MOTHER-BABY FEEDING
MOTHER-BABY FEEDING: SOME IDEAS & SOME SUGGESTIONS.
Feeding is the most challenging and the most basic opportunity for a mother and the baby. Feeding not only is crucial for the baby’s health, but it also forms a bond between the Mother and the baby.A baby depends on the mother for adequate nutrition, and feeding the baby, with bottles or breast milk, provides the new-born with all the dietary requirements. As feeding is a time consuming process, so Parents must choose the way, in which they are comfortable feeding the baby, either breast feeding or Bottle feeding.
I would personally recommend Breast milk , for the baby, from my experience.
MOTHER-BABY FEEDING SCHEDULES:
We must only feed the New-born when the baby is hungry. In case you force feed the baby, as many new moms do, it will cause more harm than good… remember this advice. Feeding the baby when he is hungry, meets his both Nutritional and the emotional needs. This feeding will have the tummy of the baby filled and he gets to trust the mother too.
As a mother, over time, you will understand when your baby is hungry and will feed him accordingly. In this process of Mother-baby feeding pattern, you as a Mom will establish a schedule.
The baby will get all the Nutrients he requires, from the breast milk or the formula milk, in the very first few months of the life. The major components are:
- PROTIENS
- CARBOHYDRATES
- CALORIES
- FATS
- VITAMINS
- MINERALS
In this article I will discuss with all you young mothers who shy’s away from Breast feeding, the benefits if Breast milk, and the various problems of Motherhood. Hence, let me start with:
MOTHER-BABY FEEDING: Importance of Breast milk.
Hey Mom’s…..Do not shy away from feeding the baby your Breast-milk. I can say that, the Human breast milk is the perfect food for the Baby, although it does not look as thick, rich and creamy as the cow’s milk, but be assured, it contains all the minerals and the vitamins in exactly the right quantity and amount, as the baby needs. Breastfeeding the baby makes you connect with the baby even more…. It is definitely the best nutrition, as it strengthens the babies immune system, providing more resistance to bacteria’s and diseases. Even if you feed the baby for a couple of weeks, that will also, help secure the baby’s immune systems. The reason being, the Mom passes on her immunity to the baby, in the form of breast milk.
Only in a couple of cases may the Doctor would not allow breast feeding… when the mother is HIV positive.
Breast feeding has undoubtedly many benefits, both for the mother and the baby. They tend to suffer less from chest infections and gastroenteritis. This is due to the anti-bodies from the colostrum and the mother’s milk is absorbed in the bloodstream quickly, and protects the baby from a lot of infections, than the bottle feed babies. In the very first few days of birth, the breast milk also protects the baby from intestinal upsets. The well-known other advantages of mother-baby feeding schedule is , it protects the baby’s digestion…. Babies do not get constipated easily.
As a Mother, from my point of view, breast-feeding is far more convenient than the bottle feeding. My elder daughter was bottle feed, throughout; while my younger daughter was completely Breast-feed. I can assure you that, with no, milk to be warmed up, no bottles to be sterilize regularly, no buying of any kind of equipment’s, no formula to be made up, life’s more relaxing… than usual.
Young Moms worry that their breasts will sag, if they continue breastfeeding…. No-no, that’s not the case at all. Breasts sag during pregnancy, not by feeding the baby. Be assured. I can tell you… Breast-feeding is definitely good for your figure, as it promotes the loss of weight gained during pregnancy. When breast feeding, theirs a hormone called OXYTOCIN, which stimulates milk flow,, and also encourages the uterus to return to its normal pre-pregnant stage, and also, your pelvis and waistline returns to normal more quickly.
MOTHER-BABY FEEDING TIPS:
- Always feed the baby on demand, even if it means, every half an hour…. Don’t worry; eventually the feedings will be more spaced out.
- Relax!!! Do not over stress, if your baby is taking proper feed or not. If the baby is gaining weight, seems full and content, wets 5 to 8 diapers, in 24 hour period, then everything is absolutely fine
- Yong Moms should try to relax as much as possible, eat and take naps properly, as stress reduces the flow of milk supply. Thank God! For the bundle of joy that he has send for you…..
- For the working mothers, not to worry, you can always pump and refrigerate the milk, and feed the baby when it is hungry.
- This one for all the mothers….. do not rock the chair when feeding , focus on one work at a time. When you eat or drink, would you like to be rocked and shaken… neither does the baby!
- As the baby grows older, at about five months or so onwards, they tend not to complete the feeding schedule at once, as they are more aware of their surroundings and will pay attention to a number of things when feeding. Do not get irritated… continue with an open mind.
