How to properly breastfeed a newborn: recommendations from breastfeeding consultants. Feeding a baby at night

A woman, while still pregnant, must make a clear decision to breastfeed. This forms a dominant in the brain for the formation and development of lactation. Proper breastfeeding is impossible without internal installation. The support of family and friends in this matter is important.

Second rule: the first feeding of an infant

Ideally, the first application of a newborn occurs in the delivery room. Early contact promotes the development of lactation and the colonization of the skin and intestines of the newborn with bifidum flora. The medical staff will show you how to properly position a newborn for feeding. If the condition of the child or mother does not allow this, the first breastfeeding is postponed. If the woman’s condition is satisfactory, the medical staff teaches her to express herself independently. This skill will prevent the extinction of milk production and the development of lactostasis. If there are no contraindications, the child can be fed expressed milk during a separate stay.

Third rule: proper attachment of the baby to the breast

The problem of how to properly put a baby to the breast, especially for the first time, is very important. It is still unknown to a newborn how to latch on to the breast. And mom needs to remember or learn that how to breastfeed your baby correctly:

immediately before feeding, the mother needs to wash her hands and pour warm water over her breasts;
decide on the position for feeding. This is usually sitting (reclining) or standing (after an episiotomy);
the child is placed on the crook of the elbow, the other hand brings the nipple as close as possible to the baby’s mouth;
obeying reflexes, the baby will grab the nipple and begin to suck;
The breast should be given so that the baby captures the nipple and almost the entire areola with his mouth. At the same time, his lower lip will be slightly turned out, his chin and nose will touch his chest.

The child's nose should not sink. How to properly position your baby for feeding is also important for the health of the mother. If you breastfeed your newborn incorrectly, you can develop several breast problems. First of all, these are maceration and cracked nipples.

Breastfeeding a newborn, especially the first few days, should be no more than 20 minutes each. This will allow the delicate skin of the nipples to harden and get used to the new impact.

Often this does not work out. The child may be restless or overweight and constantly demand to eat. In such cases, a nursing mother needs to take air baths more often and lubricate the nipples with healing ointments, such as Bepanten.

one feeding - one breast. If the child has eaten everything from it and is not full, offer a second one. Start the next feeding with the last one. This way the baby will receive not only foremilk, but also hindmilk.

Fourth rule: signs of milk production and flow into the breast

Symptoms of lactation are:

tingling or tightness in the chest;
secretion of milk when the baby cries;
For every suckling of the baby there is a sip of milk;
leakage of milk from the free breast during feeding.

These signs indicate that an active oxytocin reflex has formed. Lactation is established.

Fifth rule: feeding on demand

A newborn baby needs to be fed frequently. IN Soviet times there were rules according to which breastfeeding was carried out once every three hours and no more than twenty minutes. Nowadays, it is recommended to feed the baby on demand. Give breasts literally at the first squeak. Especially capricious and demanding children almost every hour. This allows you to feed the baby and give him a feeling of warmth and care.

Frequent feeding eliminates the need for mandatory pumping and serves as a prevention of lactostasis. And night feedings will serve as an excellent stimulation of the main lactation hormone - prolactin.

How long to breastfeed is ideally determined by the baby himself. If you turn away or fall asleep, it means you are full. Over time, the baby will eat less often.

Rule six: sufficiency of feeding

In the process of its evolution, human milk goes through certain stages: colostrum, transitional, mature milk. Their quantity and quality composition ideally meets the needs of a newborn. They also secrete early and late milk. The first is produced at the very beginning of feeding, rich in water and proteins. The second comes from the posterior parts of the mammary gland and contains more fat. It is important for the baby to get both.

There are times when a mother feels like she has no milk and the baby isn’t getting enough. To determine the adequacy of feeding, there are certain criteria:

restoration of body weight at birth by the 10th day of life with an initial loss of 10%;
6 - 18 wet diapers per day;
the child poops 6 - 10 times a day;
positive oxytocin reflex;
audible swallowing of the baby during sucking.

