A loving and caring mother gives herself to her baby through the main ability given to her by nature - breastfeeding. With the advent of a baby, mothers are concerned about one of the main questions: what if the baby does not gorge on breast milk? What to do in this case?
In the first hours after childbirth, a woman's breasts may not produce enough milk, however, with the right behavior, already on the second or third day, lactation is normalized. The needs of her baby should guide the nursing woman. Due to ignorance, fear, inattention, women begin to take care of stable lactation with a delay. To avoid this problem, you need to monitor whether your baby is eating breast milk.
Signs of Malnutrition in Babies
- Hungry crying - each mother, by the nature of her baby's cry, is able to determine what he needs;
- Low child activity, lethargy;
- A sharp reaction to the approach and smell of the mother;
- Restless sleep or lack of it;
- Insufficient number of acts of defecation and urination. Normally, a child is able to wet up to 20 diapers per day. Stool after each feeding is also a sign of the infant's satiety and good milk absorption;
- Thumb sucking, diaper edge, tongue or lips smacking;
- Low weight gain or weight loss. Determined at a control weighing by a pediatrician. The exception is the period of stay of the mother and child in the hospital for 3-5 days, when weight loss is considered natural within 10%.
Breast milk is both food and drink for your baby. More than 80% of it is water. Excessive dryness of the baby's skin can also be a sign that the baby is not eating enough.
Causes of insufficient breast milk
It is easier to understand that the baby is hungry after feeding than to find the reasons for this. They can be conditionally divided into general (environmental factors), behavioral (due to the mother's behavior), physiological (depending on the child's condition).
Common reasons why a child does not eat enough:
- difficult psycho-emotional situation in the family, misunderstanding, lack of support, unwillingness of the rest of the family to accept the new rules of life and rebuild;
- irrational organization of the place of feeding the child and the mother's rest.
The group of behavioral factors includes:
- insufficient and unbalanced nutrition of the mother - what can a nursing mother eat (list of products);
- low physical activity, lack of fresh air;
- lack of sleep, fatigue;
- improper attachment of the baby to the breast, violation of the feeding technique;
- the presence of off-flavor in milk due to the consumption of spices and seasonings;
- psychological unwillingness of the mother to breastfeed, rejection of the feeding process itself, postpartum depression, soreness, cracked nipples;
- medical indications (flat nipple).
The physiology of the child also influences the satiety process. The significant birth weight of the baby (over 4 kg) against the background of lagging lactation rates in the first days after birth is the main cause of malnutrition. A runny nose, trauma to the oral cavity, an uncomfortable position of the body, colic make it difficult for the sucking process and the child does not eat up.
A very common reason a baby may not be satiated is excess breast milk due to excessive breast expression. Hyperlactation occurs.
Human milk consists of anterior and posterior milk. Hind milk is more fatty, nutritious, thicker. Front milk replaces water for the baby. A woman's breasts produce as much milk of optimal quality as her baby needs at each age period. Expressing artificially increases milk production. Consuming a significant amount of front milk, the child receives less nutritional components, quickly assimilates it and remains hungry.
Solution
What to do to ensure that the baby is completely full? - Strictly follow the rules below:
- adjust nutrition - eat by the hour, at least 3-5 times a day, balance your diet: How much to feed your child;
- drink enough liquid, incl. milk tea is suitable to stimulate lactation (how to increase lactation of breast milk);
- exclude foods that affect the taste of milk - what you shouldn't eat for a nursing mother, and bad habits of mothers;
- walk in a green area away from highways;
- get enough sleep and rest at every opportunity;
- attract loved ones to help with child care;
- master the correct technique for latching a baby to the breast - how to properly apply a baby to the breast;
- be sure to feed at night;
- adhere to the feeding regimen, but not deny the baby milk on demand;
- drink, if necessary, the child with expressed milk from a bottle, spoon, pipette, avoiding pacifiers outside feedings;
- take care of breast hygiene - wash with warm water, lubricate cracks with special creams, rinse with chamomile decoction or furacilin;
- do breast self-massage.
- read the article: tips for nursing moms
Such techniques as using a special feeding pillow will greatly facilitate the feeding procedure for mothers and babies. The pillow allows you to correctly position the baby at the breast, relieve tension from the mother's back. A comfortable place for feeding, a comfortable chair, a quiet room, the absence of loud annoying sounds and strangers will create a positive atmosphere for mom and baby. A calm, rested mother is a well-fed baby.
