How often to breastfeed a newborn. What can and cannot be fed to children under three years old - parental mistakes that cost children health

03.08.2019

The benefits of breast milk are many. First, it is a complete meal, it contains all the vitamins, nutrients and fats that a child needs. Secondly, mother's milk is easily digested in the baby's stomach. Thirdly, breastfeeding is also beneficial for the mother herself, as it helps to reduce the uterus to a normal size. In addition to all this, breast milk is always available and.

If possible, breastfeeding should be mandatory. This process will ensure the proper development of the baby, establish emotional contact with him and positively affect the health of the mother.

During breastfeeding, a close and tender relationship is established between mother and baby, bringing satisfaction to both. Such close contact must be established immediately after childbirth, when it is so important to feel safe in an unknown world for him.

Studies have proven that breast milk helps a child develop intellectually. Breastfed babies score better on intelligence tests as they get older than formula-fed babies.

If a nursing mother suddenly falls ill, antibodies begin to be produced in her body. Some, once in the mammary gland, create protective antibodies there that enter the baby's body through milk. These antibodies are protection against many diseases.

Breastfeeding significantly reduces the risk of a baby developing diabetes at an older age. It also reduces the likelihood of obesity and hypertension later in life.

Artificial feeding

Manufacturers of artificial infant formulas try to replicate the composition of breast milk in their product as much as possible. However, it is not yet possible to fully approach the ingenious invention of nature. Formulas lack the components found in natural mother's milk, so some children develop allergies, neuropsychological disorders or digestive disorders.

Artificial mixtures do not contain regulatory peptides (human casein proteins) that the baby needs for proper development.

It is necessary to breastfeed the child as long as possible, up to 1-3 years. The transition to artificial feeding is carried out only in cases where breastfeeding is not possible.

If you ask grandmothers how much to breastfeed, they will argue that breastfeeding should be stopped after a year, since milk loses all its beneficial properties by this time. And why does a child need milk if he is already big and can eat “adult” food.

If you ask pediatricians and breastfeeding specialists how much to breastfeed, they will answer: if breastfeeding does not bring negative emotions to either mother or baby, then it can be continued.

In fact, there is no single answer to the question of how much to breastfeed. It is solved individually and depends, first of all, on the psychological readiness of the child. It is this factor that is the main one when weaning it from the breast. Some of the kids are ready for such a step already by the year, someone - only by 2-2.5 years.

How much to breastfeed: is milk still healthy after a year?

Is there any point in prolonged breastfeeding, and why should we not hurry with weaning?

The widespread belief that after a year there is nothing useful in women's milk is just a delusion. As the child grows older, complementary foods take up more and more space in the baby's menu and become the main source of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The composition of breast milk also changes, adapting to the growing body of the child. The amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in it decreases, but this does not mean at all that milk ceases to be useful. It’s just that other functions come to the fore, namely: providing the baby’s body with immunoglobulins and antibodies to protect against diseases, proteins unique in their structure and properties, as well as trace elements and vitamins important for the crumbs (calcium, folic acid, vitamins A, C, B12 ). Mom, continuing to breastfeed after a year, thereby protects him from infections, because milk still contains immune defense factors: immunoglobulins, lysozyme, interferon, etc., which stimulate the development of the child's own active immunity. Another component of mother's milk - oligosaccharides - contributes to the development of beneficial intestinal microflora of the baby, thereby protecting it from dysbacteriosis and allergies.

Due to the unique proteins of women's milk, which are growth factors for nerve cells, the harmonious development of the child's nervous system continues.

Dentists say that breast milk creates a protective film on the baby's teeth, and protective factors prevent harmful microorganisms from multiplying in the oral cavity, so the teeth of a growing baby are less susceptible to caries.

So, it turns out that breastfeeding after a year contributes to the health of the child and its harmonious development. Therefore, before making a decision to wean, a mother must clearly understand why she is going to do this, and weigh all the positive and negative points.

The most important thing to consider when planning to complete breastfeeding is that after a year, breast milk for a baby is no longer a source of food, but mainly a means of emotional and psychological comfort. Breastfeeding is a means of comfort for the baby, a comfortable calm falling asleep and communication with the mother. In the process of breastfeeding, mother and baby develop a close trusting relationship built on deep affection. Untimely (without taking into account the baby’s readiness) and early weaning can be a strong stress for the child, and the mother, in response to “freedom from feeding”, will receive many “side effects” from the crumbs: whims, a sharp change in mood during the day, various fears , urinary incontinence (enuresis), etc.

