Nutrition for a newborn baby. What can mom do? How often to breastfeed a newborn

Soon 9 months will end in anticipation of a miracle, and a very small child will become a full member of society. Parents (to a greater extent, of course, mother) will face difficult tasks that need to be solved - to ensure the baby's full physical and mental development.

Young parents who “have not smelled gunpowder” are lost in the face of new problems and worries that seem insurmountable. As our favorite character from the famous cartoon, Carlson, says: "Calm, only calm." The best thing that a woman's body can give a newborn baby after childbirth is breast milk.

This very simple process is predetermined by nature itself. Mother's milk contains all the important nutritional and immunological components that protect the baby from various infections and contribute to the proper functioning of the intestines.

The mother's body prepares for the process of feeding throughout pregnancy, producing the necessary hormones and making "reserves" of subcutaneous fat. Also, the mammary glands are prepared, increasing in size due to the growth of glandular tissue.

The process of lactation is triggered by childbirth, and the only thing left for the woman is to feed the newborn baby on time, making every effort to keep breastfeeding as long as possible.

First application

First breastfeeding is very important for baby and mother.

After the baby passes through the birth canal in the first few minutes, he enters a state of relaxation.

After 20-30 minutes he perks up and wants to suck. The best thing is to let him suck on the breast as soon as he wants to.

That is, it is advisable to carry out the first attachment to the breast immediately, as soon as, after giving birth to the placenta, the mother was taken out of the delivery room.

The baby should be offered to suck on one breast first, and then the second. If such an opportunity did not appear after childbirth, then this should be done immediately, as soon as a happy reunion of mother and baby occurs.

The first breastfeeding is very important for a baby., as it helps him recover from stress, and for the mother, whom this helps to successfully establish lactation.

Thanks to the sucks the uterus effectively contracts, and the hormonal balance is also restored, which helps to reduce the risk of postpartum complications.

The mother's first milk is colostrum, the most complete nutrition for a newborn. It prepares the body of the newborn for life in a new environment, for a new way of eating, different from when the child received food while in the womb.

High-calorie colostrum is a very thick and sticky liquid, rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals and protective antibodies.

Colostrum "lubricates" the intestinal walls, making it invulnerable to pathogenic bacteria. It gives a strong immune defense to the body of the newborn, creating favorable conditions for further growth and development.

Colostrum does not burden either the baby's gastrointestinal tract or its kidneys, who are not yet able to process a large amount of food safely at first. In addition, due to the high content of magnesium salts, which have a laxative effect, the intestines of the newborn are easier and faster to get rid of the original feces - meconium.

Very nutritious colostrum a newborn needs little - from 2 to 15-20 ml per feeding. A very small baby stomach, comparable in size to a large pearl, allows the baby to suck out a little mother's milk in one go. That's why it is necessary to apply the baby to the breast as often as possible.

In the first month of life, babies sleep 20-22 hours a day, so mothers do not understand how to feed a newborn baby if he is not awake. It is enough to attach the baby to the breast, and even in a dream he will begin to look for the nipple, and will soon cling to it. Nature has taken care of everything.

Feeding after caesarean section

Some mothers who give birth by caesarean section fear that they will not be able to breastfeed. Previously, it was believed that surgery does not leave any chance for breastfeeding. Modern medicine is unanimous in its opinion: this is a myth.

The amount of milk does not depend on the method of delivery, but only on the desire and perseverance of the mother to establish lactation.

As a rule, drugs compatible with breastfeeding are used during the operation. You can attach the baby to the breast as soon as the mother comes to her senses after anesthesia. Usually this is possible already 3 hours after the operation.

It's worth knowing that a newborn baby may take the breast reluctantly or not at all, especially if painkillers were administered to the woman in labor or the baby was fed formula milk before being brought to the mother. The same situation is observed after vaginal delivery with medical intervention.

Patience and consistency of attachments to the breast help to quickly establish active sucking, as well as ensure that the mother receives milk in a timely manner and a sufficient amount of it in the future.