Seventh rule: accounting possible problems with feeding

flat or inverted nipples. In some cases, by the time of birth this difficulty resolves itself. Others need to remember that when sucking, the baby must grasp both the nipple and most of the areola. Before feeding, try to pull out the nipple yourself. Find an acceptable feeding position. For many mothers, a comfortable position is “under the arm.” Use silicone pads. If your breasts are tight and your newborn has a hard time sucking from them, express. The breasts will become softer in 1 - 2 weeks. And the child will not be deprived of mother's milk.

There is no need to try to “stretch” the nipples before giving birth. Excessive stimulation will lead to increased uterine tone. Active over time sucking baby everything normalizes.

cracked nipples. The basis of prevention is proper breastfeeding. If cracks appear, use silicone pads. Make applications with lanolin ointment and Bepanten as often as possible. If the cracks are deep and feeding is painful, use a breast pump;
leakage of milk. Easily solved by using special inserts. They are disposable and reusable;
there is too much milk and the baby is choking on it. Express some foremilk. When feeding, it will flow out under less pressure;
engorgement of the mammary glands. Occurs when milk overflows. The breasts are painful, swollen, hot to the touch and very dense. Milk does not flow out of it. If this problem occurs, it is necessary to quickly remove milk from the breast. Latch your baby or express your baby more often. Take a warm shower before feeding. Give a light massage mammary glands. This will improve churn. To reduce swelling after feeding, apply a cold compress;
lactostasis and mastitis. Occurs when the milk ducts are blocked. The body temperature rises, the chest hurts, the place of stagnation turns to stone. Pumping is painful. A warm shower, gentle breast massage and frequent feeding of the baby come to the rescue. When an infection occurs, antibiotics are required.

Infectious mastitis is a serious complication that requires medical intervention. Failure to treat is fraught with surgical intervention and even loss of the breast.

lactation crises. They develop at 3–6 weeks, 3–4 and 7–8 months of a child’s life. During these periods, the most important thing is to apply more often and be sure to feed the baby at night. Drink teas with lemon balm, fennel and cumin. Rest and eat well.

Feeding a baby with breast milk is a labor-intensive, but delightfully natural process. Remember this, and everything will work out.

Different opinions and searching for the right one

Mothers often say: I’ll feed for a couple of months, but then the milk will disappear anyway. Or: I’ll feed until six months, then complementary feeding will begin, and in general, you can drink from a cup. Or this: I feed until a year, as a last resort, then the milk no longer contains anything useful. Which of these opinions can be considered correct?

“The milk will disappear quickly anyway.”

Indeed, currently only 10-14% of children receive breast milk up to 3 months, the rest are already artificial. Reason for stopping so early breastfeeding It’s not that mothers don’t want to feed, or they have to go to work early, or the poor environmental situation hinders them. The reason is surprisingly simple and unpretentious: women simply do not know how to do it - breastfeed. Unfortunately, in modern society there is practically no one to learn them from. And most women don’t even think about the fact that breastfeeding needs to be learned. Meanwhile, breastfeeding is a woman’s art, the same as, for example, the ability to embroider, sew, knit, and cook deliciously.

“You can feed for up to six months, then it’s complementary foods and why suck if you can drink from a cup.”

This is the opinion of people who view breastfeeding only as a source of food for the child. Such people are now the majority. If you follow the book “Baby Nutrition”, treating breast milk only as food and replacing feedings with complementary foods, by nine months there will be only one breastfeeding early in the morning, and it can be replaced with kefir... But in fact, a child needs breastfeeding not only to get enough to eat. He needs communication with his mother while breastfeeding. By responding to anxiety and crying by attaching to the breast, without thinking about whether the child needs to eat, drink or sleep now, the mother develops in the baby confidence in her, that she will always come to the rescue, that the world around him is friendly to the baby and loves him. All this is necessary for a person to develop self-confidence and a stable psyche, for successful social adaptation and much more. If the mother acts based on the physiological and psychological needs of the child, gradually accustoming him to adult food, then the replacement of feedings with complementary foods does not occur. The transition of a child to a common table and breastfeeding are parallel processes, and not interchangeable actions. They even sometimes intersect, because... Having tried a new food, the baby latches onto the breast, washing down the food with milk. It is not possible to replace feedings with complementary foods for a child who is on properly organized breastfeeding also because the child’s main feedings are associated with dreams: the child suckles while falling asleep and after waking up. And breakfasts, lunches and dinners, during which he gets acquainted with new food, occur while he is awake.

