What is lactation in women - the main mechanisms and physiological features. Breastfeeding newborns

With the advent of the child into the world, every mother is faced with the question of the proper feeding of her baby. Proper feeding implies providing the body of the newborn with all the necessary nutrients for normal physical and neuropsychic development. Therefore, every mother should think about what kind of food she chooses for her child.

Why should you breastfeed?

The most useful and ideal nutrition for a newborn is breast milk, which ensures the best development of the baby. Nature has provided for the composition of breast milk, which is ideal for newborns, it contains proteins, they include essential amino acids, fats, carbohydrates, trace elements, vitamins contained in the right amount and easily absorbed by the baby's body. It also includes immune proteins and leukocytes, with the help of which the body's resistance to diseases increases, since infants have underdeveloped immunity.

Breast milk has an optimal temperature, sterility and is ready for use at any time, anywhere. Breastfeeding provides emotional contact between mother and child, the development of maternal instinct. When sucking on the breast, which has elasticity and softness, the child's bite is correctly formed. With problems that develop during the eruption of milk teeth, breast milk helps to relieve symptoms. It is also known that children who were breastfed at an older age are less prone to various diseases, compared with children who were fed artificially (infant formulas). Therefore, in order to achieve the best result in the development of the child, the development of immunity, it is necessary to use breastfeeding and for as long as possible, at least one year.

How to prepare breasts and nipples for breastfeeding?

Even during pregnancy, you should pay attention to the shape of the nipples, it depends on them how the baby will take the breast. Nipples are pronounced, flat or inverted. Pronounced nipples are the most comfortable for the baby at the moment of capturing the breast with the mouth, and flat and inverted are less comfortable. Recall that the child sucks the breast, not the nipple, but still with a comfortable nipple shape, the child takes the breast easier and with pleasure. Women with flat or inverted nipples should not be discouraged as all that is needed is a little nipple preparation before delivery.

Applying special silicone caps to the area of ​​the areola (peripapillary circle), which have a hole, the nipple is pulled into it. It is recommended to wear such caps 3-4 weeks before childbirth, and half an hour before each feeding in the first weeks of breastfeeding. If you still didn’t have time to prepare the nipples, it’s okay, using a breast pump after childbirth will solve this problem for you in a couple of weeks. For all breastfeeding mothers, it is recommended to wear special bras, they do not squeeze or press the enlarged breasts filled with milk, and also prevent harmful substances from clothing or the environment from entering the skin of the breast and nipples. In such bras, you can put special pads that collect leaking milk, preventing clothes from getting dirty.

It is also recommended to wear clothes for nursing mothers, they provide easy access to the breast. Be sure to wash your hands with soap before each feeding. The breast should be washed once a day, frequent washing of the breast a day leads to a violation of the natural microflora of the peripapillary region, and possible inflammatory processes. The chest is washed with warm water, without using soapy products (if you take a shower, then rinse with clean water), they are harmful to the health of your child.

What is the mechanism of milk formation, the composition of breast milk?

Breast milk is produced by the mammary gland, under the influence of oxytocin (a hormone that causes labor pains) and prolactin (a hormone whose concentration increases when a woman who has given birth sucks). Both hormones are produced by the pituitary gland (a gland located on the underside of the brain), and they influence the process of milk production. With an increase in the concentration of prolactin, milk production is stimulated by the cells of the mammary gland. Oxytocin promotes its expulsion by contracting the muscles that are around the milk-forming cells, further along the milky canals (ducts), the milk comes to the nipple, the woman feels this process as breast engorgement (milk rush). The rate of milk production depends on the degree of breast emptying. When the breast is filled with milk, its production decreases, and when it is empty, its production increases accordingly. Also, the increased formation of milk contributes to the frequent application of the child to the breast. Enhanced milk production is noted only in the first 3-4 months of breastfeeding, in subsequent months it decreases.

The composition of milk changes over time. At the birth of a child, “colostrum” is released for several days, it is thick and sticky, yellow in color, contains a large amount of immune proteins, they provide the development of immunity, for adaptation, the sterile body of a born baby, to the environment. Colostrum is secreted in drops, and compared to milk, it is fatty, so even a very small amount is enough to saturate the baby.
"Transitional milk" appears on the 4th day after childbirth, it becomes more liquid, but its value remains the same as that of colostrum.

Mature milk appears on the 3rd week after childbirth, when breastfeeding the baby, it is white, liquid in consistency, less fatty than colostrum, but fully meets the requirements of the baby's body. Almost 90% consists of water, so you should not give water to children, this only applies to children who are purely breastfed. The fat content of breast milk is approximately 3-4%, but this figure often changes.

At the beginning of feeding, the so-called foremilk (the first portion) is released, there are fewer of them in it, therefore it is less high-calorie. In hindmilk (subsequent portions), the amount of fat increases, such milk is more high-calorie, and the child is saturated faster. In the first months of breastfeeding, milk is richer in fats than in the following months (starting from 5-6 months). Protein in breast milk is approximately 1%. The composition of proteins includes essential amino acids, which are easily absorbed by the baby's body. Among the usual beks that are necessary for the development of the child, there are also immune proteins that contribute to the development of immunity. Carbohydrates contain approximately 7%, the main representative is lactose. Lactose regulates the intestinal microflora, the absorption of calcium by the body. Also in the composition of milk, leukocytes (white blood cells) are included, when they enter the intestines of a child with milk, they destroy harmful bacteria. Milk also contains vitamins, various microelements involved in the complete satisfaction of the child's body.

How can you tell if your baby is getting enough milk?

A breastfed baby should be breastfed at will during the day and at least 3 times at night, averaging 10-12 times a day. Feeding on demand - this means that at the first sign of restlessness of the baby, it must be applied to the breast. In order for the child to be satiated, it must be properly attached to the breast, it must suck rhythmically for about 5-20 minutes, swallowing movements should be heard during sucking (swallowing milk), a well-fed child may fall asleep under the breast, after feeding the breast should become soft. Signs of hunger an infant: opens its mouth wide, turns its head in different directions (looking for a nipple), whimpers, sucks a fist.

A child suckles at the breast not only to quench thirst or hunger, but also to calm down, comfort, it is easier to fall asleep, recover, and get gassies out. Newborns are not able to regulate their bowels, so in order to push out gassies, they need a new portion of milk. Therefore, the younger the children, the more often they need to be applied to the chest. If the child is not naughty, gains weight well, neuropsychic development corresponds to age, this indicates that the body develops normally, it has enough food and enough milk, but this only applies to children under 6 months old. A child who is breastfed (up to 6 months), gain weight, must be at least 500 g per month, the upper limit of the increase for each child is individual. But if the process of eruption of milk teeth began earlier, then weight gain is possible and less than 500 g.

How to stimulate milk production?