It is very effective in such situations to apply a method of contact of the mother's naked skin to that of the baby. At the same time, it is possible to stimulate the sucking activity of a newborn by gently rubbing his back and heels, having previously removed the diaper.

How many times should a newborn baby be fed?

Breastfeeding on demand is good for both baby and mom

A close relationship is established between mother and newborn after childbirth. Breastfeeding helps them learn to communicate and recover from childbirth.

So here feeding on demand is important. But not only for the baby, but also for the mother.

After all, sucking the baby's breast helps her to establish lactation and avoid milk stagnation, which often causes inflammatory diseases of the mammary glands.

The number of prolactin receptors in the mammary gland, which are responsible for the volume of milk produced, is directly dependent on how effectively (correctly) and often the baby suckles.

The earlier and more actively he embarked on his "mission", the more mammary glands will be able to produce milk in the future.

At first, the baby can be applied to the breast quite often - every 15-30 minutes, and also to sleep with her in her mouth, sucking. With the help of sucking, the baby receives not only nutrition, but also calms down, compensating for birth stress and satisfying the need for sucking.

Colostrum is replaced 3-5 days after birth by the so-called "transitional" milk.

For successful lactation, it is important that the baby suckle the breast at least 7-12 times a day, emptying each breast well.

At this age, the baby needs at least 20-30 minutes for each feeding. Here, the help of the mother of all relatives will come in handy, who will take on the obligations of cleaning the house, preparing tasty and healthy meals for the mother, help in caring for the baby, while the mother will often and for a long time retire with the crumbs for the “sacrament of feeding”.

Wouldn't it be enough?

Often, mothers cannot independently understand whether they are feeding the newborn correctly and whether he has enough milk.

Let's calm down: slight weight loss in the baby in the first days after birth- a normal phenomenon, which even has a medical term - "physiological weight loss in a newborn."

This condition, which is typical for 2-5 days, is a reaction to the stress of birth. Children can lose up to 10% of their body weight, but typically only 5-8%.

You can understand if everything is in order without consulting a pediatrician. It is enough to leave the baby without a diaper and observe the number of urination during the day.

In the first 1-2 days, the baby pees at least 1-2 times a day, after 3-4 days of life - more than 5-6 times. So if the baby has already wetted the diaper more than 8 times, then he has enough food, and he does not need additional feeding.

If the number of urination is less, then the mother should pay attention to the volume of milk produced. At first, you can try to put the baby to the breast more often for 1-2 days.

Recall that when breastfeeding, the baby should capture not only the nipple, but also the areola around.

Also increase milk production is possible with the help of certain medicines(for example, the homeopathic preparation "Mlekoin", tablets based on royal jelly "Apilak", teas for increasing lactation "Laktovit", as well as TM "Hipp", "Grandmother's basket", etc.) and plants (dill, cumin, carrots ), consuming them in the form of herbal drinks, teas and juice.

How to avoid such problems? We offer you to get acquainted with the nutrition of a nursing mother.

Read all about the first feeding of the baby while breastfeeding

Attention moms! Recipes for drinks that improve lactation

caraway drink

Herbal drinks, teas and juices will help improve lactation.

You need 1 medium-sized lemon, 100 g of sugar and 15 g of cumin seeds. All ingredients are poured into 1 liter of hot water and boiled over low heat for 7-10 minutes. Then the broth is filtered and drunk ½ cup 2-3 times a day.

Dill Seed Infusion

Requires 1 tbsp. dill seeds. It is poured with 1 glass of hot water and infused for 2 hours in a thermos. Drink in small sips 2 times a day for ½ cup.

carrot juice

It is important that the baby does not have an allergic predisposition to this vegetable.
It is necessary to squeeze juice from carrots, and then drink ½ cup 2-3 times a day, be sure to first dilute it with water in proportions of 1: 1. To improve the taste, you can replace the water with a small amount of cream or milk.

Milk with cumin

Requires 1 tsp. cumin seeds, 1 cup milk. Cumin is poured with 1 cup of boiling milk and allowed to infuse for 15 minutes. Then drink in small sips throughout the day.

If, with all the efforts of the mother, the baby suckles inactively, is lethargic, sleepy, loses weight or does not gain it at all, then the pediatrician can prescribe supplementary feeding.