“After a year there is nothing useful in milk.”

The mother’s body does not know that today is the child’s birthday and does not begin to produce second-class fluid. Milk in both the second and third years of lactation contains all the proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, microelements, hormones, protective factors and much more that the child needs. During the involution of lactation, when breastfeeding ends naturally, breast milk approaches colostrum in composition. This is necessary to maximally protect the mother’s breasts and the baby’s health during the difficult period of weaning. The baby, having sucked milk for several months against the background of involution and received large amounts of immunoglobulins and other protective factors, which milk is rich in during involution, does not get sick after weaning for at least six months. And his mother, having weaned the baby, never faces problems such as mastitis, unlike a woman who stopped stable lactation untimely and illiterately. So milk after a year is useful for a child, just as breastfeeding is necessary for him. After a year, the baby is applied to the breast when he falls asleep and during night sleep, in the morning when he wakes up, he is applied during the day to fall asleep, asks for the breast when he wants to drink or wash down other food, when he is upset, offended, needs consolation, runs up to his mother to suck when I missed her. With age, the need for breastfeeding decreases, because... the need for absolute maternal protection decreases.

All children are very different. There are babies who, at 1.5-2 years old, can easily do without breasts, and there are children who need their mother’s breasts until they are 3-4 years old. Statement that breastfeeding more than a year harmful, and does not fit within the biological framework, if you look at a person as a mammal from the order of primates. Great apes nurse their young for approximately six periods equal to the length of pregnancy. In this case, the duration of breastfeeding for a person is 54 months, or 4.5 years. Some people may not like the comparison with monkeys, but biology must still be taken into account. In the first years of a child’s life, the foundations of his physical health are laid, the systems of his body are improved, and the main growth of the brain occurs in the first three years of a child’s life. Breast milk contains a huge number of components necessary for the development of the baby. These components are not in the most modern mixtures, nor in adult food, and never will be. As mentioned above, these are immune defense factors, tissue growth factors, hormones and biologically active substances, forms of vitamins and ratios of microelements that are optimal for absorption. The child needs to receive all this not only in the first year of life.

There is no optimal duration of breastfeeding, because... There are no identical children and identical mothers. With proper organization of breastfeeding, the end of this process is somewhere between 1.5 and 4 years, and depends not on the opinion of doctors or close relatives and friends, but on the readiness for weaning of the baby, on the timing of the onset of lactation involution in his mother , on the readiness of the mother herself to wean. And nothing else.

How to properly put a baby to the breast?

How to properly attach a baby when feeding? Following a few rules will protect the baby from colic and excessive regurgitation, and the mother from pain, cracks and lactostasis. A woman should be explained in the maternity hospital how to properly breastfeed a child. At the same time, the doctor checks the sucking reflex of the newborn and the presence of milk in the young mother.

The technique for putting a baby to the breast is as follows:

Before starting feeding, a woman must choose one that is convenient for herself. The most common feeding is on the side, since in this position the mother rests, and stagnation of milk does not form in the breast.
Before you put your baby to your breast, get his attention. Gently touch your baby's cheek with your nipple or fingertip. Under the influence of instinct, the baby turns his head towards the stimulus, opens his mouth and sticks his tongue out slightly. When the baby is ready to feed, you can give him the breast.
How to properly put a baby to the breast? Make sure that the baby grasps not only the nipple, but also the areola. Otherwise, the baby will not receive the normal amount of milk during feeding and will begin to cry and chew the nipple. Because of this, a woman may develop cracks on her breasts. If the baby does not latch onto the breast correctly, you need to interrupt feeding. Some babies are unable to open their mouths wide, causing them to extend their lips with a tube in search of food. You can help your child by lightly pressing your finger on his chin. After this, offer the breast to the newborn again and begin proper feeding, which will be comfortable for mother and baby.

Properly established breastfeeding will help prevent cracks and abrasions of the nipple area. In addition, if the baby is uncomfortable during feeding, or he does not receive enough milk, he may soon refuse to breastfeed altogether.

