How often to feed a newborn with breast milk

Breastfeeding is a whole science that young mummies have to learn in a matter of days. The quality of the acquired material depends on what the baby will eat in the coming year. Properly adjusted breastfeeding (HB) will allow the baby to receive valuable and incredibly useful breast milk, relieve mommy from stagnation, lactostasis and mastitis, make the motherhood process pleasant and calm. If you do not understand the principles of HB from the very beginning, it can turn into a neurosis, poor sleep, problems with the mammary gland, and as a result - artificial feeding. Which, by the way, pulls along a lot of questions, because not every mixture will do for a child, you need to select the right product in an experimental way, which leads to additional health problems and financial costs.That is why it is necessary from the very beginning of motherhood to tune in to breastfeeding, talk to doctors, experienced friends, invite a consultant on GW. All of them will help to establish this natural process, and then feeding will be fun for you and your baby.

In the process of establishing HS, the issue of feeding time is very acute. Regarding this, there are two opinions - to feed the child on demand or by the hour. A couple of decades ago, our mothers fed us in maternity hospitals strictly at certain hours, at other times the child was not even close to my mother. Today, the World Health Organization recommends feeding the baby on demand - that is, when he wants it. Each of the feeding methods has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is up to you to choose what you choose for your baby.

Feeding on demand

This is the most correct, healthy and natural way of feeding. Even animals feed their young when babies want it. This is especially important in the first days after birth - when only colostrum is released from the breast.Do not worry - the colostrum is quite enough for the child, it performs an important function - it colonizes the gut of the crumbs with beneficial bacteria, starts digestion. Already 3-5 days after birth comes full breast milk. In the first month it is very important to feed the baby on demand, that is, when the baby begins to cry. After all, it is during this period that the body is rebuilt, determines how much milk a child needs. Here are some tips and recommendations regarding on-demand feeding.

It is necessary to give the baby a breast for any anxiety - this will not only saturate the baby, but also increase the milk production, because the more the baby applies to the breast, the more the next time the breast is poured. Feeding on demand is the main way to increase the amount of milk.

Breast for a child - is not only food, but calm, unity with the mother, protection. Feeding on demand allows you to get all these wonderful feelings at any time when the baby wants it, when he has a tummy ache, he is cold or just bored.

Feeding on demand will protect the mother from mastitis, because in short periods of time the milk simply does not have time to stagnate.
It is proved that a child who receives a breast at any time suffers less from colic and gas, since it does not experience a strong feeling of hunger and does not overeat after long “hungry” intervals.

If you feed the child at any time necessary for him, it is better to practice sleeping together.

At one time, try to feed the baby with one breast from beginning to end. The fact is that the front milk is more liquid, it is easier to suck it, for a baby it is a drink. But the back milk, which is harder to suck, fatter, it is considered nutrition.

A baby fed on demand does not have bad habits such as sucking fingers, cams, etc. If you give the baby a breast at all times, he does not get used to the pacifier, the sucking reflex is completely satisfied.

Frequent feeding saves during the illness of the child. First, it is the filling of the liquid, which is so necessary at a temperature or poisoning. Secondly, the baby calms down, it is easier to tolerate discomfort when teething and colic. Thirdly, breast milk contains immunoglobulins, which form the immunity of the crumbs and protect it from viruses.

Psychologists say that children who are fed up on demand grow up more calm and confident. After all, they know from early childhood that mother is always there and will come to the rescue if necessary, protect and calm her down. And this is very important for the development of the future personality.

Feeding by the hour

This method involves a strict feeding regime - after a certain period of time. Remember the Soviet times - at night the children were not fed already from the maternity hospital, the last feeding was at 12:00, and the first in the morning at 6:00. That is, newborns had a huge period of time without food - 6 hours. What are the features and benefits of feeding by the hour, try to understand.

Feeding by the hour can be carried out only in the second or third month of the child's life, when lactation improves. If, from birth, to feed the baby on schedule, keeping long intervals without sucking, the amount of milk can dramatically decrease as unnecessary. If you do not want to feed the baby right now, it is better to squeeze out the milk so as not to lose it.

Feeding by the clock allows the mother to sleep at night.This is a very doubtful plus, because lactation stimulation is especially intensive in the morning time from 3 to 8 in the morning. If at this time the breast is not sucked, the hormone oxytocin is not produced, there will be less and less milk each time.

Babies in the first months of life should be fed every 2-2.5 hours, not more. The stomach of a child of this age is very small, the baby must eat often. With age, this interval can be increased to 3-4 hours.

Feeding by the clock makes the mother's life more understandable and simple, as the mother can plan her day, leave things for a certain time, and even leave the house if someone looks after the baby.

Some moms choose something between feeding by the hour and feeding on demand. If you listen to the body of your baby, you will notice that the child asks to eat at approximately equal intervals of time, you will be able to focus on this time and life will obey a certain regime.

But remember that in some cases, feeding by the clock is strictly contraindicated. First, it is the first 2-3 weeks of life crumbs. Secondly, a woman has a lactation crisis every 2-3 months, when there is not enough milk, because the baby is growing rapidly.At these times, the baby should be given breast as often as possible in order to “increase” the amount of milk produced. Thirdly, you need to abandon the regime, if you see that the child really wants to eat. If the baby is crying, you took him in your arms, shook him, and the child searches his chest with his mouth and does not stop crying - most likely, he is hungry. So, in the past, feeding the crumb was not full or burped, in general, you need to fold all the rules and feed the child again.

Do I need to wake the baby for feeding?

To answer a disturbing question, you need to know how much a child sleeps. If the baby sleeps for more than five hours, he should be woken up by all means - slowly shake it with strokes andby touch. If the baby is lightweight or premature, it is necessary to wake him up in no more than three hours. Such children need strong nutrition in order to quickly get stronger and gain weight, a long sleep may be due to weakness, it’s impossible not to feed such children. It is also necessary to wake up the child for feeding, if a long sleep was caused by taking certain medications.

Feeding is quite understandable and intuitive. A loving and caring mom after a few days of the life of a child can understand that a child is crying for hunger. Love your baby, feed him when he wants it, do not wait for artificial intervals. And then the child will grow well and develop.

Video: how often you need to breastfeed your baby