Under no circumstances should formula be given from a bottle.
An alternative way is to give supplements from a small cup, spoon, syringe (no needle!), pipette. This will help prevent overeating in the baby, and will not interfere with his desire and ability to suckle the breast.

If natural feeding is not possible for various reasons, then you will have to feed the newborn with an adapted mixture.

Introduce the baby to the mixture carefully, watching his reaction. If the acquaintance with the new food was successful, then within 5 days you need to increase the one-time volume to the prescribed norm.

Strict schedule

With artificial feeding, you need to calculate the amount of food and adhere to a certain feeding regimen.

With artificial feeding, there can be no talk of feeding on demand. We'll have to calculate everything almost by the minute.

The best option- feed a newborn baby 6-7 times a day every 3-3.5 hours with a break of 6-6.5 hours at night.

If the baby sleeps during the day for more than 4 hours, then he needs to be activated and fed a little, otherwise soon the “own” regimen of the crumbs will cause a lot of inconvenience to the mother: he will eat and “walk” at night, and sleep during the day.

With poor appetite in newborns, mothers can adhere to the principle of free feeding, when 1-2 times a day the baby eats exclusively at the same time, and the rest - at will.

But in this case, you need to ensure that the baby "fulfills" the daily food intake. To do this, it is enough to purchase or rent scales for children from 0 months and periodically weigh the child after meals.

Correct calculation

With artificial feeding, it is necessary to determine the amount of food.

In the first two months, the amount of the mixture per day should be 1/5 of the child's body weight. From 2 to 4 months, the amount of the mixture should be 1/6 of the baby's weight, from 4 to 6 months - 1/7, after 6 months of age - only 1/9.

Making an individual calculation is easy.

Eg, a baby at the age of 1 week weighs 3 kg 500 gr. Hence, its weight 3.500 should be divided by 5. Total: 700 gr.

To determine whether how much formula should be given to a baby at a time, it is enough to divide the daily volume of the mixture by the number of feedings. So, 700 gr: 7 feedings. Total: 100 g of the finished mixture is needed for one meal.

Formula 1

The daily volume of the mixture \u003d newborn body weight: 5.

Formula 2

The volume of the mixture for 1 reception = the daily volume of the mixture: the number of feedings.

Many pediatricians are unanimous in the opinion that artificial babies need supplementation, which can only be offered to crumbs after feeding. But babies cannot do this in any way.

Mother's milk can satisfy both the baby's thirst and his hunger. First, the mother produces “light” milk, and then the so-called “hind” milk is produced, which is very high in calories and nutritious. Excess water in infants in the digestive tract can cause constipation.

We hope our article has helped young mothers figure out how to properly feed a newborn baby.

And the proposed video will tell you how to properly attach a newborn baby to the breast to make breastfeeding enjoyable for you and your baby.

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 sucking. 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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In order for a child to develop properly, it is necessary to establish a balanced diet from the first days of life. The intake of all the necessary substances and microelements into the baby's body helps to establish the smooth operation of all systems of internal organs, which will favorably affect the general condition of his body.

Especially attentive to the choice of food should be approached by couples who have become parents for the first time. This is due to the lack of necessary experience in caring for an infant. Let's look at how to feed a baby by months of his age.

Feeding a baby up to 3 months old

In the first days of life, mother's milk is the best food for a child. Its production by the mammary glands begins to occur from 1 to 3 days after childbirth. If for some reason it is impossible to carry out natural feeding, then the baby is transferred to artificial.

Breastfeeding an infant

Prior to the immediate influx of milk, the breast secretes colostrum. This liquid has a special nutritional value, and it is she who creates the conditions for the formation of the digestive system of the newborn. Babies often don't eat enough because colostrum is produced in small amounts. To make up for the lack of nutrition during this period, in maternity hospitals, babies are supplemented with infant formula.