There are several signs that allow a young mother to understand that the baby has correctly grasped the nipple:

When feeding a newborn, a woman after childbirth should experience cramping sensations in the lower abdomen, possibly increasing the discharge of lochia. This is caused by the active production of the hormone oxytocin, which causes the uterus to contract.
The baby does not make sounds with his lips and breathes through his nose. Correct latching of the breast creates a vacuum in the baby's cavity, necessary for the outflow of milk.
A woman should not feel pain. If the mother experiences discomfort during feeding, and then finds severe redness on the mammary glands, it means that the baby was not suckling properly.
If you attach the baby to the breast correctly, then in his mouth he will have not only the nipple, but also the entire areola.

Compliance with these rules will relieve both mother and baby from any discomfort during feeding. To understand how to establish breastfeeding, it will be enough to practice several times.

Feeding positions

According to current recommendations of the World Health Organization, feeding infant should happen on demand. However, immediately after giving birth, a young mother is faced with the fact that the baby can suck constantly, even while sleeping. To prevent these hours of feeding from becoming torture for a woman, you need to know how to feed a newborn with breast milk in a comfortable position. Having found a comfortable position for herself, the mother will be able not only to admire the baby, but also to have fun or relax. There are several most common feeding positions:

“Cradle”: the mother sits on a chair or armchair, holding the baby’s head in the crook of her elbow. When a woman remains in this position for a long time, her muscles become very tense. Today, there are special pillows for feeding that allow you to remove most of the load from the mother’s back and arms.
“Relaxation” is a comfortable position. This position allows the baby to be properly attached during feeding and allows the mother to rest during breastfeeding. In this case, the woman lies on her side, her head is on the pillow and her shoulders are lower.
Feeding in a sling is especially loved by many mothers, as it allows them to breastfeed their baby and do household chores at the same time.

A young mother should pay attention to the fact that during feeding, only the part of the mammary gland towards which the baby’s chin is directed during feeding is emptied. Therefore, to prevent milk stagnation, it is worth changing positions throughout the day.

How often should you feed your baby?

Many young mothers wonder: by the clock or according to the child’s wishes? In the first months after birth, children need the breast not only because of hunger, but also to quench thirst, calm down, and feel close to their mother. Therefore, modern experts recommend feeding the baby when he himself shows a desire to suck.

Correct attachment to the breast involves the mother's reaction to the signals that the baby gives. A hungry baby begins to groan, show restlessness, fiddle with his fingers in the air, smack his lips or cry.

The baby may eat hastily and greedily or, conversely, suck slowly, interrupting periodically. It depends on the child’s character and his activity. If the baby swam in the bathtub, crawled and walked with his mother, then he would become much hungrier than the baby who woke up at night.

On average, proper attachment of a baby to the breast takes at least 20-25 minutes. During this period, the baby manages to receive both foremilk, which is watery, and hindmilk, which is thicker and rich in nutrients.

In the first weeks after the baby is born, feedings can last several hours. This is explained by the need of a newborn child to constantly maintain contact with the mother. The older the baby is, the less time it will take to feed him.

Hiccups and regurgitation after feeding

Regurgitation accompanies almost every breastfeeding of a newborn. In some babies, after sucking, milk comes out of the mouth and nose in a strong stream. Normally, the volume of regurgitation is 10-15 ml.

Belching in a baby occurs due to air entering the stomach during sucking. Therefore, you need to ensure that the baby takes into his mouth not only the nipple, but also the skin of the areola. This will prevent him from swallowing excess air. In addition, you need to follow a simple rule: after feeding, so as not to provoke, hold the baby upright or let him lie quietly on his side for at least 15-20 minutes.

Hiccups in a baby usually worry parents more than the baby itself. The child has not yet established a stable connection between the brain and the diaphragm, which is why such rhythmic muscle spasms may periodically occur. If hiccups do not cause your baby much concern, then there is nothing terrible about them. Breastfeed your newborn, pat him on the back and cover him warmly. After some time, the diaphragm muscles will relax and the hiccups will go away.

