The perfect food for your baby: breastfeeding. Why should you breastfeed? How often should a newborn be breastfed?

Every woman dreams of giving her child the best of what is available to her, whether it be clothes, treatment or education. When it comes to nutrition, most have no doubt that for a baby from the first months of life there is nothing better and healthier than breast milk. In addition, it is available to absolutely everyone.

However, in practice, it often happens that due to certain difficulties that have arisen when trying to establish lactation, as well as due to following outdated recommendations, the process is in jeopardy, or even completely disappears.

It happens that mom comes to terms with this quite easily. Indeed, in advertising of modern adapted mixtures, it is gradually stated that they are only slightly inferior to breast milk. However, the World Health Organization has a different opinion on this matter.

For many years, everything possible has been done so that women in different countries are aware of the indispensability of breast milk for the baby(this is confirmed by numerous studies), and health workers support them in the desire to breastfeed and provide assistance if necessary.

Unfortunately, in our country, the culture of breastfeeding is just beginning to revive, and not everyone has the information about how important it is to succeed in this seemingly natural process, and how to achieve it.

Including, doctors in maternity hospitals and children's clinics do not always know how to establish breastfeeding, how to help in a given situation.

Therefore, the expectant or accomplished mother will have to take the initiative into her own hands and independently seek information (we will try to give the main tips in this article), and if necessary, helpers who have positive experience in this female art.

Why is breastfeeding worth the effort?

• Breast milk contains the necessary substances for the growth and development of all organs and systems of the baby, and vitamins and minerals are in the form in which they are very easily absorbed by the child's body, unlike the components of the mixture. In addition, the mixture reproduces the composition of this natural elixir only in part.
• It contains immune factors that protect the fragile body of the baby from many infections, especially gastrointestinal, as well as respiratory. If a mother is ill, antibodies to the causative agent of her disease enter the baby's body through feeding and protect him, therefore, most likely, he will not become infected. And if the baby is sick, then breast milk changes its properties, contributing to its speedy recovery.
• Children who have been breastfed for more than nine months are less prone to otitis media and other ENT diseases in the future.
• Breast milk protects your baby from allergies and, according to some reports, from inflammatory bowel disease and certain types of cancer.
• The bifidus factor contributes to the formation of a healthy intestinal microflora of the baby, and the components of colostrum help the epithelium of the digestive tract to quickly prepare for work.
• Later, breastfed people are less likely to be obese and perform better on intelligence tests.
• Breastfeeding provides not only the baby's need for nutrition, but also tactile contact, affection and care, establishes a strong bond with mom, is usually a reliable way to calm the baby and put him to sleep.
• Milk in the breast is sterile, it does not need to be heated, it is always with you. Breastfeeding eliminates unnecessary hassle and significant material costs.
• Breastfeeding is good for the mother's body: it helps to contract the uterus after childbirth, restore weight, and also reduces the likelihood of developing breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.
• For some, the contraceptive effect will be a plus, which is quite reliable as long as the child does not receive any other food than breast milk and is fed on demand.

Of course, it is not necessary for an individual infant to be healthier and happier than its formula-fed peer. But he will definitely feel better than if he had not been breastfed.

The right attitude is the key to success

One of the important factors for successful lactation, doctors consider the so-called dominant breastfeeding. This concept includes the mother's conviction that it is necessary to breastfeed (we hope that the previous section of the article contributed to this), as well as her confidence that she will be able to feed her baby.

Often women are afraid that they will not receive milk or that its quantity will be insufficient.

There is good news about this: only about 3-5% of mothers suffer from true hypogalactia, that is, a lack of milk.

This may be due to anatomical features, breast surgery and diseases that affect hormone production.

In other cases, the baby will have enough milk, and if problems arise, they can be solved by properly organizing breastfeeding. You will definitely succeed!

Childbirth: the more natural, the better

If you are just getting ready to become a mother, keep in mind that interventions in the birth process, such as induction of labor, drug anesthesia and, of course, caesarean section, sometimes do not allow you to quickly establish feeding, as they negatively affect the condition of the newborn, his reflexes . Therefore, after such childbirth, he may not immediately take the breast.

WHO recommends minimizing the practice of artificially induced birth, as well as caesarean section. According to this organization, the real need for surgical childbirth occurs in 10-15% of cases, and medical stimulation - less than 10%, while in our country it occurs all the time.

If it is possible to choose a maternity hospital and a doctor in advance, it is worth finding out what the views of this obstetrician-gynecologist on the management of childbirth are, whether he has frequent cases of stimulation and caesarean section.

When you find the right doctor, try to make a plan for childbirth with him, discuss in advance what you will do in various situations. It happens that, indeed, one cannot do without interventions, but they must be exceptionally justified.

When choosing a maternity hospital, additional advantages in favor of one or another institution may be the possibility of free behavior during childbirth (including taking a shower or bath in the first period), as well as vertical childbirth. All this contributes to the softest and most natural birth of the baby.

What is important to do after childbirth

In principle, if the birth was not medical, the newborn is able after some time, imagine, to crawl to the breast and take it (colostrum smells like amniotic fluid and therefore attracts him). But this requires a lot of stress on the baby, so, of course, it is better to help him a little.

The more the newborn is on the naked mother's belly and chest, the better. If the newly-made mother is covered with a blanket with the baby, there will be no risk of hypothermia, and the child will warm up better than in an incubator.

In general, the joint stay of a mother with a baby in the hospital is a very important moment for establishing lactation. This allows the newborn to apply as many times and suck on time as much as he needs.

In addition to the fact that the baby needs colostrum for nutrition and protection against infections, in the first days after birth, a kind of “programming” of the breast for the entire lactation period takes place: the more the baby sucks, the more milk the mother will have and the longer she will be able to feed.

Keep in mind that colostrum fully satisfies the baby's need for food and drink, he does not need to drink water or formula.

Supplementation is especially dangerous because it can cause an allergy to cow's milk protein contained in the mixture, as well as provoke intestinal dysbiosis. In such a situation, the microflora will be restored after about a month of exclusive breastfeeding.

With all this in mind, when choosing a maternity hospital, consider choosing one of the facilities that received the title of "Baby Friendly Hospital" from WHO. The staff of such a hospital must be aware of how to establish lactation, and not advise supplementary feeding or supplementation without strict medical necessity.

Cohabitation is practiced in many other maternity hospitals, so modern mothers are much more likely to successfully start breastfeeding than the previous generation. However, in the case of a separate stay, everything can be adjusted, just sometimes it requires a little more effort.

Feeding after caesarean section

If you are having a surgical delivery, try to arrange for it to go through. under epidural anesthesia. Its advantages are not only that you will be aware of what is happening during childbirth, but also that the baby can be immediately attached to the breast. Ask the medical staff about it.

After general anesthesia, the baby should be fed as soon as the mother regains consciousness, but you may have to wait about four hours, according to domestic recommendations.

It would be best if the baby is left with you in the ward, and at the same time someone close to you can be nearby and help (some maternity hospitals offer the “Home birth” service, which allows the baby’s dad or grandmother to be with him and the young mother around the clock).

We put the baby to the breast

Before feeding the baby, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water, but you should not do the same with your breasts (otherwise nipple cracks may occur), it is enough to wash it with water once a day.

A very comfortable position for applying a newborn, and even a grown child, is the so-called “relaxed feeding”. Mom half-sitting, reclining, leaning back on the pillows that serve as a support for her back and shoulders.

The baby in one diaper is on the mother’s bare chest (skin-to-skin contact is important), you can hold him by the back and shoulders. Do not rush the child to take the breast, it is better to wait until he starts looking for her, then it makes sense to help a little.

If the baby takes the breast, sucks, and it does not hurt you, or it hurts only in the first few seconds, then everything is going right.

If the nipple is sore for a long time, you should not endure it, you need to carefully put a clean little finger into the corner of the baby’s mouth (this is important, because otherwise, pulling out the nipple, you can damage it) and interrupt the feeding, and then start all over again (for more information on the correct breast capture, see below). below).

About feeding positions

In addition to the above position, there are many more positions from which you can breastfeed your baby. We will briefly describe only some of them.

• The “cradle” is considered a classic pose, when the baby is pressed with his tummy to the mother’s stomach, and the head lies with his ear on the bend of the elbow (according to some versions, on the forearm) of the mother’s hand, which holds the back of the child.
• The “reverse cradle” (the baby is in the same position, but the back and head are fixed with the other hand) is convenient in order to correct the breast grip, then it can be changed to a normal one.
• The “out of hand” position will be especially convenient for those who gave birth by caesarean section, since the child does not put pressure on the mother’s stomach: he lies on the pillow to the side of the mother, and she feeds him, holding his shoulders and head with her hand.
• Also, after an operation or an episiotomy, it will be comfortable to feed lying down (and at night, this position, by the way, will be necessary for any mother). The woman's head is on the pillow, the baby's head is at chest level. Both lie on their side, belly to belly. You can put a roller under the back of the child so that he does not roll back onto his back. You can feed both upper and lower breasts. The mother can put her lower hand under the head of herself or the child (the ear will be on the bend of the elbow), after lifting it by the shoulder blades and neck with the other hand.