After milk production begins, the mother must follow a special diet so that it is safe for the baby. In addition to the need to control nutrition, you need to follow special rules for feeding the baby:

feeding should be on demand, not on schedule;
it is necessary to apply the baby to the breast correctly, in a comfortable position and with maximum contact with the skin of the mother;
do not give the child a pacifier and a bottle with a nipple;
it is imperative to apply the baby to the breast at night;
it is undesirable to express milk;
you need to apply the newborn to each breast in turn.

Artificial feeding of the infant

Artificial feeding is a diet when formula milk prevails over breast milk. It is highly undesirable to transfer a child under the age of three months to such food, but there are cases when the mother has absolutely no opportunity to breastfeed:

complete absence of lactation;
serious diseases of the kidneys and heart of the mother;
infections that can be transmitted through milk to the baby;
taking medications, the active substances of which can get into the nutrient fluid;
mother's aversion to breastfeeding;
non-acceptance of lactose by the child, the inability to digest mother's milk (phenylketonuria).

In all these cases, it is worthwhile to establish constant nutrition of the baby with milk formula, without alternating with natural. Partial replacement of breast milk must be done if the child is not full, i.e. This can be identified in four main ways:

Monthly weight gain is below normal.
The child urinates less than eight times a day.
The kid is acting restless.
Daytime sleep is superficial and short-lived.

It would seem that there is nothing complicated: if the child does not eat up, then you just need to supplement him with the necessary amount of artificial mixture. But with mixed feeding, even in those children who have not experienced digestive problems, colic and increased gas formation may occur. Therefore, many mothers with a lack of breast milk prefer to completely replace it with milk mixtures.

How to choose milk formula

It is not possible to replace mother's breast milk with cow's or goat's milk, since the animal product is not adapted for baby food. The modern food industry offers a huge selection of different artificial milk mixtures.

It is best to consult a pediatrician about the choice of such a product. For each individual case, the doctor will be able to determine the required composition of the nutrient fluid. For example, if you are lactose intolerant, you should choose lactose-free formulas.

The price range of baby food is quite wide. More expensive products more closely mimic breast milk, but still there is no complete match in them. The issue of price is not as significant as the reaction to the baby's milk formula. It happens that an inexpensive mixture is absorbed much better than a premium product. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the digestive system of the child.

When you start a change in nutrition, be sure to monitor the condition of the baby, if he has rashes, colic, restlessness. In case of any deviations, it is worth abandoning the selected product and buying another one.

Feeding your baby in the first three months of life

Regardless of which feeding you choose, there are approximate daily food intakes. It is more convenient to present them in the form of a feeding table for the first days of life and months:

Age	Volume of nutrient liquid for one feeding (ml)	Number of feedings per day	Daily volume of liquid food intake (ml)
4 days	20-30	41913	200-300
7 days	30-50	42348	400
2 weeks	50-60	42286	up to 500
1 month	90-100	42223	700-750
2 months	120-130	42191	800
3 months	130-160	6	900-950

There may be slight discrepancies in the indicators with the actual consumption of liquid food. This is due to the fact that the milk mixture requires a little more, since it is not completely absorbed by the body. Wherein artificial feeding is usually less frequent as the mixture takes longer to digest.

When to introduce the first complementary foods

As the child grows older, it becomes necessary to introduce solid foods into his diet. This is due to the absence in milk and mixtures of those substances and elements that become necessary for a baby from the age of three months. In different cases, the timing of the introduction of complementary foods may vary, it depends on the readiness of the baby to eat from a spoon.

Even doctors cannot say exactly at what time it is worth starting the introduction of solid food into the child's daily diet. Only the mother can make such a decision, since it is she who spends all the time next to the baby and can notice changes in his behavior. But some general behavioral guidelines in this matter still exist:

the child already knows how to hold his head;
the baby opens his mouth when a spoon with food is brought to him;
closes lips when a spoonful of food enters the mouth;
knows how to swallow food;
turns away from a spoon when full.

Usually, additional foods are introduced when the baby reaches the age of 4 months. And on artificial feeding, complementary foods should be started a little earlier than on natural.

How to properly introduce new components into the diet of an infant

Of course, one-component purees become the first solid food for a child. They need to be prepared from fresh products and brought with boiled water to the required liquidish consistency. Of course, you can buy mashed potatoes in the store, but it's better to use home cooking.

