Basics of Breast Feeding

Fundamental Knowledge of Breast Feeding

Breastfeeding is the best way to nourish a child during his or her infancy. Breast milk is the perfect blend of protein, fat, and antibodies. Thus during infancy breast milk helps the baby to remain healthy and grow properly. There is nothing pure and pious in this entire world than a mother breastfeeding her own child; however, there are tantrums too. It is not an easy task as it seems. Mothers have to go through a lot of challenges while breastfeeding their babies. Here is some fundamental knowledge about the breastfeeding that may help you to understand the basic proposition of breastfeeding.

Breast Feeding Should Be Done On Demand

Your newborn has his own needs; try to feed him according to his demand.

• Prepare A Schedule: Don’t push your infant to eat at irregular times; else this will lead to digestion problem. Consulting with the doctor, it’s good to prepare a schedule for breastfeeding and abide by that routine as much as possible.
• Feed After Every Two Hours: In general, one can feed her baby in every one or two hours during first 6 months after birth. When your baby is born, they need to eat at least every two hours or so in 24 hour period. This will come out to 8-12 breastfeeding per day. But you should schedule breastfeeding, instead watch your babies for hunger.
• Keep An Eye On The Clock: Make sure you keep an eye on the clock and observe them but never force them to wait until the set time to eat. This method is recommended by many authorities. Newborn babies eat very frequently and for good reasons. They have a very tiny stomach and digest the milk very quickly.
• Maintaining A Schedule Is Not Always Helpful: If you put your baby to breastfeeding on schedule, there may be many negative consequences. This will include lowering the quality and supply of your milk as well as affecting the weight gain and growth of your baby.
• Improves Milk Quality: When you allow your baby to feed on demand, they will take in what they need and when they need. You will also be able to nurse them freely when they are going through a growth spurt or need to for whatever reason. This will increase the quality of the breast milk that your baby is receiving and the supply too.

Don’t Get Frustrated With the Procedure

There is nothing more joyful moment than breastfeeding for a mother; however, it has tantrums too. Some mothers face problem different type of problems while breastfeeding their infant.

• Getting the baby to latch properly is the key to a good breastfeeding experience. In fact, you can help yourself avoid many challenges if you get the hang of this first. A poor latch will make your nipples sore and often make you bleed. Moreover, a poorly latched baby will not be able to remove milk efficiently.
• Don’t get frustrated with the procedure because you will become accustomed to it within few days. Rather than thwarting enjoy the moment.  Many women get frustrated while overcoming this challenge and they may sometimes feel like throwing in the towel and quitting.
• While with proper guidance you can enjoy breastfeeding your baby. You just have to hang in there and it will be worthy.
• Mastitis is also a concern for many mothers while breastfeeding. This infection causes a great deal of discomfort in a nursing mom. This infection is caused by a crack in the nipple which allows bacteria to enter the breast and results in an infection.
• Inadequate emptying of the breast leads to milk stasis and can also be a reason for causing mastitis. When the breasts are not emptied properly, the fullness places pressure on the surrounding tissue and causes pain and swelling.
• Some mothers produce more milk than their baby need and often the flow of milk is so fast that the baby seems to be drinking from the firehose. These babies often have frothy green poops as well. So the best way to avoid this problem is to switch sides after every few minutes.

Breast Feeding Is Good for Mother’s Health Too

Some recent researchers have seen that breastfeeding serves both the mother and baby.

• It helps baby by providing protein, antibodies, and fats, and helps the mother to lose weight. Women can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 25% by breastfeeding their babies. The more months or years of breastfeeding, the lower the risk of breast cancer.
• Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. Women who do not breastfeed have four times greater chance of developing osteoporosis than breastfeeding women and are more likely to suffer a hip fracture in their after their menopausal years.
• It also benefits to practice natural child spacing. As breastfeed delays ovulation, the longer the mothers will breastfeed the more she will be able to practice child spacing.
•  Breastfeeding not only benefits the mother’s body, it also benefits her mind. Studies have revealed that breastfeeding mothers show less anxiety and depression than formula feeding mothers.
•  Breastfeeding mothers tend to have an earlier return to their pre-pregnant weight than the formula feeding mothers. As it reduces the circumference of hips and helps in more fat loss.

Be Careful Regarding Your Food Habit

When you are breastfeeding your infant, keep in mind that still, you are eating for yourself and your baby. Your course of action and food habit can directly affect the health of your baby. Few of the adverse effects and things to do during breastfeeding are:

• Baby Becomes Uncomfortable: Avoid using eating food that may cause gasses in you because this may create discomfort for your baby. Just like when you were pregnant, you also have to eat healthy food while you are at the stage of breastfeeding your baby. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and calcium-rich food and you are on your way to giving you and your baby a nutritious diet.
• Keep A Water Bottle Nearby: You don’t need to have a perfect diet. Just make sure you are taking 300-500 extra calories every day. Many women feel thirsty while breastfeeding, so it is better to keep a water bottle nearby. You can also take recommendations from the doctors whether to take prenatal vitamins or not as many women continue it during the breastfeeding.
• Take Proper Iodine: Take supplements that contain 150 micrograms of iodine per day, eat foods that contain high iodine like seafood or dairy products. However, if you are a vegan or don’t like to eat fish or dairy then you must get yourself checked for iodine deficiency.  However, if a breastfeeding baby’s mother consumes common food allergens such as soy foods, cow’s milk, eggs, nuts etc., then the baby may have an allergy or sensitive reactions such as frequent spitting or vomiting, bloody or mucous stools and belly pain along with rash and swelling.
• Visit A Doctor If Baby Has A Food Reaction: If your baby has a food reaction then it is better to visit a doctor and avoid eating or drinking anything that will affect your baby’s health. Keep a journal of exactly what you drink and eat, along with the reactions that your baby had. This will help you and your doctor to find out the problem regarding the food. Keep in mind that it is not advisable for mothers to consume alcohol who are breastfeeding their little ones. This will affect their health as well as the quality of the breast milk.

Keep an Eye Whether the Baby Is Getting Enough of Milk

Many mothers fail to understand whether their baby getting enough food from them or not. Thus it is important to check baby’s weight frequently to ensure he is getting enough milk from you. However, they will get enough nourishment if your breast feels softer after nursing as your baby has emptied the milk that was making your breast firm. You can also know by watching your baby’s reaction, your baby will seem relaxed and satisfied after feeding properly. Your baby will continually gain weight after the weight she lost during the birth. In general, a baby should gain 6 to seven ounces per week for the first four months and then 4 to 6 ounces after four months. Your baby will wet at least six diapers after your milk comes in. she will have only one or two wet diapers in the first few days of her birth. But after she starts getting regular breast milk, she will start having lot more wet diapers.

There are tantrums but, breastfeeding is a matter of joy for a mother. Well, now you know the basics of breastfeeding and this will certainly help you to understand the basic proposition of breastfeeding.