20 years
Dr zakia please inform me on breastfeeeding what to eat and how much should i feeed my baby and how much on each breathe im new on this and i would love to know more
Oct 8, 2014
During the first month of life, the newborn should be nursing eight to 12 times per day. If you ask around and notice that you're feeding your baby more often than other mothers around you, whose baby is formula fed, this is simply because breast milk is more easily digested than formula milk, which means it moves through your baby's digestive system faster and, therefore, makes your baby hungry more often.
Frequent feedings also will help stimulate your milk production during the first few weeks, through the baby’s suckling. By 1 to 2 months of age, a breastfed baby will probably nurse seven to nine times a day.
Before your milk supply is well-established, breastfeeding should be "on demand" (when your baby is hungry), which is approximately every 1½ to 3 hours. As newborns grow, they'll need to nurse less often, and may develop a more fixed schedule. Some might feed every hour and a half, others might go 2 or 3 hours between feedings. But remember that newborns should not go more than about 4 hours without feeding, even overnight, because they do not store enough sugar in their bodies to sustain an overnight fast, so they can easily develop low blood sugar if they remain unfed for longer than four hours.
Time required to nurse
This is determined by you and your baby and many other factors, including:
• The abundance of your milk supply: early on after delivery, you produce colostrum, which is a highly concentrated form of milk; milk supply takes a few days to become fully established
• Your let-down (or milk ejection reflex):it may occur immediately, or takes a few minutes into the feeding to start
• Your milk flow: slow vs. fast
• Positioning the baby correctly on your breast: make sure your baby is latched on correctly from the beginning to ensure the most efficient feeding possible. It's important that your baby nurses with a wide-open mouth and takes as much as possible of your areola in his or her mouth (not just the tip of the nipple).
• Your baby’s feeding vigor: some babies are slow feeders; also newborns tend to eat slowly because their facial muscles are still underdeveloped so they tire easily from suckling. As babies get older, their muscles become stronger and so they become more efficient, so they may take about 5 to 10 minutes on each side, when as newborns they fed for up to 20 minutes on each side.
• Your baby is sleepy or easily distracted (which can be the case in older babies, especially).
Alternating between breasts is an important practice that will help you keep up your milk supply in both breasts, in addition to preventing painful engorgement in one side. As such, you should try to give each breast the same amount of nursing time throughout the day. Again, that amount of time differs for every baby and every woman — some babies may be satisfied after 5 minutes on each breast, others may need 10 or 15 minutes on each side.
Some babies may prefer both breasts with each feeding and may be doing well. Others may like to nurse on just one breast with each feeding. Whatever the case, it's important for you to do whatever works and is the most comfortable for you and your baby.
Making sure your baby's eating enough
By checking that your baby is doing the following:
• looks satisfied and content after eating
• produces about four to six wet diapers a day
• has regular bowel movements
• sleeps well
• is alert when awake
• is gaining weight (as checked in the pediatrician’s office)
Your baby may not be getting enough to eat if he or she:
• does not appear to be satisfied after feeding
• seems hungry often
• isn't making several wet and soiled diapers a day
• is fussy or cries a lot
• isn't gaining weight
How to be sure your baby is nursing correctly
Signs of Correct Nursing
• Your baby’s mouth is open wide with lips turned out.
• His chin and nose are resting against the breast.
• He has taken as much of the areola as possible into his mouth.
• He is suckling rhythmically and deeply, in short bursts separated by pauses.
• You can hear him swallowing regularly.
• Your nipple is comfortable after the first few suckles.
Signs of Incorrect Nursing
• Your baby’s head is not in line with his body.
• He is sucking on the nipple only, instead of suckling on the
areola with the nipple far back in his mouth.
• He is sucking in a light, quick, fluttery manner rather than taking deep, regular sucks.
• His cheeks are puckered inward or you hear clicking noises.
• You don’t hear him swallow regularly after your milk production has increased.
• You experience pain throughout the feed or have signs of nipple damage (such as cracking or bleeding).
Eating well while you're breastfeeding is as important as eating well during pregnancy, focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and calcium-rich foods. Also make sure you use iodized salt in cooking, and eat foods high in iodine, like seafood and dairy products to avoid developing iodine deficiency. You need an estimated 300-500 extra calories per day as a breastfeeding mother. Breastfeeding might make you thirsty, so consider keeping a water bottle nearby so it's there when you need it.
Avoiding certain foods
The case differs for every baby. Some may get gassy or cranky after their mothers eat beans, cauliflower, or broccoli, while other babies can tolerate these foods just fine. Some mothers report that after they eat spicy foods, their babies dislike the taste of their breast milk.
Similarly to the period of pregnancy, you are advised to cut down or avoid intake of fish high in mercury (like tuna fish), since high mercury levels can damage the developing nervous system.
You should also pay attention to the food items that precipitate fussiness, gassiness, or colicky behavior in your baby and try to avoid those items.
Increasing the milk supply
The most powerful stimulant of breast milk supply is the baby’s suckling on the breasts. In other words, the more you breastfeed, the more milk your body produces.
Drinking plenty of fluids is also important.
•