It is better to introduce new food into the diet in the morning; Initially, unfamiliar food should be given in very small portions, gradually increasing their volume if the child tolerates the product well. It is necessary to introduce new products gradually, with an interval of several days. This technique will allow time to identify the baby's allergy to any ingredients and exclude them from the diet.

Feeding a 4 to 6 month old baby

At this time, breast milk or formula is still the main food for the baby, but it is at this stage that you need to start introducing solid foods of plant origin. To begin with, it is worth giving the baby puree from one component, for example, potatoes, zucchini, pumpkins, cabbage, peaches, apples, plums. It is impossible to salt or sugar them, the composition should contain only vegetables or fruits and water.

In addition to such purees, you can start giving your baby juices, preferably freshly squeezed, cooked at home. Be sure to start with very small portions and gradually increase them. In addition, it is necessary to dilute the juice with water in a ratio of 1: 1. For initial complementary foods, green apple juice is best.

Baby menu at 7-8 months

By seven to eight months, it is worth continuing to eat vegetable and fruit purees, gradually increasing their density. This product should already completely replace one liquid feed per day. In addition, part of one feeding with milk or formula should be replaced daily with a small portion of porridge, and another with cottage cheese.

Thus, by the end of the eighth month, with five meals a day, only two meals remain completely dairy. It is also worth introducing cereals and cottage cheese gradually, starting with small portions.

In addition to these products, you need to start giving your baby mashed meats, from lean poultry, such as chicken or turkey, as well as egg yolk and wheat bread. These components should be included in the diet no more than twice a week.

Diet for a 9-12 month old baby

At this time, the baby switches to five meals a day and the main part of it should already be solid food. Milk, as the main component of the diet, loses its importance by nine months. At this time during the day there should no longer be a single full meal consisting of milk or formula.

Women who breastfed their baby up to nine months of age, rather than formula, begin to notice a significant decrease in lactation by this point. In most young mothers, the secretion of the mammary glands ends much earlier. This is due to a decrease in the infant's need for liquid food.

Features of the diet of a child up to a year

If everything is more or less clear with the components of the diet, then the situation with the regimen of their introduction and the required volumes is somewhat more complicated. A gradual decrease in the amount of milk and an increase in other ingredients is required. It is most convenient to consider the schedule for the introduction of complementary foods in the form of a table of feeding children up to a year by months:

Age (in months)	4	5	6	7	8	9	10-12
Product
Milk or formula (ml)	800	700	400	300-400	350	200	200
Fruit juices (ml)	5-25	25-40	40-60	70	80	90	100
Fruit puree (g)	5-25	25-40	40-60	70	80	90	100
Vegetable puree (g)	10-50	50-150	150	150	170	180	200
Curd (g)			10-20	20-40	40	50	50
Porridge (g)			50-100	100-150	150	180	200
Egg yolk (pcs)				1/4	1/3	1/2	1/2
Bread (g)					5	5	10

From this table you can clearly see when and how much you need to give your baby this or that food. In each individual case, it is worth excluding from it those products that caused allergies or poor health.

Feeding a baby up to a year should be carried out only with boiled foods without the addition of salt and spices. It is better not to give sweets at all. The exception is honey, it can be added to the diet from 4 months old, however, only no more than 0.2 teaspoon per day and in the absence of skin rashes from it.

All young mothers are preoccupied with the same question: is my baby full. Especially if this is the woman's first child. Of course, on a subconscious level, we all understand that the instinct of self-preservation will not let the baby starve, and yet every mother wants the baby to eat well and develop properly. To do this, you need to know about nutritional standards. They differ depending on the type of feeding of the newborn - natural, artificial or mixed, the age of the little one and its weight. Next, we will consider all the nuances of this important issue.

Nutritional considerations for a breastfed baby

Breastfeeding (LF) is a natural extension of the mother-child bond that allows the baby to more easily cope with the stress of birth. But in the new world, the baby needs to learn everything, including numbers and eat (for this you need to develop a sucking reflex). So it's not surprising that a new mother is worried about whether her baby is full.

