All about feeding newborns in the first days of life. Breastfeeding and formula feeding schedule. Correct and complete feeding of a newborn baby

From the first minute of life, it is necessary to provide the child with adequate nutrition for his normal development and growth. Regardless of the way of eating, feeding newborns in the first days should fully satisfy the needs of the child's body in trace elements and vitamins.

Modern medicine practices latching a baby to the mother's breast immediately after birth. In some situations, this cannot be done; in this case, the first attachment occurs 6 hours after delivery.

In maternity hospitals, nursing staff explain the rules of feeding to young mothers. In addition, they teach women how to do it correctly so as not to harm the child and themselves, what position the baby needs to take for feeding and then to regurgitate excess air, the peculiarities of caring for a newborn.

To feed the newborn in the first days, the mother needs to take a comfortable position, sitting or lying down. The baby should be placed on his hands so that the head rests on the forearm. You do not need to bend over the baby, you need to bring it to your chest.

With the other hand, you need to lean your chest against the baby's mouth. When he opens it, you need to offer a breast. The child should grasp the mammary gland in such a way that its entire halo is in the mouth, and the nipple lies on the tongue. When breastfeeding, it should pay attention to the newborn's ability to breathe through the nose.

While sucking, you should monitor the baby. He should make a sucking movement, which is accompanied by characteristic sounds of food absorption.

It is necessary to complete feeding per day by pulling the nipple out of the baby's mouth with a gentle movement. Then it must be slightly removed from the chest.

Breastfeeding the first day of life

First breastfeeding occurs after several hours of the baby's life. Initially, not milk is released from the breast, but colostrum, which is thicker in consistency. Colostrum is ideal for a baby after childbirth. Indeed, in the womb, he ate in a different way, and his digestive system is not prepared to accept a large amount of food. It contains many trace elements that help normalize the intestinal microflora and strengthen the immune system.

The key to proper feeding of a newborn in the first days of life is correct attachment to the breast. He must grab the entire halo of the breast with his mouth and begin to suck her milk liquid.

3-5 days after giving birth, colostrum begins to turn into breast milk. In order for milk to be enough and unpleasant sensations do not arise in the mammary gland, it is necessary to periodically express. In order to get rid of painful sensations during breastfeeding, you should first soften the breast with massage movements.

You also need to adhere to these rules:

  • correct attachment of the baby to the breast;
  • frequent and prolonged feeding;
  • use both breasts;
  • take a comfortable position.

In some cases, the baby is never able to properly latch onto the breast. As a result, mom has to stop breastfeeding and switch to artificial.

In the early days, there is a problem with the correct choice of baby food. It is denser in consistency and different from breast milk, so it will take longer for your baby's digestive system to process it.

It is necessary to maintain a time interval of 3.5 hours between meals. During this time, baby food will be processed and absorbed by the body.

With artificial feeding a newborn in the first days it is necessary to strictly observe the dosage of food in grams and monitor its consistency. You don't need to overfeed your baby. In addition, it is necessary to observe the cleanliness of children's dishes, to sterilize them.

Baby food should be at a certain temperature so as not to damage the baby's digestive organs.

In the early days for feeding, the newborn should be placed in a prone position, a bottle should be placed in his mouth and held at an angle so that he can easily absorb fluid.

Feeding in the early days schedule

Schedule food intake for newborns depends on the way of feeding.

When breastfeeding, the schedule is established by the baby's need for food intake. Depending on his age, the gap between meals ranges from one hour to six.

The frequency is about 7 times per knock, that is, approximately every three hours. At night, you should not wake the baby up and force him to eat. If the child needs food, he will wake up and let him know about it.

With the normal development of the child, the period between meals increases to 4 hours. If this time interval is within 2 hours, this indicates that the baby is not eating enough and it is necessary to increase the amount of food. In case colic begins, it is recommended to use dill water.

With the right approach, after a few weeks, the child develops a meal schedule.

When a baby is bottle-fed, you must strictly adhere to the schedule. Three hours should pass between meals. If the child is asleep or does not require food, you do not need to force and force feed him. The number of meals for these children is about 7 times every 24 hours.

With this method of nutrition, you must carefully adhere to the norms and portion size. For newborns, this amount is about 60 grams. With further development, this number changes and depends on the age of the baby.

