All about feeding newborns in the first days of life

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Behind - 9 months of pregnancy and difficult for any woman hours of childbirth. The baby was born. Women often feel joyful, tired…and confused. This little man is not at all like adults, and he seems very delicate and fragile. What does he need, how to deal with him? If in animals everything is prompted by instincts, then in humans they are silent. And if earlier people grew up in large families, among numerous brothers and sisters, now many hold a baby in their hands for the first time when their first child is born. Therefore, advice to young mothers is so in demand.

Of course, one of the main needs - after the air that the child first takes into the lungs at the first cry - for the baby is food. Probably, being born into the world is hard work and he was terribly hungry? Or, on the contrary, is he just recovering from the shock of meeting the world around him and he simply has no time for it?

Listening to the breast after childbirth

If before the child was usually taken away immediately after birth and putseparately from the mother, then in modern maternity hospitals it is customary to immediately put the baby to the chest. Is it necessary to do this if there is no milk in the breast yet? There is only one answer: it is necessary. There are several good reasons for this. First, breastfeeding isn't just about nutrition. From birth, an emotional connection with the mother and cuddling to the warm breast of the mother, the smell of her body and milk, her voice and touch is important for the baby - this is the first contact. This softens the stress experienced by the baby at birth, and has a beneficial effect on his further psycho-emotional development.

Feeding colostrum

But feeding the newborn will only benefit. Most likely, immediately after childbirth, the mother will not produce milk, but colostrum. It is a thick, yellowish or clear liquid, and there is usually not much of it. But this amount is enough for the baby. How much should a newborn eat per feeding? The first time - usually no more than a teaspoon. But colostrum is very valuable in its composition: it is rich in nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and most importantly, it contains leukocytes and antibodies that help the child develop immunity. After all, the baby spent the entire pregnancy in a sterile environment of amniotic fluid, and his body still knows nothing about the fight against infection. Colostrum is also different in that the proteins in it are broken down to amino acids - the baby's body has less work to do, the proteins do not have to be digested. At the same time, the calorie content of colostrum is much higher than that of milk, and there is relatively little liquid in it. This is done by nature for a reason. The baby's kidneys are not yet able to cope withplenty of liquid. And the baby's body contains a supply of water for the period until mature milk appears.

Colostrum is very useful for the intestines - it helps to form a he althy microflora, and also causes the first peristalsis. At the same time, meconium is released - the original feces, with which the child's body is released from bilirubin. This is an excellent prevention of neonatal jaundice.

How to breastfeed

You need to put the baby to the breast for about half an hour after giving birth: you need to give him a little time to get used to a completely new environment - a whole avalanche of new sounds, bright light, from which he was protected in the womb. At the same time, the baby will begin to show search behavior - from birth it is laid in him to look for the mother's breast. He opens his mouth, sticks out his tongue.

In the first hour after birth, the sucking reflex is especially strong. You need to try to take advantage of this in order to immediately properly attach the baby to the breast.

How to do it? When feeding a newborn, you need to press your tummy to yourself so that the nipple points to his nose. The chest should be supported by hand so that the thumb is on top, and the rest - from below, at the level of the baby's lower lip. It is better to keep the index finger away from the nipple so as not to interfere with the baby. We must wait until he opens his mouth wide, as if yawning. At this moment, you need to press it closer to yourself and direct the nipple to the upper part of the mouth. With proper feeding of a newborn, the nipple and areola are in his mouth, more from below than from above. The lips of a child in a momentsucking turns outward. You need to put the baby on each breast for 20 minutes.

What to do after feeding a newborn? The baby must be kept in a column, i.e. vertically. In this case, he will be able to get rid of the swallowed air, and the food will quickly enter the stomach and will not stagnate in the esophagus. The gastrointestinal tract of the baby is still immature, so it will be good for him.

Children behave differently: someone sucks more actively, someone sleeps off. On the 2-3rd day, usually all children begin to ask for a breast more often. Inexperienced mothers are frightened and think that the baby needs to be supplemented with formula, as there is not enough colostrum. But this behavior of the baby is quite natural - it stimulates the production of milk. By the way, feeding a newborn with colostrum also affects the mother's body. It stimulates the release of transitional milk, which is higher in calories, rich in fats and lactose. On the 12-14th day after birth, it is usually replaced by mature milk. It looks very liquid and has a bluish tint, but is excellent nutrition for the baby.

Own is always the best

Supplementation with formula should be avoided whenever possible. The fact is that in children who eat a mixture, the acidity of the gastrointestinal tract is noticeably higher. This provokes its settlement with putrefactive bacteria, causes dysbacteriosis, a tendency to intestinal diseases and allergies. Unfortunately, in babies who are fed with milk, but at least once a day a mixture is added, the microflora, rather, resembles that of artificial people. If the mother has milkand she refuses to use the formula in feeding the baby, the microflora will be restored in 2-4 weeks.

In general, do not take unnecessary initiative and look for a bottle of formula. If a supplement is really needed, it is usually prescribed by a doctor.

Artificial feeding

Sometimes bottle feeding is a necessity. Although you should not practice it unnecessarily, it is not a tragedy. A huge number of children were fed with mixtures. Moreover, science is constantly striding forward, and new, more useful and safe formulations of baby food are being developed. Mixed feeding is very common - when there is not enough milk, it is combined with a mixture. If breast milk makes up only a third of the baby's diet or is absent altogether, feeding is considered artificial. A suitable mixture is usually selected by a doctor. If your baby is having digestive problems, it may not be suitable for the baby. Doctors in this case select a new one based on the child's condition.