How much to breastfeed and when can I wean?

There are favorable and unfavorable periods for weaning, which the mother must be aware of. The best time is considered to be early autumn (September, October) or late spring (April, May). What is the reason for this recommendation? The fact is that during these periods the weather is usually comfortable, and there are no outbreaks of seasonal colds, which means there is less risk that the baby will get sick, having lost "mother's protection". Not the best option to wean a baby from the breast in the summer. Indeed, in the warm season, the risk of contracting intestinal infections increases.

At the same time, it must be remembered that if a mother is going to start taking her child to a kindergarten or a development center, then with the completion of breastfeeding, she must wait until the period of adaptation of the baby to a new place has ended, which on average lasts about 1 month.

Another important condition in order to begin to complete lactation is that the child must be absolutely healthy. If the baby was sick, then at least 3 weeks should pass from the moment of recovery.

How to wean?

No drastic changes. The most correct and gentle way is to gradually reduce the number of attachments to the breast during the day and night. The main task at the first stage is to eliminate breastfeeding “out of boredom” during the day and accustom him to daytime sleep without suckling (nighttime feedings are canceled last). This usually takes 1-2 weeks.

So that the baby does not remember about the breast during the day, the mother should try to captivate him with something: you can come up with new interesting games, read a book, draw, sculpt, etc. Care must be taken not to provoke the child once again and not to remind him of feeding. To do this, the mother does not need to sit down in the usual places for feeding or undress in front of the baby. If the baby asks for a breast, the mother can try to pretend that she did not notice this or did not understand, and offer the child his favorite food.

When the baby is most difficult to part with feedings associated with sleep. Here you need to act very slowly. First you need to try to reduce the time spent at the chest. If the baby usually sucked his breast for 20 minutes before going to bed, now you need to limit yourself to 10, carefully take the breast from him, and explain to the baby in an accessible way that, for example, "the milk is over." After 2-3 days, the feeding time is reduced to 3-5 minutes, and then completely removed.

At the same time, you can lengthen the ritual of preparing for sleep: read a book to the baby longer, tell a new interesting fairy tale, sing songs. You can offer your child to drink milk from a cup.

The task of the mother is to make it clear to the baby that he can sleep peacefully without a breast. But at the same time, it is very important that the baby feels that the trusting and close relationship between him and his mother will not disappear anywhere if he does not suckle the breast.

More attention and tenderness! At the end of breastfeeding, the child goes through a stage of psychological separation from the mother, and she must make every effort to help him with this. It is during this period that it is necessary to pay more attention to the emotional state of the baby: hug and caress him.

If the child has learned to fall asleep during the day "without a breast", it's time to move on to the next stage and gradually abandon attachments at night. If, during weaning, the child becomes more capricious, throws unreasonable tantrums, sleeps restlessly, refuses to eat, it means that he is not yet ready to completely separate from his mother, and the completion of lactation should be postponed for the time being.

Most importantly, when deciding to wean, be patient. It is important to listen to the needs of the child and find the pace of weaning that is comfortable for him.

Is the baby ready for weaning?

How to understand that the child is ready for weaning? You can determine this by the following signs:

The baby has already erupted the main milk teeth, and he eats solid food well.
The baby rarely breastfeeds during the day. There are only feedings before going to bed and after waking up.
The baby stops using the breast for comfort or attention when he is bored and doesn't know what to do. When a child asks for a breast during the day, mom manages to switch his attention and distract him with some interesting activity.

Is mom ready for weaning?

In order for the completion of lactation to proceed painlessly and not cause discomfort to the mother, the so-called involution of lactation must occur, when the mammary gland decreases in size and the amount of milk produced decreases. The breast adapts to long breaks between feedings (12 hours or more), ceases to fill with milk, so the woman does not experience discomfort and desire to express. This usually happens 1.5–2 years after the start of feeding. Weaning at an earlier date with improper completion of lactation can lead to serious consequences. An abrupt cessation of feeding and hormonal changes in the body often cause pain in the chest and the development of lactostasis (milk stagnation).

What can't be done?

