Feeding newborns in the first days of life

How to organize breastfeeding

Properly organized breastfeeding from the first days of a baby’s life determines whether he will receive a sufficient amount of food during natural feeding, and whether the mother will be able to feed him only by breast in the future.

Therefore, it is necessary to make every effort from the first days. To do this, you will need the help of other family members, because after giving birth, a woman needs to rest and recover, and almost all of her time will be occupied with caring for the baby. This is not always realistically feasible, but it’s worth trying.

So, immediately after birth, the baby is placed at the breast. This is a necessary natural vaccination for a newborn; in addition, his sucking reflex is triggered, he establishes a connection with his mother.

In the first days, it is advisable to feed while lying down. The woman lies on her side, the child is placed nearby. The baby's mouth is located in the chest area. The mother helps the baby find the nipple and grasp it correctly. One feeding of a baby usually lasts from 15 minutes to half an hour. The baby may not suckle all this time. He takes breaks and continues again. Therefore, there is no need to rush to take his breasts from him. Let him go when he is satisfied. However, the baby should not hang on the chest all the time. Mom also needs to rest.

You can also feed while sitting. To do this, the mother must sit comfortably, for example, in a chair. There are special pillows for feeding. They help mother and baby sit comfortably. After all, feeding takes a long time.

A woman should not get tired or feel stressed. The child is positioned lying down, facing the mother. The baby's head lies on the mother's hand. With her other hand, the woman holds the baby and helps him latch onto the breast correctly. If earlier doctors insisted on feeding by the hour, now the newborn is with his mother all the time, and she offers him the breast as often as possible, especially in the first days. The baby still cannot suck for a long time and gets tired quickly. Frequent application helps to increase lactation and its rapid establishment.

The first days of life are very important; it is at this time that it is necessary to establish the correct feeding regimen

A young mother should be prepared that even at night the newborn often wakes up and asks to eat. Therefore, during the day, a woman is recommended to sleep when the child sleeps. It is not advisable for infants to take a long night break between feedings. Firstly, babies most often cannot withstand such an interval, and secondly, this has a bad effect on lactation.

Since a woman after childbirth needs to rest a lot, devote all her time to the newborn, sleep when the baby sleeps, then for some time after the maternity hospital another family member or a special assistant should take on household responsibilities. It is advisable to discuss this in advance.

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Breastfeeding and artificial feeding

Today, many children are given formula instead of breast milk from birth. They help replace mother's milk, but have less benefit and value for the body. Let's look at the features of breastfeeding and artificial feeding.

Features of breastfeeding

Mother's milk is ideal for feeding the baby. It fully meets the requirements of the baby’s body, helps to form a strong immune system and improve digestion. You need to feed your baby milk on demand, not by the hour. It is quickly digested, and the baby begins to feel hungry, becomes moody and restless. The intervals between feedings should be at least 1-1.5 hours.

Immediately after birth, until real milk comes in, the baby feeds on colostrum. It is no less useful and nutritious, but it is more difficult to “obtain”. The baby has to suckle intensively at the breast.

Features of artificial feeding

The quality and benefits of artificial feeding directly depend on the quality of the formulas used. You need to buy them only in specialized stores. Be sure to pay attention to the integrity of the packaging and expiration dates.

If your baby is bottle-fed, you need to remember a few simple rules:

You can store an opened package of the mixture for no more than three weeks. After this period has expired, it cannot be given to the child.
Feeding bottles and nipples must be thoroughly sterilized. They should be stored in a place protected from dust.
The water temperature for preparing the solution should be no higher than 37-40 degrees. This way the baby will not get burned and all the nutrients will remain unchanged.
Be sure to control the volume of the mixture flowing out. If the fluid leaks out too quickly, your baby may choke. If the formula is poured too slowly, the baby will not have the strength to suck it out.
Make sure that the child does not swallow air. This can cause problems with the intestines and stomach.

If you are feeding your baby a specific formula, do not change it without consulting your pediatrician. Otherwise, a sudden transition can provoke colic, bloating, allergies and a number of other problems.