Good chest grip: what is it?

To prevent painful nipple cracks, as well as to ensure effective suckling (which, in turn, will allow the child to fill up and milk actively flow), it is necessary that the breast latch is correct.

On the one hand, for many mother-baby couples, attachment does not look perfect at all, but at the same time it works “excellently”.

On the other hand, there are some signs of a good grip that you should pay attention to:

• The child should take into his mouth not only the nipple, but also a section of the areola with a radius of about 2.5 cm.
• The top of the free areola should show more than the bottom.
• The baby's lips are turned outward (especially the lower one), the angle between them is about 130 degrees, the cheeks are not retracted, no extraneous sounds (except for the throats) are heard.

To achieve high-quality attachment, sometimes you need to help the baby. Place your thumb on the edge of the areola above the nipple, and the rest below, at a distance of about 5 cm from the nipple.

Squeeze your chest lightly (like we squeeze a fluffy bun to make it easier to bite off). If you press a little harder with your thumb, the tip of the nipple will rise.

Point it to the baby's nose and tickle his lips with the lower edge of the areola. When the baby opens its mouth wide, put the chest in there, at the same time, as if putting the baby's head on it.

What damages pacifiers and bottles

The use of sucking objects to supplement or soothe the baby has the following consequences:

• The pacifier and bottle suck differently than the breast. The baby does not need to open his mouth wide and work with his tongue, besides, you can not stand on ceremony with a rubber nipple, chew it with your gums, for example. Therefore, after the use of these items in the care of a child, his breast grip deteriorates, the role of which we spoke about above.
• As a result of “nipple confusion”, the baby may completely refuse the breast in favor of the bottle. It is easier to suck on, and the baby can get used to a steady flow of milk, while it either spurts or oozes out of the breast.
• Rejection of the breast in favor of a pacifier is less likely, but the baby, satisfying his sucking reflex without the help of his mother's breast, ends up sucking less at the breast, which leads to low gains and insufficient milk production.

Feed on demand: what does it mean?

Since the chest works on the principle “the more demand - the more supply”, needs constant emptying. Therefore, when feeding according to the regimen, in order to maintain lactation, you have to regularly express your breasts.

But neither the hands nor the breast pump can free it from the contents in the way that the baby will. It is not surprising that in the era of universal feeding “by the hour”, many mothers quickly ran out of milk.

In addition, on-demand feeding is incomparably more comfortable psychologically, both for the baby and for the mother.

A child experiences much less stress if his life in his mother's womb continues in her arms, at her breast, and not in a crib with the opportunity to only occasionally suck on such a dear and warm breast. It is also natural for a mother to respond to any squeak of a child, and not to wait for a certain hour for this.

A baby's "demand" for food and closeness doesn't always look like loud crying. The latter is usually distributed in the most extreme case, when the first signs of hunger were missed. Keep in mind that a very upset baby is more difficult to breastfeed than a calm one.

If in a dream the baby's eyelids begin to tremble, he opens his mouth and turns his head from side to side, tries to suck his hands - then it's time to give him a breast.

Do not be embarrassed if the newborn is ready to suck every 15 minutes, or vice versa, it is applied only once every 2 hours, everything can be individual here. However, if the baby sleeps for more than 3 hours in a row, you need to wake him up for feeding or apply sleepy, waiting for the superficial phase of sleep.

How to improve lactation if you are not together

When circumstances are such that after childbirth you are separated from the baby, then to stimulate lactation you need to express every 2-3 hours, each breast for 10 minutes. It will also help prevent excessive breast engorgement 2-4 days after the milk comes in (including pumping may be needed during this period for some women who are breastfeeding on demand).

To express your breasts, wash your hands, take a sterile container (for a healthy full-term newborn, just a clean one is enough). Gently shake and massage your chest.

Then place your fingers around the nipple in the form of the letter "C": the big one just above the edge of the areola, the rest just below.

Now start pumping: the thumb and forefinger move towards each other, squeezing the glandular tissue.

Release the pressure on your fingers, then repeat the movement. After some time, slightly turn your hand to free other lobes of the breast from milk.

Pumping is also necessary if the baby is with you, but for some reason does not latch on. The resulting colostrum or milk should be given to the baby, it is highly desirable - not from a bottle.

There are various other ways to supplement: from a pipette, from a syringe without a needle, from a spoon, from a small cup (beaker), from a special soft spoon that has a reservoir for milk at the end.

What to do if there is not enough milk?

First of all, you should make sure that it really is not enough. You should focus on how much the baby leaves wet and dirty diapers, as well as weight gain.

• A baby older than 7 days old should gain at least 125 g per week
• He should also urinate at least 12 times a day (this can be checked if you remove diapers for a day and stock up on diapers).
• With the advent of milk, the baby empties the intestines at least 3-4 times a day. After 3-6 weeks, stools will likely become less frequent.

Keep in mind that signs such as: no breast engorgement, no leaking milk, inability to express more than 20-40 ml from the chest - absolutely nothing!

If there are problems with weight and the amount of discharge, the baby will need to be supplemented with expressed milk or formula. In such a situation, you should contact your doctor and a lactation consultant to find out what is happening.

• Attaching the baby to the chest with any manifestation of anxiety.
• During the day, mother offers breasts on her own initiative every hour.
• At night, the child eats 3-4 times, especially between 3.00 and 8.00 in the morning. If the baby does not wake up on his own, the mother sets the alarm.

In some situations, it may be necessary to take lactogenic drugs and additional pumping. Remember that when there is not enough milk, supplementary feeding should be done without the help of a bottle in the ways discussed above.

The breastfeeding system at the breast (available in our market from Medela) can also help. This is a container with a thin tube that the baby sucks along with the breast, while sucking out the mixture and stimulating mother's lactation.

As the weight and number of urination normalize, the volume of supplementary feeding gradually decreases. Sometimes it is necessary to keep a certain amount of formula in the child's diet up to six months, but then it is replaced by complementary foods, that is, products from the family table or baby food, appropriate for age.

Is it possible to breastfeed after artificial?

If sometimes nulliparous women manage to breastfeed adopted children, then relactation is possible in most cases. You will need the methods of lactation stimulation described above, and you will most likely have to overcome breast rejection.

One of the main ways to solve the problem is the “nest method”, when the mother spends most of the time in bed with the child, ensuring skin-to-skin contact, does not give it to other relatives, all factors that can cause stress in the baby are limited, even walking and bathing.

If you want to switch from artificial feeding to breastfeeding, it is best for the mother to contact a lactation specialist who will select the best scenario for returning the baby to the breast.

Where to look for help?

If your mom didn't have a successful breastfeeding experience, one of your friends probably did. If they don't have any advice, feel free to contact consultants, members of Breastfeeding Support Groups, leaders of the International Dairy League.

Pay attention to the sites www.akev.ru and http://www.llli.org/russian.html. In most cases, it is enough to get a free consultation online or by phone.

A personal visit of a specialist is usually not cheap (Moscow and the region - around 3,000 rubles), but there are situations when it is worth it and can be a wonderful gift for a nursing mother from her husband or other relatives.

We want you to enjoy eating!

It would seem that there is nothing easier than attaching a newborn to the breast. However, unfortunately, not always everything is as simple and smooth as we would like. Some mothers experience problems with breastfeeding not only in the first month, but throughout the entire lactation period. How to breastfeed and express milk so that this process is not overshadowed by anything?

How and when to breastfeed a newborn baby

The first question that worries all young mothers is “how and when to put the baby to the breast”? It is very important to do this as early as possible - already in the delivery room, in the first 30 minutes after birth. Now it is practiced in many maternity hospitals.

It is noted that the correct early attachment of the child to the breast with the mother contributes to the production of breast milk in a larger volume and for a longer time. If it is difficult to attach the baby to the breast immediately after birth (caesarean section, illness of the mother or child), this should be done as soon as possible. And before that, milk must be expressed regularly and given to the child.

It is very important that mother and baby are placed in the same room immediately after delivery. When staying together in the postpartum ward, the mother has unlimited access to the baby at any time of the day, she can breastfeed the newborn whenever he wants, at his first request, which contributes to a better condition for both the mother and the child.

When not to breastfeed

The breastfeeding rules do not allow breastfeeding only in exceptional cases, when the mother is seriously ill. This may be an open form of tuberculosis, cancer, heart disease in the stage of decompensation, severe renal or hepatic pathology, AIDS, etc.

With some acute infectious diseases of the mother (flu, tonsillitis, acute respiratory disease, etc.), breastfeeding is not canceled. But mom must be careful: put on a mask of several layers of gauze, wash her hands thoroughly. At this time, it is better to entrust the care of the child to dad or grandmother.

With such severe infectious diseases as typhus, erysipelas, the baby must be isolated from the mother and fed with expressed milk. And only after her recovery, you can resume breastfeeding.

How to properly hold your baby while breastfeeding

According to the rules of feeding, the baby should be applied to the breast only in a calm environment! This contributes to a more complete flask of milk and its good absorption. It is best if the mother and the baby can retire and fully concentrate on feeding, without being distracted by extraneous conversations, watching TV, reading, etc. Under these conditions, she can observe the behavior of the child during feeding.