First time feeding after a cesarean section

When labor ends with a caesarean section, breastfeeding problems arise. In this case, there is no way to feed the baby a few hours after giving birth, because cop happens under anesthesia and it will take my mom some time to recover.

After caesarean breastfeeding is more difficult and requires more effort than after a natural birth. In this case, you need to follow some recommendations:

  1. After stabilizing the condition of the woman in labor, you need to apply the baby to the breast;
  2. If the baby sleeps during the feeding period, you do not need to be afraid to wake him up. The main task in this case is to develop the sucking reflex in the newborn and to activate the flow of milk.
  3. After feeding the newborn, drowsiness and lethargy may occur in the first days. After the cop, it's okay.
  4. In the first days of life, it is not recommended to use sweet water or tea for feeding. This can provoke a baby's refusal to breastfeed.

If the baby is separated from the mother to establish a breast feeding newborns in the early days you must express colostrum from both breasts. When dating a baby, it is necessary to regularly offer him the breast, and it is better to give expressed colostrum from a spoon.

Feeding a newborn in the first days after the hospital at home

After the maternity hospital, the baby needs to adapt to the home atmosphere. Mom should change clothes, clothes and wash off the smell of the hospital from her body. For water procedures, it is advisable to give preference to a shower without the use of scented products, it is better to use soap.

For feeding a newborn in the first days At home, you must follow the rules of hygiene: wash your hands and breasts thoroughly with soap and water.

Before directly applying the baby to the breast, it is recommended to express a few drops of milk, which may contain pathogenic microorganisms.

The duration of feeding is about 20 minutes, but for the first time days it can reach half an hour. For feeding, the mother needs to take a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, so that the process does not bring discomfort. When the baby has eaten, he must be placed in an upright position until he regurgitates the air that was caught during feeding.

Do not panic if the amount of milk at home has slightly decreased. This is a temporary phenomenon as a result of a stressful situation. After a few days at home, the volume of breast milk will be restored.

The first feeding of newborns Komarovsky video

Breast milk is the most energetic, rich in trace elements and vitamins, easily digestible food. Breastfeeding helps to normalize digestive processes, strengthen the immune system, normal development and growth of the baby.

For feeding newborns in the early days, Dr. Komarovsky identifies several options:

  1. Feeding with strict adherence to temporary breaks, which are 3-3.5 hours.
  2. On demand, that is, with crying or sucking movements.
  3. A free option is to feed the child throughout the day with a break of 2-3 hours.

When breastfeeding, the baby should be applied to the breast after a few hours. In the first days, the mammary gland produces colostrum, which becomes milk after 2-3 days. It is necessary to ensure that he captures the entire nipple halo with his mouth.

A video with the recommendations of Dr. Komarovsky can become a visual aid for caring for a child for the first days of life.

With proper observance of all the rules, according to him, by the year of life, the child will develop a clear schedule for eating, sleeping, walking.

Save your information.

It is necessary to feed him as often as he asks for. Let this happen every hour, but as soon as the baby smacked his lips in search of food, he should immediately get what he wants. You should not bring the child to screaming. If he is crying for another reason, you need to first calm down, and then start feeding. Otherwise, having swallowed air, the baby will regurgitate all the food or suffer from colic.

Food is of the utmost importance. We can say that this is his only joy. If the vital needs of the baby are satisfied on demand, he will quickly understand that the world around him is quite comfortable and friendly. Constantly feeling that mom and food are always there, the child will become calmer. The intervals between meals will gradually increase, and you can smoothly develop a suitable diet.

The feeding process should be pleasant not only for the child, but also for the mother. This is a very important moment, a kind of sacrament. It is necessary to push away all negative emotions, because the newborn is very sensitive to the slightest nuances in the mood of the mother. At first, it is better to feed the baby lying down. When mom gets stronger after childbirth, you can comfortably sit in a chair, put a pillow under your back, and put a chair or a bench under your feet.

Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before feeding. Then you should express a small amount of milk and wash the nipple with it to protect the baby from excess germs and bacteria. Make sure that the baby grasps the nipple along with the areola. This will help prevent air from being swallowed.