Very important! If a child is bottle-fed, he must be supplemented with water. Its amount per day should be 80-100 ml. You should also not feed your baby on demand. It is necessary to maintain clear intervals between feedings. This will avoid problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Why you shouldn't wash your breasts before breastfeeding

If a few decades ago it was believed that breasts should be washed before each feeding, it has now been proven that this is not so.

The mammary glands have a special section (Montgomery gland), thanks to which it is hydrated, nourished and disinfected. A special lubricant is produced.

It is recommended to lubricate the nipple with a drop of squeezed milk after each feeding.

All young mothers will benefit from learning how to pump properly. This will help avoid serious problems - lactostasis, mastitis, etc.

What you need to know about breastfeeding

The main advice to young mothers is that you need to prepare your head for feeding first. Find out in advance at least the most basic things about caring for your baby, about possible difficulties in breastfeeding and ways to overcome them. If you are pregnant and reading this book, congratulations, you are already doing a lot for successful breastfeeding!

What you should not do : buy literature about children by unknown authors, especially those written in the last century. Very often it turns out that such books simply reprint information from the 50s and 60s, when it was believed that artificial feeding was not only normal, but also a distinctive sign of an “advanced” mother... Has not stood the test of time and is well known to everyone Dr. Spock: his books once made a revolution; according to the then concepts of education, it was truly a huge step forward. But from the point of view of modern knowledge about breastfeeding and interaction with children, many of the tips presented in his book are simply harmful. In addition, few people know that Spock’s son, raised according to his famous system, did not speak with his father until the end of his life...

Instead of Spock, it is better to pay attention to the books of William and Martha Sears (in another edition - Sears): in the family of these famous pediatricians and nurses, who raised eight children, they adhered to the attachment parenting style that is quite relevant now. This is most often translated into Russian as “approach style.” Their books “Your Child from Birth to Two Years”, “Night Parenting”, “25 Main Advice for a Young Mother” gently and at the same time professionally teach how to find interaction with your child.

It is also a good idea to visit and bookmark the following sites on the Internet:

https://akev.ru/content/blogcategory/23/52/ - articles and translations by members of the Association of Breastfeeding Consultants;
https://breastfeeding.narod.ru/ - site “Tips for nursing mothers” with beautiful animated articles and translations of foreign articles;
https://www.llli.org/Russian.html - Russian-language page of the International Dairy League, where you can find translations of articles on issues relevant to nursing mothers.

That, in fact, is all that can be done before giving birth - the rest is ahead!

First breastfeeding

The first attachment of newborns to the breast occurs during normal childbirth in the delivery room , immediately after birth, and is the final stage of delivery. This is very important both for establishing lactation and for bonding between mother and newborn . The baby feels the smell of his mother, her warmth, taste, and this helps him adapt to the new environment.

In addition, the baby's attachment is a kind of first vaccination. The mother's microbes are transmitted to the child, and he will receive immunity to them through the first milk - colostrum.

How to prepare for breastfeeding

While still pregnant, a woman must psychologically prepare for the fact that she will breastfeed her newborn. A pregnant woman should be fully aware of the importance of mother's milk for the baby and create a mindset for breastfeeding in advance.

Relatives and friends of the expectant mother can also help her with this, instilling confidence in both the successful outcome of the birth and the appearance of good lactation.

Valuable properties of colostrum

The production of colostrum begins even before birth. This is a special secretion of the mammary glands, the production of which occurs under the influence of the hormone oxytocin. Colostrum has a thick consistency and a yellowish tint. This secretion is produced during the first 3 days, then it is replaced by transitional milk, and later by permanent milk. The composition of colostrum varies from woman to woman.

Colostrum has a very high energy value. It contains:

Easily digestible proteins;
Natural antioxidants (vitamins A and E, zinc, selenium, beta-carotene);
A small amount of fluid, which protects the baby’s immature kidneys from overload.

In addition, colostrum contains many protective immune factors. They help the immature body of a newborn to protect itself from many viruses and bacteria.

How often to apply to the breast?

Previously, breastfeeding was practiced hourly (every 3 hours).

