How to feed the baby breast milk
Hints to Help You Get Off to a Good Start
Breastfeeding has many benefits for your baby. Breast milk is rich in nutrients. It has antibodies, which help protect your baby against infections. It also can help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Babies who are breastfed are less likely to have allergies, asthma, and diabetes. They also are less likely to become overweight.
Breastfeeding has benefits for you as well. It’s cheaper than using formula. You don’t have to wash bottles or mix formula. It helps your uterus go back to normal size after stretching out during pregnancy. This can help you lose weight faster. It can delay the return of your periods. However, you shouldn’t count on it to prevent pregnancy. Breastfeeding helps make time for you to be close to your baby. Women who breastfeed have lower risks of type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Path to improved health
Breastfeeding promotes wellbeing for you and your baby. Although it is a natural part of the birthing process, it’s not always easy. Many women need help learning how to breastfeed. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommends that all doctors provide assistance to women during pregnancy and after birth to support breastfeeding. Your doctor may recommend breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months of your baby’s life.
Below are helpful tips to help you get off to a good start.
Before you give birthDuring pregnancy, the following things can prepare you for breastfeeding.
- Prenatal care. It’s important to take good care of yourself and your baby. Babies who are born early (premature) have a harder time breastfeeding.
- Talk to your doctor. Make sure your doctor knows your plan to breastfeed. They can give you some resources. Ask questions about what type of care the hospital provides after birth. Some offer lactation consultants, who are breastfeeding specialists.
- Breastfeeding class. Some women find that taking a class can help them practice for the real thing.
- Breastfeeding items. Plan ahead by purchasing the items you need. These can include a nursing pillow, nursing bra, and covers. Some hospitals and insurance plans provide free breast pumps.
Once your baby is born, your breasts will start to fill up. At first, your body will produce a “pre-milk,” called colostrum. This can be thin and watery or thick and more yellow-colored. The pre-milk has a slower flow to help your baby learn to nurse. A newborn’s stomach is only about the size of a large grape. After 3 to 4 days of nursing, your real breast milk will come in.
Most babies are ready to eat 1 to 2 hours after birth. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to breastfeed.
- Wash your hands before each feeding.
- Place your baby in one of the breastfeeding positions (outline below).
- Put the thumb of your free hand on top of your breast and your other fingers below.
- Touch your baby’s lips to your nipple until your baby opens their mouth wide.
- Put your nipple all the way in your baby’s mouth and pull your baby close to you. This lets your baby’s jaw squeeze the milk ducts under your areola (nipple).
How do I know if my baby is latched on?
When your baby is “latched on” the right way, both lips should cover nearly all of your areola. Your baby’s jaw should begin to move back and forth. Your baby may make low-pitched swallowing noises instead of smacking noises. If you feel pain while your baby is nursing, they may not be latched on.
Your baby’s nose may touch your breast during nursing. Babies’ noses are designed to allow air to get in and out. If you’re concerned your baby can’t breathe easily, gently press down on your breast near your baby’s nose to give them more room to breathe. Your baby shouldn’t have to turn their head or strain their neck to nurse.
You can hold your baby in a number of ways. Some of the most common positions are:
- Put your baby’s head in the crook of your arm. Support your baby’s back and bottom with your forearm. Your baby should be lying facing you. Your breast should be right in front of your baby’s face.
- Side-lying. While lying down, place your baby alongside you. Your baby should be facing you. Pull your baby close to you so they can latch on. You can use a pillow to prop up, if needed. This position is helpful if you had a cesarean section (C-section). You don’t want to fall asleep while nursing in this (or any other) position. Co-sleeping can be dangerous for your baby. It increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
- Tuck your baby under your arm, along your side. Their head should be resting in your hand. Support your baby’s body with your forearm. Your baby should be facing you.
This position is helpful if you had a C-section. It also can help if your breasts are large, your baby is small, or you have multiple babies. - Cross-cradle. Hold your baby with the opposite arm of the breast you’re using. Support your baby’s head and bottom with the palm of your hand and forearm. Your baby should still be lying facing you. This position can help premature babies or babies who have a weak suck. It provides added head support.