If the mother is in pain, or the baby smacks his lips loudly and clicks his tongue, then the baby has picked up the nipple incorrectly. You need to gently pull the breast out of your mouth and try again. During feeding, only the sounds of swallowing and satisfied sniffing should be heard. Each child has its own time for saturation. Some suckle actively, while some babies are lazy and do it slowly.

After feeding, you need to hold the baby in an upright position for some time. You need to give him the opportunity to regurgitate air. After that, put it in the crib, but always on the barrel. You can put a rolled up diaper under the backrest. Perhaps the baby will vomit some food. Sitting on the side will prevent him from choking. When feeding from a bottle, the steps are similar. You should only follow the instructions for preparing the mixture, adjust the size of the nipple opening and do not offer the remaining mixture a second time.

Correct feeding will ensure the well-being of the baby, mother and a calm environment in the family.

As a rule, this is inherent in the baby during the days and weeks of life. A child can stay at the breast for a long time only because he feels more comfortable. For example, if feeding lasts about an hour, this does not mean at all that the baby is actively sucking all this time. The baby manages to sleep during the short intervals between sucking, but at this time he does not release the breast. It is important that the child can suck as much as he needs, since the implementation of the sucking reflex determines the good development of the baby's nervous system.

Babies: exceptions to the rule.

The older the baby, the better it wears long intervals between feedings. Some breastfed children, at the age of about six months, themselves establish such a feeding regime when the breaks between meals are 3.5-4 hours. Also, some babies already at the age of 2 months and older can do without night feeding, withstanding a 6-hour night break. It would be wrong to force every such kid to eat at night. If the child is healthy, the mother's lactation is good and the baby is clearly saturated with milk during the evening feedings, one can agree with his regime. But minimal suspicion of a decrease in the amount of milk should be accompanied by more frequent breastfeeding, as well as a return to night feedings.

How to feed the "artificial"?

Since the milk mixture is retained in the child's gastrointestinal tract for a longer time in comparison with ore milk, it is quite natural that artificial children are usually recommended to be fed more rarely. These are just those babies who, as a rule, can be fed "by the hour". So, up to 3 months of age, they receive the volume of milk mixture necessary for a single feeding every 3 hours, i.e. feed 7 times a day (approximately - at 6, 9, 12, 15 hours, etc. up to 24 hours, followed by a 6-hour night break). Then, before the introduction of the first complementary foods, the “artificial” child feeds 6 times a day every 3.5 hours (for example, at 6, 9.30, 13, 16.30, 20, 23.30). And after the introduction of the first complementary foods, the frequency of feeding is 5 times a day after 4 hours (for example, at 6, .0. 14, 18 and 22 hours). Infants receiving formula milk usually do not require special nighttime feeding. The exception is babies in the first two weeks of life.

These recommendations apply to healthy full-term babies who, for one reason or another, cannot receive breast milk. If, in the opinion of the pediatrician advising the child, there is a need to change the feeding regime, for example, to make them smaller in volume, but more frequent, including with the introduction of night feeding, you should heed the advice of a specialist.

Milk volume for a baby 1-10 days

The daily amount of food for a healthy full-term baby at the age of the first 7-10 days can be calculated using the Finkelstein formula:

Daily milk volume = 70 x n or 80 x n, where n is the day of the newborn's life.

The coefficient 70 is substituted into the formula in the case of the weight of the child at birth less than 3200 g, the coefficient 80 if the weight is more than 3200 g.

Food volume for a baby 10 days - 6 months

The daily amount of food required for a child with average body mass is at the age of 10-14 days to 2 months 1/5 of the mass, from 2 to 4 months - 1/6 of the mass, from 4 to 6 months - 1/7 mass.

By the age of six months, the baby should receive about 900-950 ml of milk (or mixture) per day.

Periodic calculation of the daily and one-time food volume is necessary for children who are bottle-fed. With the age of the child, his needs for the amount of food received increase, so it is important that the baby receives an adequate amount of the formula. If a healthy child receives a standard adapted formula in the proper amount, then it can be assumed with sufficient confidence that all the necessary nutritional ingredients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) are supplied to him. Calculation for individual components, as a rule, is not required in this case.

Do I need to calculate nutrition for babies?

Usually, there is no need to calculate the amount of feedings (both one-time and in general per day) for a breastfed baby if he receives breast on demand and if he does not have reliable or several indirect signs of malnutrition.

