow her to breastfeed the baby. The question of which mixture is better to feed a newborn is decided after analyzing its composition (it is written on the package).

The basis of the mixture is whey, which has undergone hydrolysis (decomposition), demineralization and is easily absorbed in the baby's esophagus. Such a mixture is called adapted, it is hypoallergenic.

Worse for a newborn - a mixture based on casein. This component is slowly absorbed in the children's body. Casein-based mixtures are more suitable for artificial feeding of children after six months. They are classified as partially adapted.

It is also good if the mixture contains bifidobacteria. Such mixtures include Similak, Nestozhen, Impress, Enfamil.

For children with lactose intolerance, mixtures based on soy milk (Nutria-soy, Bona-soy) are used.

What should be a feeding bottle

Are there requirements for feeding bottles for newborns? What are the best baby feeding bottles?

We list what to look for when choosing a bottle:

The hole in the nipple should be small, the baby should "work hard" to pull the milk out of the bottle.
When feeding, the nipple should always be filled with milk.
A glass bottle is better for feeding than a plastic one. Glass is an inert material, while plastic is made from food-grade polycarbonate. It may contain a number of components that are not entirely useful for the baby.
It is necessary to change the nipples every 2-3 weeks. The hole in them stretches and gets too big sizes. Preferably the shape of the nipple with an anti-vacuum skirt. The latex teat is softer and should not be boiled. Silicone - more rigid, better imitates the chest and easily tolerates boiling.
The simple shape of the bottle makes it easy to clean.
The special anti-colic shape of the bottle is curved and prevents air ingestion (by special valves). They do not let air bubbles from the bottle into the stomach.

How to bottle feed your newborn:

Take the baby in your arms so that body contact occurs.
Hold the bottle with your hands, and do not prop it up with pillows (so that the baby does not choke).
The nipple should be directed towards the baby's palate.

Sucking from a bottle is easier than sucking milk from the mother's breast (the mouth does not open as wide, no need to pull hard, suck). With artificial feeding, it is necessary to imitate the mother's breast: pick up a hard nipple, make a small hole in it.

Breast-feeding- this is a whole science that young mothers have to master in a matter of days. What the baby will eat in the coming year depends on the quality of the learned material. Properly established breastfeeding (HB) will allow the child to receive valuable and incredibly healthy breast milk, relieve mom from stagnation, lactostasis and mastitis, and make the process of motherhood pleasant and calm. If you do not understand the principles of breastfeeding from the very beginning, this can result in neurosis, poor sleep, problems with the mammary gland, and as a result - artificial feeding. Which, by the way, entails a lot of questions, because not every mixture is suitable for a child, you need to select the right product in an experimental way, which leads to additional health problems and financial costs. That is why it is necessary from the very beginning of motherhood to tune in to breastfeeding, talk with doctors, experienced friends, invite a breastfeeding consultant. All of them will help to establish this natural process, and then feeding will bring pleasure to you and your child.

In the process of establishing breastfeeding, the issue of feeding time is very acute. Regarding this, there are two opinions - to feed the child on demand or by the hour. A couple of decades ago, our mothers fed us in maternity hospitals strictly at certain hours, at other times the child was not even next to her mother. Today, the World Health Organization recommends feeding a child on demand - that is, when he wants it. Each of the feeding methods has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is up to you what you choose for your baby.

Feeding on demand

This is the most correct, healthy and natural way of feeding. Even animals feed their young when the kids want it. This is especially important in the first days after childbirth - when only colostrum is released from the breast. Do not worry - colostrum is enough for the child, it performs an important function - populates the intestines of the crumbs with beneficial bacteria, starts digestion. Already 3-5 days after birth, full-fledged breast milk comes. In the first month, it is very important to feed the baby on demand, that is, when the baby cries. After all, it is during this period that the body is rebuilt, determines how much milk the child needs. Here are some tips and tricks for feeding on demand.

It is necessary to give the baby a breast with any concern - this will not only saturate the baby, but also increase milk production, because the more the baby is applied to the breast, the more the breast will pour next time. Feeding on demand is the main way to increase your milk supply.

Breast for a child is not only food, but comfort, unity with the mother, protection. Feeding on demand allows you to have all these wonderful feelings any time your baby wants it, when he has a tummy ache, he is cold or just bored.

