Already during pregnancy, most women are interested in these issues, because sometimes the opinions and reviews of “experienced” mothers are very different.
You should not be afraid of difficulties in advance, because breastfeeding is the most natural and natural process.
How to establish this process as simple as possible, the introduction of complementary foods during breastfeeding, the menu of a nursing mother, and many other issues are discussed in our article.
According to statistics, only 2% of women have medical contraindications that really hinder the establishment of lactation.
However, not everyone has a positive feeding experience, so it would be worthwhile to study all the pitfalls beforehand.
Misconceptions about breastfeeding
- Small breasts – not enough milk. The size of the mammary glands has nothing to do with it, hormones, heredity and even the initial attitude to feed your baby yourself are responsible for this. Cases in which mothers with magnificent breasts did not feed their children themselves are also common, as are opposite situations.
- There is now a need for two. The diet of a nursing mother must be full and varied, but it is better to follow reasonable criteria and eat in the usual “pregnant” mode. Do not follow diets in an attempt to immediately return to their former forms, but larger portions are also not needed.
- Menstruation appeared – milk disappeared. Many believe that the baby will now be of little use, milk will become tasteless or burn out. Monthly after childbirth during breastfeeding is a common phenomenon, but at the same time, most women successfully continue feeding the baby.
- Feeding the baby with milk mixtures. The most common misconception that prevents normal lactation. In the early days, milk may not be enough and the baby will more often be applied to the breast and require supplements. This is completely normal, because a little milk is now being produced. The best way out would be to pay more attention to this process. The more often and more actively the baby sucks the breast, the more milk the mother will have. When feeding a baby with mixtures, you can achieve the exact opposite result, and lactation will gradually stop.
Really serious situations that can affect lactation are also common. Basically, these are diseases in which strong drugs are taken. Mother’s milk contains all the substances that enter the body, so the benefits of such feeding will be doubtful. In particular, this applies to the use of drugs, alcohol and other bad habits. Some medications can delay the development or cause disturbances in the child.
When lactation is needed
Lactation should be abandoned in the detection of cancer, tuberculosis or serious infectious diseases. A positive response to HIV during pregnancy also puts an end to self-feeding.
A special category of patients with mental disorders will also not allow them to fully engage in the child, because in addition to taking special medications that can harm the child, there is a risk of inappropriate behavior. After a particularly difficult birth, severe blood loss, a weakened state of the mother, breastfeeding may become impossible.
How to establish lactation
The priority here is the personal mood and the willingness of the mother to feed her child. Some are afraid of difficulties, cracks and lactostasis, others fear full dependence on the child and the inability to lead a normal lifestyle. Breastfeeding is a kind of test, because serious changes have happened in life.
The main thing here is to positively tune in, and also focus on the needs of the baby in time.
Highlights of Breastfeeding
- Harbinger of milk – colostrum, often appears already in the third trimester of pregnancy. It is especially important for the first time to attach the baby to the chest in the delivery room so that the mother’s immunity is transmitted to the child. If the baby was born prematurely, colostrum can be decanted and given with a spoon or pipette.
- It is very important to properly fit the baby. If the baby does not capture the entire halo of the nipple, cracks may occur and the pain will cause the attempts to stop. In this case, special creams and pads for breastfeeding will help, which will reduce the load on the damaged nipple. Usually, doctors or nurses show the correct location of the baby near the chest. In modern perinatal centers, there are special groups on breastfeeding. You can get advice by phone or online, so check out this option when you check out.
- The frequency of feedings is determined individually. Usually in the first days the baby spends almost all the time near the chest, but by two to three months the frequency of feeding is noticeably reduced. It is not recommended to observe the regime and strictly maintain the three-hour interval between feedings. By stimulating the production of milk, the mother gives breasts on demand, and after the grown up baby determines the comfortable intervals.
- There are certain periods when milk production is markedly reduced. This process is completely natural and does not require intervention. This is due to a change in the qualitative composition of milk. This can happen in the second month after birth. There is also a five-month “crisis”, as well as about a year when the needs of the child will be completely different.
Benefits and Benefits of Proper Lactation
Properly established lactation usually does not bring any inconvenience, on the contrary, its advantages are obvious. With the baby you can go on long walks and even travel, because everything you need is always with you.
The menu with breastfeeding is gradually expanding, it does not require special adjustments. There is no need to constantly prepare the mixture and worry about its quality.
Significant monetary savings will be an important moment, because a good infant formula is not cheap, and you have to buy it quite a lot. For a young family living only on dad’s salary and child allowance, this often plays a decisive role.
Also, one should not forget about the undoubted benefit of mother’s milk, because not a single mixture is even half equal in composition with this invaluable source of health.
As a rule, babies develop much better intellectually, easier to absorb information, ahead of the development of their peers on artificial feeding. An important point will be the unique relationship between mother and baby, which will only get stronger after childbirth due to feeding. The baby is not only looking for a source of food, but also a kind of guarantee of stability, as well as protection from an alien and such an incomprehensible world. These invaluable moments cannot be forgotten, for each mother such memories are especially dear.