You can not wean from the breast if the baby is sick. Together with breast milk, the child receives substances (immunoglobulins, lysozyme, etc.) necessary to fight the disease.
Weaning in summer. In the warm season, the risk of intestinal infections increases, and breast milk protects the baby from diseases.
Interrupt lactation with the help of special medications. Milk suppressants are not harmless, and usually have many side effects, so only a doctor can prescribe them.
Stretch your chest. Doctors do not recommend doing this, as it can provoke blockage of the ducts, the development of edema, stagnation of milk and inflammation of the mammary gland (mastitis).
Leave and leave the child for a few days with relatives. The disappearance of the mother and the cessation of breastfeeding can cause a lot of stress in the crumbs. It is much better for the baby if, during the difficult stage of weaning for him, the closest person, who is the mother, will be next to him.
Smear the nipples with mustard, brilliant green, garlic, etc. For a baby, these repellents are often the cause of severe stress. After all, his mother's breast is associated with pleasure and pleasure. In addition, these folk remedies can cause a burn of the oral mucosa in a child, and in a mother, they can cause a burn or irritation of the delicate skin of the nipple.

Your baby is one year old, his teeth are growing, he is diligently learning to chew food, he has his first taste preferences. However, the common table is still contraindicated for him. What can you feed a child so as not to harm his health? Let's define the basic requirements for baby food.

Healthy eating rules for children under 3 years old: how to feed a child from 1-3 years old?

In a normally developing baby, about twenty teeth should erupt by the age of 2. And this means that the child can no longer only bite off, but also chew food. It is no secret that chewing food contributes to the production of pepsin and hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice, which greatly facilitates the process of its digestion.

Parents know perfectly well that from 1 to 1.5 years old, a child needs to be fed five times a day. Some babies after a year themselves refuse the fifth feeding and move on to four meals a day. You should not worry about this, a healthy baby is able to regulate the number of feedings. During this period, parents should try to gradually replace semi-liquid meals with denser ones. The baby should eat new dishes with a spoon. From the pacifier and bottle should be gradually abandoned.

The nutrition of a one and a half year old crumbs must be balanced, preferably with the help of a nutritionist. The basis of nutrition at this age are products containing animal protein.
For children from 1.5 to 2 years old, the amount of food is approximately 1300 grams per day.
In the 3rd year of life, a baby can eat about 1500 grams of food per day.

How to make a menu for a child 1.5 - 3 years old: table

Products	Norms of food consumption for children 1.5-2 years old / examples of dishes	Norms of food consumption for children 2-3 years old / examples of dishes
Milk/m. products	Daily amount: 500 ml. 5% - cottage cheese - 50 grams. 5 grams - cream 10%. 5 grams - sour cream 10%. biolact, yogurt - 2.5% Dishes: cereals, cottage cheese casseroles, desserts.	Daily amount: not less than 600 ml. 100 grams of cottage cheese 5-10%. 10 grams of cream 10-20%. 10 grams of sour cream - 20%. kefir, yogurt up to 4%. After 2 years, more fatty milk from 2.5 to 3.2% is allowed. Dishes: cereals, cheesecakes, dumplings, desserts.
Meat	Norm: 85-100 grams per day. Beef. Rabbit meat. Veal. The menu may include liver, tongue. Dishes: steam meatballs, stewed cutlets, meat and liver puree, etc.	Norm: 110-120 grams per day. Beef. Veal. Rabbit meat. Lamb meat. Offal. Dishes: steam cutlets, meatballs, finely chopped stew, stew, meat and liver puree.
Fish	The daily norm up to 3 years - 30 grams 1 time per week. Recommended - sea, white fish. You can cook dishes from pollock, cod, hake, tuna. Allowed river fish - trout. Red fish is not desirable, it often causes allergic reactions. You can cook: fish soup with carrots, stewed fish, cutlets, meatballs, etc.	Daily allowance: 50 grams three to four times a week.
Poultry dishes	Children under 2 years old are recommended to include chicken and turkey meat in the menu. Chicken meat is considered more allergenic, so it is recommended to give it no more than twice a week.	You can start giving chicken meat 3 times a week. It is advisable to use only breast - white meat. From it you can cook stewed meatballs, meatballs, meatballs.
Cereal side dishes and cereals	Nutritionists recommend including in the children's menu: buckwheat, oatmeal, millet, barley groats, pearl barley.	Children under three years of age on average can consume up to twenty grams of cereal.
Bakery products	You can use noodles and vermicelli as a side dish for meat dishes. You can also make milk soups from them. However, these products are very high in calories and this should not be forgotten.	You can eat no more than 50 grams of bakery products per day.
Vegetables	They perfectly stimulate the intestines, increase appetite, supply the children's body with vitamins and minerals. The daily norm is not less than 200 grams of vegetables. From vegetables you can cook: cabbage meatballs, carrot cutlets, vegetable stew, etc.	In the daily diet of a 3-year-old child, there should be at least 250 grams of vegetables. Added: tomatoes, squash, green onions and garlic (in small quantities). Children willingly eat radishes, turnips, radishes. Many people like spinach, sorrel. Children willingly gnaw raw vegetables and love a variety of vegetable salads.
Fruit	The norm is at least 200 grams. It is necessary to introduce new fruits and berries in minimal portions so that it is possible to notice possible allergic manifestations in a timely manner. The menu can also include seasonal berries: lingonberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, blackberries, chokeberries, gooseberries. (Little by little).	At the age of three, you can gradually increase the amount of fruits and berries (if they are not allergic). Parents should be aware that: chokeberry, blackcurrant and blueberry can fix stool. Kiwi, apricots, plums act as a laxative. From berries and fruits, you can prepare kissels, juices, compotes, fruit drinks, add them to porridge and desserts.
Healthy sweets and desserts	Dessert should be introduced to the menu only in two years - not earlier! Desserts should be as easy to digest as possible. Pediatricians urge parents not to rush to stuff the kids with sweets. And yet, there are useful sweets for children of this age. For example: baked apple, berry mousse, jelly, cottage cheese and banana soufflé.	In the “sweet tooth” menu at 3 years old, you can add soufflé from apples, carrots and semolina. Children willingly eat cranberry-semolina mousse, plum soufflé and apple marshmallow. Any mom can easily find recipes for these desserts on the Internet.