The let-down reflex means your milk is ready to flow. It makes breastfeeding easier for you and your baby. You may feel a tingle in your breast(s) as you start to breastfeed. Milk may drip from the breast not being used. These are signs that your milk has “let-down.” The let-down reflex also may occur if a feeding is overdue, if you hear a baby cry, or if you think about your baby.
The reflex can be forceful enough to cause your baby to cough. If this is a problem, try to discharge some of your milk by hand before a feeding.
Feed your baby as often as they want to be fed. Learn how to tell when your baby is hungry. Crying can be a sign of hunger, but it may be too late. Babies who are crying or are upset have a harder time latching on. Watch out for early signs of hunger. Your baby may:
- Make sucking motions
- Turn toward the breast if they are being held
- Put their hands in their mouth
- Become excited or alert
After birth, your baby may be hungry 8 to 12 times a day or more. This number may decrease over time or increase during a growth spurt. Growth spurts occur at about 2 weeks and 6 weeks of age and again at about 3 months and 6 months of age.
Let your baby eat until they are satisfied. This may be for about 15 to 20 minutes at each breast. Try to have your baby nurse from both breasts at each feeding. Make sure your baby finishes one breast before starting the other. Your baby should let go on their own once they are done.
Don’t limit the time you let your baby nurse. It may keep your milk ducts from completely emptying. This can decrease your milk flow and make it harder for your baby to latch it on. It also can cause swelling and pain. Applying a cold compress before nursing can ease discomfort.
How do I know if my baby is getting enough milk?Your baby is getting enough milk if they:
- Act satisfied after each feeding
- Gain weight consistently after the first 3 to 7 days after birth. (Your baby may lose a little weight during the first week after being born.)
- Have about 6 to 8 wet diapers a day
- Have about 2 to 5 or more stools a day at first. This number may decrease to about 2 stools or less a day
Sometimes babies fall asleep while nursing. You can squeeze your breast to make more milk flow. This may awaken your baby. If you are not sure they got enough milk, offer your other breast to see if your baby latches on again.
If you think your baby needs more milk, increase the number of feedings a day. It’s important for you to get plenty of rest and eat right. Give your body time to catch up to your baby’s demands.
Don’t replace breast milk with baby formula or cereal. This can make babies lose interest in breast milk. It also will decrease your milk supply. You shouldn’t give your baby solid foods until about 6 months of age.
What if I work?There is no reason you have to stop breastfeeding when you return to work. Make a plan for pumping your breast milk at work. The federal Break Time for Nursing Mothers law requires your employer to provide basic accommodations for breastfeeding mothers at work, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “These accommodations include time for women to express milk and a private space that is not a bathroom each time they need to pump,” reports the HHS.
Breastfeed your baby before you leave for work, and every 3-4 hours at work (or however often you would normally feed your baby). Keep the milk refrigerated and your baby can have it the next day while you are at work. It keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. If you aren’t going to use the milk within 4 days, freeze it. Breastmilk will last up to 6-12 month in the freezer. After work, breastfeed your baby as you normally would.
Things to consider
What food should I eat while breastfeeding?The best diet is well balanced and has plenty of calcium. A balanced diet includes eating from all 5 food groups. You should get 5 servings of milk or dairy products each day. It is okay to eat foods that were restricted while you were pregnant. These will not make your baby sick.
If you don’t eat meat or dairy, you can get calcium from foods such as broccoli, sesame seeds, tofu, and kale. Talk to your doctor about taking a calcium supplement if you don’t get enough from your diet.
You should eat about 500 extra calories per day. Make sure you drink extra fluids as well. Continue to take a prenatal vitamin so your body gets enough nutrients.
What should I avoid while breastfeeding?Certain foods can bother your baby. They may make him or her fussy or gassy. Pay attention to what you eat and how your baby acts after feedings. Stop eating foods that affect them. These may include spicy foods, broccoli, or milk.
