Now, more and more parents of newborns have learned the importance of breastfeeding for their children's growth and development, and they are very willing to use breast milk to feed their children. But do you know enough about breastfeeding?
breastfeeding
What should I do if I don't have enough milk? How much breast milk do I need to drink during the first few days of my baby's birth?
Almost all mothers have enough milk to feed their baby. Worried that your baby will be hungry or dehydrated before the milk is produced in large quantities?
Don't worry, newborn babies have enough water stored in their bodies, and newborns don't need to eat much. A day-old baby's stomach capacity is about 5-7 ml, which is equivalent to the size of a glass pinball. By the third day, the baby's stomach volume increases to 22-30 ml. By a week or so, the stomach volume of newborns is about 44-59ml, which is equivalent to the size of a ping-pong ball. As your baby sucks more, so does more milk. Colostrum can fully meet the needs of the baby, no need to drink water, drinks or eat other foods, do not need to add formula, otherwise the baby will be less interested in sucking breast milk, is not conducive to milk secretion, the baby can not enjoy the beneficial effects of colostrum.
Can I breastfeed a caesarean section?
Of course. Caesarean section does not affect breast milk production, but mothers need to overcome difficulties and insist on early milking and exclusive breastfeeding.
According to World Health Organization guidelines, drugs such as antibiotics commonly used after caesarean section do not affect breastfeeding. Once consciousness is regained after surgery, the mother can make skin contact with the baby and begin breastfeeding. But mothers who have a cesarean section need more help, such as family members helping to hold the child and swap contralateral breastfeeding. In the first few days, the mother's wound is painful, and it is more convenient to lie down and breastfeed.
Milk is as thin as water and has no nutrients, is it true?
Not at all. Milk like water, is the pre-milk.
At different stages, from the colostrum at the birth of the baby to the mature milk, the composition of breast milk is different, and even in each feeding, the composition of the milk is different. The pre-milk is rich in lactose, which helps the baby's brain develop, and the post-milk meets its energy and protein needs, which is the magic of breast milk. The mother's body automatically regulates the composition of breast milk to meet the baby's needs.
Worried that the baby does not feed enough to affect the growth and development, thinking that the fatter the baby, the better. So how do you assess your baby's weight and height?
The criterion for judging that a baby has enough milk is that after the baby is born, the minimum weight gain is 600 grams in the first two months, and the average monthly weight gain of about 500 grams in the next 3-6 months.
In general, yellowish urine is excreted more than six times a day. Newborns weigh an average of three kilograms, and six-month-old babies weigh twice as much as they were born, about six kilograms. Fast growth of formula-fed babies does not mean good growth, fat does not equal health! The so-called fat and healthier the baby, which is not true. Formula-fed babies gain weight quickly, but they also increase their risk of being overweight, obese and developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the future.
If you only drink breast milk for the first six months of your baby's life and don't even feed water, will he be hungry, thirsty or on fire?
Breast milk has a moisture content of 88%, which fully meets the need for water for your baby within six months, without the need for additional water or other beverages.
Instead, water takes up the capacity of the stomach, reducing your baby's breast milk intake and causing the mother to produce less milk. At the same time, the safety of drinking water and the hygiene of water feeding tools are difficult to guarantee. Urination can tell if your baby is getting enough water and nutrients. In general, the number of urinations is not less than six times a day, and the urine is yellowish, indicating that the baby has received enough water and nutrition.
Breastfeeding after six months
After six months, is breast milk really out of nutrition? Is it true that the nutrition of breast milk is like water?
Wrong. Breast milk is the best substance to keep your baby's nutrition. The vast majority of women can secrete milk with sufficient nutrients.
At different stages, from colostrum to mature milk, the composition of breast milk is different, and the amount of various nutrients provided by breast milk will change according to the growth needs of the baby at different growth stages. In general, after six months, your baby's energy and nutrient needs cannot be met by breast milk alone. Therefore, UNICEF and the World Health Organization unanimously recommend continuing breastfeeding after six months with the addition of complementary foods.
The irreplaceability of breastfeeding
Is formula a substitute for breast milk? Are the ingredients in formula found in breast milk? Is breast milk more nutritious than formula?
Formula is not a substitute for breast milk.
The nutritional content of the two can never be the same. Only breast milk contains the best energy and nutrients, far superior to formula, and is best suited for your baby's growth and development during the first six months. After six months, add complementary foods in time, but still need to continue breastfeeding, breast milk is still the main source of nutrition for your baby.
What are the advantages of breastfeeding?
Global health authorities agree that breastfeeding is the best way to feed infants and young children compared to formula.
1. The perfect combination of nutrients contained in breast milk can promote baby growth, brain and intellectual development, which cannot be compared with any formula.
2. The antibody components in breast milk to protect infants from pneumonia and diarrhea and other diseases are not available in any formula milk powder, which can also reduce the risk of chronic diseases and obesity in children, and also have a positive effect on the prevention of diabetes.
3. Breast milk is safer and more affordable than any formula. All aspects of formula feeding: the water, bottles, nipples and milk powder itself may be contaminated or have quality problems.
4. Insisting on breastfeeding can help mothers lose weight. Breastfeeding can reduce a woman's chances of breast, ovarian and uterine cancers, and also help stop postpartum bleeding and restore the uterus.
How do I continue breastfeeding after work?
Can women who work away from home continue to breastfeed?
OK. When a mother is with her child outside of work, she should breastfeed her child frequently.
Frequent feeding ensures that the mother's milk is produced. If the mother is unable to breastfeed at the work site, she can express the milk two to three times a day and store the expressed milk in a clean container, in a water tank or ice pack. When feeding to your child, warm up the expressed milk and feed it to your child in a clean bottle. There is no need to substitute breast milk such as formula for your child.
Insisting on breastfeeding is the best gift for mothers to give their babies, and making up their minds to breastfeed and gaining the support of their families is the most important prenatal preparation!