Personally, the biggest difficulty in breastfeeding is that mothers do not know enough about breastfeeding. For example, a reader left a message saying, “The baby has just been born, and I have not yet opened milk, so I have to feed milk powder to the baby first, feeling a little sorry for the baby”! Problems like this are very common, which is caused by the mother’s lack of comprehensive knowledge of breast milk. Firstly, when a baby is born, no matter whether there is breast milk or not, the mother should let the baby suck first. The probability of no breast milk is very small, only about 5%. The sooner the baby sucks, the longer the duration and the higher the sucking frequency, the more conducive to opening milk, rather than waiting. Secondly, if the mother does not have breast milk, milk powder can also be fed. But be sure to feed it with a spoon, not a bottle. If the newborn is accustomed to bottles, it is easy to cause nipple confusion, which leads to the refusal of breastfeeding.
There are 10 knowledge points that mothers who insist on breastfeeding should know:
- Before breastfeeding.
If a mother has inverted nipple symptoms, it is necessary to correct the inverted nipple, which is the work of a mother when she is pregnant. Do more lifting and squeezing during pregnancy to prepare for breastfeeding in advance. Don’t wait for the baby to drink milk, which makes it difficult for the baby to suck.
- The time of first breastfeeding
Newborns should be breastfed 30 minutes after umbilical cord ligation. The sooner the baby sucks, the quicker the breast milk occurs.
- Correctly understand the nutrition of breast milk.
- Colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk.
Colostrum is breast milk after breast-feeding. It is yellowish in color and small in quantity, but it has the highest nutritional value. Colostrum contains a large number of immune factors, which is very important for newborns. Transitional milk and mature milk are breast milk after colostrum. With the increase of the baby’s age, breast milk will automatically adjust the proportion of nutrition according to the needs of the baby’s development.
- The difference between front milk and latter milk.
The main components of the front milk are protein and vitamins, which contain a large amount of water, mainly to supplement water; the latter milk is mainly composed of fat, which is necessary for the baby to be full and grow up.
- The correct posture of breastfeeding
- When feeding, hold the baby and guarantee the baby’s head is higher than feet and make the baby’s body tilts 45 degrees, so that milk flows smoothly into the baby’s stomach and intestines.
- When feeding, let the baby stick on the mother to give the baby a sense of security.
- Avoid fatigue when the baby drinks milk. The mother should hold the baby’s body and head in her arms to ensure that the baby contains the whole areola, not the nipple.
- Don’t change the side of milk frequently. Mother has to make sure that one side of the milk is empty, and then change the other side. In this way, the baby can eat the protein and vitamins of the former milk, and also can eat the fat of the latter milk. Otherwise, if the mother changes milk frequently, the baby can only eat the front milk, the fat intake in the latter milk is insufficient, the baby’s weight is difficult to grow.
- Number of feeding and milk quantity standards
As the baby grows up, the number of feeding and milk quantity standards will change. Mothers should adjust them timely.
- Make the baby belch after feeding.
Making the baby belch after feeding can effectively prevent the baby from vomiting.
- Influences of Mother’s Illness on Breastfeeding
- Cold and fever.
The common cold does not affect breastfeeding, as long as the mother wears a mask and don’t sneeze at the baby; mother’s fever also doesn’t affect breastfeeding, as long as the mother takes ibuprofen and paracetamol.
- Chapped or inflamed nipples.
Damage to the mother’s nipples does not affect breastfeeding. When symptoms are mild, rinse them with water before feeding and breast-feed babies directly; when symptoms are severe, suck breast milk out with a sucker and then feed babies.
- Nursing and maintenance before and after breastfeeding
- Nursing before breastfeeding.
Clean the nipples with warm water, but not too clean. Because there are a lot of probiotics on the mother’s nipples, which is good for the baby.
- Nursing after breastfeeding.
Firstly, suck out and empty the leftover milk after breast-feeding. Keep in mind that breast milk will be produced more if it is sucked more. Inflammation occurs only when no suck occurs. Secondly, apply a little breast milk on the nipples after each breastfeeding. Because breast milk has a bacteriostatic effect.
- Should the mother continue to breast-feed after the baby’s vomiting?
- If the baby is seriously choking and coughing, stop feeding. Clean up the baby’s milk residue timely and soothe the baby.
- Spitting up is the process that the baby expels the inhaled air out of the body, which doesn’t indicate that the baby is full. So if the baby wants to eat, the mother should continue breastfeeding.
- The criteria for judging a baby’s satiety: obvious swallowing movements; urinate 8 to 10 times a day; stool 3 to 5 times a day; Weight gains steadily every month.
- How long should breastfeeding last?
International Kids Fund recommends that supplementary food be added when the baby is 6 months old and that breastfeeding be maintained until the baby is 2 years old.
To sum up, the biggest problem of breastfeeding is how to correctly understand the scientific nature of breastfeeding. Only in this way can mothers not be disturbed by others on the way to breastfeeding.