Some babies react to cow’s milk in your diet. Symptoms can include gas, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, or colic. Your baby also can have an allergic reaction to something you eat. Common foods are eggs and peanuts. They may get a rash or have trouble breathing. Contact your doctor right away if your baby has any of these signs.
Limit your intake of caffeine and alcohol. These can get into your milk. Don’t have more than a couple cups of coffee, tea, soda, or other caffeine each day. Don’t have more than one alcoholic drink each day.
Avoid drinking caffeine and alcohol less than 2 hours before a feeding.
Some medicines can get into your milk. This includes over-the-counter drugs and prescriptions, such as antidepressants and birth control medicines. Don’t take anything without talking to your doctor first. Smoking also is bad for breastfeeding. The chemicals and smoke can get in your milk. Smoking can cause you to make less milk. If you smoke, try to quit.
If possible, avoid using bottles or pacifiers after birth. This can confuse your baby and make breastfeeding harder.
What can I do if my nipples get sore?It’s easier to prevent sore nipples than it is to treat them. The main cause of sore nipples is when your baby doesn’t latch on the right way. You need to start over to correct this. To take your baby off your breast, release the suction by putting your finger in the corner of your baby’s mouth between the gums. Switch breasts and try to breastfeed again.
Other ways to prevent and heal sore nipples are:
- Make sure your baby is sucking the right way.
If the sucking hurts, your baby’s mouth may not be in the right position. - Offer your baby the less sore of your two nipples first. Your baby’s sucking may be less forceful after the first few minutes.
- If possible, position cracked or tender parts of your breast at the corner of your baby’s mouth. This way the spots get less pressure during feeding.
- Change positions.
- Let your nipples air dry between feedings. Let the milk dry on your nipples instead of wiping it off.
- Wash your nipples daily with warm water. Don’t use soap or lotion that may contain alcohol. This can dry out your skin.
- Rub lanolin on your nipples to help soothe them.
- Avoid bra pads lined with plastic. Change bra pads between feedings to keep your nipples dry.
- Discharge milk with your hand until the let-down reflex occurs. This can help make your milk flow easier so your baby sucks less hard.
When to see your doctor
Call your doctor if you have:
- A red, sore, or painful spot on your breast
- Painful engorgement (overfull breasts)
- A fever or if you feel achy (these may be signs of an infection)
You also should call your doctor if your baby is losing weight for no apparent reason.
Questions to ask your doctor
- Where can I take a breastfeeding class?
- What type of breastfeeding care and information will the hospital provide after birth?
- What should I do if my baby won’t latch on?
- What can I do if my body is not producing enough milk?
- Is it okay to give my baby bottles or pacifiers?
Resources
National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: Breastfeeding and Breast Milk
National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus: Breastfeeding
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office on Women’s Health: Learning to Breastfeed
Breastfeeding: the first few days
In the first few days, you and your baby will be getting to know each other. It may take time for both of you to get the hang of breastfeeding.
This happens faster for some women than others.
But nearly all women produce enough milk for their baby.
Preparing to breastfeed before the birth
It's good to find out as much as you can about breastfeeding before you have your baby. It may help you feel more confident when you start breastfeeding your baby.
Antenatal classes usually cover the most important aspects of breastfeeding, such as positioning and attachment, expressing, and how to tackle common breastfeeding problems.
Find antenatal classes near you.
You can find out about breastfeeding from your midwife, family and friends, and useful helplines and websites.
Find breastfeeding help and support.
There are lots of groups and drop-ins, some specially designed for pregnant women who want to know more about breastfeeding. You can find out more by asking your midwife, health visitor, local peer supporter or GP.
Or visit your local Children's Centre.
Find a Sure Start Children's Centre on GOV.UK.
Skin-to-skin contact
Having skin-to-skin contact with your baby straight after giving birth will help to keep them warm and calm and steady their breathing.
Skin-to-skin means holding your baby naked or dressed only in a nappy against your skin, usually under your top or under a blanket.
