Breastfeeding: answers to popular questions

Breastfeeding is considered an absolutely natural process, so many young mothers pregnancy They don’t even think about how to properly prepare for it. However, in practice this turns out to be much more difficult. Quite often, during the period of establishing lactation, various problems arise: pain, the child refuses the breast, lack of milk, and others. But they can be easily resolved or avoided by researching answers to common questions about breastfeeding in advance.

How to breastfeed correctly

Undoubtedly, the best food for a baby in the first year of his life is mother’s milk. In addition, it is believed that when a mother breastfeeds her baby, a close relationship is formed between them, and this is of great importance for the development of further relationships with the child.

The following recommendations will help you successfully establish lactation and maintain it for as long as possible:

• Attach your baby to the breast correctly. The baby should grasp the nipple along with the areola, this will be evidenced by his lower lip turned outward and his chin tightly pressed. This will allow him not to swallow excess air, which causes gas formation in the tummy, and you will avoid cracks in the nipples.
• Choose a comfortable position for both of you, because sometimes feeding lasts for quite a long time. Try not to hold the mammary glands with your fingers, as you can squeeze the ducts, which leads to lactostasis.
• Today, pediatricians welcome feedings on demand, but the interval between them should be at least 1.5-2 hours so that the milk has time to digest. In addition, the more the baby sucks, the more it is produced. At first, it can be applied to the breast up to 10 times a day, with age this number is reduced to 7-8 times.
• The average feeding time should be at least 30 minutes. But all babies are different: some eat a little faster, while some like to sleep at their mother’s breast and then continue eating.
• Give only one breast at one feeding, and the other at the next, and alternate them throughout the day. Thus, the baby will receive both “front” milk, which will quench his thirst, and “back” milk, rich in all the necessary vitamins and nutrients. You can offer a second breast if the baby is not full.
• Usually, a well-fed baby lets go of the breast on his own. But if he fell asleep with it in his mouth or grabbed the nipple incorrectly, then you need to carefully take it away. To do this, lightly press on his chin, or insert your little finger into the corner of the baby's mouth and turn it a little.

An active and cheerful baby who is steadily gaining height and weight - this means that you are doing everything right!

Until what age should a baby be breastfed?

There is no consensus and specific age restrictions on this issue. Experts from the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding (without additional complementary feeding) in the first 6 months of a baby’s life. And then gradually transfer the child to regular foods, combining this with feeding with breast milk until the age of 2 years. Pediatricians call their terms up to 1 year, and consultants from AKEV (Association of Breastfeeding Consultants) consider 3 years to be the norm.

Therefore, first of all, you need to observe your baby’s behavior, and at the right moment you will be able to determine his readiness to say goodbye to the breast. After all, as he grows up, he begins to have new activities and entertainment, different food, which means that he gradually begins to lose interest in it and eat less often.

And remember, no matter how long the breastfeeding period lasts, the most important thing is that it should bring pleasure to both you and your baby.

What to do if the baby does not latch on to the breast

Today, quite often, young nursing mothers are faced with the problem of their baby refusing to breastfeed. At the same time, they have a sufficient amount of milk and a desire to continue lactation as long as possible.

Most often this is observed in the period from 4 to 8 months and here it is important to recognize whether it is an “imaginary” refusal or a “genuine” one. The first option may be associated with an illness (for example, a runny nose), when the child experiences physiological discomfort when sucking. The second case is characterized by a categorical reluctance to take the breast and restless behavior, hysterical while feeding for several days in a row. Here you need to identify the cause as soon as possible and take action.

Let's figure out why this happens:

• Active use of supplementary bottles and pacifiers to soothe the baby. In this case, he becomes confused and chooses the most convenient method of sucking for himself, which turns out to be not in favor of his mother’s breast. There is only one way out - to remove all these items away and supplement feeding from a spoon or syringe without a needle. And as a reassurance, carry the baby in your arms (or in a sling), rock him to sleep and be sure to feed him at least 2-3 times at night so that he feels the constant presence of his mother.
• Too much injected complementary foods, which the baby eats up and does not feel the need to supplement with milk.
• Habit fall asleep no breastfeeding and no night feedings. Of course, at first this behavior of the baby pleases the mother, she gets enough sleep at night. But the most important thing here is to prevent the loss of the need to suckle at the breast during the daytime.
• Lack of breast milk is also a cause of refusal. We'll talk about how to solve this problem a little later.

