Breast Feeding Basics For Your Newborn Baby
 

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Title: Breast Feeding Basics For Your Newborn Baby

It is a myth that bottle-feeds and breast-feeding is equally good.
Mother's milk is the best for proper growth of the child. There are
certain nutrients in the mother's milk that helps the baby fight
illnesses while also promoting brain development. As compared to
breast fed babies, the formula-fed babies are more prone to illnesses.

Ideally you should start breast feeding the child within 2 hours of
its birth, but do not worry if for some reason you are not able to do
so - many mothers feed their children after a few days because of some
medical reasons and they turn out to be just fine. Apart from milk
avoid giving the child any water or pacifier because the child is still
learning to breast-feed and things like the bottle nipple and pacifiers
can confuse the baby while nursing because milk doesn't flow as fast
as it does through bottles.

Do give the child enough time to breast-feed. Don't limit the time.
It could frustrate the baby. An average of about 10 to 45 minutes can
be taken by the baby to completely satisfy itself.

So how should you hold your baby during breast feeding? The answer to
this is that see to it that the gums of the baby are on top of the
areola because there is a chance of nipples becoming sore if the baby
just chews on the nipple instead of taking in the areola. You can hold
the baby in a cuddling position and feed it or you can lie on your side
placing your baby facing you. Usually when the baby has had enough
milk it will let go of the nipple on its own, but the baby takes
usually half an hour on each side.


We'll now move on to another critical issue which every
breast-feeding mother needs to know about - what to eat during the
process of breast feeding. It is very important for a breastfeeding
mother to have a healthy and balanced diet. A variety of foods are
required during this period including:
=B7 Get lots of vegetables and fruits - try and have an intake of 5
portions a day of fruit and veg.

=B7 For additional energy try and take in starch rich foods such as
bread, pasta, potatoes, pulses and rice - this will provide a good
source of energy.

=B7 Foods such as wholemeal bread, vegetables, pulses, cereals and
pastas will provide fibre - women occasionally experience bowel
problems after childbirth and an intake of fibre on a daily basis will
help with this.

=B7 Proteins such as lean meat, fish, eggs and poultry.

=B7 Try and get two portions of fish per week (including some oily
fish). Do not exceed 2 portions of oily fish per week.

=B7 Dairies such as cheese, milk and yoghurt are an excellent source of
calcium and should be included in a breast feeding mother's diet.

=B7 Some doctors advise taking vitamin supplements such as Vitamin D (10
mcg per day). Your doctor will be able to advise which supplements will
be right for you.

In addition to the foods that you should eat above there are certain
food types that you should steer clear of at this time. As above you
should restrict your intake of oily fish to two portions per week but
you should also avoid eating more than one portion of swordfish, marlin
or shark per week as these fish contain high levels of mercury. You
should also be careful with your intake of caffeine and alcohol. It is
true that some breast feeding babies react to the foods that their
mother has consumed. Some doctors believe that it is wise to lay off
peanuts during this stage as well - approximately 2% of the
population is allergic to peanuts - however your baby may have a
higher chance of being allergic if the mother/father/brothers/sisters
have problems such as asthma, eczema or hayfever. If you believe your
baby may be at risk due to these factors it is worth consulting your
doctor.

author: keziah.engineer.

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