For yourself and for the child you need to choose a comfortable position. The process of feeding often lasts up to 15-20 minutes or more, and if a woman is in an uncomfortable position all this time, she may experience pulling pains in the muscles of her back and lower back, fatigue and even irritation. All this can adversely affect milk production.

How to keep a baby while breastfeeding in the first days after birth? During this period, the mother should feed the baby lying on her side, placing pillows under her head and back! The child, while he is still small, should also be placed on the pillow so that he feels the warmth of the mother's body, hears the sounds of her heartbeat familiar to him, meets his eyes with his mother's eyes. Many women find that this is the most comfortable position, allowing them to relax easily, which is very important for a good outflow of milk.

If the mother is feeding the baby while sitting, then for this it is best to adapt a low chair or armchair, put a pillow under her back! For proper feeding of an infant under the leg (from the side of the breast from which the child is fed), you need to substitute a small bench. At the same time, the child is comfortably located on the lap of the mother, who, resting her hand on a bent knee or arm of the chair, supports the baby under the head and back, which should be in one straight line. Do not put pressure on the child's head, otherwise he will reflexively recline it back.

The position "behind the back" is more convenient when feeding twins. And how to breastfeed a baby if he suffers from frequent spitting up? In this case, a vertical position is recommended.

Proper attachment of the baby to the breast: useful tips for breastfeeding

It is very important to learn how to properly organize breastfeeding, as pediatricians advise. In order to properly breastfeed the baby, as practice shows, he must be turned to the mother with his whole body and pressed against her. His face is close to his chest, his chin touches his chest, his mouth is wide open, his lower lip is turned out, the child captures both the nipple and the areola, a larger area of ​​the areola is visible above the upper lip than under the lower. With proper sucking, the baby makes slow, deep sucking movements and swallows milk. The mother does not experience pain in the nipple area.

At each feeding, it is better to give the child only one breast! In this case, he receives the so-called "hind" milk, rich in fat. "Forward" milk contains a lot of lactose and water. However, if the baby, having completely emptied one breast, is not satisfied, he can be given a second one. In this case, the next feeding should be started from the breast that ended the previous one.

A useful tip for breastfeeding is to hold the baby in an upright position after feeding so that the air swallowed during sucking escapes! This is usually identified by a loud burp. Sometimes at the same time the baby spits up a little milk, which should not be a cause for concern. After finishing feeding, the breast should be held open for some time so that the nipple dries up in the air. In this case, a so-called protective film is formed on it.

How to properly breastfeed after childbirth: feeding on demand

Many pediatricians, when recommending how to properly breastfeed, advise the practice of feeding the baby on demand. A child can receive breasts up to 8-12 times a day. This practice is especially necessary in the first days and weeks of a baby's life. At the same time, the mother needs to learn to distinguish the "hungry" cry of the child (the baby turns his head in search of the mother's breast, smacks his lips, cries loudly insistently) from his other requirements.

Frequent feeding stimulates better milk production, ensures calm behavior and full development of the baby. In the future, usually by the end of the neonatal period, the baby develops its own feeding regimen, most often from 6 to 8 times a day and, as a rule, without a night break.

If you are just learning the basics of how to properly establish breastfeeding after childbirth, keep in mind that, in accordance with modern concepts, a breastfed child, at least for the first 2-3 months, does not need any nutritional supplements, as well as drinking in the form of boiled water, glucose solution, physiological saline. He receives all the necessary amount of fluid from breast milk. Giving your baby water will reduce his appetite and ultimately the mother's milk production.

How to properly organize breastfeeding: the duration of feeding

Another breastfeeding tip for breastfeeding mothers is to breastfeed your baby according to the baby's needs. The duration of feeding depends on the amount of milk, the speed of its separation, and most importantly, on the activity of the child. In most cases, the baby is at the mother's breast for 15-20 minutes. However, there are very fast and active suckers who are saturated within 5-7 minutes and refuse to breastfeed themselves. Usually a healthy baby sucks out as much milk as he needs during feeding, and the mother easily determines when it is time to wean him. In order to properly breastfeed a newborn, as a rule, the baby is held until he vigorously sucks and swallows, and then releases the nipple himself.

It also happens that weakened children or the so-called "lazy suckers" are ready to suckle for a very long time, and sometimes even, not having time to fully get enough, they quickly fall asleep without releasing the nipple. However, it is not recommended to keep the baby at the breast for a long time, as this can lead to irritation and injury of the nipple, the formation of painful cracks on it. If the child sucks sluggishly, falls asleep at the breast, he should be encouraged to be active - lightly pat on the cheek, make an attempt to take the breast. Usually the baby wakes up immediately and continues to actively suck. If the baby has not woken up and released the nipple, you can express a few drops of milk into his mouth, which stimulates the appetite and causes a swallowing reflex, after which he begins to suck again.

Problems with breastfeeding a newborn in the first month

The first few weeks of breastfeeding a baby can be quite difficult, especially for an inexperienced mother. What are the causes of difficulties, and how to solve problems with breastfeeding?

First of all, the development of lactostasis is possible, when there is a blockage of the milk ducts due to the accumulation of excess milk, which often happens in the first time after childbirth.

The breast tissue is divided into 10-20 segments, from which one duct emerges. When the duct is blocked, perhaps due to wearing tight clothing or poor suction by the child of this part of the breast, a painful swelling develops. Blockage of the duct must be carefully treated to prevent mastitis or breast abscess.

What can mom do?

• Drink less liquid.
• Put the baby to the breast with a hard painful area more often.
• Pay special attention to the correct position of the child, which ensures the suction of milk from all segments of the mammary gland.
• It is necessary to make a light massage of the breast. Such a massage is done in the direction from the hardened area to the areola.
• You can try expressing some milk. This will make your breasts softer and make it easier for your baby to suckle.

Breast problems in a mother while breastfeeding

tight chest

One of the reasons that prevents normal breastfeeding may be that the mother has a so-called tight breast, when milk is produced normally, but it is difficult to separate, and it is not easy for the baby to suck it out in the right amount. In this case, the chest may become hot, heavy and hard, sometimes painful engorgement occurs.

In order for the breast to be released from milk faster, the mother needs to feed the baby more often. If it is difficult for a child to take such a breast, you should express a little milk before applying it, after which it will go easier. (You need to express milk in a sterile dish, observing all the rules of hygiene.) Sometimes breast massage before feeding helps.

Misshaped nipples

Another problem with breasts during breastfeeding is the wrong shape of the nipples (flat, inverted). How to feed a breastfed baby in this case? With an irregular shape of the nipples in the mother, it is especially important to achieve the correct attachment of the child to the breast, to make sure that he captures not only the nipple, but also a sufficient part of the breast.

When the baby begins to actively suckle the breast, the nipples will not become longer, but may be more stretchable. If a child cannot suckle at such a breast, he has to be fed through a breastplate, and sometimes even with expressed milk.

Inflammation of the nipples

Incorrect position in which the baby suckles at the breast can lead to the development of inflammation of the nipples and the appearance of cracks on them, which makes it difficult to breastfeed. Cracked nipples cause severe pain to the mother when the baby is attached to the breast,

It is possible to cure inflammation and cracks in the nipples by correcting the position of the child during feeding. Usually there is no need to stop feeding even for a short time. After each feeding, the nipples should be lubricated with expressed breast milk, which, as we have already said, drying in the air, forms a protective film. Between feedings, it is desirable to keep the chest open as much as possible, if possible, do sunbathing for the nipples.

Advice on breastfeeding a child in some cases, if feeding is accompanied by severe pain - for some time to feed the baby through a pad or freshly expressed milk. It is better to give expressed milk to your baby from a spoon or from a small cup, and not from a bottle. Having got used to the bottle, the baby will then not so actively suckle the breast.

Do not apply cream or any medication to the nipples, wash them with soap, treat with deodorant, as this can increase inflammation.

If the inflammation lasts more than a week or resumes after a certain period, you can suspect a fungal infection (thrush), which is accompanied by itchy or sharp pain and the appearance of white pimples on the nipples. For the treatment of thrush, nystatin ointment is used, which is used to treat the mother's nipples and the baby's mouth. You should consult a doctor for advice.

If the inflammation and cracks in the nipples are not eliminated in time, an infection can enter the breast tissue. In this case, part of the breast becomes red, hot, swollen and painful when touched, the body temperature rises, inflammation of the gland develops - mastitis, which can be complicated by a breast abscess. Mastitis is not always an obstacle to breastfeeding. If only a seal appears in the chest, it is allowed to feed the baby. With severe pain and the appearance of a purulent infection, the application of the child to the sore breast should be temporarily stopped. At the same time, milk from a diseased breast must be expressed (so that it continues to be produced), but it is not necessary to give it to the child. You can start feeding from this breast only after the permission of the attending physician. Healthy breastfeeding should be continued.

Problems in a newborn baby while breastfeeding

Frequent constipation in a child

With frequent first months of life, it is recommended to use a gas tube or an enema (on the recommendation of a doctor). With such a problem in a child with breastfeeding, an earlier introduction of juices (preferably with pulp), as well as fruit purees (apples with peaches, apples with prunes, etc.) is possible.