What not to eat for children under 3 years old: a list, common mistakes of parents

10 main products that are contraindicated for young children:

Any sausages. Almost all manufacturers add preservatives, flavors and dyes to their products.
Seafood, namely: shrimp, crabs, mussels. These seafood in 80% of cases cause allergic reactions in young children.
Pork, lamb, duck and goose meat. The refractory fats contained in these products are poorly digested and adversely affect the digestive tract. May cause pain, flatulence, constipation.
Grapes and melon. These fruits have a bad effect on the pancreas and increase gas formation.
Ice cream. A high level of fat content negatively affects the work of the pancreas. A delicacy adored by children very often becomes.
Honey. A useful product, but, unfortunately, quite often causing allergies.
Fatty milk provokes metabolic problems.
Cakes, chocolate, pastries, cookies. These "snacks" contain a huge amount of harmful food additives.
Cocoa. This drink contains theobromine, an alkaloid. In addition, cocoa is a very fatty drink.
All carbonated drinks - they irritate the digestive tract.
Nutritionists do not recommend three-year-olds to cook soups on any meat broths.
Children are strictly forbidden to give any fast food, chips, salty crackers.
Up to two years, babies should not eat sauerkraut, any pickles, celery, nuts.
Red and black caviar can be given in small doses only after 5 years.
Mushrooms (in any form) are not recommended for children under eight years old, and coffee not earlier than 12 years old.
Most pediatricians believe that sugar should not be added to any dish for children under 3 years old.

A. Mosov, doctor for nutritional hygiene of children and adolescents:

The child should not be given salt and sugar for as long as possible, ideally - up to three years to do without them. Unfortunately, the traditions are such that we ourselves accustom the child to sweet and salty. Therefore, when he comes to kindergarten, he will inevitably come across sweet porridge, sweet tea or cocoa and salt, which is added to almost all dishes. It is not easy to overcome this tradition, so it is better if the child is ready for this and gets used to lightly salted food before kindergarten. I think there will be no problems with sweet porridge and sweet cocoa, since we all have an innate preference for sweet taste.

Honey is essentially the same saturated solution of sugars, although its use instead of sugar is more preferable, since honey contains a number of trace elements and other biologically active substances. However, the beneficial properties of honey are largely an exaggeration. And it is necessary to give it to a child with caution - this product often causes allergies in children.

From 1.5 to 3 years, children are gradually transferred to 4 meals a day. The daily volume of food in children of this age ranges from 1200 to 1500 ml.

