Breastfeeding has been and remains a burning issue for all young mothers.
There are many myths and fears around this ritual.
Some mothers, fearing to harm the baby, put themselves on a strict diet, others puzzle over how long to feed the baby and how to wean it from the chest.
Breastfeeding: advice for breastfeeding mom how to breastfeed
The restructuring of the body for breastfeeding begins already during pregnancy. Many women notice this even in the early stages: the breast begins to “fill up,” it increases in size several times.
In the first hour after the birth, the newborn is applied to the mother’s chest. Many unprepared women wonder why this is necessary, does milk come so quickly? Yes, at this time there is already milk in the breast, but it is somewhat different in composition and fat content from breast milk in the usual sense. The first three days, colostrum stands out from the female breast. It is scientifically proven that this is the most valuable liquid for the baby in the first days of his life.
The benefit of colostrum is that its composition is rich in proteins, trace elements and fat-soluble vitamins. However, it has very few carbohydrates. Such a composition forms a strong immune system of the newborn, sets the proper functioning of its gastrointestinal tract, inhabiting the intestines with beneficial microflora. From colostrum, the baby turns out useful and well-digestible food.
Why is it so important to attach the baby to the chest, if not in the first hours after his birth, then at least in the first day. Firstly, because of the composition of colostrum, which, as mentioned above, is very useful for a child. Secondly, the reduced fat content of colostrum has a laxative effect, which helps to quickly clear the intestines of the newborn from primary stool (it is called meconium). Thirdly, do not forget about the invisible connection that is made between the mother and the baby during attachment to the chest.
The difference between colostrum and milk is that its production occurs continuously, and not by tides. For one feeding the child receives no more than 30 ml of the mixture. However, this does not mean that the child is not full. It just needs to be applied to the chest as often as possible. Sucking irritates the nipple, which provokes milk production. It is also proven that the more active the baby sucks, the better will be lactation. As a rule, intermediate (between colostrum and mature) milk begins to arrive 3-4 days after birth. Mature milk in the mother’s chest begins to be produced after 2-3 weeks.
Breastfeeding tips for nursing mothers: what are the styles of feeding
It will be useful for each mother to know that there are two directions of feeding:
● by mode;
● upon request.
In the first case, the mother respects the exposure between feedings for at least 3 hours. In the second, the breast is given to the baby as soon as he begins to actively scream.
When choosing a suitable style, a mother more often does not rely on the advice of her friends / mothers / pediatricians, but on her own child. Screaming babies, who calm down only at the chest, force mom to adhere to a free style. And if the child does not disturb mom, sleeps well, then she feeds her child once at a certain time.
Now many pediatricians and specialists in breastfeeding give advice to nursing mothers: try to combine both styles. The fact is that if a child is saturated with milk and he himself released the nipple, then he ate. The next time, a feeling of hunger will visit him no sooner than after 2 hours. If the baby started screaming half an hour after eating, the cause is definitely not in hunger. It can be anything: intestinal colic, itchy allergy, bad mood. It is not worth offering a breast in this case, but you need to distract the child with something else.
At the same time, if the baby is sleeping soundly and more than 3 hours have passed since the moment of feeding, then do not disturb the sleep for the proposal of the breast. Believe me, a hungry child will not sleep, he will certainly make himself felt with a shouting scream.
Breastfeeding - advice to a nursing mother how a mixed style helps solve several problems at once:
1. Saves the baby from overeating, because if he does not want to eat, but screams, mom, one way or another, puts it on his chest, thinking that the child is hungry. By the way, overeating is just a common cause of colic in children under 3 months of age.
2. Helps mom and baby look for other ways to interact, not just through the chest. If little time has passed after the child is full, but he continues to scream, mom needs to look for other ways to calm him down.
3. Intervals between feedings of 2-3 hours are necessary in order for his gastrointestinal tract to function normally faster.
Breastfeeding: advice for a nursing mother to express and store milk
Situations are different and sometimes a mother simply can’t put her child on her chest. In which cases it is necessary to express:
● if the mother and the baby are separated after childbirth (in this case, the mother who wants to maintain and continue to establish full lactation in the future should start decanting already 6 hours after the birth; this should be done every 3 hours, and at night with an interval of 5 hours);
● if the mother is forced to leave her child with relatives or a nanny, but wants the baby to eat her milk;
● if more milk is accumulated in the breast than the baby eats (in this case, the mother needs to express herself to avoid stagnation and subsequent problems because of this).
Doctors still argue about the last point. Some argue that in order to prevent lactational mastitis, mother is simply obliged to pump out the milk left after feeding. Others are against this, arguing that mastitis can develop not only for this reason.
In fact, according to some reports, mothers who do not express are more likely to suffer from this disease than those who get rid of excess milk.
Lactation mastitis is a disease that affects nursing women. In 90% of cases, stagnation contributes to its development. They are formed due to the fact that the child is malnourished all the milk that has arrived, and the remaining mother does not decant. If this situation persists for 5 days, then the chance to avoid lactational mastitis is minimal. Stagnant milk leads to the development of germs and inflammation of the mammary gland.
Strained breast milk can be stored for a long time in the freezer. For this, even special containers are sold. Milk is decanted and frozen. However, to feed them a baby, you need to defrost it only at room temperature, and then heat it to the desired temperature in a water bath.
Breastfeeding: advice to a nursing mother on how long to feed and how to cancel nightly feeding
Almost every mom asks herself: how long does it take to feed her baby? No expert can give an exact answer. Some say that up to a year is enough, and then milk becomes useless. Others are of the opinion that you need to feed longer, since children on natural feeding practically do not get sick. In addition, the mother-to-baby relationship remains longer, which is very important for the normal mental and emotional development of the child.
Both sides agree on one thing: in the first six months of the life of a little man, food and water are quite capable of replacing mother's milk. It is during this period that the concentration of nutrients in it is maximum. Naturally fed children should not be accustomed to new food earlier than after 6 months.
After this time, you need to gradually begin to replace milk with complementary foods. With each week, the amount of complementary foods and its variety should increase slightly, and the frequency of application to the chest should decrease.
To summarize, it turns out:
● up to 6 months, the child needs mom's milk;
● from a year to one and a half years - it is desirable to feed (not so much from a biological point of view, but from a psychological point of view);
● after one and a half years to feed or complete lactation is a personal matter for every mom.
Many mothers, wanting to complete breastfeeding, begin by leaving their breasts only at night. However, this approach is fundamentally wrong. Weaning should begin just with the exclusion of nightly attachments.
Up to six months, the child needs to be fed 1-2 times. Even if he does not wake up, you need to wake him up and offer a chest. After 6 months, this is not necessary.
How to remove night feeds? Pediatricians are advised to follow simple rules for going to bed:
1. Late daily bathing. In order for the baby to sleep soundly and safely oversleep for at least 4 hours, it is necessary to bathe him at 11 pm, then rinse with cool water. After bathing, the baby should eat tight breasts.
2. Favorable environment. Children sleep better in coolness, so it is important to ensure that the temperature in the room does not exceed 20 degrees, and the air humidity is at least 50%.
Breastfeeding is an important process for the growth and development of the baby. How long to feed is every mom’s business. Many feel sorry for completing lactation only because it is at these moments that the strongest connection occurs between the mother and the baby.
I also wanted to add on breastfeeding, advice to nursing mothers: lactation is a very important point in terms of women's health. Mammologists say that the longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower the risk of developing breast cancer.