• As mentioned above, the formation of milk occurs under the influence of two hormones, prolactin and oxytocin, which are produced in response to the suckling of the breast of a woman who has given birth. Therefore, in order to stimulate the production of milk, frequent stimulation of these two hormones is necessary, this implies frequent attachment of the child to the breast (necessarily night attachments), proper breast latch.
• Elimination of stress, tension, increased mental and physical tension, fatigue, these factors contribute to a decrease in the production of oxytocin and prolactin, and if they are not enough, the muscle cells will not be able to form and secrete milk, as a result of which the child will not be able to get the amount of milk he needs. Thus, all nursing mothers need: calmness, rest, calm environment, they should try to sleep well (daytime sleep is required, next to the child).
• Constant contact with the child (affects the production of hormones).
• A warm shower promotes better milk flow.
• Special lactogenic (better milk excretion) teas (sold in pharmacies) for nursing mothers.
• Lactic preparations, for example: Apilak.
• Walnut with honey also has a lactogenic effect, use honey with caution for mothers with children suffering from allergies.
• A nursing mother should follow a diet: eat on time, high-calorie foods and rich in vitamins (it doesn’t matter if your weight changes or not), drink more fluids, forget about any diets.
• Under no circumstances should you smoke or drink alcohol.

If there is insufficient milk production, it is urgent to seek help from a breastfeeding consultant.

How to apply the baby to the breast?

Proper attachment to the breast contributes to the sufficient supply of milk to the child, gaining weight, preventing the appearance of pain in the nipples and their cracks.

You can breastfeed while sitting or lying down, whichever is more comfortable for you. The baby should be turned with the whole body, and pressed against the mother. The baby's face should be close to the mother's chest. The baby's nose should be at the level of the nipple, tilting his head back a little, for free breathing through the nose, for convenience, a woman can hold her breasts at the base. The chin of the baby should touch the chest. The contact of the nipple with his lips will cause a search reflex and an opening of the mouth. The mouth should be wide open in order to capture the mother's breast with a full mouth, the lower lip should be turned outward, so the baby should capture almost the entire areola with his mouth. During attachment to the breast, he makes rhythmic deep sucking movements, while swallowing milk is heard.

Expression of milk - indications and methods

Indications for expressing milk:

• feeding a premature or sick baby (in the case when the baby cannot suckle);
• leave milk if the mother needs to leave the baby;
• in case of lactostasis (stagnation of milk), to prevent mastitis (inflammation of the breast);
• increased milk production (when the child has already eaten, and the breast is still full of milk).
• With mother's inverted nipples (temporary pumping).

Breast milk can be expressed in 3 ways:
Expressed milk can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or in the freezer for up to 3 days.

Cracked nipples, what to do?

Cracked nipples are formed as a result of improper attachment of the child to the breast, or improper expression of milk, frequent washing of the breast and the use of soap (when taking a shower, it is recommended to rinse the breast with clean water). If an infection penetrates through a damaged nipple, then mastitis (inflammation of the mammary gland) may develop, therefore, if there are cracks, their timely treatment is necessary.

With small cracks, breastfeeding is continued through special silicone pads; with pronounced and painful cracks, it is recommended to stop feeding the diseased breast, and the breast must be carefully expressed. For treatment, use: washing with a solution of furacilin, Bepanten ointment, Panthenol spray, 5% Synthomycin ointment, washing with 2% Chlorphyllipt solution, celandine juice and others. After each feeding, it is necessary to dry the nipple, treat it with one of the above means, cover the nipple with a sterile gauze pad.

Diet and hygiene of a nursing mother

A nursing mother should observe body hygiene (take a shower every day, rinsing her breasts with clean water), wear clean underwear, wash hands with soap before each feeding. Before each feeding, it is necessary to express a few drops of milk, to remove germs that could get from clothes.

A woman who is breastfeeding should not smoke, drink alcohol, drugs, strong tea, coffee, and, if possible, medicines.

Nursing mothers are recommended to take frequent walks with the baby in the fresh air, frequent rest and daytime sleep.
Observe the diet, exclude all diets, drink plenty of water. The diet should include foods rich in vitamins (vegetables and fruits), iron (found in meat, it is better to eat veal), foods rich in calcium (dairy products), rich in phosphorus (fish). With caution, use red vegetables and fruits (tomatoes, strawberries and others), eggs, as they can cause allergies in a child. Exclude citrus fruits from the diet, they also cause allergies. Products containing vegetable fiber (peas, beans) should also be excluded, as they lead to bloating in the baby. Garlic, onions, spices can spoil the taste of milk.

Lactation is a multifaceted physiological process of the formation of mother's milk in the mammary glands, followed by its excretion through the milk ducts. The process of lactation starts in the body of a pregnant woman.

This is indicated by the separation of colostrum in the second trimester. For each young mother, this process is individual. Some women continue to breastfeed their baby for several years, and some lose this ability within 1-2 months after giving birth.

Mechanism of lactation

Stimulation of this physiological process is carried out by two hormones - oxytocin and prolactin. The hormone prolactin helps to start the process of producing breast milk in the mammary glands, and oxytocin stimulates its excretion through the thoracic ducts. The nutritional value and quality of this product depends on the lifestyle of a young mother, a balanced diet, as well as the individual characteristics of the body of a particular woman.

Important! The female body works on the principle of "supply and demand", therefore, the higher the child's need for mother's milk, the more it is produced in the mammary glands.

Stages of lactation

The process of formation of breast milk is complex and multilevel. It consists of the following successive steps:

• The initial stage of lactation is characterized by the accumulation of biologically active substances in the tissues of the mammary gland. These substances further contribute to the production of milk;
• The next step is the restructuring or reorganization of the secretory cells of the mammary glands. It is these cells that are responsible for the production of mother's milk;
• The immediate stage of the production of such a valuable product is characterized by its accumulation in the cytoplasm of secretory cells;
• The final stage of lactation is the flow of ready-made milk into the alveoli of the mammary glands.

Each of the listed stages, with the exception of the last, starts even during the period of bearing a child. At the time of the birth of the baby, the mother's body is completely ready to provide the newborn with the necessary nutrition.

The course of lactation

The formation of breast milk proceeds individually for each nursing mother. A few hours after childbirth, a woman observes the release of a small amount of colostrum from the mammary glands. The volume of breast milk formation and its nutritional properties directly depend on the emotional state of the young mother, her hormonal levels, nutrition, and also on the course of the birth process.

Some women experience a massive rush of breast milk 2-3 days after childbirth. For another type of young mothers, a systematic rush of milk is characteristic.

Primiparous women often face such a phenomenon as late lactation. The reason for this situation is the immaturity of the hormonal background. A young mother should not resort to the use of drugs that stimulate lactation, as this physiological mechanism will return to normal in a few days.

During the first month from the moment of birth, there is a change in the qualitative and quantitative composition of mother's milk. The first 14 days of lactation is the development of the so-called preparatory milk. After 15 days, this product acquires maturity and nutritional value.