Feeding on demand will protect the mother from mastitis, because milk simply does not have time to stagnate in short periods of time.
It has been proven that a baby who receives a breast at any time suffers less from colic and gas, as he does not experience strong feeling hunger and does not overeat after long "hungry" intervals.

If you are breastfeeding your baby at any time it is necessary for him, it is better to practice co-sleeping.

Try to feed your baby from one breast at a time from start to finish. The fact is that the foremilk is more liquid, it is easier to suck it out, for the baby it is a drink. But hindmilk, which is more difficult to suck out, more fatty, is considered food.

A baby who is fed on demand does not develop bad habits such as thumb sucking, fist sucking, etc. If you always give your baby a breast, he does not get used to a dummy, the sucking reflex is completely satisfied.

Frequent feeding saves during the period of illness of the child. Firstly, it is the replenishment of fluid, which is so necessary in case of temperature or poisoning. Secondly, the baby calms down, more easily tolerates discomfort during teething and colic. Thirdly, breast milk contains immunoglobulins, which form the immunity of the crumbs and protect it from viruses.

Psychologists say that children who are fed on demand grow up more calm and self-confident. After all, they know from early childhood that their mother is always there and will come to the rescue if necessary, protect and reassure. And this is very important for the development of the future personality.

Feeding by the hour

This method involves a strict feeding regime - after a certain period of time. Remember Soviet times - at night, children were not fed from the hospital, the last feeding was at 12:00, and the first in the morning at 6:00. That is, newborn children had a huge period of time without food - 6 hours. What are the features and benefits of feeding by the hour, let's try to figure it out.

Feeding by the hour can only be done in the second or third month of a child's life, when lactation improves. If you feed your baby on a schedule from birth, with long periods without suckling, the amount of milk can be drastically reduced as unnecessary. If you don't want to breastfeed right now, it's best to express your milk so you don't lose it.

Feeding by the clock allows the mother to sleep at night. This is a very dubious plus, because the stimulation of lactation is especially intense in the morning from 3 to 8 in the morning. If at this time the breast is not sucked, the hormone oxytocin is not produced, there will be less and less milk each time.

Babies of the first months of life need to be fed every 2-2.5 hours, no more. The stomach of a child of this age is very small, the baby should eat often. With age, this interval can be increased to 3-4 hours.

Feeding by the hour makes mom's life more understandable and simple, as mom can plan her day, leave things for a certain time, and even leave the house if someone looks after the baby.

Some mothers choose a cross between feeding by the clock and feeding on demand. If you listen to your baby's body, you will notice that the child asks for food at approximately equal intervals of time, you can focus on this time and life will obey a certain regimen.

But remember that in some cases, feeding by the hour is strictly contraindicated. Firstly, these are the first 2-3 weeks of a baby's life. Secondly, a woman develops a lactation crisis every 2-3 months, when there is not enough milk, because the baby is growing rapidly. At these moments, you need to give the baby a breast as often as possible in order to "increase" the amount of milk produced. Thirdly, you need to abandon the regimen if you see that the child really wants to eat. If the baby is crying, you took him in your arms, shook him, and the child is looking for the chest with his mouth and does not stop crying - most likely, he is hungry. So, in the past feeding, the baby didn’t eat or burped, in general, you need to discard all the rules and feed the baby again.

Do I need to wake my baby up for feeding?

Many mothers are wondering if it is worth feeding the baby if he sleeps for a long time, does not wake up and does not ask for a breast? healthy body A newborn baby cannot sleep for more than five hours in a row without food, doctors say. Therefore, a child who sleeps longer than the specified time without waking up is very rare. This does not apply to artificial ones - a hearty mixture allows you to stay without food much longer than breast milk.

To answer a disturbing question, you need to know how much a child sleeps. If the baby sleeps for more than five hours, you should definitely wake him up - slowly stir him up with strokes and touches. If the baby is underweight or premature, it is necessary to wake him up, no more than three hours later. Such children need enhanced nutrition in order to quickly get stronger and gain weight, a long sleep may be due to weakness, it is impossible not to feed such children. It is also necessary to wake the baby for feeding if a long sleep was caused by taking certain drugs.

Feeding is a completely understandable and intuitive process. A loving and caring mother, after a few days of life, the crumbs can understand that the child is crying precisely from hunger. Love your baby, feed him when he wants to, do not wait for artificial periods of time. And then the child will grow and develop well.