Problems with breastfeeding

The longer the nursing period continues, the better. Experts recommend maintaining breastfeeding for at least the first year of a child’s life.

However, how to breastfeed correctly if the baby does not want to suck? A baby may refuse milk if it is bitter or has an unpleasant aftertaste. In this case, the problem can be solved by following a diet. A young mother should eliminate spicy and smoked foods from her diet and add more fruits and high-protein foods to the menu.

In addition, if the baby has difficulty sucking required amount milk, he may cry from hunger, gain weight poorly and, in the end, completely refuse to breastfeed. This can be corrected by placing the baby for feeding so that the breast hangs over him. This position will increase the flow of milk, and it will be easier for the baby to suck.

Lack of milk

If a baby is attached to the breast and sucks greedily, but after a few minutes drops the nipple and starts crying, then the mother probably does not have enough milk. When lactation is reduced, the baby may not eat enough, constantly reach for the breast, chew on the nipple and cry often. What to do to increase your milk supply?

In order not to provoke hypolactation, a young mother should protect herself from unnecessary stress and anxiety. Milk is secreted from the alveoli of the mammary glands under the influence of oxytocin. When a woman is nervous, hormone production decreases.

Proper attachment during breastfeeding is of great importance. Breast milk contains a lot of useful substances, gives the baby a strong immune system and the basis for healthy development. Properly organized breastfeeding serves as the key to a strong emotional connection between mother and baby and gives the child strong immunity.

In Soviet times, many mothers followed the postulate that a child should be fed until a year, and if someone fed longer, they preferred to hide it, because it seemed indecent to hang a “such an adult” child on the chest. But today there have been many changes in medicine, a huge amount of research has been conducted, and the question of how long you can breastfeed a child is no longer clear.

How long to breastfeed a baby - doctors' opinions

Motherhood is such a huge and controversial topic that disputes over the timing of natural feeding continue to this day, and there will probably be no end to it.

World Health Organization and UNICEF ( Children's Fund) believe that children should be breastfed until they are two years old or more. Long-term studies confirm that long-term breastfeeding contributes to the proper formation of the child’s immunity, normal growth and development, endocrine background, etc.

Arguments for breastfeeding after one year

Immunity.Through mother's milk, the child receives valuable immunoglobulins that protect the baby from many infections. In particular, from intestinal. After all, it is after a year, when the baby masters walking, that he begins to touch everything with his hands, and then these hands end up in his mouth. It is precisely at such moments that mother’s milk plays a protective role.
Reducing the risk of allergies.Research from the World Health Organization shows that long-term breastfeeding minimizes the risk of food allergies.
Development.Even after a year, human milk has high nutritional value. It contains a large proportion essential vitamins and microelements that contribute to the normal formation of the eyes, nervous and immune systems.
Emotional connection.By deciding to breastfeed a child after a year, the mother gets the opportunity to prolong close physical contact with the child, which will become less and less over time as the baby begins to grow up. The love thus given in early childhood will strengthen your relationship with your baby for a long time.

But we live in real world, and not all mothers can afford to feed their child after a year, and, especially, after two. There can be a lot of reasons for refusing to breastfeed: the mother’s health, work, etc. And then a caring mother has a completely logical question: until what age should a child be fed in order for him to grow up healthy?

Pediatrician, Ph.D. E.O. Komarovsky believes that a mother is simply obliged to breastfeed her child for up to 6 months. Feeding up to a year is very good and beneficial for the child. After a year - at the request of mother and child. The doctor especially notes at this moment the comfort of the mother, believing that there is no need to sacrifice oneself when there is no urgent need for it. That is, according to the doctor, the question of how long to breastfeed a child should first of all be decided by the mother, not the child.

Myths about long-term breastfeeding

No matter what research is conducted, no matter how obvious the statistics, there will always be room for doubts and disputes.

