Breastfeeding Tips

Choosing to breastfeed is excellent for both you and your child. Your baby receives a full nutritional supply from breast milk, which also helps to ward against disease.

Breast milk differs from formula because it adapts to your child’s changing nutritional demands. Breast milk is simple to digest and includes all the vitamins and minerals your baby needs. Medical professionals advise mothers to exclusively breastfeed their newborns for the first six months after birth.

Your baby’s chance of developing asthma or allergies is decreased by breastfeeding. Infants get the best nourishment from breast milk. It provides an almost ideal balance of vitamins, protein, and fat, which is just what your infant requires to grow properly.

Additionally, it is all offered in a form that is easier to digest than baby formula. Antibodies found in breast milk aid in the defence against germs and viruses for your infant.

Additionally, infants who are solely breastfed for the first six months, without formula use, have fewer respiratory conditions, ear infections, and occurrences of diarrhoea. They also visit the physician and the hospital less often.

In contrast to becoming overweight, breastfed babies are more likely to acquire the appropriate weight as they mature. Breastfeeding, according to experts, also helps reduce SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). It may also reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, and several malignancies.

• Breastfeeding burns more calories, speeding up your weight loss after pregnancy.
• The mother also gains a lot from it. The hormone released during breastfeeding causes the uterus to contract, which reduces bleeding and lowers the likelihood of anaemia.
• Breastfeeding women are less likely to develop breast cancer and ovarian cancer. You could experience less osteoporosis as a result.
• Breastfeeding fosters an emotional bond between the mother and infant that guards against depression in the mother.
• When the mother holds the baby near, her body temperature stays under control, the baby screams less, and the mother must spend as much time with the baby.

Have queries or concern ?

Starting breastfeeding as soon as feasible is advised. Whether the infant is delivered naturally or through C-section, nursing must start within an hour after birth.

Breastfeeding must be performed every two to three hours, and you may turn it yellow if the infant feels it even sooner. You must establish your nursing routine with the infant throughout the first three to four weeks. As the baby grows older, nursing will happen less often.

An infant may nurse for between 5 and 45 minutes, although an average feeding may take 10 to 20 minutes.

Breastfeeding is recommended throughout the first two years of a child’s life. Breastfeeding needs to continue for six months, as stated by the WHO. After the first six months, the mother may provide supplemental meals to her infant while continuing to nurse for at least another two years.

• Cradle position: Your infant should be fully facing you and have one side of their head resting in the curve of your elbow. So that your infant feels completely supported, place their tummy against your body. Your second, “free” arm may be used to hold your infant’s head and neck or to grab through their legs and support their lower back.
• Cross cradle hold: Sit upright in a chair with comfortable armrests. Hold your infant in the crook of the arm that will be used to breastfeed them. With your hand, hold their head steady. Your stomachs should be facing each other when you cross your body with your infant. With your other hand, form a U-shaped cup over your breast. Don’t lean forwards; instead, bring your baby’s lips to your breast and hold them close.
• Football Hold: To hold your child like a football, align the back of the infant with the forearm and support the head and neck in the palm of your hand. With infants and babies, this performs effectively. It’s also a helpful posture if you must shield your stomach from your baby’s weight or pressure when healing after caesarean delivery.
• Laid back position: This position is also known as biological nurturing. It’s intended to encourage you and your baby to use their instincts for nursing. Sit back on a sofa or bed, but don’t lie flat. Make sure your head and shoulders are properly supported. Hold your infant so that both of your fronts contact. As long as your baby’s face is resting on your breast, you should let them lie as they feel most comfortable. If your infant needs assistance, do so.
• Side Lying: This posture is ideal for in-bed nighttime feedings. If you’re recuperating from an episiotomy, an incision made to expand the vaginal opening after birth, side-lying, is also effective. To make yourself comfy, place cushions beneath your head. Next, cuddle up close to your child and insert your breast and nipple into their mouths with the help of your free hand. When the baby is properly “latched on,” hold the head and neck with your other hand so that you don’t have to twist or strain while continuing to nurse.

The nursing latch, which describes how a baby gets the breast into their mouth to feed, is crucial. The effective removal of milk from your breasts by your infant during nursing should provide a regular and enough supply of milk for you. It also aids in preventing painful nipples.

Getting a baby to latch properly could take some trial and error. Your infant must latch onto your whole nipple and a portion of your areola for the feeding to be successful. They have properly attached themselves if their chin and nose contact the breast and their lips are directed outward (like fish lips).

If your baby has only grabbed your nipple into their mouth, you should attempt to adjust them by using a finger to release the suction between their mouth and your breast. 

The baby has to urinate six times each day. You may learn about this from two different things. First, look at the child’s urine production and frequency of urination.

Weight increase is the second sign; during the first week, the baby’s weight is modest, but it begins to rise. If the infant drinks enough milk while their weight is steadily increasing and they have regular bowel movements, this indicates that they are absorbing the milk properly.

The same meal that the mother used to consume before should be continued. Mothers’ hunger and thirst grow as breast milk production increases BMR (basal metabolic rate); thus, mothers should pay attention to their bodies and eat by their needs.

Everyone weans their infant using a different method. It would help if you did what seemed right while discontinuing nursing since there is no right or wrong time to do so.

Speaking to your physician or midwife, your child’s paediatrician and other parents may help you collect the knowledge you need to ensure that the latter stage of nursing is as enjoyable and fulfilling for you and your baby as the first.

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