The thing you definitely shouldn't do is introduce cow or goat milk into your baby's diet on your own. Animal milk can be given to babies only after a year. It is not at all suitable for feeding a newborn baby. Yes, we are all mammals. But the needs of the young of different species differ markedly. Cow's milk contains more fats, but less polyunsaturated fatty acids - the famous omega-3 and omega-6, as well as iron. Manufacturers of mixtures take this into account, and if the mixture is produced on the basis ofcow's milk, it is enriched with the necessary substances. In addition, babies are allergic to cow's milk.

True Signs

Is the baby getting enough food? Many mothers are afraid of losing weight in the first 3-4 days of life. But if it does not exceed 5-8% of the child's weight, it is physiological. The baby gets rid of the accumulated meconium in the intestines, as well as the fluid that helped him pass through the birth canal without injury. If the weight loss is greater, doctors usually prescribe supplementary foods. But it is better to feed the baby with a formula from a spoon, and not from a bottle. Otherwise, it may affect the behavior of the newborn when breastfeeding.

You can tell it, oddly enough, by wet diapers. Usually a baby up to a week will write during the day as many times as he has days, sometimes one more. This will also be a sign that he is getting enough nutrition.

Normal feeding of newborns in the first days of life

It is important to understand that in everything related to the development of the child, any norms are approximate. And yet it is better to be familiar with them in order to understand whether the baby is eating enough. How much milk does a newborn eat per feeding? As already mentioned, a newly born child is quite small. The baby's stomach can only hold 7-10 g of colostrum or milk at a time for a few more days. Sometimes vomiting may occur after feeding. You should not be afraid. Most likely, the child swallowed air while sucking and is now getting rid of it. It is better if he does it right away - colic and gases will give him much more discomfort. But the baby will eat often - about 15 timesper day. The interval between feedings will be about 2-3 hours. It is best to breastfeed on demand. How much a newborn eats in one feeding can be found out by weighing the baby before and after meals. Accurate scales should show the difference down to the gram. By the first week of life, a baby can drink from 50 to 80 ml of milk at a time.

Knowing that a child is hungry is easy. If you feed him and he is not full, he will not let go of the breast. If some time has passed and he is hungry, he will cry, and also hold his hands to his mouth - this is one of the first gestures with which the child shows that he is hungry.

Feeding conditions

The very first feeding of a newborn will take place right in the delivery room, then in the ward. And when you move home with your baby, you can choose the most suitable place. It should be quiet and comfortable so that you can relax. Best of all - a sofa or chair where you can sit reclining. There are also special devices for the convenience of nursing mothers, such as horseshoe-shaped pillows. The child should not be distracted from eating. And you can quite afford to occupy yourself with something interesting. Feeding can be stretched out, but you should not rush the baby. Therefore, you can stock up on a book or magazine, put some cookies nearby.

Feeding positions

A comfortable position for feeding a newborn is lying on your back on a sufficiently high pillow. The child is on the mother's stomach and rests on it with arms and legs. You can also sit on the sidethe child also lies on its side and sucks the breast, which was on top. You need to hold it with both hands. Positions should be changed periodically to use both breasts and engage different lobes.

Breast Prep

The breast of a nursing mother requires careful hygiene. You need to wash it with soap, wipe it with a towel and arrange air baths. It is also important to choose the right bra. It should be made of natural material, fit in size, and breasts could increase during pregnancy. Nursing underwear has a special fastener and cup design for easy feeding.

How to avoid problems

To avoid injury to the nipples or insufficient feeding of the baby, it is important to properly attach it to the breast. To prevent squeezing of the milk ducts, it is necessary to feed the child often enough. Usually in the first days of life, babies require feeding very often, sometimes every half an hour. After all, this is a transitional stage from the intrauterine period, when the fetus was continuously fed and completely dependent on the mother, to independent nutrition. So you need to understand that frequent breastfeeding of a newborn, although tiring, is physiological for both the child and the mother.

And to avoid cracked nipples, it is important that the baby swallows the nipple deep enough. Otherwise, he can chew it with his gums, which causes injury. If the nipple is cracked and you are experiencing pain, you will need to stop letting your baby suckle. Neither you nor the child need sacrifices.

Duration of feeding

The length of time a newborn is breastfed varies greatly. Some babies suckle greedily and gorge themselves quickly, while others do so slowly. Sometimes feeding reaches an hour or even two. It is not necessary to take the baby off the breast. He will not understand your wishes to suck faster. And when feeding, the child also enters into emotional contact with the mother, and attachment is formed in him. It all starts with bodily sensations - he feels the warmth of the body, hears breathing and heartbeat. At this time, you can not only doze off or read, but also watch TV or talk on the phone, unless the sounds distract the baby from eating.

Expressing milk

It is considered quite normal when there is more milk than the baby needs. Nature ordered that food be enough with a margin. Whether it is necessary to express it is a matter of debate. One point of view is that it is useful because it stimulates the production of milk and is the prevention of its stagnation. The other is that it is unnatural and changes the composition of milk. Expressing milk is important if you need to stock it for future use. When the mother is constantly next to the baby, this is usually not necessary. Pharmacies sell breast pumps that will help express milk. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 12 hours without pasteurization. Mothers who could not resist and tasted their own milk out of curiosity say that it is much sweeter than cow's milk and even resembles condensed milk diluted with water. This is due to the fact that breast milk is high inlactose content - milk sugar.