Breast pain when breastfeeding

During lactation, painful sensations may occur in the chest. But their nature can be completely different - from natural adaptation of the body to more serious problems. Therefore, a woman needs to monitor her well-being very carefully.

The causes of pain in the mammary glands are:

• Natural. A young mother may feel a tingling sensation when milk comes in, and in the morning, from a large amount of milk, her breasts seem to be bursting. This is usually observed in the first three months of feeding. In this case, you just need to feed the baby on time or “pump” a little until you feel relief.
• Lactostasis is stagnation of milk in the ducts. It can be recognized by the formation of lumps in the chest, redness of the skin on its surface, and it becomes hot. At the same time, it hurts the mother during feeding and after it. To prevent this, you need to protect your breasts from drafts, hypothermia, bruises, do not wear too tight underwear, do not sleep on your stomach and follow a feeding regime in order to empty them on time.
• If lactostasis is not recognized and treated in time, it can lead to more serious complications - mastitis. This disease is characterized by severe pain in the mammary glands, lumps that cannot be drained, high body temperature, and chills. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Nipples hurt when feeding

If breastfeeding is not organized correctly, a young mother may encounter another problem - injured nipples, which cause her severe pain. Cracks appear on them, which in advanced cases can even bleed.

This could be due to:

• Incorrect attachment of the baby to the breast, which has already been described earlier.
• Interruption of the feeding process. You cannot abruptly and forcibly take the breast from the baby, and if you really need to, then do it correctly with the help of your little finger.
• Too much care. Frequently washing nipples before feeding, especially with soap, leads to the fact that their protective lubricant disappears, the skin dries out and becomes especially susceptible to mechanical damage.
• Incorrect pumping. If this is necessary, then it is very important to do all manual manipulations carefully and carefully. It’s better to use a breast pump, but the main thing here is not to overdo it.

Today in pharmacies you can buy various ointments and creams that promote rapid healing of cracked nipples. The most effective and popular are Bepanten, PureLan, Mama Care, Sanosan, Mama Comfort, Nipple cream from Avent, Videstim.

Diet while breastfeeding

In order to provide the baby with all the necessary vitamins and not provoke the appearance of allergies A young mother needs to follow a certain diet and eat right. You can read more about the diet of a nursing mother here.

Not enough breast milk - what to do

During the period of breastfeeding, a woman should be especially protected from unnecessary stress and physical fatigue, because the amount of milk she can give to the baby directly depends on this. First of all, the mother needs to eat well and get enough sleep, which is not so easy with an infant. But there are times when this is not enough and additional measures need to be taken to increase lactation.

The following ways can help increase breast milk production:

• Frequent latching of the baby to the breast. During the day every 2 hours. Do not neglect night feedings, because it is during these hours that the active production of the hormone prolactin occurs.
• Warm food and drink, moderately hot bath or shower.
• Taking lactogenic teas and herbs. Brew dill seeds, fennel, anise, nettle. You can also take ready-made herbal teas, for example “Lactaphytol”, “Babushkino Lukoshko”.

However, the surest way for successful lactation is the mother’s desire to feed her baby breast milk!

How to wean a baby

The issue of weaning worries many young mothers. First of all, age is of great importance here, because a baby under one year old will tolerate separation from her much easier than a child of one and a half or two years, who already understands everything well and is accustomed to close contact with his mother.

The most painless and effective way is to stop breastfeeding naturally. It involves the gradual abolition of first daytime feedings, replacing them with complementary foods, then morning and, lastly, night feedings. Thus, the amount of milk produced by the mother is reduced and finally disappears. But you should be prepared for the fact that this may take quite a long time. But you will be able to avoid unnecessary stress. During this period, try to give your baby as much attention as possible and distract him from the breast in all possible ways - games, walks, reading fairy tales, night hugs.