Baby refuses to breastfeed

In cases of stomatitis or thrush, the child may refuse to breastfeed. Then he has to be fed with expressed milk from a spoon or cup, but not through a nipple, as this can lead to a change in the baby's sucking activity and difficulties in resuming breastfeeding.

Feeding with a cold

With a runny nose, the child cannot breathe freely during feeding. How to breastfeed a baby in this case? Before applying a baby with a runny nose to his chest, he needs to carefully treat his nose: clean each nasal passage with a cotton flagellum, removing all the mucus, drip the drops prescribed by the doctor. Sometimes this treatment procedure has to be repeated during feeding.

Facial malformations

An obstacle to breastfeeding may be some malformations of the child's face ("cleft lip", cleft palate), requiring surgical intervention. "Cleft lip", as a rule, is eliminated at the age of three months, cleft palate - at the age of one year. Therefore, it is especially important to keep breastfeeding for such a child, which will help him gain strength before the operation.

If a child has only a cleft lip and even a cleft gum, he may adapt himself to breastfeed. What is the best way to breastfeed a baby in this case? It is important to help him learn to suck in the correct position, grabbing the breast well enough. With a cleft palate, the baby may choke while sucking the breast, his milk often flows out through the nose. To prevent this from happening, when breastfeeding newborns with facial problems, it is recommended to keep it in an upright position, then it will be easier to adapt to suckling. You can use special plates (obturators) that close the palate defect. And yet, with this pathology, it is often necessary to feed the child with expressed milk from a spoon, cup or through a tube, but at the same time breast milk should be constantly offered to him directly from the breast. Over time, many children, even with such a pathology, still adapt to suck on their mother's breasts.

Tongue frenulum

Some difficulties in sucking at the breast may occur in a child with a shortened frenulum of the tongue. With such a pathology, the baby is not able to stick out his tongue far, which interferes with effective sucking.

In this case, you need to consult a doctor who will recommend treatment. Most often, cutting the frenulum is required. But in many children the frenulum is only slightly shortened, and they do an excellent job of suckling at the breast.

Jaundice

Newborn babies with jaundice need to be exclusively breastfed. Jaundice usually develops in an infant on the 2nd or 3rd day of life. It most often occurs in premature babies, but it also occurs in children with normal birth weight. As a rule, jaundice occurs due to the fact that the liver of the child is slightly underdeveloped. The occurrence of jaundice may partly be due to the later start of breastfeeding, as well as the fact that the child receives little mother's milk. It should be remembered that colostrum helps the child quickly get rid of the first feces and is a good prevention of jaundice.

Sometimes children with neonatal jaundice are drowsy, not actively sucking their mother's breast. In this case, the mother needs to express milk and feed it to the baby from a cup. In all cases, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

Breastfeeding: how to properly feed your baby

Quite often, especially in the first weeks of life, the child may worry while sucking the breast or after feeding due to pain in the intestines - the so-called colic. In this case, the baby first eagerly grabs the breast, begins to suck vigorously, and then throws the nipple and cries loudly, then sucks again and cries again. Such crying during feeding can be caused by increased intestinal motility when the first portions of milk enter it. Perhaps colic occurs due to increased gas formation in the intestines and its swelling, as well as when air is swallowed during sucking.

For the prevention of colic, it is necessary after each feeding, as mentioned earlier, to keep the child in an upright position to drain the swallowed air

If colic occurs, proper breastfeeding of the baby may be interrupted: during feeding, you should take the baby from the breast for a minute, also hold it in an upright position so that the air leaves, make a light massage of the abdomen with a warm hand clockwise or apply a warm (not hot!) Heating pad . If this does not help, you can put a gas outlet tube. Usually everything ends with a bowel movement, the baby calms down, and feeding can be continued.

Some mothers in these cases give the child another breast, believing that he is crying because of a lack of milk. This is not necessary, since the baby will again receive only “front” milk, which contains a large amount of lactose, which can only increase the process of gas formation and intestinal motility.

For persistent colic, you should consult a doctor.

According to the rules of breastfeeding a newborn, it is very useful to lay the baby on the stomach between meals. It is good if from the first days the baby is taught to sleep on his stomach, which is practiced in many countries. At the same time, the child is not swaddled, but dressed in a blouse and sliders - so he can take the most comfortable position.

How best to feed a baby: rules for breastfeeding

Very young children often experience regurgitation after feeding.

This is due to the peculiarities of the structure of their digestive organs: the esophagus of a newborn child is relatively wide, the muscular layer of the stomach is not yet sufficiently developed, and after eating, the entrance to the stomach closes weakly, and sometimes even remains open.

Spitting up should not be a cause for concern: when the baby gets a little older, they stop on their own.

So-called active suckers often suffer from habitual regurgitation. During feeding, they swallow a lot of air along with milk, which then leaves the stomach, taking with it part of the milk. To prevent regurgitation, immediately after weaning the child from the breast, hold him in an upright position until the air swallowed during sucking leaves, which is determined by a loud burp.

After feeding, the baby should be laid on its side or on the stomach, but in no case on the back, so that when regurgitation milk does not enter the respiratory tract.

Spitting up should not be a cause for concern: when the baby gets a little older, they stop on their own. With persistent regurgitation, you should consult a doctor.

If a child vomits after feeding, and even more so if it recurs, you should immediately consult a doctor.

If the child vomits immediately after feeding or after some time, and even more so if it recurs, you should immediately consult a doctor and strictly follow his prescriptions. Vomiting can be a sign of an intestinal disease. At the same time, the baby's stool becomes more frequent, its appearance changes, mucus appears. Abundant repeated vomiting occurs in children with congenital pathology of the stomach (spasm or stenosis of the entrance to the stomach), which requires special treatment.

Breastfeeding Methods for Twin Babies

Certain difficulties are encountered when feeding twins. They have to be fed from both breasts, applying alternately. In this case, you should first feed the more restless child. The second baby is applied to the breast that the first suckled. This is done in order to empty the mammary gland as much as possible and increase the production of milk in it. After that, the baby is fed from the second breast. The next feeding begins with the breast on which the feeding ended. It is only important that each child receives both “forward” and “hind” milk, this will ensure their normal development.

One way to breastfeed twin babies is to feed at the same time, applying to both breasts at once. In this case, the mother only needs to choose a comfortable position for herself and for the children.

Usually, when feeding twins, mother's milk is not enough, and they have to be supplemented with artificial mixtures. At the same time, it is very important that both children receive at least a little mother's milk at each feeding, since only it contains both enzymes that help digestion and protective antibodies that protect babies from diseases.

How to teach a premature baby to breastfeed

Close attention should be paid to the rules and techniques of breastfeeding a premature baby. Special studies have shown that the milk of the mother of a premature baby contains more protein. Therefore, premature babies grow better on their mother's milk than on donor "mature" breast milk. If necessary, special "amplifiers" of milk containing vitamins, minerals and easily digestible protein can be added to breast milk.

Premature babies weighing less than 1600 g often do not know how to not only suck, but also swallow. Such children should be kept in the departments for premature babies. They are fed with expressed milk through a special tube. If the baby can swallow, he can be fed from a small cup, but not from a bottle, otherwise it will be difficult for him to suckle later.

In order for the mother of a premature baby to produce more milk, she must begin manual pumping as early as possible. It is necessary to express milk before each feeding of the child, that is, after 3 hours, day and night, up to 8-10 times a day. If you express only 1-2 times a day, milk production in the breast will decrease.

When the baby's body weight reaches 1600-1800 g, you can try to breastfeed the baby. Moreover, this should be done often in order to switch to direct breastfeeding as early as possible. This tactic helps develop breastfeeding skills and better stimulates the milk ejection reflex. It is very important to help a premature baby to take the breast in the correct position. So he will quickly get used to self-sucking.

At first, a premature baby sucks with respite. This must be taken into account and not taken prematurely from the chest. After the baby has sucked at the breast as much as he could, but has not yet received the required amount of milk, the milk remaining in the breast should be expressed and fed to the baby from a cup.

If a child is sick, breastfeeding is an essential part of the treatment. Mother's milk is the most nutritious, easily digestible food that contributes to a faster recovery of the child.

How to breastfeed a sick baby

If necessary, a sick child should be fed with expressed breast milk from a cup or spoon. If milk is expressed, it will be produced in sufficient quantities.

Any sick baby, including one with diarrhea, can be breastfed as much and as often as a healthy baby. Moreover, if a child, due to a serious condition and weakness, cannot suckle hard enough and for a long time, he needs to be breastfed as often as possible.

If any therapeutic solution is prescribed to a sick child (to compensate for fluid losses with frequent stools), it should be given from a cup so that the baby does not lose the skill of breast sucking.

How to breastfeed your baby and express milk

It is important not only to know how to properly teach a child to breastfeed, but also how to express milk.

Sometimes a practically healthy and full-term baby refuses to breastfeed. Most often this occurs with severe engorgement of the mammary glands. In this case, a small amount of breast milk is expressed.

It is very important to learn how to express milk correctly.