Skin-to-skin time can be a bonding experience for you and your baby. It's also a great time to have your first breastfeed. If you need any help, your midwife will support you with positioning and attachment.
Skin-to-skin contact is good at any time. It will help to comfort you and your baby over the first few days and weeks as you get to know each other. It also helps your baby attach to your breast using their natural crawling and latching-on reflexes.
You'll still be able to bond with and breastfeed your baby if skin-to-skin contact is delayed for some reason, for example if your baby needs to spend some time in special care.
If necessary, your midwife will show you how to express your breast milk until your baby is ready to breastfeed. They can also help you have skin-to-skin contact with your baby as soon as it's possible.
Skin-to-skin after a caesarean
If your baby is delivered by caesarean, you should still be able to have skin-to-skin contact with your baby straight after delivery.
Colostrum: your first milk
The fluid your breasts produce in the first few days after birth is called colostrum. It's thick and usually a golden yellow colour. It's a very concentrated food, so your baby will only need a small amount, about a teaspoonful, at each feed.
Your baby may want to feed quite often, perhaps every hour to begin with. They'll begin to have fewer, but longer feeds once your breasts start to produce more "mature" milk after a few days.
The more you breastfeed, the more your baby's sucking will stimulate your supply and the more milk you'll make.
Your let-down reflex
Your baby's sucking causes muscles in your breasts to squeeze milk towards your nipples. This is called the let-down reflex.
Some women get a tingling feeling, which can be quite strong. Others feel nothing at all.
You'll see your baby respond when your milk lets down. Their quick sucks will change to deep rhythmic swallows as the milk begins to flow. Babies often pause after the initial quick sucks while they wait for more milk to be delivered.
Occasionally this let-down reflex can be so strong that your baby coughs and splutters.
Your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding supporter can help with this.
If your baby seems to be falling asleep before the deep swallowing stage of feeds, they may not be properly attached to the breast. Ask your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding supporter to check your baby's positioning and attachment.
Sometimes you'll notice your milk letting down in response to your baby crying or when you have a warm bath or shower. This is normal.
How often should I feed my baby?
In the first week, your baby may want to feed very often. It could be every hour in the first few days.
Feed your baby as often as they want and for as long as they want. They'll begin to have fewer, but longer feeds after a few days.
As a very rough guide, your baby should feed at least 8 to 12 times, or more, every 24 hours during the first few weeks.
It's fine to feed your baby whenever they are hungry, when your breasts feel full or if you just want to have a cuddle.
It's not possible to overfeed a breastfed baby.
When your baby is hungry they may:
- get restless
- suck their fist or fingers
- make murmuring sounds
- turn their head and open their mouth (rooting)
It's best to try and feed your baby during these early feeding cues as a crying baby is difficult to feed.
Building up your milk supply
Around 2 to 4 days after birth you may notice that your breasts become fuller. This is often referred to as your milk "coming in".
Your milk will vary according to your baby's needs. Each time your baby feeds, your body knows to make more milk for the next feed.
The amount of milk you make will increase or decrease depending on how often your baby feeds.
Feed your baby as often as they want and for as long as they want. This is called responsive feeding. In other words, responding to your baby's needs. It's also known as on-demand or baby-led feeding.
In the beginning, it can feel like you're doing nothing but feeding. But gradually you and your baby will get into a pattern and the amount of milk you produce will settle down.
It's important to breastfeed at night because this is when you produce more hormones (prolactin) to build up your milk supply.
In the early weeks, before you and your baby have become comfortable with breastfeeding, "topping up" with formula milk or giving your baby a dummy can lower your milk supply.
Speak to a midwife or health visitor if you are worried about breastfeeding or you think your baby is not getting enough milk.
They might suggest giving your baby some expressed breast milk along with breastfeeding.
Find out more about how to tell if your baby is getting enough breast milk.
Dealing with leaking breasts
Sometimes, breast milk may leak unexpectedly from your nipples.
Wearing breast pads will stop your clothes becoming wet with breast milk. Remember to change them frequently to prevent an infection.