Approximate feeding schedule for a 2-3 year old baby

Breakfast - 8.00.

Lunch - 12.00.

Afternoon snack - 15.30.

The duration of feeding should not exceed 30-40 minutes.

The diet of the child is supplemented with new products gradually and always strictly individually. The volume of water for children of this age, according to the Union of Pediatricians, is not strictly established. It all depends on the climatic conditions, the activity of the baby, on the fluid that enters his body during the main meal. Parents should be guided by the needs of the baby.

The main requirements that pediatricians make for the nutrition of children from 1.5 to 3 years old are balance and diversity.

Can children eat semolina?

Not so long ago, semolina porridge was the "main" dish on the children's table. Probably, many people remember the story of V. Yu. Dragunsky “The Secret Becomes Clear”, in which the unfortunate Deniska pours a bowl of semolina on the hat of a citizen who is going to be photographed. It's a pity for the injured hat of the citizen and Denis, whose body did not agree to eat porridge. And he was right to some extent. Modern medicine claims that 2/3 of semolina consists of carbohydrates, namely starch. Therefore, semolina is rather poorly digested. The gluten contained in semolina very often causes allergic reactions in children. Semolina porridge has a high energy value, but it is not rich in useful vitamins. In addition, phytin, which is part of it, prevents calcium, iron and vitamin D from being fully absorbed. Pediatricians do not recommend giving semolina to children under one year old. Of course, it’s a pity for the citizen’s hat from Deniskin’s Tales, but, according to most pediatricians, the protagonist’s act is fully justified. Although, it would be better to feed mom or dad with porridge. An adult organism perfectly perceives semolina, because it cleanses the intestines of mucus and has a beneficial effect on the removal of excess fat. But children's bodies are built differently.

Expert advice

According to the pediatrician-immunologist M.A. Khachaturova - children have a rather sensitive natural reaction to food. If for some reason a child flatly refuses a certain product, you should not force-feed him. Most likely, this product is simply not suitable for the child and should be replaced with another one. And, read on our website in another article.

Doctor M.A. Khachaturova warns parents that if a child has dull hair, nails grow poorly (they break and crumble), he must be urgently shown to a pediatrician and a nutritionist. Most likely, the baby has problems with the intestines and he needs to restore normal microflora. After that, you need to adjust the diet of his diet, and balance the amount of vitamins and minerals in the body.

Pediatrician A. Paretskaya:

When compiling the menu, you need to take into account the norms of daily consumption of products - that is, which products must be given to the baby every day, and which ones - with a certain frequency. For simplicity, we will make a calculation for the week - therefore, we will distribute the products by day. We calculate daily products based on the daily norm, multiplying it by 7 days of the week, the rest - based on the number of doses.

Every day the baby receives milk and dairy products, butter, bread, vegetables, cereals, for some days of the week they distribute, for example, cottage cheese, cheese, fish, sour cream, eggs. It is recommended to give meat and fish at least 5-6 times a week - that is, 4 times meat and 1-2 times fish.

Sometimes it happens that it is impossible to cook all the products planned on the menu. Then you have to resort to replacing the product with an approximately equivalent one. When replacing, it is necessary to take into account the calorie content and nutritional value of the product - that is, replace carbohydrate foods with them, fats with other fats, proteins with other proteins. For example, interchangeable carbohydrates are bread, bakery products, pasta, cereals. From proteins, milk, cottage cheese, meat, fish, cheese are replaceable. From vegetables - potatoes, beets, cabbage, carrots, etc. Fats are interchangeable both vegetable and animal. However, by the end of the week, all quantities of products being replaced are equalized.

Properly formed eating behavior is the key to the future health of your baby.

The desire to breastfeed a child after a year is natural for a loving mother, but often it is this desire that causes doubt and anxiety. The basis of the contradictions is disinformation and the opinion of others. Negative social pressure on the issue of breastfeeding originated in the 20th century, with the advent of equality, a woman's duty was determined not so much by motherhood as by seniority. But if we delve into history, we remember that before children received mother's milk until 2-3 years old, they grew up strong and healthy.

And now let's dwell on this in more detail.

A modern view of specialists on breastfeeding after a year

Not only young and already experienced mothers began to think about the benefits of prolonged breastfeeding. This topic has interested scientists all over the world. The World Health Organization, together with UNICEF, has done serious scientific work on breastfeeding.