In case of breast engorgement, pumping can be painful. Then you can apply a warm compress or a heating pad with warm water to your chest, take a warm shower. At the beginning of pumping, you need to gently massage the breast towards the nipple, you can lightly stroke the nipple and areola with your fingertips. Pumping should be carried out only until the feeling of fullness of the breast has passed, after which the nipples become less tense and the child can easily take the breast.

If the baby is premature, weak or sick, you need to express milk immediately before each feeding. At the same time, milk, if a sufficient amount is produced, is expressed from only one breast, which ensures its full composition. The baby in this case receives both “forward” and “back” milk. For the next feeding, milk is expressed from the other breast. And only with insufficient lactation, milk is expressed each time from both breasts.

Milk can be expressed manually or with a breast pump. There are many types of breast pumps available today.

• Pump and breast pump with pear. Previously, there were only such breast pumps. Now they are also sold, but are already unpopular, mainly because they injure the breasts, they can be used to collect some milk, and also because they cannot be used often.
• Piston. Very popular breast pump with soft silicone nozzles. Relatively inexpensive, effective and silent, does not injure the chest. The main disadvantage: when decanting, hands get tired quickly.
• Electric. Also popular despite the high price. It is very convenient to use, when decanting massages the chest, high performance. Among the shortcomings is the noise during operation.
• Electronic. Microprocessor-controlled breast pump, mainly used in maternity hospitals.

A breast pump is best used when you need to express a lot of milk, and also when manual pumping is painful.

Manual pumping. It is most convenient to do this in a position where the chest hangs down. The chest should be clasped with a hand so that the thumb is on the areola above the nipple, and the index and middle fingers are under the nipple. First, you need to make a few light massaging movements with your fingers from the base of the breast towards the areola (the movements should be soft and intermittent, as when rubbing the cream into the skin; if necessary, you can knead the milk passages by pressing with the fingertips and produce vibration). Having adjusted the milk to the areola, it is necessary to deeply capture the areola and press towards the nipple. Milk first flows out in drops, and then, with repeated manipulations, in a trickle. Thus, the entire breast is massaged and milk is expressed until it is completely emptied.

You can express milk using the "warm bottle" method, especially for breast engorgement and tight nipples.

This method is as follows. Pour hot water into a sufficiently capacious (from about 700 ml to 1-1.5 and even 3 l) thoroughly washed bottle with a wide neck (at least 3 cm in diameter), let it stand for a while, then pour out the water, cool the neck of the bottle and immediately tightly applied to the nipple area so that the bottle hermetically closes it. The nipple is drawn into the neck, and the milk begins to separate. When the flow of milk weakens, the bottle is removed, the milk is poured into a clean container prepared in advance. Then the bottle is filled with hot water again, and the whole procedure is repeated several times until the milk is completely expressed.

Repeated expression of milk, if necessary, can be carried out no earlier than 2-3 hours later to avoid unnecessary injury to the breast.

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Tsaregradskaya Zh.V.

Possibility of breastfeeding

Everyone can breastfeed! Breastfeeding in the presence of a live and healthy baby is impossible only when there is no mother or both mammary glands are removed from her. A biological mother can feed twins, and even triplets, without using supplementary food for up to 5 months. Even twins and triplets can grow up on exclusive breastfeeding for up to 4-5 months. A foster mother can breastfeed a baby, even if she has not had children of her own before. The true lack of milk, which modern mothers are so scared of today, is found in only 3% of women. The remaining 97% can breastfeed, although they often don't realize it. Quite often, women complain that they lose milk from everyday problems, disorder, stress or nervous tension. It turns out that there is no such reason. Studies have convincingly proven that if a woman WANTS to FEED, she will do it anyway. So, as a rule, the women themselves are to blame for the "lack" of milk, who do not want to breastfeed their baby or follow illiterate recommendations. If a young mother is introduced to the basic rules and taught the techniques of breastfeeding, she successfully breastfeeds her baby for as long as she likes and safely stops lactation in physiological terms.

For breastfeeding to be successful, you must:
* woman's desire to breastfeed;
* training in the technique and practice of breastfeeding;
* implementation of the basic rules of breastfeeding;
* timely solution of breastfeeding problems with the help of lactation consultants;
* support for family members and experienced mothers who have positive experience of continuous breastfeeding for more than 1 year.

Correct attachment to the chest

If the baby correctly grasps and sucks the mother's breast, then he can suck as long as he likes without causing any trouble to the mother. Proper attachment to the breast protects a woman from cracks and abrasions on the nipples, lactostasis (blockage of the milk duct), mastitis, etc. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to properly attach the baby to the breast and monitor this throughout the entire period of breastfeeding. Typically, learning to properly latch on occurs within the first month of life. However, the main period when a child needs reminders and tips from the mother is the period from birth to 8 months. If the baby has taken the breast incorrectly or changed position during

Hence the perception of time is different. The measurement of time is based on the choice of a certain pendulum and a counter of complete oscillations. The choice is the standard ... "\u003e feeding time - it is necessary to take the breast and offer him to grab it again. You should not be afraid to correct the child and offer him to take the breast only in the correct position - he is waiting for the mother's prompts and is ready to learn. This expectation and readiness are laid in his nature, for without them he cannot survive.

If the baby has been trained to breastfeed incorrectly, then he and the mother will be forced to relearn. With confident actions of the mother, retraining occurs within 4 to 10 days. Even if the baby grunts and cries, not wanting to take the breast correctly, this is not a reason to leave retraining. In the process of sucking in the correct position, the child receives the amount of endorphins necessary to compensate for stress. These hormones of happiness-joy are produced in him in the process of sucking, and, in addition, he receives them from mother's milk. Thus, mother's milk and the process of sucking in the correct position are a means for the child to achieve psycho-emotional comfort. That is why the stress that he will experience, relearning, is incomparably less compared to the constant stress that he receives as a result of everyday improper sucking. Sucking in the wrong position leads to chronic stress and adversely affects the formation of the child's nervous system. In addition, it can adversely affect the correct formation of the maxillofacial apparatus and teeth.

When properly applied:

* Feeding a child does not cause pain, pain can occur only at the moment the child captures the breast;
* there are no nipple injuries, mastitis and other problems;
* the child sucks out enough milk;
* duration of feeding does not matter.

In case of incorrect application:
* when feeding the child there are painful sensations;
* there are damage to the nipples, mastitis, lactostasis and other problems;
* there is a need to limit the time of feeding;
* the child sucks out little milk and does not eat up.

Comfortable posture for feeding

It is very important that when feeding, the mother takes a comfortable position herself and gives a comfortable position to the child. A comfortable posture during feeding ensures a good outflow of milk from the breast and is the prevention of lactostasis.

Mandatory for showing and teaching lying and sitting postures from under the arm. Feeding in the basic sitting and sitting posture is more difficult to perform. Therefore, it is advisable to learn these two postures after mastering the correct application in the “from under the arm” and “lying” postures for 3-7 days.

Feeding on demand

Breastfeeding is a mutual process, therefore, speaking of feeding on demand, they mean demands not only from the baby, but also from the mother.

Feeding at the request of the child. Basically, the frequency of feeding is regulated by the child. Any restlessness, crying, or searching behavior, when the baby turns his head and catches nearby objects in his mouth, is an expression of the requirement to attach to the breast. The baby of the first months of life must be breastfed for any reason, giving him the opportunity to suckle when he wants and how much he wants. This is necessary not only to saturate the child, but also for his psycho-emotional comfort. For psychological comfort, the baby can be applied to the chest up to 4 times per hour. In total, the baby of the first months of life has 12-20 feedings during the day.

There is no need to be afraid that with frequent application, the baby will overeat. The gastrointestinal tract of the child is adapted not to feeding by the hour, but to continuous feeding! The intestines of the baby are adapted to the assimilation of breast milk in unlimited quantities. At the beginning of a child's life, the activity of his own enzymes is low, but the constant intake of active substances in breast milk stimulates the activity of the child's enzymes. In addition, breast milk contains enzymes that aid in its own absorption. Thus, breast milk is a unique food that helps digest itself. That is why it is absorbed much better than any supermix.

feeding rhythm. The requirements of the baby are not chaotic, but are distributed throughout the day in a certain rhythm. For a baby of the first 2 months of life, the approximate interval between requirements in the daytime is 1 - 1.5 hours. Basically, sucking accompanies the baby's sleep - the stages of falling asleep and waking up. If there are reasons for discomfort, the frequency of demands of the child increases, and he begins to suck more often and for longer. As soon as the discomfort is overcome, the baby returns to the previous frequency, characteristic of his age. Very often and for a long time, children who have had a hard time surviving childbirth and having an increased status of anxiety suckle. As soon as the stress is compensated, the frequency of suckling decreases to normal.

Starting from 2 months, breastfeeding becomes less frequent. The interval between them increases to 1.5 - 2 hours, however, feedings still surround the baby's dreams. The night rhythm of application does not change. By 4-6 months, breastfeeding becomes even rarer, but, nevertheless, their number does not fall below 12 feedings per day, and they are still associated with sleep. This is the optimal number of attachments of the baby to the breast to ensure normal lactation in the mother.