Expressing some milk may also help. Only express enough to feel comfortable as you do not want to overstimulate your supply.
Find out about expressing and storing breast milk.
If your baby has not fed recently, you could offer them a feed as breastfeeding is also about you being comfortable.
Help and support for breastfeeding
- Find out more about positioning and attachment, including how to get comfortable and make sure your baby is properly attached.
- If you are having difficulties with breastfeeding, take a look at common breastfeeding problems.
- Ask a midwife or health visitor for help. They can also tell you about other breastfeeding support available near you.
- Search online for breastfeeding support in your area.
- Call the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212 (9.30am to 9.30pm daily).
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Community content from HealthUnlockedBreastfeeding on demand
You can often hear from a nursing mother: "I feed on demand, my baby requires a breast every 3.5 hours." Or: “I have always fed on demand.
In a year, we already had 1 feeding in the evening, and my child calmly refused to breastfeed. Before talking about the demand of the child, it is necessary to find out what modern women mean when they say - "I breastfeed."
Modern mothers consider breastfeeding necessary for feeding their baby. Just for feeding. Breast milk is food, the mother supplies the baby with the nutrients necessary for growth and development. When a baby suckles at the breast, he eats. Breastfeeding makes sense only as a process of supplying proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements.
During suckling, the baby receives the nutrients it needs with mother's milk. This is the absolute truth. There is another unconditional truth, which is not given any importance in modern society, it is not taken into account and is not considered. Breastfeeding for a child is communication with the mother. We need to figure out how the child understands feeding on demand? Can he understand anything at all? Is there any difference for him how he is fed, for 15-20 minutes after 3.
5 hours or in some other way?
What is on-demand feeding
On-demand feeding of a newborn baby means putting it to the breast for every squeak or search. Squeak and search movements in newborns, even as early as the second or third day of life, begin to appear much more often than after 3.5 or 2.5 hours. The need for attachments increases rapidly, and by the 10-12th day of life, the need to attach to a child may occur 15-16 or more times a day. Applications vary in duration. The baby can fall asleep and sleep while sucking for, for example, 1.5-2 hours. Can release the breast after 1-2 minutes. And then ask her again. Why does a child need such frequent contact with his mother's breast?
That's why. Being in the mother's belly, in a calm, familiar environment, listening to the noises of the mother's body, being in a warm, cramped, confined space, the baby sucked his fist, fingers, loops of the umbilical cord, swallowed amniotic fluid. Learned to suck and swallow.
After birth, experiencing discomfort for any, the most insignificant reason, the baby tries to get rid of it. You can get rid of discomfort by getting into the usual conditions of a comfortable stay. The only place where the baby after birth can feel the sensations familiar to him is in the arms of the mother. The only familiar action is sucking. The only familiar taste and smell is the taste and smell of milk and lube in the areola. Milk and lubricant have an odor and taste similar to the taste and smell of amniotic fluid. Therefore, experiencing discomfort, the baby squeaks, or begins to look for an object to suck with his mouth. Ideally, it is immediately applied to the chest. The baby becomes warm, cramped, he hears the beating of his mother's heart, breathing, grumbling in the intestines, he sucks and feels the familiar taste and smell. If such an action happens constantly, the baby gains confidence, no matter what happens, he will solve all his problems with his mother. The place of comfort is now under the breast, and you can suck on the breast.
This whole process is biologically justified. A newborn child does not feel the feeling of hunger, this feeling is not formed in him. It will begin to form at about two months of age. How to feed a creature that does not experience hunger ?! How to encourage him to take some action to get food? This can be done only at the expense of some other incentives. This stimulus for the newborn is constant bodily discomfort, thanks to which he wants to suckle all the time! The most intense, frequent and prolonged sucking in infants is observed in the first two or three months of life. It is in these first months that the main weight gain of the baby occurs.