Modern breastfeeding experts believe that you need to feed your baby on demand. Each baby has its own rhythm: one can withstand 2 hours between feedings, while the other will ask for the breast every half hour. It is especially common to put a baby to the breast in the first days after birth.

How long feeding will take also depends on the characteristics of the newborn. This can be from a few minutes to half an hour. After all, the baby is just getting used to the new diet. Therefore, he will not be able to eat much at once.

As he grows older, he will get stronger, begin to suck better, and a certain routine will be established.

Modern pediatricians increasingly recommend feeding babies “on demand”

How much should a newborn eat?

If the baby is breastfed, he eats as much as he can at one feeding.

If the baby sleeps peacefully, it means he is well-fed. When he gets hungry, he wakes up and asks or starts looking for the breast with his mouth.

However, not all children have the opportunity to receive mother's milk.

To find out how much formula a newborn will need per feeding, there is a formula:

V=n*10, where V is the volume of food, n is the number of days lived.

For example, a baby is 5 days old. We determine the required volume of mixture for one feeding: 5*10=50 ml.

To find out how much formula is needed per day, the calculation is based on the baby’s initial weight:

If a baby was born weighing more than 3.2 kg, then the volume is equal to the number of days lived *70;
If with a weight less than 3.2 kg, then *80.

These formulas are valid until the 10th day of a baby’s life. Further calculations of nutrition for infants are carried out differently. For a child under 2 months, the volume of food is calculated using the formula: baby weight * 1/5, that is, 1/5 of the child’s body weight. There is a table for determining the required volume of the mixture.

Newborn feeding scheme

The benefits of guardianship at 2 months and its features

Regarding the mode and number of applications, no special changes occur at this stage. Of course, the periods of wakefulness of a two-month-old baby are longer than those of a newborn, and if during these periods he does not feel well or is simply capricious, the number of attachments may well even increase.

If the baby is calm, cheerful and happy with life, he can easily withstand breaks of 3-3.5 hours, and may skip night feedings altogether. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the diet of a breastfed baby for 2 months, taking into account the behavior and well-being of the baby. Forcibly transferring a child to a specific strict schedule - at your own discretion or on the recommendation of relatives - is definitely not worth it.

It is important to understand that the benefits of mother's milk for a two-month-old baby are difficult to overestimate. It contains all the components necessary for the baby - fats, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins. And since at this age breast milk is almost always the only product that the child receives, the health, growth and development of the baby depends on it.

How to check whether your baby is full or not

A newborn usually sleeps all the time, waking up only to eat. Already when the baby grows a little, he will have periods of sleep and wakefulness. If the baby is well-fed, then he sleeps peacefully. When he gets hungry, he begins to open his mouth and look for a breast or pacifier. If you feed him, he will continue to sleep. Otherwise he will wake up and start screaming.

Usually, in the first days after birth, the baby loses a little weight. This is a natural process. If the mother doubts whether the baby is eating enough, then a wet diaper test can be done. In this case, the child is without a diaper for a day in order to count how many times he peed. If at least 8 times, then everything is fine. The child is eating.

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Feeding in the maternity hospital

Just two decades ago, in the maternity hospital, women were separated from their babies, and babies were brought to them for feeding every three hours according to a schedule with a 6-hour break at night. But often at this time one child was sleeping and reluctantly suckled, while the other was already hungry and screaming at the top of his lungs. Therefore, even from the maternity hospital, children began to be supplemented with formula feeding. Is it really possible to establish proper natural feeding in such a situation? Many answered no, and switched to a mixture.

Currently, the child is with his mother immediately after birth. Therefore, feeding on demand is very easy to implement. If after giving birth the mother does not feel very well, then you can put the baby next to her and feed her when she asks. The main thing is to be careful not to crush the baby in your sleep.

The more often you put your baby to your breast, the more milk you will produce.