Significant signs include weight gain and urinary frequency. A healthy full-term infant in the first 6 months of life should gain at least 500 g per month, or 125 g per week. If this condition is not met, a nursing woman first of all needs a doctor's consultation. Evaluation of the frequency of urination is also very important for judging the adequacy of food. So, a child who is exclusively breastfed and receives a sufficient amount of milk, urinates at least 6 times a day, and his urine is unconcentrated (i.e. light, without a strong odor). The exception is children of the first three days of life, who can normally urinate less frequently.

In addition, there are a number of indirect signs by which one can judge whether a child has enough mother's milk. So, if the baby requires breast too often, sucks for a very long time, often cries and looks dissatisfied at the same time, then there is an assumption of insufficient lactation.

Calculation of the volume of a single feeding is sometimes needed in the case of feeding a baby with expressed milk. If a woman during lactation decides to resume her studies or work, the best option for the baby is to feed with expressed breast milk. The person who will take care of the child in the absence of the mother (it can be a grandma or a nanny) must give the child a certain amount of milk previously expressed by the mother several times a day.

What else should a baby get in nutrition?

There is no need to give the baby any food other than breast milk until the age of 6 months. This is a unique food product that, in most cases, provides everything a baby of this age needs with everything. Starting from six months, a baby-infant will receive, in addition to milk, other food necessary for age.

For children who receive milk formulas for various reasons, complementary foods are introduced no earlier than 4.5, but also no later than 6 months (when the initial body weight is doubled).

Special situations

If the baby was born prematurely or has any serious illness, the approach to his nutrition should be individual and very responsible. The choice of the type and method of nutrition is determined by the doctor, based on the characteristics of the child's condition. The calculation of the required volume of food, as well as the timing of the introduction of other products, except milk or mixture, will also be individual.

Most women understand the benefits of breastfeeding and want to breastfeed their babies. However, in some cases, desire alone is not enough. In this article, we will share information that will help you establish breastfeeding from the very first days so that the process feeding baby brought only joy.

Preparing for breastfeeding.

Often, mothers expecting a baby to be born hear the opinion that you need to prepare for breastfeeding , what is important prepare yourself and your breasts for breastfeeding ... How can this be done? Let's say right away that rubbing the breasts, massaging the nipples, putting coarse fabrics in underwear and other ways of “strengthening” the skin of the nipples in no way affect the quality of further breastfeeding. And on the contrary, such actions are extremely undesirable, because excessive breast stimulation in late pregnancy can, in some cases, lead to premature birth. Just believe that nature has already done everything for you! Our body is already a perfect instrument and there is no need to prepare the breast for the natural process in any special way.

Perhaps one of the most important moments in preparing for successful breastfeeding will be to enlist the support of your family and friends, experienced in breastfeeding girlfriends - in the present or in the past successfully nursing mothers. It would be helpful to visit in your city. In addition, it is advisable to study all kinds of up-to-date information on breastfeeding ... And after giving birth, it is impossible to overestimate the help of the family - it is she who is of great importance so that the first time a nursing mother can devote maximum time to her baby and the establishment of breastfeeding.

First attachment to the chest.

So, the baby was born! What happens next? Usually the baby is immediately laid out on the mother's stomach and left to lie there for a while, allowing him to enjoy the first meeting "live". This is a very important moment for both mom and baby. After resting after childbirth, the baby begins to look for the breast and clings to it. The entire process can take up to 40 minutes or more. Therefore, it is advisable not to rush if the conditions in the hospital allow. For mums, breastfeeding early helps the uterus begin to contract, which reduces the risk of inflammation and PPH. In the early days, due to uterine contractions under the influence of oxytocin, you may feel something like labor pains (of course, much less severe and less painful), while the baby is sucking.

Of course, it is very desirable to control the child when first attachment .
This will allow:

  • avoid painful abrasions and cracks on the mother's chest;
  • enjoy the process of breastfeeding without discomfort;
  • prevent engorgement and swelling of the breast at the time of the arrival of milk;
  • to ensure good separation of colostrum, and then stable milk production in the amount needed by the baby.