It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of natural feeding for a child, since this product contains all the necessary trace elements. In addition, it contains proteins, fats, carbohydrates and antibodies to viral and bacterial infections. The harmonious development of the child's body occurs only under the condition of natural feeding.

Products that stimulate lactogenesis

If a young mother believes that the amount of milk is not enough to meet the needs of the child, then it is important for her to pay attention to her diet. You should not immediately resort to the use of lactogenic drugs, since their use is advisable if alternative methods of stimulating lactation are ineffective.

To produce breast milk in the required amount, a woman must follow a drinking regimen that involves drinking at least 2 liters of fluid per day. The diet of a nursing woman can be replenished with the following products:

• Fish in boiled and baked form. Varieties such as pike perch, carp, hake, carp and pollock are preferred;
• Varieties of meat with a low percentage of fat content (rabbit meat, chicken, beef, veal);
• Chicken and quail eggs, whole milk;
• In the absence of allergies in the mother and child, a woman is allowed to eat nuts;
• Fresh vegetables, fruits and fruit juices;
• hard cheese;
• Dairy products (yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, acidophilus).

The more varied and complete the diet of a young mother is, the more nutritious and healthy her breast milk will be. To assess nutritional adequacy, observe the behavior of the newborn. An active and cheerful baby, gaining weight according to the norm, indicates the correctness of the actions of the nursing

• 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. Despite the simplicity of 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 be prepared for breastfeeding, know the correct feeding technique, contact counselors in a timely manner, and be provided with support from her 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 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. As a result, frequent washing with soap causes cracks to appear, due to which it will be very painful to feed the baby.

In addition, detergents have the ability to interrupt the natural scent 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 breast care for a nursing mother is an important point in 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 for a 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.

The baby will release the breast on its own after feeding, when it is full

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 of preterm labor, 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 for a long time. Also, the use of special overlays contributes to the rapid healing of cracks.

When should you stop HB?

According to experts, the 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
Rules and postures
• Nutrition

Quality lactation is very important for a newborn baby. What it is and how to do everything right for a woman and her baby are questions that concern any young mother.

What is lactation

Lactation is the process of producing milk in a woman's breasts. This complex natural process of developing the ideal food for a newborn begins during pregnancy. This phenomenon is strictly individual, like the human body. Some mothers produce milk for several years after giving birth, while others have enough milk for a couple of months of feeding the baby.

Complete and high-quality breastfeeding is work. But do not be afraid: nature itself will tell you what should happen and at what time, and knowing the features of this process will help you calmly perceive all changes and correctly respond to possible problems.

Be sure to adjust the GV: it is important for both the baby and the mother

How milk is produced

Hormones are responsible for many chemical processes in our body. Milk production in a woman's body is regulated by:

• prolactin - is responsible for ovulation, menstruation, childbearing, promotes the production of milk in the mother's body, it is also called the "stress hormone", difficult emotional situations or physical exertion provoke its release;
• oxytocin - regulates the psycho-emotional state of a person, is responsible for the feelings of a mother to a child, a woman to her husband, etc., and during breastfeeding it helps to exit the product produced by prolactin through the thoracic ducts.

If the mother already had breastfeeding experience, then she can accurately determine where the alveoli are located. This is the very place in the chest, which, as it were, pinches at the moments of a rush of milk.

Alveoli are located next to the milk ducts

How to tell colostrum from milk

The first 2-4 days after childbirth, colostrum is secreted from the mammary glands. It contains a large number of substances necessary for the baby in high concentration:

• trace elements;
• fat-soluble vitamins;
• unique enzymes, such as lipase;
• biologically active substances that can protect a defenseless tiny organism from harmful bacteria.

For the next 2–3 weeks, transitional milk is produced, and from about the third week after birth, mature milk is produced. The mother's body during breastfeeding sets up a strong connection with the baby's body and thanks to her, she always knows which microelements the child lacks. During each feeding, the baby receives the most balanced milk according to his individual needs.

The main difference between colostrum and milk is the minimum carbohydrate content. Another significant difference between these two necessary crumbs of substances in quantity. Colostrum is produced in minimal doses, since it is designed to feed the baby in the first days. You can distinguish milk from colostrum by color: the second is yellow and thicker in consistency. Mature mother's milk tastes like a weak solution of condensed milk, while colostrum has a peculiar salty taste.

Colostrum, transitional and mature milk have external differences

Table: composition of breast milk (colostrum, transitional, mature)

Advantages of breastfeeding over artificial

The process of breastfeeding is natural, invented by nature itself. It is a priori ideal, it is possible to replace it with artificial feeding only in exceptional cases. But let's not be unfounded and add a couple of facts to this conclusion:

1. No artificially generated mixture, no matter how much it costs and no matter how big the name of its manufacturer, can ever fully replace mother's milk. The composition of breast milk changes with each feeding.
2. It is impossible to fully modulate all the substances that are produced in the mother's body, no matter what quality ingredients are present in the mixture.
3. Breastfed babies are slightly ahead of the development of "artificial" ones. This is most noticeable at the age of about 5 years.
4. Babies who eat their mother's milk fall asleep more calmly. It is important for a child to feel his mother, to be in her arms, to be protected from the yet unfamiliar and alien world. Breastfeeding allows the mother to better feel the baby, understand his needs and concerns.
5. Breastfeeding is less of a hassle than using formula. No need to buy a bottle, pacifier, brush, heater. There is no need to get up in the middle of the night, go to the kitchen, heat water, pour in this mixture and make sure that it is thoroughly mixed. Breast milk is always at the ideal temperature.
6. Finding the right mixture is not easy. It is not uncommon for the first week such food was suitable for the child, the parents bought a large batch, and after 5-8 days the crumbs began to have a terrible allergy, colic or constipation. The needs of the baby change every day, and the composition of the mixture is the same for the entire jar.
7. It is natural to feed the child with milk. The small ventricle is simply not ready for other food. If the milk is properly balanced and gives a feeling of fullness, then the mixture can easily give an unstrengthened body an extra load.

Artificial feeding should be considered as an alternative to breastfeeding only in exceptional cases.