If there is no milk in the first days

In the first days after birth, there may be no milk in the breast. At the same time, the woman secretes colostrum. It is high enough in calories to meet the needs of a newborn in a small amount. On days 3-5, milk will begin to come in. This is how nature intended it to be and you should not start feeding your baby formula. This could negatively affect his health. To stimulate lactation you need:

Regularly put the baby to the breast every 1-2 hours;
Drink more warm liquids

Weak tea, mineral water, dried fruit compote;

If you can’t express your breasts on your own, be sure to ask your midwife for help.

This must be done in the maternity hospital. After the maternity hospital, if possible, you can contact breastfeeding specialists;

Try to ensure that the baby latches onto the breast correctly, grasping the entire nipple;
Do not give your newborn water or formula.

The main thing in this case is not to panic. A nervous state does not contribute to the development of lactation and can be passed on to the baby, because he feels his mother.

Try to learn to understand the baby from the first days of life. Perhaps he is not hungry yet, but just wants to see his mother

Breastfeeding crisis at 2 months: how to cope?

Most often, the first lactation crisis, accompanied by a decrease in milk production, occurs at 1 month, and the next one can be expected by three months. However, sometimes this problem occurs to the mother and the breastfed baby after 2 months.

In this situation, the main thing is not to panic and remember that the crisis is a temporary phenomenon and, as a rule, lasts no more than a few days. In addition, milk does not disappear during this period, its production simply decreases. You should put the baby to the breast more often, firstly, so that he does not remain hungry, and secondly, in order to ensure the body’s response to sucking and the speedy establishment of lactation. Introducing complementary foods at 2 months while breastfeeding is not advisable, nor is it advisable to try to replenish the lack of fluid with water or deceive the baby with a pacifier. But night feedings during a lactation crisis are not prohibited; on the contrary, they are even encouraged.

Mom's mistakes

Inexperienced mothers often make mistakes when organizing feeding a newborn. Here are the most common ones:

If a woman feels pain and discomfort during feeding, then there is no need to endure it . It is worth reconsidering the organization of feeding. Perhaps the baby does not latch onto the nipple correctly, the breast is too tight and the baby cannot suck out milk. Seek help from a specialist.
You need to feed the baby on demand , do not take the breast until the baby lets go.
If the baby suckled at the breast for about 5 minutes and fell asleep, there is no need to wake him up so that he can eat again . Of course, he didn’t have time to get enough, don’t rush to take the breast, the baby will let go on his own.
There is no need to let the baby suck on two breasts at one feeding . If milk leaks from one breast during feeding, place a pad in your bra.
Breastfeeding mothers are advised to wear a special nursing bra . This will make feeding more comfortable.
If there is enough milk, then there is no need to express . The influx of excess milk due to pumping can lead to stagnation in the breast and painful sensations (lactostasis).

If a young mother can follow all the rules for organizing feeding a newborn, then this process will become a pleasure for both the child and the mother.

Breastfeeding: a reminder

Recommendations for preparing your breasts for breastfeeding

From about the 25th week of pregnancy, regularly take a contrast shower for your breasts.
After a shower, do a massage, rubbing your chest and nipples in different directions with a terry towel for 5-7 minutes, naturally, not to the point of bleeding; after 2 months, the soft towel can be replaced with a hard terry one.
Arrange air and sun baths for your breasts several times a day (a bronze tan for childbirth, of course, is not an end in itself; your breasts just need to breathe fresh air).
If your nipples are flat or inverted, gradually begin to “pull out” them by massaging; You can use nipple formers that are inserted into the bra cup.
During pregnancy, wear a comfortable bra that supports but does not restrict your breasts. The most comfortable bra is one that allows you to expose each breast separately. In the future, it will be convenient to use it even after childbirth when feeding.
As a rule, at the end of the third trimester of pregnancy, colostrum begins to be released from the breasts. Using sterile bandage inserts (folded in several layers) or special pads will help keep your breasts dry. You can put soft pads in your bra to catch leaking milk. They can be reusable (easily washed) or disposable.
Buy in advance one or two dresses or blouses that unbutton in the front to make it easier for your baby to reach your chest.
Physical exercises for the shoulder girdle are effective for establishing and maintaining lactation. These exercises will also help relieve pain in the upper half of the spine, which is often observed during pregnancy.
Conduct psychological training: think about your baby, imagine how you feed him, putting him to your breast; say the following statements out loud: “I will feed my baby from the first minute, from the first hour”, “I will feed my baby only breast milk”, “I will have as much milk as my child needs”, “I will have a healthy , cheerful, smart kid."
A mother's daily diet should ideally include: no more than 2-2.5 liters of liquid, 2 yoghurts or 30 g of cheese, 200 g of meat, fish or two eggs, vegetables and fruits, preferably raw, foods rich in carbohydrates, milk and dairy products .

