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Why Is It Important to Maintain Proper Breastfeeding Position?
Breastfeeding keeps both mother and the child healthy. You will automatically improve your health if you feed the baby on time. Breastfeeding position, timing, posture, all these things play a vital role in comforting you and the child. Continue reading to learn why you must breastfeed, how many times you should breastfeed, and which breastfeeding position is accurate.
Why You Should Breastfeed the Baby?
Why does everyone suggest breastfeeding the child until he is 6 months old? What is wrong with feeding baby formula or complimentary meals before 6 months? Let’s find out:
Health Benefits for the Child:
1. It ensures rapid growth of the child
Moms expect their babies to grow rapidly. Breast milk helps a lot in the overall growth of the child. Colostrum provides vital nutrients that you cannot gain from other food sources. The baby won’t need water or other foods when breastfed daily.
2. It strengthens the baby’s immune system
Colostrum is the milk produced during the first few days of the child’s birth. Mothers must feed it to the baby. It strengthens the child’s immune system and helps him in fighting diseases and infections. The chances of disease will be quite low if the baby daily feeds breast milk.
3. Breast milk is easy to digest and quite nutritious
Newborn babies cannot digest external foods easily. Breast milk is the only food they can consume and digest without any issue. A newborn baby’s body absorbs all the vital nutrients from milk. It ensures the normal growth of all the body organs.
4. It establishes an unbreakable bond between the mother and the child
Babies start trusting their mothers. They feel safe and comfortable when in the mother’s arms and feeding. It is an emotional bond established when mothers breastfeed the baby.
Health Benefits for the Mother:
1. Quick health recovery after the delivery
A woman experiences many health changes during the pregnancy period. She gains weight and her body shape changes completely. It troubles many women after delivery. Breastfeeding is the most reliable way of losing weight. It also helps in recovering health condition quickly. That’s why breastfeeding moms look healthier within a few weeks.
2. Breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast cancer
Some studies show that breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast cancer. It mainly depends on how long a woman breastfeeds the child. Breast cancer risks lower a lot if a woman feeds breast milk to the child longer than 6 months. It won’t be the case if there is a family history of such a disease!
How Many Times You Should Breastfeed the Child?
There shouldn’t be any doubt in your mind about breastfeeding benefits now. It is vital for the child’s health and your health if you have just become a mother. You must be wondering how often I should breastfeed the baby! Is there any schedule to follow or you can breastfeed randomly?
Breast milk will be the first food for the child after his birth. Feed as soon as possible to promote milk secretion. Doctors recommend mothers feed the baby within the first two hours of delivery.
Mammary glands will produce colostrum to supply antibodies. Thus, the child will get healthier quite soon. Continue reading to learn how often you should breastfeed:
1-15 days old babies
Feed the baby on demand, usually every 2-3 hours. Breastfeed for 10-15 minutes patiently until the baby wants.
4-14 days old babies
The baby may consume 30-90ml milk each time he feeds. He will demand milk within 2-4 hours, so be around the child. Feed on demand to avoid issues because that’s the right way of nursing and nourishing the child.
15-30 days old babies
The feeding interval will not change once your child is 15 days old. He may start consuming milk faster by this time because he will get more energetic. Get ready to feed the baby in 3 hours interval. Your child will consume 70-100ml milk each time by this age.
Mothers should not add formula milk to the child’s diet as long as possible. The baby will be ready to consume complimentary meals and formula milk once he is 6 months old.
How Long You Should Not Feed Water to the Baby?
Newborn babies do not need water. Breast milk is sufficient to soothe their thirst and keep the child hydrated. How long you should avoid feeding water? When can you feed water to the baby? These questions puzzle all parents. So, let’s find out:
Do not feed water before 6 months
Breast milk contains 80% water. Babies can process and pass this water easily out of their body. Normal water is not safe for newborn babies. Regular water can damage the kidneys of a newborn child. Therefore, doctors strictly prohibit parents from feeding water to the newborn child. There are some special circumstances in which you can feed water to the child.
Is breast milk alone enough to hydrate the child?
Yes, breast milk can keep a baby well-hydrated. As mentioned earlier, it has 80% water and that’s enough to meet the baby’s water needs. Your baby’s diet will reduce if you feed him water. His kidneys may not process regular water perfectly. Therefore, the child may experience kidney-related health issues at such an early age!
When you can feed water to the child?
The doctor may suggest feeding water to the baby in some special circumstances. You can feed him some water when he is suffering from high fever, diarrhea, and severe dehydration. It may be necessary to feed water to the child when he is taking certain medications.
There is no need to feed water if your baby is not suffering from one of the discussed diseases. Wait for 6 months because the baby will be ready to process water by that age!
How to Maintain the Right Breastfeeding Posture?
Posture plays a crucial role when it comes to easing the initial pain while breastfeeding. Even though the pain is not an issue anymore, the right breastfeeding posture is important to maintain. It ensures your baby can suck milk effortlessly and get full quickly.
You can easily maintain the right breastfeeding position if you feed the child on a chair. Get a chair with armrests and sit on it. Sit on the chair and stay calm. Now, keep both of your feet on the ground and elbows on the armrests. Now, choose one of the following positions to feed your baby.
Cradle position
Hold the baby in your arms. Take the nipple out and use your elbow to keep the baby’s head right against the nipple. Use another hand to keep the baby’s lower body straight. Now, take the baby’s mouth close to the nipple and start feeding him. It is like hugging the baby when breastfeeding.
Laid-back position
You will have to lie down on a bed to try this position. A recliner chair will also do the job if you don’t want to lie down. Now, use your arm and elbow to keep the baby’s head against the nipple. Your forearm and another hand should keep the baby’s lower body in position. It is probably the most comforting breastfeeding position when you are feeling tired.
Why Is It So Important to Maintain the Right Breastfeeding Posture?
Successful breastfeeding depends on the accuracy of the feeding position. Suppose you are not maintaining the right posture, the baby won’t be able to suck milk easily. He will put too much effort into it and get tired quickly. The child will feel hungry, even if you are feeding him for several minutes.
The child can maintain perfect attachment if you hold him in the right position. The baby will be able to take the nipple and the areola easily in his mouth. Thus, he can maintain a steady supply of milk and feel full quickly. Therefore, it is quite important to maintain the right breastfeeding position!
What Should A Mother Do If She Can’t Sit And Breastfeed the Child?
It is quite difficult for new moms to sit down on a chair for breastfeeding. Therefore, laid-back and side-lying feeding positions should be considered. Both positions do not require the mother to sit for breastfeeding.
The baby will lie on your body if you feed him in the laid-back position. He will lie next to you on the bed if you feed him in the side-lying position. You can easily maintain the right posture in both positions. Therefore, it should not be an issue to maintain the right breastfeeding position.
Conclusion
Breastfeeding has numerous health benefits for the child and the mother. It may be a bit puzzling to learn how often you should feed in the beginning. You will know your baby’s feeding patterns after 7-15 days of delivery.
Maintain a perfect breastfeeding position to ensure your baby is feeding effortlessly. It will meet the child’s food demands and he will stay calm and happy most of the time. So, follow the suggestions shared in this post to nourish your baby in a better way!