Principles of breastfeeding

WHO has identified 10 points that are important for babies. Here they are:

1. It is necessary to attach the newborn to the breast as early as possible. Optimally - within 60 minutes after birth. In the womb of a healthy woman, complete sterility, therefore, the child is also born sterile: he has neither bacteria nor the ability to resist their harmful activities. It is for this reason that it is important to immediately attach the baby to the breast. In addition, early attachment to the breast activates the production of oxytocin: it helps to contract the uterus, reduce bleeding and help to separate the placenta faster.
2. Immediately pick up the baby and recover in the postpartum ward together. This is necessary for the speedy establishment of emotional contact with the baby. The sooner this happens, the easier and more pleasant the breastfeeding procedure will be for the mother.
3. To study the theoretical side of the correct GV. Every maternity hospital has a breastfeeding specialist to answer your questions: be sure to get all the information you need from him. It is good if, during pregnancy, the expectant mother attended special courses in which they analyzed in detail how to properly attach the newborn to the breast.
4. As soon as the baby shows signs of hunger or anxiety, breastfeed immediately. This is important for the psyche of a little man - so he will understand that his mother is always there and there is no need to worry. And also this measure will help the mother's body to quickly establish the production of full-fledged milk. Hormones work on the principle of "supply and demand": the amount of milk directly depends on the frequency of breastfeeding.
5. Completely exclude supplementary feeding with mixtures. WHO has found that up to 6 months the child needs only mother's milk. Neither mixtures, nor water, nor cabbage soup, soups and cereals should be given to a baby up to six months. This will damage the lining of the stomach. Do not teach your baby to a nipple or bottle.
6. Refuse to express. If you breastfeed your baby on demand, excess milk will be exceptional and probably associated with maternal health problems, such as hyperlactation or mastitis. Forget about what mothers and grandmothers say. Feeding by the hour is not comfortable for the baby.
7. Do not give up night feedings until at least 6 months. The activation of prolactin production occurs at 3-8 in the morning. That is, at this time a lot of milk is produced and it is necessary to give it to the baby, to make room for a new one. Yes, no one likes to get up at night, but this is a trifle compared to the joy that any mother who has established contact with her baby will experience. And you can sleep during the day.
8. Experts today recommend breastfeeding a child up to 2 years. After 1 year of breastfeeding, milk becomes more fatty, nutritious and contains the maximum concentration of immunomodulators, which will help develop strong immunity in the baby in the future.
9. Use the pacifier only in extreme cases, for example, if the baby is naughty on the street and there is no way to breastfeed. Frequent use of a pacifier gives a deceptive feeling of fullness, refusal of the breast and weight loss.
10. Do not express unless there is a medical indication. Pumping should be used in exceptional cases if the mother has cracked nipples, mastitis, or at times of long separation from the child. With proper feeding, the baby empties the breast completely, there is no excess left.

In childbirth preparation courses, they said that if a mother takes a shower every day, does not suffer from excessive sweating, then there is no need to constantly wash her breasts. If the summer is very hot, then it is possible, but not more than twice a day. The skin of the breast during the breastfeeding period is subjected to regular mechanical damage, so mothers also like to dry it with soap. In the first 3 months, it is worth giving up perfume, shower gel with a strong aroma, and laundry conditioner. The child is more comfortable when he smells his mother's milk, which can be used if the baby does not sleep well. Put your bra or milk-soaked washcloth in his crib. As for the point where you should not offer the baby water, I personally do not agree. Now in many regions of the Russian Federation, the temperature rises to 35 ° C in summer. In my opinion, this is a real mockery - not to let people drink in such heat. In addition, the skin of the baby in the dry air of the room loses moisture faster. It is very important to replenish the water-salt balance in the body in order to prevent irritation, diaper rash and other discomfort on the delicate skin of the baby. It is better to give some water from a spoon or drip with a pipette.

My friend's daughter was breastfeeding until 1.9. They get sick much more often than their peers, and almost every sick leave turns into something more serious than just SARS and a runny nose. Therefore, the question of whether to feed the baby with mother's milk after a year is rich food for thought.

It is important to teach the baby to properly capture the chest with his mouth.

What day does milk come after childbirth

To answer your question, you need to clarify a few facts:

1. Is this the first birth in a woman's life. With the second, third and further childbirth, milk comes faster. For the first child, the appearance of milk in the mother on the 3-5th day is considered the norm.
2. Were there EP. If yes, then the milk will appear at the time indicated above.
3. Whether the delivery was by caesarean section. Anesthesia, antibiotics knock down the production of hormones. If there was an operative intervention in the natural process of childbirth, then milk should be expected only on the 5-8th day. How quickly the baby was put to the breast for the first time is also important in this matter. It is this procedure that is an additional signal to the body that it is time to activate milk production.

One of the options for a comfortable posture for feeding is lying down.

How to speed up the flow of milk

The first rule in establishing breastfeeding is frequent attachment of the baby to the breast. For additional stimulation, it is recommended to drink hot tea with milk and sugar every 2 hours. Can be served with crackers or cookies. It is better to remove chocolate, fillers in the form of jam and other things away: they are likely to cause allergies in the baby.

You can try special teas for nursing mothers. They contain herbs that stimulate milk production. Drink plenty of pure water - about 3 liters a day - unless there are any medical contraindications to this, such as kidney problems. Don't forget to eat well.

In the antenatal clinic, we were given a good recipe that not only accelerates the appearance of mature milk, but also increases its quantity in the future. You will need milk, walnuts, fresh carrots, grandma's aluminum ladle. Pour milk into a jug, rub carrots into it. Bring the resulting mixture to a boil. Then add a few quarters of walnut kernels to the same place. Put the ladle in an oven heated to 180 about. Simmer for 25-30 minutes. It turns out a kind of mixture of the color of baked milk. Her taste is bearable. You need to eat this brew 3 times a day. It is better to cook in small portions, because after 5-8 hours it becomes completely tasteless. The effectiveness of the recipe has been tested by me personally and by my friends more than once.

Discomfort when feeding: how to alleviate the condition of the mother

Pay attention to the following tips, and discomfort at the beginning of HB will not bother you so much:

1. Do not wait until the child is very hungry, offer him a breast every 2-3 hours. A hungry baby sucks more aggressively, so injury to the delicate tissues of the nipple is guaranteed. In addition, breasts full of milk become rounder. The baby is simply uncomfortable to grab the nipple.
2. Be sure to learn how to apply the child correctly. It is the incorrect capture of the nipple that leads to cracks in the mother and air entering the esophagus of the crumbs. As a consequence of this - mastitis and colic. The nipple should be completely in the mouth of the baby, the baby should capture almost the entire areola with his mouth.
3. Find a comfortable position for feeding. Use a pillow or chair armrest for maximum comfort. It is recommended to regularly change the position throughout the feeding. This measure will allow you to most effectively free the breast from milk and fully feed the baby.
4. Personal hygiene and breast skin care are very important. Between feedings, lubricate the nipples with a restorative cream, such as Bepanthen, or vitamin A, sea buckthorn oil. Talk to your doctor about which remedy to choose.
5. Choose the right bra, it should not put pressure on the chest. In places where the underwear is tight, stagnation of milk will be observed, which also leads to painful sensations and even problems with the health of the breast in the future.
6. Dress warmer: chest hypothermia is fraught not only with stagnation and pain, but also with interruptions in GW.
7. Learn how to properly remove the nipple after the baby has eaten and fallen asleep. Do not sharply pull the chest, like a cork from a bottle. By sucking on the breast, the baby creates an almost vacuum in the mouth. To painlessly pick up the nipple, slightly open the baby's mouth with the little finger. It is not recommended to let air in in this case, because the baby may wake up.