Recommendations for organizing breastfeeding

Some experts, in order to avoid pain during the first flow of milk, advise limiting fluid intake: in the first 2-3 days after birth, no more than 500-700 ml in total volume; after the appearance of milk, the volume of liquid per day should be 700-1000 ml. After lactation has been established (by the end of the 1st month of the child’s life), the volume of fluid per day should be 1.5-2 liters;
In the first 2-3 days after birth, limit food intake. Acceptable foods are boiled vegetables, kefir, yogurt, porridge, cottage cheese, milk.
Start breastfeeding your baby immediately after birth, within the first two hours of his life.
Before feeding, wash your breasts with cool water, this promotes better milk flow.
To breastfeed your baby, touch his cheek with your nipple and then his tongue.
To remove the breast, carefully insert your finger into the corner of your mouth and remove the nipple.
You can check whether the child is sleeping or eating by placing your finger in the dimple under the earlobe. If you feel movement, it means he is still sucking.
To encourage your baby to suck, gently stroke him behind and under his ear. This stimulates the sucking reflex.
You are with your child around the clock from the moment he is born.
Feed only at the baby's request, including at night, regardless of the frequency of feedings and the amount of milk received (usually in the first three months the baby asks to eat every 1.5-3 hours; later the intervals between meals can increase to 4 hours).
Start counting the time between feedings from the moment the baby takes the breast - regardless of how much he ate - 10 or 40 minutes.
For babies receiving breast milk, do not give bottles or pacifiers; Babies who suck on a pacifier suckle less and do not suck it out completely and usually wean themselves off the breast by 6 months.
Feed the child more often and little by little, because rare and prolonged feeding usually ends with the child refusing the breast and nipple injuries; You also need to feed your baby frequently because regular emptying of the breast every 2-3 hours helps maintain normal breast milk production.
Do not skip or shorten feeding time because of breast pain (the less the baby sucks, the more the breasts will swell from stagnant milk; the only way to harden the breast is to give it to the baby).
Do not give any supplements other than breast milk unless there is a medical indication for it.
Make sure that there are no cracks in the nipples, through which microbes that cause mastitis can enter.
For cracked nipples, you can use a cream with lanolin, and in severe cases, feed the baby through a shield.
After feeding the baby, the nipple should be lubricated with breast milk or cream with lanolin (to prevent the formation of nipple cracks), as well as air baths.
Do not use soap, alcohol, which dry the skin, and boric acid, it is dangerous for the child.
Use medicinal products to prevent cracked nipples, rather than experiment.
When introducing complementary foods, to prevent the extinction of lactation, it is recommended to put the baby to the breast at the end of each feeding.
If there is not enough milk, it is necessary to put the baby to the breast often. We must remember that every drop of mother’s milk is priceless for an infant.
The baby recognizes its mother immediately by the smell of milk. While a woman is breastfeeding, it is better not to use perfumes and deodorants, as the baby may not like the smell and may refuse to breastfeed. Dads should also stay away from deodorants and strong-smelling men's lotions.
Expressing is permissible in the early period of establishing lactation only if it is not possible to feed the baby “as needed”; in other cases there is no need to express colostrum and milk.
Feeding the baby with one breast at one feeding and the other at another is permissible only in the first days after birth; after the milk comes in, the baby should be fed from two breasts in one feeding, alternating them so that the last sucking is from the breast from which feeding began.
The mother should feed the baby in a comfortable position, in a calm environment.

Happy feeding and good appetite to your baby!

SunDelight team