Mixed feeding: tips for new mothers

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

Newborn babies get all the nutrients they need from their mother's milk - these babies do not need additional nutrition, vitamins or even water. But there are times when a mother, for reasons beyond her control, cannot breastfeed her baby. Several centuries ago, there was only one solution to the problem - to find a nursing woman who can feed not only her child. Today, parents have the opportunity not to seek help from wet nurses: mixed feeding will help feed the baby, which is carried out using adapted artificial mixtures for baby food.

How to combine formula and breast milk?

In young mothers, lack of milk is a fairly common phenomenon. However, in this case, most often the problem lies not in the physiological inability of the woman to produce milk, but in adverse external conditions. Regardless of age, weight, breast size, 97% of mothers are capable of breastfeeding. That is why it is important to put aside all the ridiculous, unsupportedno scientific justification for the prejudice of saggy breasts, swollen figure and hormonal disorders, and try to save milk at all costs.

If, despite all attempts, there is less and less milk every day, it's time to switch to mixed feeding, which implies that the child will receive an adapted mixture as supplementary food, but most of his diet will still take breast milk.

If all the rules are observed, mixed feeding does not lead to complete rejection of the breast. Moreover, if you follow the advice of experts, supplementary feeding can soon be abandoned, continuing to exclusively breastfeed the baby:

• adapted formula should be given to the child from a spoon. If parents decide to use bottles, the hole in the nipple should be very small;
• use of a dummy should be limited as much as possible;
• at night feedings, the baby should receive only the breast.

When switching to mixed feeding, the baby should receive the mixture exclusively after the breast. In general, feeding a baby up to a year should ideally include at least 50% breast milk.

Artificial feeding

The transition to artificial feeding occurs if breast milk completely disappears. At the same time, the mother has additional troubles for buying and preparing adapted mixtures. What should parents know?Deciding to switch your baby from breast milk to formula?

First of all, you need to pay attention to the choice of a worthy product. This issue should be discussed with the pediatrician. Also, the child should receive formula that is appropriate for his age.

It is important to remember that the composition of even the highest quality mixture is not identical to breast milk, so artificial children should receive complementary foods much earlier than babies - purees, juices, cereals. In addition, to prevent rickets, it is advisable to introduce foods that contain vitamin D and calcium into the diet of such babies.