Very often, colic in babies begins 3-4 weeks after birth, which also does not add positive emotions to the mother. More experienced parents already know what to do with it, but new mothers need to carefully review their diet. It is worth completely abandoning:

• coffee, strong tea;
• chocolate, products containing cocoa beans;
• oranges, grapefruits, etc.;
• mushrooms;
• alcohol;
• smoking.

The above things do not bring benefits for the baby and GW, but they can do harm.

Stages of lactation

Under the influence of the hormones prolactin and oxytocin, colostrum is produced, and then milk. All this happens in several stages:

1. Beginning - there is an accumulation of the necessary biologically active substances in the tissues of the gland.
2. The restructuring of the glands to produce milk from existing reserves.
3. The process of nutrient production - occurs with the participation of secretory cells.
4. Completion - implies the exit of ready-made milk directly in the alveoli, this place is not far from the ducts. We can say that this is a mini-warehouse for ready-made milk.

By the time the baby is born, the body is completely ready to feed the new little man.

Lactation occurs in 4 stages, three of them occur during pregnancy

Preparatory stage

As soon as the body understands that childbirth has occurred and the placenta has separated, the brain sends a signal to start lactation. The production of the hormone responsible for the preservation of the fetus decreases, oxytocin is activated. It is he who is responsible for the release of milk directly from the breast. At the same time, colostrum appears. For some mothers, it may even drip.

Video: how to establish GV after cesarean section

The formation of lactation

This stage takes about 3 months. It also consists of several periods:

1. Start lactation. All the necessary hormonal changes take place.
2. The appearance of milk At this time, the substance in the breast begins to change its composition, turning from colostrum into milk. The process takes 3 to 5 days. To speed it up, you need to apply the newborn to the chest as often as possible.
3. Preparing the transition to mature milk. In parallel with this, the mother's body learns to produce milk according to the needs of the child.

Mature (tidal) lactation

There is a complete replacement of colostrum with milk. During this period, full-fledged, mature milk begins to stand out steadily. That is, there are no more sudden bursts of milk. It is always accompanied by hormonal changes in the mother's body. This is the longest period of the GW. It begins approximately when the baby reaches the age of three months, and ends with a complete refusal to feed. This stage is characterized by so-called crises.

Cessation of lactation: signs, involution of lactation, how to properly terminate breastfeeding

For many women, the cessation of milk production occurs naturally, gradually. The mammary glands simply begin to produce less and less substance. This is explained by a decrease in the production of prolactin, that is, the mother’s brain decides for itself when the moment comes for weaning the baby from the breast. However, events do not always develop according to such a rosy scenario and there are times when a mother needs to stop lactation abruptly. The reasons for this situation may be as follows:

• medical indications, the need to take medications incompatible with hepatitis B;
• conscious choice of mother, fatigue from this process - if this happens after the child reaches 1 year, then doctors do not prohibit;
• other reasons why the baby did not want to take the mother's breast.

To stop the production of a substance by the mammary gland, mothers use a combination of the methods proposed below. Be sure to discuss this point with your doctor, he will advise which herbs and medicines you should pay attention to.

Do not quit breastfeeding before the baby reaches 1 year

So, a set of measures to stop lactation:

• stop breastfeeding the baby - the body recognizes this signal and “turns off” the production of milk itself;
• reduce the amount of liquid consumed, give up broths, meat, sit for a week on a sufficient rigid diet;
• use compresses and wraps, for example, with camphor oil;
• use a special herbal collection to stop lactation, drink herbal tea;
• consult with your doctor and choose the appropriate medication for your particular case.

If the mother nevertheless decided to stop feeding the term previously established by nature, then she should be prepared for such things:

• pain and discomfort in the chest: they can be quite strong;
• the occurrence of seals in the mammary glands;
• weakness, aches;
• increase in body temperature;
• inflammatory processes - mastitis, purulent complications.

Involution, or curdling of milk, occurs one and a half months after the cessation of breastfeeding or starts spontaneously one and a half to two years after childbirth. Conditionally divided into 2 stages:

1. Active. It is characterized by minimization of milk production, the breast stops pouring. By the way, the composition of the substance again becomes close to colostrum. You can no longer be afraid of milk stagnation or any other complications.
2. direct involution. At this time, the destruction of the alveoli occurs. The gland, which used to be the main volume of the breast, is replaced by fat. Occurs approximately 40 days after the last feeding.

According to the symptoms, this process resembles the beginning of pregnancy, its first trimester. Involution can be recognized by the following characteristic features:

• weakness, fatigue;
• mood swings, increased irritability;
• pain in the nipples;
• if HB has not yet stopped, then after feeding there is a strong weakness, dizziness;
• flushes of milk disappeared completely;
• the substance stopped dripping and flowing out of the ducts outside of feeding;
• The milk has thickened and looks like colostrum.

From mothers and grandmothers one could hear the theory that at such a time milk becomes harmful to the health of the child. This is not so: the substances included in the new composition have a narrower focus, for example, they contribute to the development of the nervous system.

What to do if there is not enough milk

Sometimes, in fact, not as often as it seems to mothers, milk is really not enough for good nutrition and a good weight gain for the baby. This may be due to situations such as:

• very long intervals between feedings;
• a rare breast offer to a baby;
• little sleep;
• mother's fatigue;
• poor-quality nutrition of the mother or rare meals;
• illness;
• a leap in the development of the baby (the chest simply does not have time to adapt to the increased needs).

The best thing to do in such a situation is to identify the cause and eliminate it. In addition, remember the supply-demand scheme: offer your baby a breast more often and the body will respond with increased lactation.

Learn the right pumping technique, this skill will definitely come in handy

Every mom needs a good night's sleep and a delicious meal. Please yourself more often, take a bubble bath, make a mask, relax. Milk depends on the mood of the mother, so look for a reason to be happy. The more happy moments a mother has, in which the emotional background fluctuates sharply, the better it is for the baby and milk.

Be sure to include protein-rich foods in your diet:

• lean meat, preferably beef;
• chicken and offal;
• cottage cheese, a large number of sour-milk drinks;
• cereals, especially buckwheat;
• fruits and vegetables (although they are not rich in protein, they are necessary in the diet of a nursing mother);
• nuts and dried fruits;
• cauliflower;
• legumes (eat with caution, they can aggravate the situation with colic in crumbs).

I personally didn’t have enough milk for my baby all the way. So I thought, so I went through all the circles of hell - despair, tears, sleepless nights. As a result, I realized that my nerves are more expensive, and introduced supplementary feeding to the child. Relaxed, began to sleep and eat better. And GW got better by itself. The rushes of milk were especially noticeable after dishes with beef. Also, a noticeable result was given by hot tea with milk and sugar. But my favorite cakes and pastries, on the contrary, turned out to be absolutely useless in the production of milk.