Numerous studies have dealt with the composition of breast milk, its changes after a year, the impact on the health and development of the child. The results showed that the lack of breast milk leads to physical and psychological retardation.

Modern scientists reject false theories calling for the end of breastfeeding after a year. It is possible and even necessary to breastfeed a child for two years.

Features of breastfeeding a child after a year

Starting the second year of his life, the baby is actively interested in the outside world, his attention is increasingly attracted to toys, nature, strangers. At this point, it is very important to build the right relationship. Breast milk at this age is a source of nourishment, but not consolation.

A child may ask for a breast from a lack of impressions or from boredom. It is much more important to provide him with impressions, otherwise long feeding will really cause retarded development.

After a year, the baby should be breastfed 2-3 times a day, not counting the night meal.

Pros and Cons of Long Feeding

The main advantage of long-term feeding is the naturalness of the product. Mother's milk does not lose its value after a year, it is a balanced and vitamin nutrition. In the second year of life, the child, along with mother's milk, receives 43% protein, 94% vitamin B2, 75% vitamin A, 60% vitamin C, 36% calcium from the daily norm, as well as a sufficient amount of sodium, potassium, iron,.

The disadvantages of breastfeeding after a year are more likely to lie in the emotional feelings of a woman:

It is possible and even necessary to breastfeed a child for two years.

But these shortcomings are petty compared to the benefits of breastfeeding after a year for the baby and his mother.

Benefits of long feeding for baby

The benefits of prolonged breastfeeding for a child are obvious. The most important advantage is the provision of strong immunity, mother's milk protects the baby from viruses, bacteria, and all kinds of diseases. Milk has a high content of immunoglobulins, antibodies, lysozyme, lactoferrin, this composition strengthens the baby's immune system.

Other benefits of breastfeeding after a year:

Oral Health. Feeding mother's milk and holding the breast solves the problem of malocclusion, and also significantly reduces the risk of developing caries. Teething becomes less painful.
Developed speech apparatus. Correct bite contributes to the normal development of the speech apparatus. Babies who were given milk by their mothers before the age of 2-3 years begin to speak faster and better.
High intelligence and sociability. Long-term feeding has a positive effect on the intelligence of the child. Children who have been fed mother's milk for more than a year develop faster, adapt in society, they are more calm and not capricious.
Allergy Protection. Human milk protects the child from allergies, its composition creates a protective film on the intestinal walls and does not allow allergens to pass into the blood.
emotional connection. Although after a year it is better to regard breast milk only as a source of nutrition, nevertheless, the emotional connection between the child and the mother is very important, in these moments the baby receives support, tenderness, love and care.

Children who are breastfed for more than a year are less likely to catch colds, suffer from otitis, SARS. They are less prone to intestinal infections, as well as orthodontic and speech therapy problems.

For mother

Although emotionally breastfeeding does not always give a woman pleasure, this does not mean that her body suffers from a deficiency of vitamins and minerals. The main supply of nutrients is consumed during pregnancy, while lactation, on the contrary, serves to accumulate them. But there is one condition - proper nutrition. should be avoided.

The lactation period and prolonged breastfeeding have a positive effect on a woman's health:

Rest of the reproductive system. During breastfeeding, one out of three women does not ovulate, this is the best way of contraception and rest of the entire reproductive system.
Cancer Prevention. Long-term breastfeeding reduces the risk of developing malignant tumors in the breast by 55%, is the prevention of ovarian cancer.
Weight loss. Long feeding reduces the weight gained during pregnancy. Milk production consumes up to 500 calories daily.
Prevention of osteoporosis. Prolonged milk production prevents the development of osteoporosis.
Preserving beautiful breasts. If weaning after prolonged feeding occurs at the stage of involution (at 2-3 years), it is possible to maintain a beautiful shape of the breast. This is due to the fact that the glandular tissue is gradually replaced by adipose tissue, preventing the breast from sagging.

Watch a video in which a mother who nursed her daughter after a year shares her experience of long-term feeding:

Medicine has stepped far forward and moved away from the stereotypes of the last century, because the health of children is much more important than status in society and careers. Breastfeeding a baby after a year is useful for both him and his mother, which we have seen.

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

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

Feeding on demand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feeding by the hour

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do I need to wake my baby up for feeding?

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

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

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