First feeding

"Colostrum" or the first portions of mother's milk is a real treasure trove of nutrients for the baby. Good health and well-coordinated immunity of the crumbs largely depends on the huge amount of vitamins, well-digestible proteins and antioxidants contained in colostrum.

The first feedings are important for the whole subsequent life of the little man.

This is interesting. The volume of the stomach of a newborn is about 12 ml.

You can't overeat colostrum. At the first meal, the baby eats about 8 ml. Considering that the number of feedings per day is usually about 12 times, in general, a newborn will eat approximately 100 ml of liquid. Every day the daily norm will increase by 10 grams.

Table of nutritional norms for a child 2-4 days of life

There is another option for calculating the amount eaten. It requires a mathematical solution of the equation X x 10 = ml per meal, where X is the age, that is, the days of the child's life. For example, a newborn on the 7th day after birth should eat about 70 ml of breast milk at a time.

Table of nutritional norms for a child from 2 weeks of life to a year

Feeding norms are developed taking into account the introduction of complementary foods from six months of age

Please note that these figures are approximate, so a difference of plus or minus 5-10 grams is not significant. But what really matters is the interval between feedings. At first, it should be no more than 2 hours. Then the intervals will increase, as the little one will suck more intensively, that is, receive more liquid. Improving the sucking reflex will lead to the fact that the feeding time will decrease.

How to determine the amount of milk that needs to be eaten (depending on the weight of the child)?

So, numbers are a good thing, but many mothers will definitely have an absolutely logical question: how to find out how much the child ate?

The easiest way to find out how much the baby ate is to weigh the little one before and after eating.

To do this, you can weigh the baby before and after feeding. The difference will be the desired value. To calculate the daily norm, you need to add up all the results of feeding for 24 hours. This method is suitable for both naturalists and artificialists.

How long to keep the baby at the breast?

On average, a baby stays at the breast every 2-3 hours. How long should a meal last? Breastfeeding experts say that about 30-40 minutes if the little one does not release the breast earlier. By the way, feeding for 15–20 minutes is not a deviation from the norm if the child is gaining weight well and is not naughty. But staying “on the chest” for more than 40 minutes suggests that the baby uses the nipple as a nipple, that is, it is played. In the future, this can create a lot of inconvenience for both mom and baby, so it’s better not to bring it to such entertainment.

Video. Dr. Komarovsky: the best feeding regimen for a newborn

Features of the nutrition of a child on artificial feeding

Artificial feeding (IV), unlike breastfeeding, requires more accurate calculations, because the mixture is more difficult to digest than breast milk, so busting can lead to problems with the child's gastrointestinal tract. But such a task is feasible for a young mother.

Diet and feeding times

This is the most important component of proper care for an artificial baby.

For the proper development of an artificial child, you need to follow a diet

A child under 2 months old should eat 8-9 times with a break of 2.5-3 hours, at 2-3 months - 7-8 times, at 4 months - 6-7 times, at 5-6 months - 5-6 times , and from 7 months to a year - from 4 to 6 times a day. At the same time, one feeding will last no more than 15 minutes, because it is much easier to drink from the nipple than to suck on the breast.

Nutritional norms for IV

As a rule, manufacturers of mixtures indicate doses and norms on packages. But the average, indicative, data still does not hurt to know.

Table of nutritional norms for children from 10 days to a year

How many grams in a daily and single dose and how to calculate them?

On banks with a mixture, the norms for children of different ages must be indicated.

This is interesting. The most popular calculation formula for the daily and single dose of formula for IV children is called the Heibener and Czerny method.

For example, a baby weighs 4,850 grams. He is 2 months old, which means that he should consume 1/6 of his weight per day. Accordingly, 4850/6, we get a daily dose of 808 ml. We divide this amount by the number of feedings, we get a single dose - 135 ml. Another example: a newborn weighs 4,000 grams, eat 1/5 of its weight, it turns out that the daily dose is 800 ml, and a single dose is 100 ml.