Proper pumping

Cases in which it is necessary to express breast milk:

1. There is excess milk or it stagnates in the breast. You can understand this by the small pockets of seals that appeared in the chest.
2. The baby was born premature. Babies born prematurely do not have a sucking reflex. It manifests itself somewhat later, at about 2-3 months.
3. Pathology of the central nervous system, weak sucking reflex.
4. Beginning of feeding or lactation crisis.
5. The need to treat the mother with drugs that are incompatible with breastfeeding. In this case, it is worth expressing milk to maintain lactation.
6. There is a separation from the baby and the mother wants to prepare milk for the time of separation.
7. The flat shape of the nipple, which makes it difficult to capture the baby's mouth. It is not worth giving up feeding, you just need to work on the shape of the nipple - stretch it out.

Be sure to perform a simple breast massage before each pumping.

Follow these simple rules to prepare for a quality breast pump:

1. Take a warm shower, warm up your skin. Drink warm tea with milk and sugar. Heat activates the production of milk, and for full latency, it is necessary to replenish the supply of fluid in the body.
2. Do self-massage: it helps to induce a rush of milk. It is enough to rub the chest with 4 fingers for 10-15 minutes. Be sure to use circular motions, they help break up the lumps in the chest.
3. Look at the sleeping baby, inhale his scent, remember how he smiles. If this is not possible, look at his photos on your phone. There is a theory that this activates the production of oxytocin.

Of course, after such preparation, it is better to give the baby a breast: no one can empty the mammary glands as well as a baby. But in the absence of this possibility, it is worth mastering the technique of manual pumping. A breast pump is also suitable for these purposes, but is inferior to manual labor in terms of efficiency.

Step-by-step pumping scheme:

1. Prepare a container for milk: it must be thoroughly washed and disinfected by boiling.
2. Take a comfortable position.
3. Place your fingers on the nipple so that the thumb is on top of the areola, the rest are on the bottom.

   The thumb should be on top of the areola

4. With the pad of your thumb, stroke the circle around the nipple with sliding movements. The lower fingers should help to make these movements.
5. Press with two fingers on the areola.

   Press two fingers on the areola

6. Pinch the nipple between 2 fingers.

   Put your fingers together

7. Pull your fingers forward: trickles of milk should appear.

   Stretch your fingers with the pinched nipple forward

Drugs to enhance lactation

To understand that the baby is not getting enough breast milk, you need to pay attention to the following:

• small weight gain - less than 125 g / week;
• anxiety that does not go away even on the chest;
• infrequent diaper changes - a healthy child should go to the toilet at least 6 times a day, by the age of 3 months this number can increase to 12.

If there is at least one sign, urgently take up the “acceleration” of lactation. Perhaps it is worth moving on to heavier artillery - medicines:

• Femilak - contains protein and taurine, improves the health of the mother, does not cause weight gain;
• Enfa-mama - similar in composition to Femilak, but does not contain taurine;
• Dumil mom plus - in addition to the main function, it serves as a prevention of osteoporosis;
• Laktogon - herbal remedy, contains royal jelly;
• Apilactin - is used to improve the health of women whose childbirth was difficult.

Whichever remedy you choose, be sure to discuss the possibility of its use with your doctor. A good gynecologist will tell you which way to increase lactation is right for you.

nesting method

This technique involves the constant presence of the baby next to the mother, near her chest. Mom should carry the crumbs with her everywhere, go to bed next to him. Often this method is applied to premature babies, but for healthy ones it has no contraindications.

For convenience, a sling or a long dense scarf is used, with which the mother creates a comfortable cocoon. Subsequently, the cocoon is broadcast on her shoulder so that the baby is next to the breast. The baby gets almost round-the-clock access to milk. This allows:

• relieve stress in a child;
• to establish GV, it helps out especially well if you need to return from the bottle back to the breast;
• help the baby to breastfeed if he previously refused to do so.

The method well helps to cope with a lactation crisis.

Lactation crises: signs, how to deal with them

Crises are moments when the mother's breast does not have time to fully adapt to the needs of the baby and produces insufficient milk. You shouldn't be nervous. If you follow the elementary rules of GW, the crisis will pass in 5-7 days.

These stages for the "history" of your feeding will be 4:

1. First 3-5 weeks.
2. At three months.
3. At 7 months.

The periods are indicated for a reason: these are moments of sharp jumps in the growth and development of the crumbs.

In general, a young mother should not be nervous. The mood and calmness of the child directly depends on her emotional state. Remember that you are fine. There is a roof over your head, there is food in the refrigerator, and you should not worry about the rest. Make your life as comfortable as possible for at least the first three months of breastfeeding. Do not worry about dirty dishes, the husband will survive this spectacle. If you do not get enough sleep at night, be sure to sleep during the day. This will calm the nervous system, and sleep promotes milk production. By the way, milk can “burn out” from experiences. You need it? I do not think.

• plentiful warm drink;
• protein-rich food;
• healthy sleep and rest;
• no stress;
• regular breast massage and applying a warm towel for 3-5 minutes.

During a lactation crisis, the main thing is not to be nervous

Chest pain, mastitis, lactostasis

The breast of a primiparous mother is not ready for feeding, therefore, pain and a feeling of heaviness in the mammary glands at the beginning of lactation are not uncommon. The reason most likely lies in the following:

• lactostasis - stagnation of breast milk due to excessive production, is not accompanied by an increase in basal body temperature, but if the problem is not solved in time, it can flow into a more serious disease;
• mastitis - characteristic signs are pain in the entire mammary gland, fever and seals, in places of seals, reddening of the skin can be observed - neglected lactostasis, which has turned into an inflammatory process.

To treat mastitis, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. He will prescribe anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and antibacterial medicines. In parallel with this, it is necessary to regularly decompress the chest. You can't feed the baby. Often this process is one-sided, that is, a healthy breast remains a full-fledged source of food for the child.

To prevent the transition of lactostasis into mastitis, a woman needs:

• closely monitor the health of your breasts;
• at the slightest sign of seals, do self-massage and break these lumps;
• take responsibility for the choice of underwear: it should not be tight;
• do not overcool the chest, avoid drafts;
• if the baby empties only one breast, the second must be expressed on its own;
• do not drink a lot of liquid - 1.5 liters per day is enough;
• during lactation, avoid sleeping on the stomach, sleeping on the side is best.

If you have never been pregnant, but have become a mother and want to breastfeed, you can try to artificially induce lactation. For many women, this is an attractive opportunity not so much to feed with their milk, but to experience the unique relationship that develops between mother and baby during feeding. New research data is encouraging for nulliparous mothers - they can produce milk.

Please note that only a healthy woman can use this opportunity. If she has diseases, then there is a risk of failure of this venture. Ailments that interfere with artificial lactation:

• polycystic ovaries - in this case, glandular tissue does not develop in the chest;
• thyroid disease.