Feeding at the request of the mother. During the period of breastfeeding, mother and child are a symbiosis, which implies the satisfaction of the desires of both parties. The mother may also need to attach the baby to the breast approximately every 1.5 - 2 hours. This need, as well as the need of the child, must be realized, since it coincides with the rhythm of the child's needs for attachment to the breast. It is usually possible to detect this need when the baby sleeps for more than 1.5 hours. The mother's breasts overflow and she wants to attach a child to her. When this desire arises, there are no obstacles to offer the breast to the sleeping baby. Usually the baby responds to the mother's demand: she brings him to her breast and begins to irritate the baby's lower lip with her nipple, in response to this call, he begins to open his mouth and catch the nipple. Every mother should know that breastfeeding and baby's sleep are processes that do not interfere with each other and can be implemented in parallel. Moreover, babies prefer to sleep under the mother's breast, peacefully sucking on it. Feeding at the request of the mother is especially important for weakened children (sick, underweight, premature). Guided by her internal rhythm, the mother herself should offer the baby a breast with a frequency of once every 1-2 hours. She should be worried if the baby has not been attached to the breast for a long time. This is especially important for babies in the first 3 months of life.

Feeding and hunger

In the ideas of a newborn baby, feeding is not associated with a feeling of hunger. The feeling of hunger in the form in which it is experienced by adults is formed in a child only by 6 months of age. Instead of hunger, a newborn experiences discomfort, which relieves by sucking. This is an internal habit. Long before birth, driven by the need to train the sucking reflex, the fetus sucks its hands, umbilical cord loops and everything that floats past its mouth. Having been born, he continues to relieve discomfort by sucking. Nature expected that after birth, the baby would experience discomfort for any reason and relieve it by sucking on the breast. When suckling the breast, the baby receives an additional portion of endorphins - the hormones of happiness, joy and peace of mind. Therefore, only at the breast can he calm down, and at the same time be satisfied. It's the only way to feed a creature that doesn't feel hungry. Thus, sucking on demand is sucking for psycho-emotional comfort and satiety.

It is precisely because the child does not feel the feeling of hunger that he can oversleep feeding. In this case, feeding on demand of the mother, who feels the need to feed her baby and will not allow him to make too long pauses between attachments to the breast, is life-saving. Feeding at the request of the mother is especially important up to 8-9 months of a baby's life, until he develops a feeling of hunger and learns to independently regulate the need for feeding.

Feeding duration

When the baby is satiated, he feels comfort, stops sucking and releases the breast on his own. There is no need to stop feeding after a certain period of time and take the breast from the baby. Different babies stay at the breast for different lengths of time. Most of them are saturated in 20-40 minutes, and some babies can suckle for 1 hour or more.

The duration of suckling is due to the fact that milk is distributed in the breast in such a way that at the beginning of feeding the child receives early milk rich in water, minerals and carbohydrates, i.e. he drinks, and only after 3-7 minutes of sucking does he reach late milk, rich in fats and proteins, and begins to actually eat. When the baby reaches late fat milk, he begins to fall asleep, as fat milk causes drowsiness, and goes into the stage of sluggish suckling. It is at this moment that the mother may decide that the baby has eaten and fallen asleep and takes it from the breast. Therefore, often mothers, not knowing about this feature, only give water to their children and do not allow them to eat, taking them from the breast too early. Especially valuable are the moments when the baby sleeps at the breast and slowly sucks it - it is at this time that he is fully saturated. The mother should be concerned if a baby under the age of 2 months sucks for only 5-10 minutes and does not want to sleep under the breast.

The duration of feeding depends greatly on the age of the child. The smaller the child, the more often and more acutely he experiences a feeling of discomfort, and the longer and more often he is at the breast. As the baby grows older, the discomfort becomes less frequent and less acute. In addition, he becomes strong and agile enough to quickly handle a fairly large volume of milk. Therefore, from 2-3 months in children, short-term attachments to the breast appear, which are necessary to achieve psycho-emotional comfort, and prolonged sucking for saturation, which are grouped around dreams, persists.

Feeding from both breasts

You should not transfer the baby to the second breast before he sucks the first. Since the milk in the mother's breast is heterogeneous and is divided into earlier milk, which the baby receives at the beginning of a feed, and late milk, which the baby receives at the end of a feed, one should not rush to offer the child a second breast. If the mother rushes to give the baby a second breast, then he will not get enough late milk, rich in fats. As a result, he may experience digestive problems: lactase deficiency, frothy stools, etc. When feeding on demand, it should be ensured that each mammary gland is offered to the child for 1-2 hours and only then changed to another. Attaching to one breast for 1-2 hours will allow the baby to receive milk later and ensure the full functioning of the intestines. In the first months of feeding, the mother alternates breasts every 1-2 hours. Feeding from both breasts may be necessary for a child only after 5 months.

Night feedings and co-sleeping

Night feedings are necessary to maintain a full long lactation. Breast sucking between 3 and 8 am stimulates the production of milk in sufficient quantities for subsequent daily feedings. During this period, at least 2-3 feedings should be organized. For the best development, the child must necessarily receive both daytime and nighttime milk.

Co-sleeping mother and baby makes nighttime feedings easier and allows mom to get better rest. There is no need to get up to the child who sleeps next to him, and his sleep is much calmer and longer. Therefore, the mother's sleep becomes more complete in depth and duration. The opinion that the mother can lean on and "sleep" the baby is unreasonable. A woman can harm a newborn only if she is in a state of intoxication or has taken sleeping pills. The risk of "sudden death" is much higher among children who sleep separately from their mother. In addition, night feedings up to 6 months protect a woman from the next pregnancy in 96% of cases.

If a woman is worried about

The Universe is a living organism, but created, and God is Living, not created and not born, eternal, the Creator of the life of the Universe. The aforementioned totality defines the concept of “Life” in the ultimate sense of ... "> the life and health of your child, when he sleeps separately from her - it means that she is a real mother.

Should I put the baby in a column after feeding?

If a child takes in air during feeding, there is no need to give him an upright position so that he burps this air. From the very beginning, the child must learn to cope with this problem on his own, freeing himself from excess air in the process of changing positions. If the baby fell asleep under the breast, then he can be safely left to sleep in the same position. When he wakes up and his mother takes him in her arms, starts moving with him, changing the position of his body, he will be able to burp the air that interferes with him. It was on this mechanism that wise nature counted. Motherhood is a very comfortable process in which there is nothing special.

Exclusion of supplementary feeding of the child

Breast milk is a balanced food and drink for babies. It fully satisfies all the vital needs of the child. With properly organized breastfeeding, including proper attachment, frequent and prolonged feeding of the child, joint sleep and night feeding, the baby does not need additional nutrition up to 6 months of life.

A baby who is on a properly organized exclusive breastfeeding does not need to be supplemented until 6 months of age. And from 6 months, he should begin to introduce complementary foods.

Exclusion of supplementation of the child

To maintain full breastfeeding and the health of the child, the mother should completely refuse to supplement the baby not only with water, but also with various teas, dill water, etc. Previously, pediatricians advised to supplement the child with water, because they considered breast milk to be exclusively food and were afraid of dehydration. These fears are unfounded. Breast milk contains 87-90% water, therefore, with full-fledged frequent breastfeeding, the baby's need for liquid is fully provided. Many studies have shown that even in hot climates, mother's milk fully satisfies all the baby's fluid needs. In addition, the centers of thirst and satiety in the brain of a newborn practically coincide and are satisfied simultaneously. When supplementing with water, we deceive the baby, creating a false feeling of satiety in him. This leads to sluggish suckling and a reduced need for breast milk.

When the child is supplemented, the amount of milk in the mother is reduced, and breastfeeding can end by 3-6 months.

The dangers of bottle feeding and pacifier use

Babies suckle breasts and bottles and pacifiers differently. A baby who has been bottle-fed or given a pacifier will not properly latch on to the mother's breast, so the mother may have problems after bottle-feeding and using a pacifier. Numerous examples prove that sometimes even one bottle-feeding is enough for the baby to refuse the breast, and there are a lot of complications with further breastfeeding. The use of a pacifier leads to the fact that the child begins to grasp the breast incorrectly, which provokes nipple injuries. In addition, it is known that even short-term use of a pacifier can lead to insufficient weight gain in a child and a reduction in maternal lactation.

If a woman really wants to breastfeed her baby, then among the baby care items there should not be a bottle with a nipple or a pacifier.

Breast washing

When washing the breast, especially with soap, the protective layer of a special lubricant is removed from the skin of the nipple and paranasal space, which softens them and contains protective factors that prevent the penetration of pathogenic microbes into the skin of the breast. Frequent washing of nipples with soap dries the skin and leads to abrasions, cracks and mastitis. Therefore, you should not wash your breasts before each feeding.

It is enough to wash the chest with plain water without soap daily or once every 3-7 days when taking a normal hygienic shower or bath.