Methods for calculating the amount of mixture for children from 10 days to a month

In the first month, the baby is just beginning to adapt to a new diet. Therefore, the calculation of the amount of the mixture is slightly different from that described above. There are two ways.

Use Zaitseva's formula. 2% of body weight at birth is multiplied by the days of age, which gives the daily dose. The result obtained is divided by the number of feedings, which is equal to the volume of a single dose.
Use the Finkelstein formula. If the baby weighed less than 3,200 grams at birth, then multiply the age in days by 70, the resulting value will be the daily dose. If the birth weight was more than 3,200 grams, then to obtain the daily norm, the age in days must be multiplied by 80.

In both cases, to determine a single dose, you need to divide the daily dose by the number of feedings.

How many feedings are enough for a 400g jar of formula?

Again, these calculations will be approximate, since it all depends on how much your baby weighs and how many times a day you feed him. In addition, the older the child, the more he eats. On average, up to 2 months, 1 can is required for 5-6 days, 5 cans are spent per month. In 3–4 months, 1 can will be enough for 3–4 days, which means that 7.5 cans will be required per month.

How much formula does a mixed-fed (CF) baby need?

In this case, the math will be very difficult. We recommend using one of the two methods of introducing supplementary feeding.

With mixed feeding, breast milk is still considered the main one.

Mom introduces the mixture, starting with the minimum amount. For example, 30 ml 1-2 times a day. Once a week, the mother conducts control weighings and, when gaining less than 125 g / week, increases the amount of supplementary feeding per day by a minimum amount: she adds another 1-2 feedings of 30 ml each. If there are 6–7 feedings of 30 ml each, then the volume of a single feeding begins to increase further: 6 feedings of 30 ml + 1 feeding of 40 ml to all feedings of 40 ml, etc. The increase in supplementation should be stopped when the baby starts gaining 125g/week or more. You can carry out one more additional control weighing (control - not the one before and after the meal, but the control - gained 125 g or not) to make sure that this volume is enough.
Mom counts the number of urinations of the child and adds about 30 ml of supplementary food for each missing time. For example, a baby peed 8 times a day. He lacks the norm 2–4 times, which means that the minimum amount of supplementary feeding can be set at 2 feedings of 30 ml each. After two or three days, the count of urination is repeated. As soon as the number of urination is established slightly above the minimum norm (12-14), the increase in supplementary feeding is stopped. Attention: this method requires confirmation by weight gain control! Those. after establishing the desired number of urination, one to two weighings with an interval of 7 days are required to ensure that the weight gain is 125 g / week or more.

3 rules for supplementary feeding of children in the NE

Following these tips will allow you to supplement your baby without reducing lactation.

The mixture is given not from a bottle, but from a spoon. This will avoid a situation where the baby will be too lazy to suckle the breast, if there is an easier option - to drink through the nipple.
Supplementary feeding must be dosed in small portions, that is, the required daily volume should be divided into several times.
The mixture must be given strictly by the hour. The rest of the time, the need for food is satisfied by the breast.

How to determine that the baby is full of milk?

There are 4 main signs that the little one is full:

he sleeps well, is active during wakefulness;
the baby has a stable stool, not accompanied by bloating or tantrums;
the crumb withstands the intervals between meals, at night they are twice as long;
weekly the child gains weight by 150-200 grams.

If the baby greedily pounces on the bottle or breast, then he is either more hungry this time or does not finish eating.

For babies 1-2 months old, there is an old, "grandmother's" way of determining satiety: they remove the diaper from the little one and count the diapers that it pollutes per day.

With the advent of your baby into the world, many questions arise, and probably the very first of them is nutrition. After all, a calm sleep, a normal chair and the rest of the mother herself depend on properly organized feeding. How to properly organize the process itself, and how often to feed a newborn?

From this article you will learn:

On the first or second day, a woman who has given birth to a child has colostrum, which you need to start feeding your baby. On about 3-6 days, it will be replaced by breast milk. And so that all processes are set up and work correctly, and your baby gets good nutrition, you should often put the baby to the chest, at his request.