Do not despair: after treatment, artificial lactation will cease to be a myth. By the way, the milk of a woman who has already given birth is more enriched with useful substances and immunomodulators than food from a mother who has never given birth.

Sometimes you have to use a supplementary feeding system

There are three methods by which a nulliparous mother can feed:

1. Dry with supplements. A system with donor milk or formula is used. If the baby takes the breast, you can start this method immediately.
2. Breast stimulation, pumping. It is important to signal to your body that the baby needs milk. To do this, you need to express regularly. At first, there will be no milk at all, but gradually the brain will send the necessary signal to the body and milk will appear.
3. Taking hormonal drugs that stimulate pregnancy, childbirth and milk production. Not recommended for pregnant women, has side effects in the form of nausea, weight gain, etc.

With artificial induction of lactation, you will not have colostrum. If you are adopting a baby immediately after birth, ask his mother to express colostrum for the baby. Some mothers find it easier to get over parting with a child when they can give him a piece of themselves at parting.

I have never heard of such a miracle of nature until today. But I believe that if you really want something, it will definitely happen. Good luck to those brave mothers who wanted to take a baby from another family and feed them on their own.

Lactation in nulliparous: causes

If you have never had a baby, have not been pregnant, and do not plan to breastfeed a foster child, but whitish fluid is coming out of your breast, see your doctor as soon as possible. Maybe it's a serious health issue. Namely:

• problems in the endocrine system;
• pituitary microadenoma;
• breast disease;
• hormonal imbalance;
• diseases of the pelvic organs.

Discharge from the chest is not always a sign of illness. Perhaps one of your loved ones recently had a child and you take a very active part in his upbringing and development. A woman's brain sometimes perceives such behavior as a signal of the appearance of a child and sends data to the chest. But if you can’t remember anything similar in the next couple of years, contact a specialist immediately.

lactation after hysterectomy

If during this operation the woman's ovaries are preserved, then no hormonal shift should occur. It is important to know what type of anesthesia will be used during surgery, whether anesthesia is compatible with breastfeeding, and whether this will harm the baby. For more information on your individual case, contact the doctor who will perform the operation and guide you through your rehabilitation.

Can HIV and hepatitis be transmitted to a child through breast milk?

Recently, the statistics on HIV-infected people is only growing. In this regard, a logical and quite fair question arises: is it possible to breastfeed if the mother is a carrier of HIV or has hepatitis.

HIV infection is characterized by the transmission of data through the blood. This type of infectious pathology is transmitted through unprotected sexual contact, as well as vertically from an infected mother to a child and during breastfeeding. The early stage of the infectious process is characterized by an asymptomatic course, which significantly complicates the diagnosis of the disease. The human immunodeficiency virus is not a death sentence, as many people think it is. HIV infection is not AIDS, but in the absence of specialized support, it can develop into it. If a person does not receive antiretroviral therapy, then over time AIDS develops in his body.

The hepatitis B virus causes a systemic disease that affects the liver. The patient may not feel any changes at all or experience symptoms resembling a mild flu, but the disease can also develop transiently. The hepatitis B virus is usually transmitted through contact with infected blood or other bodily fluids. Contact with infected mucous membranes during childbirth or during sexual contact is also a way of transmitting the virus.

Breast milk may contain the hepatitis B surface antigen. It has been suggested that breastfeeding is a possible route for the hepatitis B virus to enter the body of infants.

There is no evidence that breastfeeding increases the risk of passing the infection to the baby. Specialists in the field of neonatology and immunology conducted long and serious studies that would allow to assess the risk of potential infection of newborn children through the breast milk of an infected mother. Research was carried out long enough and scrupulously. And they show: the risk of getting the immunodeficiency virus into the body of a child up to six months is minimal, after reaching the age of six months it increases, and infecting a baby from 6 to 12 months is already 25% more likely than at the age of, say, 4 months. Despite the high benefits of breast milk, this practice carries an unjustified risk for a newborn baby.

Only the presence of severe somatic pathologies - an open form of tuberculosis, AIDS, some infectious diseases or advanced stages of the oncological process - is a contraindication to breastfeeding your own child.

It is not worth risking the health of the crumbs after 6 months if the mother is an HIV carrier

Video: Dr. Komarovsky's opinion about breastfeeding

Dr. Komarovsky about breastfeeding

If we turn to the well-known Russian pediatrician Komarovsky E.O. with this question, then his opinion is: Breastfeeding is the best that a woman can give to a baby. The specialist notes some key factors:

• mother's milk is the optimal food for a child, which can maximally satisfy all the nutritional needs of the crumbs in the first year of life;
• GW helps the baby to get to know his mother better;
• the crumbs quickly form all the necessary reflexes.

The doctor advises to breastfeed the baby up to 1 year. Supplementation is good if the child is really gaining weight poorly, but it is strictly forbidden to give up breastfeeding. With properly established breastfeeding, complementary foods should be introduced no earlier than 5-6 months. You should start with baby kefir, then give cottage cheese, cereals, vegetables, and only after that - fruits. At the age of 1 year, you can completely transfer the child to the common table. Just remember: nothing fried, spicy, salty should not be offered to the baby yet.

Whether to breastfeed the baby or opt for mixtures is up to the mother to decide. But it is worth remembering that absolutely all the pluses are on the side of GW. If the mother is young and healthy, lactation has begun, you should not interrupt it. Your child's physical and psychological well-being is at stake. And problems with the mother's figure can be quickly and reliably solved.

Young mothers face problems not only during gestation, but also after. You do not have time to move away from the incredibly painful process of childbirth, and here you already need to start feeding the baby. Young parents do not have sufficient experience or knowledge in this matter, so they often make mistakes. In this article, we will look at the importance of breastfeeding (breastfeeding), explain what this process is and what problems can arise. Let's talk about nursing positions, as well as mom's diet.

Features of the appearance of breast milk

Breastfeeding is possible only if it is available, so many expectant mothers are interested in when it appears and what precedes this moment.

small bottle If you decide to save time on feeding and give your child a bottle, you have started a chain reaction that will create a lot of problems for you. The fact is that sucking milk from a bottle is easier, which the baby quickly gets used to.

Accordingly, when you give him a breast, he does not perceive it, since in this case he needs to make much more efforts to get the desired milk.

As a result, the baby will switch to a bottle earlier, and you will spend time milking milk into a container, and only then give it to the baby. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you do not use a feeding bottle in the early stages.
stress or resentment Yes, your child may be offended by you, because of which there will be a refusal to eat. Such a "rebellion" occurs if you do not spend enough time with your child, or do not meet his needs.

Stress can be improper bathing, injections, burying the throat or nose, as well as any activity that irritates the child or creates discomfort.

Small volumes of milk If your child spends hours trying to suck out the required norm from the breast, and instead receives a small amount of milk, his nervousness is more than justified, because he spends a lot of strength and energy on “extraction” of milk, but receives insufficient food.