If the birth did not go as planned, or a cesarean section was performed and the first attachment of the baby happened later than we would like - do not be discouraged! You will still have the opportunity to attach your baby to your breast and organize breastfeeding properly. In any case, no matter what difficulties arise, everyone Problems can be resolved, especially with the help of an experienced one.

The first days of breastfeeding.

Many mothers immediately after childbirth begin to worry about the following questions: "When will the milk come?" "What will I feed my baby if the milk does not come right away?"

Indeed, milk usually does not come immediately, but from 3 to 7 days after childbirth (this may be accompanied by heaviness, soreness, swelling of the mammary glands). And immediately after childbirth, the breast begins to exude colostrum - a sticky liquid in a small volume. Colostrum is a valuable liquid, rich in anti-infectious factors, antibodies, oligosaccharides (playing the role of prebiotics), vitamins. Colostrum volume on the first day it is from 10 ml, and by the third day its volume increases to about 100 ml. It is no coincidence that colostrum has such a small volume, because the body of a newborn cannot yet cope with a large amount of nutrition. However, despite such a small volume, this first food contains all the necessary nutrients (for example, the protein content of colostrum is 14%, which is about three times the amount of protein in mature milk). Therefore, newborns, as a rule, absolutely do not need supplementary feeding!

In the early days, all babies lose weight. This is definitely a worrying moment for parents. But even that doesn't mean that the child is starving : such weight loss is physiological and natural for a newborn baby - it is associated with the loss of fluid by the baby during breathing, evaporation through the skin, with urine and meconium. The norm is a weight loss by no more than 10% of the initial body weight, and by 10-14 days of life, with adequate nutrition, the baby's weight at birth is restored and weight gain begins.

So, it is completely natural for a baby to be with mom from the very first days after giving birth. Mom and baby learn to interact with each other, and frequent breast sucking gives a good start successful feeding ... What does "frequent sucking" mean? feeding on demand ? Many mothers say: "I feed on demand, every 2-3 hours." However, a healthy full-term newborn usually wants to breastfeed more often - normally, a newborn is applied to the breast on average 12-15 times per day.

Try not to miss the first baby signals who wants to kiss the breast, for example, such as:

  • winding the head from side to side;
  • protruding the tongue;
  • sucking on fists;
  • groaning;
  • crying is the last signal that a desperate baby gives to mom. It is important to remember that a calm baby will take the breast most correctly, and it will be more difficult to attach a screaming, choking crying baby.

There is also feeding "at the request of the mother" ... This means that it is better for the mother to wake up the child if he sleeps for more than 2 - 2.5 hours. It happens that children begin to sleep a lot and have difficulty waking up from weakness. Ultimately, this is often followed by weight loss of the child and / or stagnation in the breast, a decrease in the amount of milk in the mother.

Try not to shift your baby frequently from one breast to the other. Prolonged sucking on one breast (20-40 minutes) will allow the baby to get to hind milk - more fatty and high-calorie. It is normal for the baby to suck and pause for the first time with the breast in the mouth. When he is satisfied, he will let go of his chest.

Items such as bottles and pacifiers interfere with breastfeeding. The fact is that a baby sucks a bottle in a completely different way from a breast. Breast sucking is labor for the baby. It is much easier to get food from any bottle (even anatomical, orthodontic and any modern one). It is noticed that after meeting with a bottle or pacifier babies start to get nervous at the breast , and in some cases in general.

With proper organization of breastfeeding, there is no need for regular breastfeeding. You do not need to be afraid of stagnant milk if you watch how the baby lasts for the breast and feed him on demand. Moreover, regular pumping can just lead to (after all, more and more milk will be formed, and the child will not cope with it).

At the end of the article, I would like to say that the birth of a child is the greatest joy. And at the same time, caring for a child is a lot of work, especially for the parents of the first baby. Be prepared for the fact that not everything will turn out as you imagined or not as it is written in the book. The main thing is not to be alone with your difficulties, not to be ashamed to seek help from grandmothers, relatives, friends. Now more than ever you have every right to do so! Well, the difficulties in feeding the baby will always help to overcome ours.

Daria Feldsherova, breastfeeding consultant
(edited by Alena Korotkova, psychologist, breastfeeding consultant)

Nine months of waiting is a thing of the past. The painful long process of childbirth is also behind. An important event took place - the birth of a new person. The baby just recently lived in my mother’s tummy, and then they went through the whole difficult process of childbirth together. And now the baby, driven by instincts, is mastering a new reality. The first feeding of the baby after childbirth occurs, as a rule, in the delivery room, a few minutes after birth.