Myth 1. After a year, milk is not beneficial.Milk cannot be “empty” either after a year or later. It’s strange to assume that when nature came up with breastfeeding, it directly stated: “After exactly one year, milk turns into water, and it is useless to feed it.” Yes, breast milk changes its composition over time, but it becomes exactly what it should be according to the baby’s age. After one year, breast milk contains hormones, biologically active substances and much more that contribute to the development of the nervous and other systems of the body.
Myth 2. Spoils the bite.Research shows that breastfeeding up to two years of age contributes to the formation of correct bite in children. Statistics say that children who are breastfed for a long time are less likely to exhibit speech defects.
Myth 3. The child will be too dependent on his mother.On the contrary, according to statistics, long feeding gives the baby confidence. Such children feel much more confident in a strange environment because they know that their mother is always there and ready to support in a difficult situation, and they are not afraid to go to the slide alone, meet other children, etc. Building confidence in early childhood greatly contributes to the same confidence in adulthood.
Myth 4. It's not beautiful.Breastfeeding is a personal, very private matter between mom and her baby. No one should care how you care for your baby.
Myth 5. Bad influence on mother's health.On the contrary, long-term breastfeeding significantly reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

So, we have already found out that breastfeeding after a year only brings benefits to the child, and when to stop breastfeeding is also an individual question. It depends only on the wishes of the mother and baby. Unfortunately, sometimes there are situations when you need to stop breastfeeding your baby soon.

Mom's health worsened.If a nursing mother has lost a lot of weight and feels a severe lack of vitamins (dry skin and hair, dry mucous membranes), then she needs to startwean baby off breast.
Dad demands to stop breastfeeding.There are situations when a husband is categorically against breastfeeding a child up to two years of age or more for various reasons: for example, he is afraid for his wife’s health or is simply jealous. The question, of course, is delicate, and you, as the keeper of the hearth, will have to look for a compromise.
Social pressure.Big eyes, splash of hands... “Why, you are still feeding!”... Of course, you should not react to such reproaches, because this is your own business. But for vulnerable mothers, such pressure, especially if it is systematic, can lead to chronic stress and depression, which will also certainly affect the baby’s peace of mind. Here you need to either stop breastfeeding or ruin relationships with loved ones (explaining the benefits of breastfeeding is often useless). Just first ask yourself the question - are they really that close?

When thinking about how long you can breastfeed, you must first of all be able to listen to your heart and understand the needs of your child. Very often it happens (or not?) that long-term feeding is condemned by those mothers who breastfed very little and now regret the lost time. Only the health of the mother and child should come first, and only then the opinions of others.

Proper feeding of a newborn in the first days of life is as important an element of growth and development as mother’s care and baby care. The ideal option is breastfeeding. If for various reasons it is not possible to breastfeed, high-quality infant formula will help out.

It is important for a young mother to know how to organize the nutrition of a tiny person. Study the material: you will find answers to many questions related to the organization of nutrition for the youngest children. The most important thing is to ensure maximum comfort for mom and baby.

How to feed newborns correctly

At the maternity hospital, staff will talk about the benefits of early breastfeeding and provide conditions for close contact between mother and baby immediately after birth. Now the children are in the same room with their mother, which allows them to feed the baby “on demand.”

If there is a lack of milk, do not despair, try to establish natural feeding. Drink enough fluids, try to calm down, put your baby to your breast more often. Even a minimal amount of milk will be beneficial. Supplement your newborn with formula, monitor behavior, weight, and stool quality. If there is no milk, switch to artificial formula.

Breast-feeding

The benefits of early breastfeeding have been proven by neonatologists and pediatricians, confirmed by satisfied mothers and well-fed, peacefully snoring babies. Close emotional contact is one of the advantages of natural feeding.

Breast milk benefits:

baby (the child receives fully digestible food, develops well, and gets sick less often);
mother (the uterus contracts more actively under the influence of the baby’s sucking movements, the body recovers more quickly after childbirth).

First stage

In the first hours after childbirth, the mammary glands produce a valuable product - colostrum. The volume of useful substance is small, but the rich composition and high fat content satisfy the baby’s need for food. An important detail is that colostrum saturates the small body with biologically active substances and strengthens the immune system.

Most maternity hospitals practice early breastfeeding. An exciting moment for mother and baby entering an unfamiliar world. The warmth of the breast and the smell of milk calm the newborn and allow him to feel protected. The more colostrum a child can receive, the better for his immunity.