Feeding in the first month
Baby falls asleep with breast in mouth, sleeps sucking for a while. Falling asleep deeply, lets go of the chest. After sleeping for a while, he wakes up, and is applied on waking. After sleep, he can stay awake for some time, for example, an hour and a half. During wakefulness, he may feel discomfort 2-3 times, for example, from a completely natural desire to pee, and having called his mother for help, having kissed for a couple of minutes, he will do his deeds.
Then he will want to sleep, feel discomfort and, kissing his chest, will again fall asleep sucking. After some time, he will wake up and attach again. Then again a little "walk". And after some time, he will fall asleep at the chest again.
The daytime naps of a one-month-old infant feeding on demand vary in duration and number. There can be 4-6 dreams during the day, and they can last from 5-15 minutes to 2-2.5 sometimes 3 hours. "Around" each dream, the baby is applied to the chest, and applied between dreams several times. At night, the child falls asleep at the breast. Usually in the early morning hours, he begins to fuss and apply. In the morning, he almost never fully wakes up. The baby sleeps, from time to time, sucking on his mother's breast. Waking up in the morning, the baby is again applied to the chest. If you count all the attachments that have happened in a baby of one month of age, then approximately 16-20 attachments are obtained. This is how a newborn human cub behaves if it is given the opportunity to behave in accordance with physiological and psychological needs, which, by the way, are genetically determined. The child of the first months of life does not separate his personality from the personality of the mother and from her breast. Mom and her breasts, and everything connected with them, are the universe of the baby and himself.
In most cases, a modern woman, being afraid to “accustom a child to hands”, strives to limit his requests for suckling. A pacifier and a bottle of tea or water come to her aid in this matter. They, too, can be sucked ... The need for sucking seems to be satisfied. But only the need for communication with the mother during suckling is not satisfied, the peculiar chain of mutual assistance and cooperation between mother and baby is destroyed, the formation of maternal affection and concentration is disrupted. Is the difference in the two actions noticeable to the reader: the baby cried, the mother took him, put him to her chest and started rocking him, or gave him a pacifier and started rocking the stroller, even with the words “Why are you crying, my sun?”
The modern woman who gives a pacifier and pumps a stroller is not a bad person deliberately harming an infant. She is simply in captivity of prejudices regarding the relationship between mother and baby. She does not know how to behave correctly, does not know what to do in accordance with the natural needs of the child. If you tell her what the child really needs, she will exclaim in horror: “What is it, don’t let him get away with?!” Indeed, the child of the first months of life must not be let off the hook. For a woman who does not know how to comfortably carry a baby, and who does not know how to feed him in various positions (sitting, lying, standing and even moving), this can be very difficult. Especially if she is not sure of the correctness of her actions.
An action that should become automatic for the mother of a newborn: when the baby cries or shows other signs of anxiety, put the baby to the breast.
What's next?
The baby is growing. A fairly stable rhythm of daytime sleep begins to form in him, and a 3-4-month-old baby behaves quite differently from a newborn. Feeding on demand at this age looks something like this...
- At three months, the baby has 10-12 feeds during the day and 2-4 at night. There are frequent applications for a short time, but their number is reduced. There may be a long night break in feedings, about 5 hours, but this is very rare. Much more often the night break is 2.5-3.5 hours. By this age, the baby's body is noticeably rounded.
- At four months, the baby begins to breastfeed noticeably less frequently. The main feedings are associated with sleep: the baby suckles before bedtime, during awakening and during sleep, both daytime and nighttime. In this regard, he has a fairly accurate feeding regimen. And many babies stop breastfeeding when they wake up after daytime sleep, sometimes as early as 2.5-3 months.
- At five months, the baby has 8-10 daytime feedings and 2-3 nighttime, attachments as well as in the fourth month of life, are organized around dreams - the baby eats when going to bed and some babies suck during awakening.