Pumping

If a mother feeds her baby on demand, then there is no need to express milk after each feeding. In normal lactation, pumping interferes with breastfeeding because it takes time that could be better devoted to the baby or household chores and is inconvenient. Pumping is necessary in case of problems - in case of breast engorgement, treatment of lactostasis or mastitis, in the treatment of cracked nipples, with a lack of milk to increase its production, in case of forced separation of mother and child in order to save milk, etc. The need for pumping is determined by a lactation consultant.

Regular additional pumping can lead to a reduction in the amount of milk and the cessation of lactation, or, conversely, to hyperlactation and a high risk of lactostasis and mastitis.

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

To make sure that the baby has enough breast milk, you need to regularly test for "wet diapers" and weigh the baby every 1-2 months, and if something bothers, then once a week. A healthy child with adequate nutrition every week gains weight from 120 to 500 grams. Frequent control weighings, performed daily or even several times a day, do not provide objective information about the nutritional value of the baby. Moreover, control weighing makes mother and child nervous, as a result of which the baby gains weight worse, and the mother's lactation decreases. Much more informative is the "wet diaper" test, which consists in counting the number of urination during the day. With good nutrition per day, the baby can produce from 10 to 20 wet diapers. The calculation of urination must be carried out precisely for a full day, for example, from 11.00 to 11.00 in the morning, because their frequency changes during the day. They are more frequent in the morning and less frequent in the afternoon. If there are 6-8 urinations, we can say that the child does not have dehydration, but his nutrition can be improved.

A combination of a wet diaper test done 2-3 times a week and weekly weighings will help ensure that the baby is eating well.

For many years, the main approach to breastfeeding children was feeding by the hour. However, modern research has shown that this feeding regimen does not satisfy all the needs of the baby. The “regime” feeding was replaced by a new method - breastfeeding “on demand”.

Guided by this approach, the baby is applied to the breast whenever he requires it, including at night. The child expresses his need mainly by crying. Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all mothers start feeding their baby on demand from the first days of life.

For the benefit of the baby

What are the benefits of on-demand feeding for the baby? First of all, feeding on demand is necessary for the baby. A baby who is breastfed when he needs it will overcome birth stress more quickly. Frequent bodily contact between mother and baby contributes to the establishment of an emotional connection between them and the development of a sense of security in the newborn. Being on the mother’s chest, the baby feels safe, which contributes to its harmonious mental development.

A child who receives the mother's breast at the first signs of anxiety feels comfortable, has a calm behavior, mostly sleeps well, and has a positive emotional mood.

Children who are fed on demand gain weight well, because with this type of feeding, the baby can be at the breast for as long as he wants. This allows the baby to receive not only "front" milk, which is released in the first minutes of breast sucking, but also "back", especially rich in nutrients.

A baby who regulates his own nutrition in most cases does not overeat, so there is less chance of spitting up after feeding. After all, the volume of the stomach of a newborn child is small and is designed for the frequent intake of small portions of milk. If the intervals between feedings increase, the child needs a portion of milk much more than he can absorb to saturate, and this leads to overstretching of the walls of the stomach and regurgitation.

Benefits for Mom

Feeding a baby on demand has a beneficial effect on the body of a young mother. When the breast is stimulated at the time of feeding the child, the hormone oxytocin begins to act in her body, which promotes contraction of the uterus, helps it return to normal size and prevents postpartum hemorrhage. When feeding crumbs on demand, the uterus contracts faster than when feeding “by the clock”.

Attaching the baby to the breast on demand is the most powerful factor that stimulates lactation. This is due to the fact that the hormone prolactin is responsible for the production of milk in the body of a woman, which is secreted in response to the baby sucking on the breast. If a mother feeds a baby on demand, then the following principle applies: how much milk leaves - so much comes, i.e. milk is produced in the volume that the baby needs.

With frequent feedings, the mammary glands are better emptied, which reduces the risk of milk stagnation (lactostasis) and the development of inflammation of the mammary glands (mastitis).

Proper feeding on demand (with a break between feedings of no more than 3 hours, with obligatory night feedings) is a physiological method of preventing a woman from pregnancy (method of lactational amenorrhea). This is due to the fact that with active breast sucking, a special hormone prolactin is produced, which suppresses ovulation (the release of a mature egg from the ovary), and pregnancy does not occur. But it must be remembered that this is not one hundred percent protection against pregnancy, so other methods of contraception must be used.

How to arrange feeding on demand?

The basic rules of free feeding look like this: you need to put the baby to the breast in response to any discomfort (at the first cry), do not limit feeding in duration, do not refuse night feedings. It is also important to remember that a healthy breastfed baby does not need additional fluids and complementary foods until 6 months of age.

Attaching the baby to the breast at the first sign of anxiety. Start feeding your baby on demand should be in the first hours after birth. The joint stay of mother and baby in the same ward of the maternity hospital contributes to the establishment of successful free breastfeeding. After all, if the baby is with his mother all the time, she can feed him as often as he wants.

Sometimes it seems to a young mother that there is no milk yet, and she does not put the baby to her breast, trying to feed him with milk formula from a bottle. This is a big mistake. In the first days after childbirth, colostrum is released from the mammary glands, which is very nutritious and beneficial for the baby.

A newborn baby can be satisfied with even a few drops of colostrum and does not need supplementary feeding and drinking. Therefore, in the first days after childbirth, when only colostrum is excreted, the baby must also be applied to the breast on demand.

When breastfeeding, the mother should offer the breast at the first sign of the baby's anxiety. Don't wait until your baby cries loudly. Newborn children can eat at different intervals from 10 to 18 or more times a day, including up to 2-4 times at night.

Such frequent attachment to the breast does not mean at all that the child is always hungry. Mother's breast is required for the baby not only for food, but also for psycho-emotional comfort. Do not forget that young children have a well-developed sucking reflex, and the baby needs to satisfy his need for sucking. The harmonious development of his central nervous system depends on whether he will be able to suck when he wants to.

Such frequent attachments to the breast, as in the first months of a baby's life, do not persist for the entire period of breastfeeding. Gradually, the child will begin to form his own feeding regimen. At 3-4 months, the baby becomes active. He is interested in toys, trying to learn about the world around him, and the number of attachments to the chest is gradually decreasing.

Breastfeeding is distributed mainly around sleep, and they average 8-10 per day. When the baby begins to actively crawl or learns to walk, he seems to “forget” to breastfeed, carried away by other things, and “asks for the breast” even less often. Prolonged sucking persists mainly at bedtime and at night. However, during this period, the mother's breast is often needed by the child as a consolation. He can ask for breasts when he is tired, bored, etc.

Night feedings considered mandatory when feeding a baby on demand. At night (especially from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m.), the production of the hormone prolactin, which stimulates lactation, is much greater than during the day. Therefore, night feedings are an excellent means of maintaining lactation, and at night the child should be fed as many times as he wants. In addition, this is the easiest way to calm him down at night and put him to sleep.

Duration of feedings with free feeding, it is determined by the baby himself. There are no clear rules governing the stay of the child at the breast. Some feedings during the day can be long - up to 30-40 minutes, others - short (10-15 minutes each). The longest and most complete feedings are when the child falls asleep and during sleep. These are the most nutritious feedings, since the “hind” milk, which is more fatty and high-calorie, begins to enter the baby’s body 10-15 minutes after the start of sucking, and when falling asleep, the baby releases the breast after an average of 30-40 minutes. It is important never to take the breast from the baby until he releases it himself. Each baby sets himself the optimal sucking mode. So that a mother does not get tired of feeding her child, it is important to learn how to take the right .

With free feeding, it is quite acceptable for the child to receive milk from both mammary glands at one feeding. The duration of feeding at one breast should be at least 15 minutes, so that during this time the baby can get enough of the "hind" milk, rich in valuable nutrients. If after this time the child is not satisfied, and there is no milk in the breast, you can offer the baby another breast.

Recently, more and more young mothers are becoming supporters of free feeding of the child. Some mothers are afraid that they will not be able to combine on-demand feeding with other household chores. As practice shows, these fears are in vain. For successful free feeding of a child, the desire of a woman is enough. And to do household chores, at first (until the child has established his own feeding regimen), you can use the help of other family members. The main thing is to distribute responsibilities in the family and agree on their implementation.

In the first days and months of life, the baby simply needs constant bodily contact with the mother, and the main task of the young mother during this period is to feed the baby and take care of him.

Feeding your baby in public

Breastfeeding does not mean complete isolation. Spend more time in nature, have picnics, travel by car, meet friends.
If you find yourself in a crowded place, and you will not be able to attach the baby to the chest, put in Dr.Brown's thermal bag a bottle of milk or, if the baby has already grown up, vegetable puree and a spoon.

Use every opportunity to make the process of breastfeeding as enjoyable as possible!

What should a mother do with a crying baby in public places if he requires feeding? If a child asks for food, for example, in a clinic, you can find a secluded place where there are no patients and breastfeed him. In addition, in children's clinics, as a rule, there is a room for a healthy child, where you can comfortably sit down and feed your baby.

When planning a trip to a clinic or other place, the mother should dress in such a way that it is easy to offer the breast to the baby.

Clothing should have a slit or be easily unfastened so that the baby can be fed without exposing the stomach and lower back. For those mothers who are breastfeeding a baby, a postpartum nursing bra is very convenient. With the help of detachable cups in it, you can easily provide access to the baby to the breast.