Homecoming

Many young mothers get lost and panic when they find themselves at home with a newborn. There is a caring dad nearby, a familiar environment, but there is still excitement. If a woman listened to the recommendations of the maternity hospital staff, there will be fewer difficulties with breastfeeding.

Features of feeding newborns with breast milk:

The diet in the first week takes more into account the interests of the newborn. The mother will have to adapt to the baby’s needs;
It is useful to observe when the baby is really hungry, to note the interval between feedings that the child can withstand. The optimal option is 3 hours, but in the first week, babies often cry loudly for milk after 1.5–2 hours;
Pediatricians advise: feed your baby “on demand” when he greedily seeks the breast with his mouth. Gradually, the child will get stronger, will be able to drink more valuable liquid at a time, and will remain full longer. Active breastfeeding will increase lactation, the baby's nutritional needs and the mother's capabilities will gradually coincide;
After a couple of weeks, accustom your baby to the diet. If in the first days you fed your baby every one and a half to two hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night, gradually switch to feeding seven times a day. The regimen improves the functioning of the tiny intestines and gives the mother rest.

Suitable poses

Choose a specific position that suits you best. Remember: Each feeding in the first weeks of a newborn’s life lasts a long time.

Please note that you are unlikely to be able to sit for half an hour or more beautifully, bending over the baby (as nursing mothers pose for photos in magazines), especially after a difficult birth. If it is uncomfortable or difficult for a mother to hold her baby, she is unlikely to have pleasant thoughts or tender feelings.

Try several poses, choose the optimal one, taking into account the condition of the breast, weight, and age of the baby. As the baby grows, an uncomfortable position may become suitable and vice versa.

Basic positions for feeding newborns:

supine position. The baby leans against mommy with her arms, legs, and head. A woman's shoulders and head are raised with a pillow. The position is suitable for copious milk production;
lying on your side. This convenient option is chosen by many mothers, especially for evening and night feedings. Be sure to alternate lying on each side so that both breasts are emptied;
classic sitting position for feeding. Mom holds the child in her arms. Pillows under the back, on the knees and under the elbow will help reduce arm fatigue and “lower” the baby’s weight;
hanging pose. Recommended for poor milk flow. The newborn lies on his back, the mother feeds him from above, leaning over the baby. Not very comfortable for the back, but effective for emptying the chest;
posture after caesarean section, when nursing twins. The woman sits, the baby lies so that the legs are behind the mother’s back, the head looks out from under the mother’s hand. This pose relieves the manifestations of lactostasis - stagnation of breast milk, accompanied by soreness and pronounced thickening of the lobules of the mammary gland.

Infant formula milk

Artificial feeding is a necessary measure, but in the absence of breast milk you will have to adapt. Properly organize the newborn’s nutrition and listen to the recommendations of pediatricians.

Features of feeding newborns with formula:

Unlike breastfeeding, when the baby eats and falls asleep, the nutritional formula has a certain dosage. It is important to know how much breast milk substitute to give to an “artificial” baby per day;
From the first days, feed the baby 7 times, every 3 hours. Later, you can switch to six meals a day with an interval of 3.5 hours;
choose a high-quality mixture that provides satiety and maximum nutrients. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to feed the baby on demand: the formula cannot be given “whenever you want”, it is important to maintain a certain interval;
occasionally it is allowed to shift the time of the next intake of the beneficial mixture, but not by much. Violation of the rules causes stomach/intestinal problems in the baby;
choose infant formula from well-known manufacturers, without palm oil, sugar, or maltodextrin. As a last resort, there should be a minimum amount of components that support a feeling of fullness;
If there is little breast milk, you have to constantly feed the baby. First offer the breast, then baby food in a spoon. Avoid bottles: it’s easier to get milk from the nipple; after a while, the baby will probably refuse the breast;
Be sure to give the “artificial” newborn boiled water. The volume of fluid depends on age;
artificial feeding will help produce healthy twins or triplets. The mother does not have enough milk for two/three children; she has to give a nutritional formula. As babies grow, breast milk is replaced with formula milk.

How much should a child eat?