- At six months, the feeding regimen changes. The most active sucking shifts to the last 2-3 hours before waking up from a night's sleep. The period of daytime wakefulness can be divided into two periods: in the morning, when the baby sucked during the night is rarely applied to the breast, and in the evening, when attachments become very frequent. In total, there can be 7-10 day applications and 3-4 night applications. At this age, the baby begins a period of acquaintance with new food - pedagogical complementary foods. Sometimes there are attachments associated with the introduction of complementary foods, the baby “washes down” samples of new food with mother's milk. But many children do not want to drink complementary foods. When complementary foods are introduced to an on-demand baby, it is never meant to replace feedings with complementary foods. This is practically impossible, because the main feedings of the baby are associated with sleep, and mother's breakfasts, lunches and dinners, during which the baby gets acquainted with new food, are located between the baby's dreams, during his wakefulness.
- At seven months, the frequency of application is about the same.
- At eight months, the feeding regimen changes. Since the baby shows high motor activity and is very busy exploring the surrounding space, in the daytime he forgets to breastfeed. In this regard, the number of daily feedings can be reduced to 6-8 times. The baby compensates for the reduction in daytime feedings by increasing the frequency and duration of nighttime feedings up to 6 times.
- In the second half of the year, babies who stopped breastfeeding when waking up after daytime naps recall this habit again. The baby’s daytime sleep in the second half of life, as well as in the region of a year and older, looks something like this: the baby falls asleep sucking, sleeps quietly for a while, for example 1-1.5 hours, then starts tossing and turning, fiddling, worrying, at this moment the mother lies down next to , gives him a breast and the baby can fill up 10-15-30 minutes sucking. Mom may well use this time for her own rest - lie down, read, while the baby sleeps while sucking.
I know my mother, a lover of embroidery, who used this time specifically for embroidery ...
- Breastfeeding becomes more frequent at nine to ten months. In the daytime, this is 4-6 full feedings and about the same number of attachments for various reasons. The baby has new reasons for attachment. If, during active actions to master the world, the baby fills a bump or gets scared, he calms down with his mother's breast. There may be situations when you can comfort the baby by sitting next to him and hugging him. At night, 4-6 feedings remain, the baby begins to suckle more actively in the morning between 3 and 8 hours.
- At eleven months, a baby can already have 2-3 complete complementary foods. Initiation to adult food in the mind of a child is not associated with breastfeeding: attachment to the mother's breast is something other than the desire to get enough of the product they like. As a rule, after the baby has eaten, he feels the need to attach himself to the breast.
The number of daily feedings remains the same in the child, but the number of short-term attachments increases. There are active mid-morning feedings between 4 and 8 o'clock in the morning.
- At ten or twelve months, the baby, if he is already walking, can sometimes breastfeed every time he comes to his mother, i.e. about every 15-30 minutes. Attachments around dreams and night sucking persist. Therefore, if a mother says that a child suckles once or twice a day, this means that there is no feeding at the request of the child. There are restrictions imposed by the mother, with which the baby has come to terms. He treats breast sucking like food, sucks on a pacifier or a finger to fall asleep or soothe, or falls asleep just like that, without calming down.
- At twelve months, the baby is applied in about the same way.
- At the age of one and a half years, there may already be one daytime nap, so there are fewer attachments associated with sleep. Preserved for morning sucking.
The baby is very free with his mother's breasts. Sometimes it happens that he comes up to suck just for pleasure. For example, like this: he comes up, climbs on his knees, looks into his mother’s face, smiles, starts to swarm in his shirt, gets breasts, smiles at his breasts, sucks for 30 seconds and leaves.
As for the number of feedings per day when feeding a child on demand, their number is almost never less than 12. A newborn has 12 or more attachments, mostly they are all associated with dreams. And a child, say 1.5-2 years old, can also have about 12 attachments, only 3-4 are associated with sleep, and the rest are short-term attachments for various reasons. I suggest to all mothers reading this text - do not count the application, do not notice their duration. Breastfeed your baby as often as he asks, when you feel the need to.
Moms who don't think about breastfeeding without looking at the clock may get the impression that when breastfeeding on demand, the mother can do nothing but feed the baby. This is wrong. After the birth of a baby, a mother begins another life, she is called life with a baby. That's all. The child is with the mother, not the mother with the child! Feel the difference! You need to be able to organize your life in a different way, in the first months, of course, the help of loved ones is very necessary. In the tradition of many peoples, it was customary for the first 40 days after childbirth to remove a woman from any housework and household chores, she was engaged only in a child. In some nations, objects that the mother of a newborn touched were considered “unclean”, therefore, they preferred to protect the mother from the rest of the household, allocating her a separate “corner” of the house, where no one bothered her and she did not interfere with anyone. Among the Slavs, such a restrictive custom was called a six-week. By 1.5-2 months, the rhythm of daytime dreams begins to form, and the baby has a kind of “regime”, the mother becomes more free.
For a mother who can't imagine breastfeeding without looking back at the clock, and who is sure that the “right” baby is the baby lying quietly in her crib all the time, feeding on demand will be a complete hassle. It will be much easier for such a mother if she stops looking at the clock and ties the baby to herself with a large scarf or uses a patchwork holder (sling). It will become easier for her if she stops running between the nursery and the kitchen, but takes the baby with her to the kitchen and carries him around the house with her, doing housework, in a box, a cradle, a special chair, if she tries not to put him off often, and pick up as soon as possible, postponing the baby only in case of emergency and not for long.
Breastfeeding is not the same as house arrest. In the conditions of modern society, it is possible to organize the exit of a nursing mother to work from about 6 months of age of the baby. If necessary, you can start working from the age of 4 months, but, of course, it is better not every day of the week and not full time. It is the responsibility of a breastfeeding consultant to help a mother organize her return to work.
Sometimes, when I advise mothers on breastfeeding, I suggest that they forget for a second that they are already living in the 21st century. I propose to return, for example, to the cave and ask what they will do if the child woke up at night, how to calm him down? If you are walking through the forest and trying not to attract the attention of predators, how to make the baby silent? If the child is thirsty, what will you give him? What is the baby used to, for thousands of years of its existence? To the fact that he sleeps on his mother while she wanders through the forest with a digging stick in search of roots, and wakes up when mother stops. Since mom stopped, then there is time to wake up and suck. Therefore, even now the child sleeps well, tied to the mother with a patchwork holder, wakes up when the mother, having done a few household chores, sits in a chair to take care of the baby.
Some mother, reading about the cave, will be offended, saying that she is a civilized creature. But please think. Man, mother's breast and mother's milk have been created by evolution over millions of years. They are made for each other. Baby food has created progress and more recently. The skills of motherhood and breastfeeding have also been lost by our society quite recently. A person is not physiologically adapted to artificial feeding and a pacifier. The mother's breast will not produce enough milk at 6-7 feedings per day. Nature did not know, when creating man as a mammal, that the time would come when the need for breastfeeding would be satisfied by some kind of pacifiers and nipples.
Changes that occur during the formation of the personality of a child who did not have full contact with the mother during prolonged breastfeeding are noted by modern research by psychologists and sociologists. These are changes with a minus sign. It would be better if they were not, these changes.
Breastfeeding is important not only for the baby, it is also important for the mother. During on-demand feeding, the woman's feelings change, a stronger attachment to the baby is formed, the woman becomes more sensitive to the needs of the baby. Deeper affection and understanding are not only preserved in infancy. They persist for life. For clarity, imagine what happens to a woman’s feelings if she tries to “withstand” a child, endures his crying, anxiety. What happens to a woman if she uses the recommendation from one very popular parenting book: "Go to the child if he cries for more than 15 minutes"? Speaking in abstract terms, humanity is interested in reviving the practice of breastfeeding. The revival of this practice is impossible without mothers realizing the true reasons for the child's need for attachment to the breast.
Lilia Kazakova, pediatrician,
head of the breastfeeding and childcare consultant service
Breastfeeding Rules - Budgetary institution of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra
Breastfeeding Rules The correct position of the baby to the breast greatly facilitates feeding, ensures the flow of milk, helps prevent inflammation, cracked nipples, and engorgement of the mammary glands.
How to feed a child.
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