Here are some tips to help organize the feeding process:

Try to breastfeed your baby every two hours. Let him suck even a small amount of colostrum.
Don't panic. This is enough for a child. Your nervous state is transmitted to the baby and he begins to act up, but this does not mean that he wants to eat.
Feel free to contact the medical staff for help. If you do not know how to put the baby to the breast and how often to feed the baby - ask the midwife, she will show you everything and help you.
Choose a comfortable position for you and your child. Learn to breastfeed him properly, it won't work the first time, but with a little practice you'll be fine.
Drink plenty of liquids: tea or water.
Do not supplement your child with water and do not give him formula.

How often to feed a newborn baby

To decide how many times a day to feed your newborn baby, observe his behavior. Most often, the baby is applied to the breast every 3 or 4 hours. However, it is worth feeding the baby on demand - he will never eat more than necessary, so you will not overfeed him.

The frequency of milk intake depends on the duration of the sucking process. After all, it happens that a child falls asleep without having time to get enough, then he will wake up from hunger and the interval between meals will be less.

Watch your baby's behavior

If the mother manages to notice the baby's signals that he is ready to suckle, then he will not need to cry and draw attention to himself. As a result, you have a calm baby, and you are happy parents!

To understand how often to feed a newborn, you need to learn to distinguish what the baby wants. In the first weeks of life, breastfeeding is able to meet all the needs of the child: nutrition, communication, protection and comfort. However, there are some signs by which you can determine that the baby is hungry.

Signs of hunger in newborns:

noticeable movement of the eyes under the eyelids;
there is muscle tension;
the baby begins to spin, spin;
makes various sounds;
puts his hands in his mouth;
tries to suck his hand or an object nearby.

How to feed a newborn properly

There are several rules that must be followed when feeding a child.

wash your hands with soap;
wipe the nipple with a little of your milk;
properly breastfeed the baby;
make sure that the child captures the areola, and not just the nipple itself;
after the baby has had enough and let go of the breast, hold him upright;
put the baby on the side.

Feeding at night

The digestive system of young children does not allow them to go without food for a long time. Therefore, you will have to get up at night to feed your child. Some sleep with the child, the so-called joint sleep, so that without getting up, feed the awakened baby. Others are afraid to lie on the child in a dream and therefore sleep separately. There are no right decisions here. How to arrange your sleep, and how it will be more convenient, is up to your family to decide.

It is important, when feeding at night, to attach to the baby's breast several times between 3 and 9 o'clock. This aids in the milk production process. The rest of the time you can feed him on demand.

Comfortable positions for feeding

In what position to feed the baby does not matter, the main thing is convenience for you and the child. Today on sale you can see special pillows for feeding. You can use them, but you can do without such a pillow.

sitting position

It is convenient for some mothers to feed the baby while sitting on a chair, armchair or bed. In this position, under the head of the child is the hand on the side of which he will receive the breast. When he grows up, he will be able to eat sitting on your leg.

Lying position

It is more convenient to feed the baby lying on its side. It is worth putting the baby on a pillow so that you do not have to bend over and strain your back muscles.

How often to formula feed a newborn

What to do if your baby is bottle-fed. How often to feed the newborn in this case? Doctors are unanimous in their position on this issue - you need to adhere to the feeding regimen no more than 3 hours later. This allows you to establish a regular chair in the baby.

There is also a formula by which the formula feed rate is calculated: we multiply the number of days of a child's life by 80 (if the baby was born more than 3.2 kg) and by 70 (if his weight was less than 3.2 kg). For example, if a child is 6 days old and was born with a weight of 3 kg, then his daily ration should be 420 ml (6x70). You need to divide this volume by the number of feedings and get the norm of the mixture at one time. Most often, a monthly baby drinks 30-60 ml of milk formula at a time.

Should I give my newborn water?

But on this issue there is no unanimity of opinion. It all depends on the climate of the room in which the baby is located. If it is too hot and stuffy, then you should give the child boiled water, but you should not abuse it, because after drinking water, he will eat less milk.

If you practice swimming in cool water, then you should also give your child water. However, it should be said that breastfeeding is able to provide the baby with all the substances he needs, so in most cases it is not necessary to supplement the child.