Mom experiences feelings of tenderness and admires when the baby greedily begins to suck on the breast. At the same time, on her shoulders lies a huge responsibility for the health and life of the little man.

The importance of latching on to the breast immediately after childbirth

It is hardly possible to exaggerate the importance of the speedy attachment of a newly born baby to the breast. Every woman in labor should try and do everything possible to make this happen as soon as possible. This is necessary in order to:

  • The baby's postpartum stress has eased. When a baby, starting his life, is next to his mother, sucking on her breast, he instinctively calms down, feeling safety next to his mother's body.
  • The placenta was safely separated. Sucking on the breast by a baby is a kind of stimulation of the production of the hormone oxytocin. Under its influence, the uterus begins to contract, and this is normal. After prolonged feeding, women sometimes feel severe pain in the lower abdomen. This pain is a sign that the uterus continues to contract.
  • Milk, or rather colostrum, began to be produced. As you know, colostrum appears even during pregnancy, but in small quantities. After giving birth, it is very important to feed the baby for the first time as soon as possible in order to start the lactation process.
  • The child's digestion process started. Colostrum has a beneficial effect on the digestive system of newborns, under its influence the body is freed from meconium, and the intestinal microflora is populated with beneficial bacteria.

The value of the first drops of colostrum

Colostrum is the first milk, a very valuable and nutritious product. Despite the fact that colostrum is initially produced little, its nutritional value is great, since it contains a huge amount of nutrients in high concentration.

Colostrum seems to cover the walls of the stomach and intestines with a protective layer, preventing further from disorders and intestinal colic.

This is why it is important when starting breastfeeding that you do your best to give your baby colostrum immediately after delivery.

It would seem that there is nothing easier than attaching a baby to the breast, but in practice, many newly-made mothers face certain difficulties. For example, a small baby may refuse to breastfeed. Breastfeeding technique in such situations becomes an overwhelming science.

The further fate of lactation depends on the correct attachment of the baby to the breast. It is very important that the child quickly learns how to suck milk correctly, because incorrect, so-called nipple sucking, leads to injuries and cracks in the nipples. Cracks, in turn, cause a lot of discomfort to a woman, for whom each feeding becomes a test due to severe pain. In addition, due to improper latching of the breast, milk stagnation may form in a nursing mother.

Unfortunately, not all babies are equally good at sucking on the chest. But what if the first breastfeeding came out lumpy? It is best to contact the maternity hospital staff first. Each postpartum unit has a breastfeeding specialist. This could be a midwife or pediatric nurse dedicated to teaching new mothers the basics of hepatitis B. It is these health workers who will tell you how to properly start feeding.

How to help your baby to breastfeed for the first time

From the very beginning, it is important to find a position that is comfortable for mom and baby (sitting or lying on your side). For added comfort, you can use the pillows.

The chest should be gently supported with one hand. The thumb is on top of the chest, and all the rest are on the bottom. You need to squeeze the nipple slightly. When the child is near the bust, he begins to actively open his mouth in search of food. If this does not happen, you can run the nipple over his lower lip. The mouth will open instinctively. With the other hand, you need to hold the crumbs. To keep his head from spinning, you should gently hold it against the mammary gland.

Difficulty with the first attachment of the baby

Possible problems during the first application and how to overcome them:

  • At the first meeting with his mother, the child is active, looking for a nipple with his mouth, but, grabbing it, immediately releases... The baby is probably turning his head too actively and loses his mother's nipple. To help the baby, you need to hold his head, fix it right at the chest, holding it at the neck.
  • Breast filled with milk, baby, eating, chokes... When there is a lot of milk in the breast, it is hard and tight. Of course, it is difficult for a baby to grab hold of it. And a strong stream of milk is difficult for a newborn to cope with. In such a situation, the feeding position should be changed. If you put the baby on top, on the chest, then he will no longer choke. Full breasts can be flattened a little before the first feed to help soften them.
  • The baby is constantly losing breast, while the mother has flat or inverted nipples... The beginning of GW in such a situation will become difficult, but not for long. A healthy baby will definitely learn to suck on a non-standard nipple. After a while, the nipple will stretch out, it will become even easier to suck. If the baby does not want to take a flat nipple at all, silicone tips can come to the rescue. It is a little harder to pull milk out of them, but this method still helps many.