Breastfeeding
It is natural that it will be very important to rationally select the regimen and diet of a nursing mother. It is best to adhere to the usual diet, which the woman is already accustomed to during pregnancy, gradually introducing “forbidden” foods, observing the child’s reaction.
The main selection criterion is the stool of the newborn during breastfeeding.
If moodiness and a negative reaction are noted on a new product, it is better not to use it so far. The same recommendations are usually given by pediatricians when they introduce complementary foods during breastfeeding.
It is necessary to completely abandon only alcohol, smoking and medications that your doctor has not prescribed for you. If you become ill, be sure to warn the specialist about your position as a nursing mother. Usually, the doctor simply prescribes those medicines that will not harm the child. In some cases, a temporary refusal will be necessary, after which lactation will be restored. Standard recommendations include regular expressing and feeding the baby from a spoon during a forced break.
Unwanted breastfeeding products
- Citrus fruits can trigger an allergic reaction.
- Chocolate in all forms, including sweets and drinks.
- Sweet carbonated drinks that are generally best avoided.
- Canned food and products containing chemical additives that increase shelf life.
- It is advisable to replace coffee with breastfeeding with other drinks, but it will not hurt the grown up baby, the main thing is to choose good quality.
Trying a little and observing the reaction, you can make a list of “safe” products. Nuts for breastfeeding are recommended to increase the fat content of milk, but often they can cause gastric colic. If you think that milk is not too nutritious, you can pass it to the appropriate analysis in the direction of the pediatrician. Sunflower seeds are not forbidden during breastfeeding, but it is better to adhere to reasonable limits, while not leaning immediately on one product.
The optimal diet when feeding
The optimal diet for a nursing mother should include lean meat, sea fish, dairy products, cereals and vegetables. Bananas when breastfeeding will not harm the baby, but it is better to eat foods that are close to us genetically. These include fruits and vegetables that grow in our country. Your baby will still have time to get acquainted with the exotic, and now ordinary apples will be more useful to him, which is better to eat baked when breastfeeding.
Constipation in infants with breastfeeding, unfortunately, is not uncommon. This can be a completely natural process of the formation of the digestive system, and can serve as a signal for a change in diet for mom. Usually too fat milk can provoke such a problem, so do not immediately lean on heavy foods.
Breastfeeding
According to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, infants do not need additional food, except for mother’s milk, up to six months. The introduction of complementary foods is a responsible matter, therefore it is better to consult your pediatrician and make a list of possible products and the age when you can try them. The first lactation for breastfeeding is introduced from six months and usually includes special juices, mashed potatoes and cereals. In pharmacies there is a wide selection of ready-made options, but you can cook them yourself.
The peculiarity of most babies is a clear interest in new products. It is best to give complementary foods before daily feeding, without combining two new products at once. In the event of a negative reaction, it is better to temporarily suspend the meeting and return to it after a while.
Breast Weaning
After all the hassle and excitement, you are already confidently coping with the role of a nursing mother, but the baby is growing, and it’s time to transfer it to adult products. Weaning is an equally important activity that will require patience and some time. A popular wound is the method of abrupt excommunication, when the child was given for some time to relatives or the mother “disappeared” for a couple of days, now it is not too popular. This is primarily due to the invasiveness of such a process. The child does not understand why such drastic changes occurred at the same time.
For the baby, the feeding process is inextricably linked with close contact, so it is very difficult to psychologically survive such separation.
It will be optimal to wait until the baby’s need for such “therapy” decreases and gradually reduce the frequency and quantity of feedings. A universal recipe does not exist, the main thing is to focus on the condition of the child. If the baby falls asleep quite calmly and calms down without resorting to his mother’s chest, we can say about his readiness for an “adult” life. You can not excommunicate the child during the illness or during sudden changes in the usual way of life. This can be a move, a trip to distant relatives or the first visits to a nursery.
There are special situations when weaning from the breast is necessary right now. Basically, these are force majeure circumstances, for example, illness or going to work. How to wean a baby from breastfeeding dramatically? It is best to minimize the number and size of servings by replacing milk with other products. Mom is better to reduce fluid intake to a minimum, express a little milk during sudden hot flashes, but not completely, so as not to provoke its appearance.
There is a high risk of fever when breastfeeding is stopped, so it is best to plan this process for a long time.
At the same time, it is necessary to give the child maximum attention so as not to provoke psychological trauma. Taking special medications that reduce or stop the production of milk can provoke poor health, nausea and an upset digestive system, so these methods can be considered extreme. It is necessary to apply them only in the most extreme cases.
Breastfeeding is a natural and very exciting process. It is in such moments that the connection between the mother and the child is felt especially sharply and does not require confirmation. The diet for breastfeeding is practically no different from the diet of pregnant women. New products are gradually introduced, the indicator of a good susceptibility will be the state of the baby. Stool in newborns during breastfeeding will also help to correct possible errors, because the reactions to the same product are all individually individual.
Strengthening the immune system, the possibility of always fresh and optimally adapted to age foods, as well as serious financial savings – these are the trump cards of natural feeding.