- Let us now ensure that you, A mother has to live up to the supply demands of the baby
MOTHER-BABY FEEDING: ENSURING SUFFICIENT MILK SUPPLY
As a mother, it is absolutely justified that, if you are well and hearty, then the baby will be charming and healthy! I will try to give you some tips on HOW TO ENSURE A GOOD MILK SUPPLY?
- Moms, pay heed to these words…… taking care of yourself is the key to a good and regular milk supply. Try to stay relaxed as much as possible, eat green vegetables and drink lots of fluids, and rest assured, you will have plenty of Milk for your baby.
- Rest as much as you can, take enough naps, in the very first weeks especially.
- Young mothers produce the most milk during morning when you are all the more rested, if you get stressed during the day, your milk supply tend to get very poor, so the MANTRA…. RELAX!
- Do not over exert yourself, mamma…. Let the house-work go, do, what is most necessary.
- Moms should focus on their diet, eat a well-balanced diet, rich in protein, green-leafy vegetables, pulses etc. and avoid carbohydrates and fried foods. Even avoid spicy foods, which could affect your milk and upset the baby’s stomach.
- Your Doctors must have prescribed iron and vitamin supplements, have them regularly.
- If your baby does not take any feed, then discard the milk and let the breast produce new milk.
- If you are on contraceptive pills, then I would recommend you to discuss this with your doctor for some alternate prevention, as the pills decreases the milk supply.
Breast –feed the baby as soon as you can after birth. During the 72 hours after delivery, our breast produces thin, yellow fluid called colostrum, and that comprises of WATER, MINERALS AND PROTIENS. It also contains ANTI-BODIES that protects the baby against a range of respiratory and intestinal infections. I recommend, the baby must be feed the mom’s milk in the first few days of Birth.
MOTHER-BABY FEEDING: How much Time to feed on each Breasts?
- When the baby has finished feeding on one breast, the signs being taking out the nipple, then gently put him on the other breasts, and let him suck.
- Mothers should alter between each feeds, which will help the breast milk supply regular on each breast.
- If the baby keeps on sucking after emptying the milk, this shows that, it is simply enjoying the moment, but may tend to vomit of is overfed.
Have all these taken into account and enjoy the motherhood as it lasts. As women our body undergoes a lot of changes after the birth of the baby. Sometimes we are hesitant to even share our problems thinking that this must be happening with us only…no-no-no! there are some basic problems that all the women and the mothers share… some of the basic problems that may arise are as follows:
MOTHER-BABY FEEDING: HANDLING ISSUES TACTFULLY.
CRACKED NIPPLE: Mothers! Keep in mind, taking care of yourself is as important as taking care of the baby…If you have got sore nipples, and they are not looked after, they may become cracked, and will hurt badly. If the baby sucks through it, you will feel a shooting pain and will be unable to feed your baby at all. Try to keep the nipples dry, apply moisturisers, when the baby has taken feed, or Vaseline petroleum jelly, to keep it moist. If that does not help either, call the doctor, but do not leave it like that.
BLOCKED DUCT: Mainly tight clothing can cause blocked milk duct that results in a hard red patch on the outside of the breast. The only solution to prevent this is to feed the baby regularly or emptying the milk.
ENGORGRMENT: This happens generally towards the first week of the delivery…. The breasts has started producing milk and the baby is too small to have every ounce, so the milk get stored and the breasts become very hard, and hurts. The baby too cannot latch successfully. The remedy is to wear good size bras and express some milk before feeding the baby…
MASTITIS: Mammas! If you leave the blocked duct untreated, it will lead to an acute infection called MASTITIS. Consult the doctor immediately, without any delay.
BREAST ABSCESS: An untreated blocked duct or mastitis can only lead to a breast abscess. Mothers will feel feverish, with the red patch hurting than ever before. If medicines fail to recover you, then sadly surgery is the only way out.
Now let’s take in to account the preventive measures that will ensure you do not have to go through any of the above mentioned conditions.
MOTHER-BABY FEEDING: PREVENTING SORE NIPPLES
- Mothers! Always make sure, that while feeding the baby, it must have the nipple and the areola well into the mouth.
- Take the baby gently off the breast after feeding.
- Last but not the least; try keeping your nipples as dry as possible during each feed.
- If after taking all this prevention, your nipples becomes sore; then give that breast a rest for 24 hours, not forgetting to express milk. Apply nipple protecting cream 2-3 times a day.
I hope this article of mine has given you some insights of our mothers saying, and has helped you in a lot many ways, gaining information and knowledge of various preventive measures as well. Any suggestions and questions are most welcome!
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