In the end, the child simply will not want to take the breast until there is enough milk in it. If you close your eyes to this, you will no longer be able to feed him in this way, and you will have to switch to a bottle.

The lack of milk is clearly reflected in the weight of the child, which increases slowly, or remains at the same level. As soon as you notice that the baby is refusing breastfeeding, you need to postpone everything and make contact. If the reason is “resentment”, you should often hold the child in your arms, try not to irritate him, refuse to accustom him to a certain diet or sleep. All this will help restore trust.

If the refusal is caused by any disease, until the moment of recovery, the child is unlikely to eat normally, so speed up the recovery and create optimal conditions, eliminating nervous tension.

Lack of milk should be solved together with the attending physician. Most often, the problem is solved by eating foods that increase milk production, or certain ones.

During feeding, the baby may show anxiety that is not associated with ailments or the problems described above, so it is worthwhile to figure out in what cases and why the child behaves this way.
nipple shape If the mother, then the baby will start to get nervous, because he simply will not be able to capture them during feeding, and all attempts are unlikely to succeed. To solve this problem, you need to use special nozzles that will give the nipples an optimal shape and help the child capture them.

Unnatural smell If you often wash your breasts using strong-smelling products, then the child may behave restlessly or even refuse to eat, as he will smell not the mother and milk, but, for example, an orange, which does not meet the expectations of the child.

The fungus can appear both on the nipples and in the baby's mouth. Undoubtedly, constant itching is not a pleasure, so every feeding will be painful for both you and the baby.

You can detect candidiasis on the nipples if you begin to experience severe itching. In the mouth of a child, it appears as a white coating over the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe tongue, and not just at the base.
External irritants Loud noises, bright lights, moving objects can all cause anxiety in the baby during feeding. To calm the baby, you need to feed in a room with dim lights and in complete silence.

Irritability is manifested in young children up to 6 months. Older children are not so capricious and less susceptible to external stimuli, unless, of course, this is some kind of disease.

Backlash

After each feeding, there is a risk of various consequences, whether it is the appearance of cracks or problems with the release of milk. Next, we will figure out what to do in such cases and how to prevent possible problems.

Cracks in the nipples

Let's start with the causes of cracks:

1. Drying of the skin. If you constantly use soap, the skin will dry out, resulting in cracks.
2. Milk leakage. If during the day you have milk from your breasts, regardless of feeding, cracking due to waterlogging is possible.
3. Waterlogging. Here the reason is excessive breast hygiene. If you constantly wash the nipples, they will begin to crack.
4. The temperature of the child.

Of course, the main reason for the appearance of cracks is your child, who stubbornly sucks milk, biting his chest. In order to solve the problem in time, you need to find it right away.

Important!Lack of treatment leads to the formation of mastitis (inflammation of the mammary glands).

At the initial stage, the crack is recognized by the redness of the nipple and discomfort. A microcrack causes minor pain during feeding, but it cannot be compared with a crack that affects the subcutaneous tissue and blood vessels.

In this case, you will experience severe pain, and the nipples may begin to bleed during feeding.

The solution to the problem is to eliminate the cause. If the cause is the child, you need to consult a doctor. To quickly heal cracks, you should:

In this case, an additional consultation with a doctor will not hurt, since a crack is an open micro-wound into which an infection can get. The specialist may prescribe wound healing or disinfectants based on the examination.

Problems with lactation

Consider the most common problems with lactation. This is a deviation that is characterized by the regular release of milk from the nipples without external stimulation. That is, milk is secreted regardless of whether you touch the breast or not.

It comes out both during feeding and after it. Such a deviation occurs in less than 5% of mothers, so it cannot be considered massive.

The reason for the constant secretion of milk may be the following:

Treatment is carried out after diagnosis. It aims to eliminate the cause. Since there are many different causes, medical treatment, surgery or radiation therapy is used.

Hypogalactia, or insufficient secretion of milk. The disease develops due to the lack of production in the right amount. As a result, the mammary glands are not formed as they should, which is why a small amount of milk is produced.

Important! The cause of hypogalactia may be medication.

The most common is secondary hypogalactia. Milk ceases to stand out in the right quantities over time, and not at the initial stage.
This happens for the following reasons:

• cracks in the nipples;
• mastitis;
• infectious diseases;
• nervous disorders;
• poor diet;
• lack of normal sleep or walks in the fresh air.

The primary variant is treated with medications that increase milk secretion. In the secondary option, you need to follow the feeding regimen, using both breasts. Also, the doctor can refer to therapy, which involves massage, ultraviolet radiation, electrophoresis. In this case, it is mandatory to follow a diet.

Popular questions for young mothers

In conclusion, we will answer the most popular questions that interest many mothers.

How long should you breastfeed Breast milk is extremely important for a baby up to 6 months. At this time, it is actively gaining mass and growing, so replacing a natural product with a mixture will not work.
It is recommended to combine solid food and milk when the child is a little older. It is better to breastfeed a baby up to 1 year, if it allows.

How to prepare for feeding It is important to understand that you are passing on important nutrients, vitamins and minerals with milk. The amount of protein does not change from your diet, but the amount of fat and carbohydrates directly depends on the mom's menu.

For this reason, even during pregnancy, it is necessary to regularly replenish the reserves of vitamins and minerals so that during the feeding process your body does not lack anything.

Do I need to express milk The fact is that if you start expressing milk after the end of the meal, your body will receive a false signal that you can produce fluid in the same volumes, or in larger volumes. As a result, you will have to pump more often and more, as the breasts will fill up and get bigger.

It turns out that if you are feeding at the request of the child, it makes no sense to express milk, however, there are a number of diseases that require such an action to be performed in order to avoid the deterioration of the mother's condition. These "sores" include mastitis, cracked nipples.
Should I give my child plain water? No and no again. Babies up to 6 months have enough breast milk, so, believe me, they are not thirsty. And if you give the child plain water, he will have the feeling that he has already eaten. As a result, there will be a loss in mass, and you will have to express milk, which will cause less milk to stand out.

Is it worth waking up the child to debug the feeding regime? Waking up the baby is not worth it, since sleep at this stage of life is just as important as food. Despite the fact that milk is quickly digested, the digestive system needs rest.

However, it is worth remembering that if the child sleeps for a long time, is very lethargic after waking up, and also reluctantly sucks out milk, there are reasons for concern, since only those who have health problems behave in this way.

Now you know everything about breastfeeding newborns, you are familiar with the rules of feeding and you know what the usefulness of milk depends on. Follow the instructions above, and don't be afraid to go to the doctor once again, especially if you have little experience in this matter.
Do not follow the advice of forum interlocutors or acquaintances, since they are unlikely to have a medical education, and “testing” their advice on a child is not the best option. You don't have to do everything perfectly, but you should always put your baby's needs first so that he grows up healthy and happy.