If the baby cried while walking on the street in the summer, then there is no need to carry him home just to calm him down and feed him. If the mother is in the park at that moment, it is enough to find a bench in a secluded place and let the baby suck on the breast. You can also feed the child at any playground. There, as a rule, mothers walk with small children, to whom this problem is close and understandable.

During a walk in the winter in the first months of a baby’s life, when he still often “requires” a breast, the mother should not go far from home (if she cannot calm the child in distracting ways, for example, by rocking the stroller, taking the baby in her arms, etc., then you have to go home and feed the baby).

The main thing that a mother should understand is that feeding on demand is designed to deliver only positive emotions to the baby - calmness, satiety, enjoyment and pleasure from being close to the mother.

The article is a commentary on an official document -

Early breastfeeding

The first postulate of successful breastfeeding is early attachment to the breast (within the first hour after birth). Ideally, if the baby can suck a little already in the delivery room. Previously, in the 60-70s, colostrum was considered useless, which is why the child was taken away from the mother immediately after birth and brought for the first feeding only on the third day. In fact, precious drops of colostrum are absolutely indispensable for a newborn. They charge him with immunity against microbes, with millions of which he encounters already in the first minutes of his life. It is colostrum, not milk, that is most suitable for crumbs. His stomach in the first days is able to digest only a few tens of grams of food. Therefore, only very fatty colostrum, produced during this period by the mother's body, is able to provide him with good nutrition.

Joint stay of mother and child in one room

A lot has been said about the importance of the joint stay of mother and baby in the maternity hospital. Only in this case, the mother can feed him on demand. With 6-7 feedings per day (as is customary in most maternity hospitals, where children are brought in for feeding after 3-3.5 hours), the breast does not receive sufficient stimulation, lactation is getting worse. It is unnatural for a newborn to withstand 3-3.5 hour intervals between feedings, and even with a 6-hour break at night, because for 9 months he received food from the placenta continuously. It is normal for your baby to breastfeed up to 20 times a day or more. Do not count feedings - neither you nor the baby need it.

Don't try to limit feeding time. With the correct latch on the nipple, your baby will not experience any discomfort from suckling. It is possible that the chest will hurt out of habit only on the first day or two, and then it will adapt to its new job. Most women experience the pleasure of breastfeeding.

If your baby is ready to suck almost continuously in the first few days, then in order to protect the breast and reduce pain, you can limit the sucking time of one breast to 5-10 minutes, after which, gently pressing the little finger on the corner of his mouth, release the nipple. If the baby continues to whimper (especially at night when there is no way to rock him or carry him in your arms), offer him another breast.

Why You Shouldn't Express Milk

The more your baby suckles at the breast, the faster it will produce enough milk for him. If you feed on demand, do not express milk after feeding and let the baby suck as much as he wants, then a mother-child system is established between you very quickly. This means that the mother's breast produces exactly as much milk as the baby eats.

Now imagine that after feeding you expressed the rest of the milk (“to the last drop”, as the doctors recommended earlier, it will not work, since milk is produced constantly, you express, and it comes). So, you expressed milk, and thereby gave your body a signal that you need as much milk as your child drank, plus what you expressed. By the next feeding, more milk will come, and you will have to express it again. Thus, your body works with a double load, and it is quite possible that lactation will fade away earlier than it would have happened if you had not overloaded it.

When pumping is good

All of the above does not mean that milk should never be expressed at all. On the contrary, there are times when it is simply necessary. For example, on the 3-4th day after childbirth, when the milk arrives sharply, and the child still sucks out very little, in addition, he is not yet so strong as to drain a tight chest. Thick fatty milk hardly enters through undeveloped ducts, and if you do not express it, it is very easy to earn lactostasis (milk stasis) and even mastitis. Not to mention that the stone-hard, hot, overflowing chest hurts.

In such a situation, pumping is not only acceptable, but sometimes necessary. If the breasts are full, it is advisable to express some milk before feeding, so that the baby can easily latch onto the nipple. After feeding, if the breast is still hard, you can express some more milk until it becomes soft. It is very important to massage the mammary gland from the periphery to the center, carefully kneading the hardening. They occur in places where the ducts are "clogged" and milk does not come out of them. Such hardening is absolutely necessary to massage out (you can under a warm shower), since this is where milk stagnation can occur.

You may need to pump a couple of times during the heat of the summer, when your baby may lose his appetite and eat less than usual.

However, do not get carried away with pumping. Limit yourself to removing a small amount of milk from a full breast, but do not express "to the last drop." Otherwise, your problems will only get worse.

Night feedings and co-sleeping

Co-sleeping between mother and child is not something absolutely necessary, but it is very convenient for both. The mother does not have to jump out of bed many times a night, she sleeps better, and the child, feeling maternal warmth nearby, sleeps better, is less capricious.

Do not be discouraged if the baby will eat 5 times a night. Sometimes in the pre-dawn hours, children are restless and require a breast every hour. However, more milk is produced at night than during the day, due to the release of hormones (the same ones that cause childbirth more often at night). Therefore, night feedings are a guarantee of longer breastfeeding.

Why You Shouldn't Supplement Your Baby

If you want to breastfeed your baby, you should not supplement with formula. Only a very small number of women are objectively unable to feed their children themselves. However, partial or complete rejection of breastfeeding is common. Why? As a rule, the wrong psychological attitude of the woman herself, self-doubt is to blame for this.

Most women who breastfeed for a long time and successfully admit that they simply could not imagine how it could be otherwise. That is, already during pregnancy, they had a clear attitude to exclusively breastfeeding.

If a young mother is not sure that she will have enough milk, she is worried about whether the baby is eating enough, then it is quite possible that she will soon come to the conclusion that she needs to be supplemented. For example, in the early days when the mother-infant system is in its infancy, the baby is likely to suckle quite frequently. It seems that you just fed him, and after 20 minutes he again asks for a breast. A mother who read that the intervals between feedings should be at least three hours will immediately conclude that the baby is not full, which means she has little milk, which means that the child needs to be supplemented with formula. Having received the mixture, the baby falls asleep, and the mother's body receives a signal that it is not necessary to increase milk production. Thus, in the next feeding, the child will not eat up again, and he will again have to be supplemented.

On this road, you will very quickly (within a few months or even weeks) come to full artificial feeding.

So, you do not need to supplement the baby, even if at first he clearly does not have enough milk. Just apply it to your chest as needed. Only in this way will you force your body to produce as much milk as your baby needs.

Why You Shouldn't Supplement Your Baby

Although there are other opinions on this matter, most pediatricians agree that the child of the first months of life does not need any other food or drink besides mother's milk. It contains up to 90% water and completely satisfies not only the appetite, but also the thirst of the crumbs. Milk, as you know, is heterogeneous. In the first minutes of feeding, the baby sucks out the "upper" more liquid milk, and only then, if he continues to suck intensively, does he get to the "deep", fatty milk. Thus, if the baby is not hungry, but just thirsty, he will suck a little and give up the breast without sucking out the fatty milk that is his main food.

However, if it is a hot summer, the baby sweats a lot and cries often, you can offer him some water. Nothing bad will happen from this. If the baby refuses to drink, do not insist.

It is not advisable to give dill tea to all babies as a prophylactic against colic. It is likely that by introducing this product into the diet of a newborn, you will thereby cause abdominal pain in him, which might not be there. In any case, this is a remedy that must be used according to indications. Even those teas that two years ago were recommended to children from the first week of life, now, at the request of the Russian health authorities, are recommended only from the fourth month.

Why you don't need to wash your breasts before and after breastfeeding

It really doesn't need to be done. A daily shower, as usual for you, is quite enough. And in no case should you wash your breasts with soap before each feeding (once a day is possible). Soap dries out the skin, and frequent use is a direct path to cracked nipples.

After feeding, you should not wash your breasts either. On the contrary, if you have problems with the nipples, they are irritated (this sometimes happens in the first days of feeding), the best remedy is to lubricate them after feeding with a drop of breast milk and let them dry in the air. Air baths are generally very beneficial for the breasts.

In maternity hospitals, even the most "advanced" ones, they usually require you to wash your breasts before feeding. But this is a hospital setting, and at home only your "native" microbes are present on your body, antibodies to which you pass on to your baby along with breast milk. That is, these microbes are harmless to your child, they are "native" for him.

In general, placing a child in a sterile environment does not guarantee protection from infections. On the contrary, being deprived of contact with familiar household microbes, it loses the ability to develop immunity against them. There have been cases where in brand new, completely sterile maternity hospitals, children have become infected, since all other germs were killed by disinfection, and the only survivors had no competitors.

Sometimes you can read completely absurd recommendations, up to not kissing a child on the cheeks, forehead, nose, so as not to transfer your microbes to him, but limiting yourself to kisses on the ass. It is not surprising that after such an environment of the strictest sterility, it is psychologically difficult for the mother to let the baby crawl on the floor, and she keeps him in the arena for up to a year.

However, all this already has little to do with breastfeeding. And it remains for me to wish you to breastfeed your baby for a long time and without problems.