How much should a newborn eat at one feeding? When breastfeeding, the baby himself feels when the ventricle is full. The baby stops suckling and calmly falls asleep.

To feed the “artificial baby,” the mother must pour a certain amount of formula into the bottle so that the newborn does not remain hungry. Pediatricians have developed a formula for calculating volume baby food for every day.

The calculations are simple:

the newborn weighs less than 3200 grams. Multiply the number of days lived by 70. For example, on the third day the baby should receive 3 x 70 = 210 g of formula;
the newborn weighs more than 3200 grams. The calculation is similar, only multiply the number of days by 80. For example, on the third day a large child should receive a large portion - 3 x 80 = 240 g of baby food.

Note! The calculations are suitable for the little ones. From the 10th day of life the norms are different. You will find a detailed calculation of the amount of formula for feeding “artificial” babies in the article, which describes the selection rules and features of the use of popular infant formulas from 0 to 6 months.

Nutrition table by hour

It’s easier for young mothers to navigate if they have a clear idea of the baby’s diet. During the first month, the newborn will sleep most of the time (up to 18 hours a day), and be awake for the rest of the day.

Remember: When the baby is not sleeping, half the time he sucks on his mother’s breast or receives infant formula instead of breast milk. Pay attention to the newborn feeding chart. It schedules feeding hours for babies of normal weight.

If the newborn spits up after feeding, a simple trick will help: carry the fed baby in a column for 10–15 minutes;
The neck of a newborn is still very weak, how to act so as not to damage the bones or stretch the muscles? Place your head on your shoulder, hold the baby upright, lightly press him towards you, supporting him by the back and butt. This position will ensure the release of excess air, reduce the frequency and volume of regurgitation;
After eating, you should not disturb the baby; it is not advisable to put him in the crib. Active games, tickling, and shaking are prohibited. Change the newborn's clothes also after 10–15 minutes, when the air leaves the ventricle;
If your newborn hiccups after feeding, he may have overfed or is cold. Stroke the tummy, warm the baby, let the excess air escape (hold it in a column). If the volume and pressure of breast milk is too large, feed the baby intermittently so that the previous portion has time to get into the tiny stomach.

How to maintain the emotional and physical health of a nursing mother

Helpful Tips:

upon returning home after the maternity hospital, a woman should also get at least a little sleep, devote time to other family members and herself, otherwise psychological problems and a crisis in the relationship with her husband cannot be avoided;
constant fatigue accumulates, mommy gets irritated for any reason and gets nervous. The result is decreased milk production, always hungry, crying baby, again nerves and new worries. The circle closes. That is why it is important to take care not only of the baby, but also to maintain the health and psychological balance of a woman who has suffered natural childbirth or cesarean section;
The realization that with the birth of a baby, a successful businesswoman has turned into a “milk-producing machine” depresses many young mothers. The closest people should help here. Praise and pride for the person who gave the gift of a son (daughter)/grandson (granddaughter) must be expressed in warm words. A woman feels much more confident if she feels supported;
An important point is assistance in caring for the baby. It’s good if the husband, grandmothers and young mother share the chores around the house. A woman needs to rest, often feed her newborn, and restore her strength. In the first two to three weeks, the lack of real help negatively affects the physical and psychological state of the nursing mother;
Unfortunately, it often happens that a husband stays late at work (not to mention how difficult it is to “get” vacation after the birth of a baby), and grandmothers, because different circumstances cannot help with household chores. It is important to preserve breast milk and not fall off your feet from fatigue;
what to do? You'll have to ask for help good friends, relatives, neighbors. Surely, someone will agree to help you: go grocery shopping, buy diapers, or wipe the dust at home. Involve people you trust, don't refuse help. Even half an hour of rest will be useful for a young mother;
prepare simple dishes, buy a multicooker that minimizes labor costs for cooking. The device does not require constant monitoring, which is important when you are tired, have frequent feedings, or when the mother thinks only about the baby and sleep.

Now you know how to start breastfeeding, how to give special formulas. Pay maximum attention to the baby, remember about your health and the existence of the rest of the family members. Correct mode nutrition will provide maximum comfort for the baby and adults.

More useful tips about breastfeeding in the following video: