Guide To Breastfeeding

FAQ's On Breastfeeding:

When should I first feed my baby?
You should give the child your breast the moment the baby is given to you, and you should insist on feeding the baby within its first half hour."Colostrum", the first feed, is a thick yellowish secretion.It is nature's startup pack for the baby.Very rich in proteins, minerals and vitamins, it also has, most importantly, the disease resistance antibodies.One should never let this elixir of life go waste.Even after a Caesarian section, breast-feed the baby as soon as the anaesthesia wears off.If the husband holds the baby to your breast, as you lie down, it has the additional bonus of father-child bonding.

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What is the best feeding technique?
When suckling, the baby should hold the areola in its mouth and not just the nipple.Hold the baby in the crook of your arm, with the baby's upturned face towards you.Make sure that the baby's mouth and chin are near the nipple.The baby should hold the areola and the nipple inside its mouth, with its lips curled out.The baby's chin should rest on your chest.To facilitate this, in the beginning, the mother should slightly raise the nipple and insert it in the baby's mouth, with the upper areola just covered by the lips.The baby will feel the urge to suckle and will start sucking strongly and will swallow properly.It will look calm and contented.Importantly, this method reduces pain in the nipple, which some mothers feel.After feeding or in between, do not abruptly remove the baby from the breast.Slowly insert your little finger in the baby's mouth, open it, and then gently remove the breast.This prevents injury to the nipples.While breastfeeding, always feed the baby from breast and only when it empties out, then switch the baby to the other.A simple way to remember this is to wear a bangle in the arm from which side you are feeding and then, at the next feed, switch over.It is a fallacy that the right breast has food and the left breast has water.The sooner this is dispelled the better or else engorgement and hardening of breasts will take place.Not only are these painful but also can have long-lasting side effects.Always burp the baby on your shoulder after every feed.

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Should I feed my baby on demand?
You should feed the baby only as and when it demands a feed.No timetables, please.Let the baby decide how long it wants to feed.

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I'm a working mother and want to regularly breast-feed my baby.Three months down the line, I will resume my job.How can I continue breast-feeding?
The remedy has the best of both worlds-the benefit of breast milk for your baby and holding the job.Following some simple instructions will allow you to extract your own milk, for the baby, rpior to leaving for office.Morning, when the breasts are full, is the right time for this.Take a steel container having a 3-4" size mouth with a lid.Boil it in a large bowl so that it is disinfected.Remove it and keep it aside.Wash your hands and your breasts properly.Now slowly sqeeze the areola and the nipple evenly and from all sides, with thumb and index finger.The expelled milk is to be collected in the steel container.A circular movement ensures that the entire breast is emptied.Repeat this with the other breast.Cap the container tightly.The milk is now ready to use.This milk lasts for upto 8 hours at room temperature and 24 hours, if regrigerated.To feed, remove some quantity from the container in a bowl,if refrigerated.Then, keep the bowl in a deep dish having some warm water.This will warm the milk enough and now feed the baby using a spoon.After the feed, burp the child on your shoulder.Another level of bonding is established when the baby's carer takes over her feeding rituals.Initially, it might be a bit difficult to spoon-feed the baby and you might think that bottle-feeding is easier.However, that perception will change soon.

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How will I know if my child is getting a proper feed?
When a baby is only breast-fed and not even outside water is given to it, and if the baby urinates six or more times in a day(except for the first 4-5 days after birth, when the water percentage in the milk is lower), is active, sleeps after a feed and puts on adequate weight,(500-1000gms a month), you can be assured that the milk is sufficient.

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