Reasons for refusing the first feed

Initially, it is important to determine why the newborn does not want to suckle mother's breast. The reasons can be different:

  1. Attachment too early. Childbirth is a colossal load not only on the mother's body, but also on the baby's body. He experienced a lot of stress while going through the birth canal. Now, after birth, he needs a little break to rest. Thus, the baby may not take the breast 10 minutes after birth, and after half an hour he will greedily suck it.
  2. The child does not understand how to handle the mother's breast. It seems to a young mother that her baby is turning away from the bust, but in fact, he probably turns his head in search of food. At the beginning of lactation, you need to help the child, teach him to "stick". Newborns have a sucking reflex, but they still do not know how to control their bodies.
  3. Weak sucking reflex seen in some babies. The baby simply does not have the strength to eat. After all, a child needs to make a lot of effort to suck on the breast. And if the baby was born premature, low in weight, sick, or simply weakened from prolonged labor, then he has practically no strength to suck. How to start breastfeeding such weakened babies? You will probably have to give them time to get stronger. The first days of life, weak children are fed from a bottle. From it, the milk itself pours into the mouth, you do not need to make a lot of efforts. During this time, the mother should express her milk (colostrum) and give it to bottle feed the baby. It is advisable to try breastfeeding before each feeding. Perhaps a hungry baby will finally breastfeed. But there is also the possibility that he will soon get used to the nipple and will not want to suck on his mother's breast anymore.
  4. After prolonged separation, the baby may also show breastfeeding. When the mother and child are separated in the hospital, the baby is bottle-fed with formula. The nursing staff, unfortunately, do not always take care of breastfeeding. The breast sucking technique and the nipple are different. Nipple sucking uses different muscles than breast sucking. In addition, the smell and taste of breast milk and formula are also different. The process of teaching the baby to breast, after the baby is used to the bottle, will require a lot of patience and strength from the woman.

In what cases you should not rush to the first attachment

Sometimes you have to postpone the first attachment to the breast:

It will be necessary to postpone the first feeding when a woman has complications and needs to undergo certain manipulations or treatment.

The first breastfeeding is postponed when the baby is born weak and needs to be supervised by nursing staff.

  • You should not give your baby two breasts at a time. You need to empty one breast first, and leave the other for the next feeding.
  • It is important to ensure proper sucking. The infant suckles correctly when the breast is stretched. If the baby smacks his lips, then the sucking technique is wrong. He grasped only the edge of the nipple with his mouth, but you need to capture the entire nipple with the areola. After the first time of such improper feeding, the woman experiences painful sensations, as small cracks appear on the nipples.
  • After feeding, the baby should be given a posture "column" in order to release the air that got into the stomach at the time of sucking. As soon as the baby spits up, it can be settled horizontally. If you do not allow air to escape, the baby will soon suffer from pain in the tummy.
  • Often, babies do not know the measure and suck milk for a long time, using the feeding as sucking on a pacifier. Excess milk expands the ventricle, which makes the baby naughty. Therefore, during feedings, it is advisable to take 2-3 breaks. So the baby will soon realize that he is full and will release his breast.
  • Getting started breastfeeding for new mums is hard science. So, many make the mistake of literally pulling the nipple out of the baby's mouth right after feeding. Doing so can damage the nipple. It is better to use the following technique: after feeding, put a clean finger in the baby's mouth, he will immediately release the breast.
  • When feeding is just beginning, it may seem to a young mother that she does not have enough breast milk, and she begins to feed the baby with formula. The supplementary feeding process only aggravates the milk shortage. Indeed, in order to increase the amount of milk, it is necessary to increase the frequency of the baby's latching to the breast. And when the baby uses additional food - a mixture - the need for mother's milk gradually disappears.

Do not panic and worry if the baby was not allowed to suck on the breast in the delivery room. Breastfeeding will definitely improve over the next days. And if there are any problems or questions, it is better to seek advice from a doctor or a hepatitis B specialist.

Check out the advice of Dr. Komarovsky: