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A frequent question from young mothers is: “How can you tell if your baby has enough milk?” If everything is clear when feeding with formula, then it is impossible to visually calculate the amount of breast milk drunk. Therefore, many believe that their child is not eating enough and needs to be fed additionally. But is it?

The greatest concern arises immediately after childbirth, when there is no breast milk yet, and colostrum is released instead.

Colostrum in the first days

Colostrum is a concentrate released in the first days after childbirth. Its main feature is its composition; thanks to the increased content of protein, amino acids and vitamins, it fully satisfies the needs of a newborn.

A small amount of colostrum is released, but there is no need to worry about its lack. The volume of a newborn baby's stomach is approximately 5-6 ml, so only a couple of drops will be enough for the baby to have a full meal.

Important!

Colostrum contains 10 times more vitamins (A and E) than mature human milk.

I have heard that in the maternity hospital the child did not have enough colostrum, he often cried, but after eating the mixture, he immediately fell asleep:

  • Firstly. Crying does not always mean hunger (the baby may be stressed after birth, he may be cold, etc.);
  • Secondly. A newborn's stomach is not designed for large portions of food. The child falls asleep not because he is full, but because he is exhausted (the body cannot absorb the amount of formula, sleep is a protective reaction).

Breast milk in the first months

Often it is not worth supplementing your baby with formula, and fears about insufficient milk supply are just guesses of inexperienced mothers.

If you feed your baby on demand, the question of shortage should not arise. The body always produces milk in the required volume and the baby will receive it whenever he wants.

Important!

Breast milk is unique in its composition. It ensures not only the life and proper development of the baby, but also protects him from infections.

If you choose a strict regimen (feeding by the hour), when time at the breast is limited (20-30 minutes), the baby may actually be malnourished.

Before supplementing your baby, try increasing the duration of feeding, but do not let your baby nurse for more than an hour.

Norms for feeding children with breast milk: table by month

Age (month)Daily feeding volume (ml)How much should a child eat at one feeding (ml)Number of feedings
up to 1600-700 80-100 7-8
1-2
700-900 110-140 6-7
2-4
800-1000 140-160 6
4-6
900-1000 160-180 5-6
6-9
1000-1100 180-200 5
9-12
1000-1200 200-240 4-5

How to find out if you have enough milk

Many mothers try to pump, time feeding times in order to independently determine the volume of milk in the breast. But breastfeeding experts advise looking not at the clock, but at your baby.

By number of urinations and stools

You can determine whether your child has enough “food” using the “wet method”.

To do this, you need to give up diapers for a couple of days. Normally, a baby who has enough milk will urinate 8-12 times a day, and the diaper should be completely wet. If at least 10 diapers are soiled per day, then there is no reason to worry.

In order to determine whether the child is eating, you can examine the baby's stool. It should be mushy, yellow-green in color, and smell like sour milk. If the stool is green with impurities, this may mean that the baby is not eating enough (sucks out only the front, without reaching the back).

By child's weight


You can check satiety by weighing your newborn before and after feeding. The difference in weight will be equal to the amount drunk.

It is advisable to weigh the child every day. But if this is not possible, then be sure to do it at least once a week.

On baby's skin

If the child receives a sufficient amount of milk, then when the skin is captured, subcutaneous fat is felt (healthy skin is elastic and smooth).

Lagging from the bone, pallor and dryness are a signal of a lack of food intake.

Important!

Don’t experiment at home and don’t rush to feed your baby! Only a specialist can say that you definitely don’t have enough milk.

Not enough breast milk: 8 myths about the shortage

Sometimes women may indeed be deficient for physiological reasons. But in most cases, fears are unfounded.

The chest does not fill (feeling that it is not full)

Most often, the problem is caused by the onset of normal (mature) lactation. The body has already “understood” how much food the baby requires and allocates it according to need. The breasts should not seem full, because milk comes during sucking, and not in between feedings.

No breast leakage

Leakage in the first weeks after birth is considered completely normal as the body adapts to milk production. Later, when the mammary glands adapt to the baby’s needs (mature lactation), the leakage disappears.

Lack of milk in the evening

In the evening, a woman may feel like she doesn’t have enough milk. Let's look at the main reasons for this feeling:

  • Night feedings are less frequent than daytime ones, so milk accumulates, and in the morning the breasts “expand.”
  • Peak production of the hormone prolactin usually occurs at night and in the morning.
  • During the day, the baby attaches to the breast much more often than at night.

In fact, the milk does not disappear, its flow simply weakens. This can be unnerving for the baby, especially if he is sometimes given a pacifier or pacifier.

Important!

If the baby cries during the evening feeding, do not worry about the shortage and supplement the baby with formula. Take him in your arms, walk around the room and put him to your chest again.

If you remove foreign objects from sucking, the situation will gradually return to normal.

Inability to express

A child is the best breast pump, so the inability to express milk does not mean that there is no milk.

Crying while feeding

Crying while feeding does not mean you don't have enough milk. The reasons may be different:

  • if a newborn was bottle-fed, he may specifically demand it by crying;
  • it is difficult for the baby to suck;
  • changing breasts too often;
  • changes in the flow of breast milk;
  • colic or accumulation of gas;
  • Waiting too long to feed (the baby may become nervous to such an extent that he will not be able to latch on to the breast).

Frequent awakenings at night

Children, especially in the first months of life, breastfeed quite often both day and night, so frequent awakenings do not at all mean a shortage.

Supplementing with water after feeding

The sucking reflex is one of the most powerful innate automatisms. Therefore, even after feeding, the newborn can reflexively suck on a pacifier or drink water from a bottle. He might as well suck a finger, a toy, or something else, but that doesn't mean he's hungry.

Frequent breast demand

And even a frequent demand for breasts is by no means a sign of hunger. Thus, the newborn requires contact with his mother, so he feels protected.

Not enough breast milk: what to do

If you really find out that you are losing milk and your fears are justified, do not rush to supplement your baby with formula. Try increasing your lactation.

How to increase volume

  • feed the baby more often and longer (the baby should stop breastfeeding on his own);
  • position the baby correctly (so that feeding does not cause discomfort, the areola, and not just the nipple, should be placed in the baby’s mouth);
  • give up pacifiers and bottles;
  • offer two breasts at one feeding;
  • if sucking is sluggish, change breasts;
  • eat well;
  • Rest more often and worry less about shortages.

Is it possible and how to supplement a baby with formula?

If all else fails and the introduction of supplementary feeding cannot be avoided, pay attention to the basic rules for introducing artificial nutrition:

  1. Before making a decision, be sure to consult your doctor;
  2. Carefully inspect the packaging when purchasing;
  3. Prepare mixture according to manufacturer's instructions;
  4. To maintain breastfeeding, the volume of the formula should not exceed 30-50% of the daily volume of nutrition;
  5. To maintain lactation, do not use a bottle with a nipple (a disposable syringe or teaspoon is good for supplementary feeding);
  6. Add the mixture gradually.

If it seems to you that the baby remains hungry after feeding, do not be lazy:

  • monitor weight dynamics;
  • pay attention to the number of urinations and stools;
  • check the baby's skin.

You should not focus on your own feelings and behavior of the baby. Most of the suspicions about shortages are completely unfounded.

For every mother, one of the pressing problems and main questions is how to understand whether the baby has enough breast milk? Perhaps the baby is not getting enough to eat and should be supplemented with formula? He behaves restlessly, is capricious, maybe this is exactly the case when he is hungry? It should be noted that a child’s anxiety cannot always be justified by hunger. If feeding was very recent, then you can offer him a pacifier and take him in your arms. In the case when the child is really hungry, such manipulations will not help, and he will continue to be capricious, demanding the breast.

Of course, in order for the baby to receive a sufficient amount of nutrients and vitamins, the mother must provide herself with a nutritious diet. Its menu must include: fish, meat, cereals, vitamins and minerals from natural products. Thanks to the mother’s nutritious nutrition, the baby will receive important microelements for him, and accordingly, he will eat well, grow and develop. Every mother wants to know how to understand that there is not enough milk for a newborn. There are certain manifestations that demonstratively show that the baby does not have enough milk.

Main manifestations of child malnutrition

It should be noted right away that if you realize that your baby does not have enough milk that enters the breast, this does not mean that you need to immediately run for formula and introduce artificial complementary foods. It may be worth changing the feeding schedule, if you have already established one, and feeding the baby according to his wishes. Do not replace night feedings with water and, in general, reconsider organized breastfeeding.

So, how do you know if you don't have enough milk? It is necessary to pay special attention to the following manifestations on the part of the child:

  • When the mother has a small volume of milk supply, the baby will suckle at the breast for a long time. He may fall asleep during the process; you should not put him to bed right away, because after an hour he will wake up hungry again. Wake him up by stroking his cheek or running a nipple across his lips, and he will start eating again. It is better to let the child eat within forty minutes, but still be satisfied, rather than constantly waking up from hunger during the night. Do not forget that the baby quite often asks for the breast during illness, when teething, but this calms him down more and does not indicate a systematic feeling of hunger;
  • When considering the question of how to understand that a baby does not have enough milk, it is necessary to take into account monthly weight gain. There are standard parameters that the baby must fit into. For the first few months, weight gain should be at least 500 g per month. If less, the doctor speaks of deviations from the specified norm, then you should pay special attention to breastfeeding;
  • To make sure that the baby really has enough mother's milk, counting the number of his urinations per day will help. You will only need to give up diapers for a day and use only diapers in order to accurately see the number of urinations of the baby. Normally, a baby should urinate at least 10 times a day, but this is provided that it receives exclusively breast milk, without supplementary feeding in the form of formula and water.

How to find out whether a newborn has enough breast milk is by paying attention to his behavior and sleep. If a child does not get enough to eat, he will often ask for the breast, sleep poorly and constantly wake up, and behave restlessly. However, anxious behavior can also be associated with other problems - teething, overwork, pain.

The constant anxiety of a nursing mother, worrying whether the child is starving, often leads to the fact that she begins to feed him and give him extra food. As a result of the fact that the baby begins to be applied to the breast less often, the stimulation of the nerve endings in the nipples and the release of hormones that regulate the production and separation of breast milk decrease. As a result, lactation actually begins to decline.

In this article you can find qualified answers to the question - “how to understand that the baby does not have enough milk?”

Famous pediatrician E.O. Komarovsky says that mothers’ false alarm that their baby is malnourished often becomes the reason for the unjustified introduction of supplementary feeding. When asked how to understand that there is not enough breast milk, Komarovsky answers that signs of insufficient lactation are probable (that is, their appearance may be associated with other reasons) and reliable.

The Union of Pediatricians of Russia in a manual on natural feeding of children, explaining to nursing women how to understand that there is little milk in the breast, also talks about probable and reliable signs of insufficient lactation.

Possible signs of insufficient lactation:


The appearance of one or more of the above symptoms may be a consequence of insufficient milk production and/or secretion. However, they can also occur in other situations: the need for frequent breastfeeding and the duration of sucking may be associated with the individual characteristics of the baby. So, a weak, premature baby needs more time and effort to get the required amount of milk when sucking. The cause of anxiety in babies between feedings may be increased gas formation in the intestines and other disorders. And changes in the nature of stool may indicate problems with digestion, etc. How do you understand that a baby does not have enough breast milk? To do this, you need to know about the reliable signs of insufficient lactation.

Reliable signs of insufficient lactation


So, how can you tell if your baby is not getting enough breast milk? It is necessary to assess the situation comprehensively. Most likely, with a really existing lack of lactation, both probable and reliable signs will be observed. In order to decide on the tactics for further feeding the baby, it is important to consult a pediatrician. You can also contact competent breastfeeding specialists.

Is control feeding effective?

For a long time, to answer the question “how can you tell if your baby is getting enough breast milk?” A method such as control feeding was used. Its essence lies in the fact that the baby is weighed before and after feeding (if the baby has urinated, it is weighed along with the diaper and diaper to take into account fluid loss). The difference in the baby’s weight before and after feeding is considered equal to the weight of the milk he consumed. However, today the reliability of control feeding, as a method for accurately identifying lactation deficiency, is increasingly being questioned.

Why is this technique no longer considered reliable? Because based on the results of one feeding it is impossible to judge the volume of milk produced and secreted, since The amount of milk your baby takes can vary significantly from feeding to feeding.. According to WHO experts “The baby consumes different amounts of milk at each feeding. The composition of milk varies, and by the weight of the milk you will not be able to determine whether the milk is rich in fat or whether it contains a lot of water. In addition, the weighing procedure may cause the mother to worry, which will lead to delayed or suppressed lactation, resulting in the baby receiving less milk than usual.".

It is also worth considering that control feeding is most often carried out in a clinic, in an environment that is unusual for both mother and child, which increases stress for both and affects the results.

Russian pediatricians and nutritionists suggest carrying out control weighing of the child during the day. The National Program for Optimizing Child Feeding of the Russian Federation reports that “The final conclusion about insufficient lactation can be made based on the results of weighing the child at home after each feeding during the day (“control” weighing)”. It is believed that this approach allows one to avoid the stress associated with being in unusual conditions, and measuring the baby’s weight during the day will allow a more objective assessment of the state of lactation.

However, most doctors and breastfeeding specialists around the world agree that when looking for an answer to the question “how can you tell if your baby has enough milk?” The most objective is the analysis of the baby's weight gain (in the first six months of life by at least 500 g per month.) It is this sign that is considered the most reliable for assessing the level of lactation in the mother.

WHO experts believe that to assess the level of lactation it is possible to carry out weekly baby weighings(more frequent weighings are considered uninformative).

List of used literature:

  1. Komarovsky E.O. “The health of the child and the common sense of his relatives” / M.: Eksmo, 2016.
  2. Feeding and nutrition of infants and young children / WHO Guidelines for the European Region with special emphasis on the republics of the former Soviet Union. 2003
  3. Manual on natural feeding of children / St. Petersburg branch of the Interregional public association “Union of Pediatricians of Russia”. 2011

You can ask questions (below) on the topic of the article and we will try to answer them competently!

No one can doubt the benefits of breastfeeding anymore. The World Health Organization encourages exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age and continued breastfeeding until 2 years of age or beyond. However, many women still continue to doubt their own ability to breastfeed their child. This is due to old Soviet stereotypes about the feeding schedule, the timing of the introduction of complementary foods and the amount of mother's milk needed by a baby in one feeding for each month of life.

Meanwhile, we must not forget that each child develops individually and his food needs may not coincide with the recommended routine standards prescribed in “smart books.”

This article is about how to understand your baby and be calm about the fact that your baby is getting enough breast milk.

How to determine the amount of milk required for a baby

When the baby is artificial, he is offered a certain amount of formula at certain intervals. The recommended volume of formula is calculated according to the age and weight of the child. On average, up to 6 months a newborn needs a volume of nutrition that is equal to 1/6 of his body weight. This rule applies to both artificial and breastfeeding. But one child simply won’t eat that much, and another won’t drink even half of his portion. Same with breastfeeding.

It turns out that there are standards, but not all children fulfill them. It is almost impossible to accurately determine the amount of mother's milk that a newborn will need per feeding. It is only known that different children drink from 700 to 1200 ml per day. Moreover, the daily volume of milk both in the 2nd and 5th months may not differ much, but the child’s weight will still increase. This is because the composition of human milk changes every day to meet the individual needs of a growing baby.

Weighing the baby before and after feeding is an objective way to monitor effective breastfeeding

How to determine the amount of milk your baby drinks

If a nursing mother is haunted by the question of how much milk her baby is getting, she can carry out a control weighing. To do this, immediately before feeding, the baby is weighed on a special electronic baby scale. He is then fed and weighed again. The difference in weight will reflect the amount of food eaten.

Important! The newborn must be dressed in the same clothes before and after feeding, otherwise the result will be unreliable.

A baby can suck 50 ml of milk at one feeding, and 150 ml at another. This is quite normal, but only if the baby is fed on demand at intervals of 2 - 3 hours and is not given any other liquid.

By summing up the numbers of all feedings per day, we get the daily amount of milk the child drinks, which is 700 - 1200 ml.

How to find out if your baby has enough milk

In order to determine whether the baby has enough breast milk, it is necessary to completely abandon disposable diapers for one day. This is done so that the mother can control the amount of urination of the baby. Children who are exclusively breastfed and not receiving any other liquid should urinate at least 12 times a day from 2 weeks to 6 months of age. This is the most important indicator that the baby has enough milk.

But there are also other criteria by which you can find out that the baby is receiving breast milk in sufficient quantities:

  1. Periods of sleep, wakefulness and play significantly exceed periods of crying.
  2. The baby's skin is pink and elastic.
  3. The skin around the fontanel does not fall in.
  4. The baby's eyes are shiny and tears are released when crying.
  5. Weight gain of at least 125 - 150 g per week.
  6. At least 12 urinations per day.

If all these indicators are positive, then the baby will definitely eat up his mother’s milk.


The main criterion for adequate feeding of the baby is normal monthly weight gain

Signs of low breast milk

When a baby doesn't get enough breast milk, he doesn't gain weight and becomes restless. In addition, the mother may notice that the baby, while feeding, tears away from the breast, screaming, and then picks it up again. The situation may repeat itself several times. This behavior of the child can be provoked by colic or poor milk flow, and not by its lack, so it is necessary to find the true cause of the baby’s anxiety.

The number of urinations performed by babies will indicate the sufficiency or lack of milk. This is perhaps the most important criterion that you need to pay attention to. But the frequency of stool has nothing to do with the amount of milk.

If a child has frequent crying without tears and a sunken fontanelle, then you should immediately consult a doctor, as this may be one of the signs of dehydration.

In conclusion, I would like to reassure young mothers. There are only 2% of women who really cannot provide their baby with breast milk. It is clear that a mother who loves her baby will be constantly concerned about his nutrition and health. Fearing that the child is malnourished and doubting the amount of breast milk is a problem for all nursing mothers without exception. To overcome these problems, you need self-confidence, taking care of your health and nutrition, proper rest, and sleeping together with your child. And our advice will help you correctly understand and solve any problem.

How do you know if your baby is not getting enough breast milk? There are different ways, but they are all very imperfect. Yes, you can express completely and measure the resulting volume, you can even weigh the newborn before and after feeding, then calculate the difference in weight. The only objective and most reliable indicator will be children's behavior. Be observant and soon you will be able to accurately determine whether your baby is full or not. It is useful to know the principles of proper feeding, as well as the signs and causes of too little milk in the breast.

Feeding expressed milk from a measuring bottle is not the best way to determine the amount of food you eat

How can you tell if you have enough milk?

How can you tell if your baby is full of breast milk? Some signs will help here. There are 5 of them in total:

  1. The number of feedings per day is 8-12. There may be more of them, this will also be the norm. Frequent latching is explained by three factors:
    • the baby needs close contact with the mother;
    • his small stomach is simply not able to accommodate a lot of food;
    • rapid digestion of breast milk.
  2. The duration of one feeding is at least 20 minutes. You should not determine the duration of food intake - the baby should suckle until he is full. If he stops eating and behaves calmly, babbles cheerfully or sleeps peacefully, it means he has had enough milk. Make sure that the feeding position (both yours and the baby’s) does not cause discomfort.
  3. A clearly visible swallowing reflex. Make sure your baby doesn't just smack, but swallows. At first he will do this often because he is hungry, and the so-called near milk is thin and not very nutritious. After a few minutes, swallowing will become less frequent, as hunger will dull, and distant milk is thicker, you need to make an effort to swallow it.
  4. The child is gaining weight according to the norms (we recommend reading:). In the first days, the baby's weight will become less than what it was at birth. This is normal, since the body gets rid of meconium (original feces formed in the womb) and tissue swelling. Weight gain begins to be monitored from the fourth day of life - the increase should be 125-215 g per week.
  5. The child looks healthy. He is calm, but at the same time he is active and curious; animated, but not overexcited. When he wants to eat, his chest demands loudly; when he is full, he sleeps peacefully or is awake. The pink color of the skin and its elasticity will also indicate that the baby is receiving adequate nutrition in sufficient quantities.

It will take very little time to track the listed signs. If you have doubts, you can use measuring the amount of urine and feces.

Insufficient nutrition

Dear reader!

This article talks about typical ways to solve your issues, but each case is unique! If you want to know how to solve your particular problem, ask your question. It's fast and free!

To understand that your baby does not have enough breast milk, there are 3 simple tests:

  • wet diapers;
  • amount of stool;
  • weight gain.

To determine how many times a child pees a day, you need to keep him not in a disposable diaper, but in a reusable diaper or just in a diaper (disposable diapers are generally undesirable and can only be used as a last resort) (we recommend reading:). When the baby has enough breast milk, he wets his diapers 10-12 times a day. If this happens less than 10 times, the baby does not get enough.

In the first 3 days of life, they still do not have stool as such. The dark mass that can be seen in the diaper is meconium (primary feces). It will appear in small quantities 1-2 times a day. Then, when the baby is already breastfeeding and his digestion begins to function, feces will be released 5 times a day.

What weight gain is considered normal? In the first 3 months - at least 500 g per month or 125 g per week. Then this figure decreases slightly - 300 g per month. It should be noted that weight gain may occur unevenly, but this is normal and should not be a cause for alarm. Monitor the intensity of weight gain after 1 or 4 weeks. There is no need to do this more often.



Tracking weight gain is a safe and easy way to know if your baby is getting enough breastmilk

Day and night, you need to carefully monitor the condition of your baby. There are signs that indicate not just a lack of nutrition, but already dehydration:

  • the child is too lethargic and sleepy;
  • the eyes are sunken and the eyeballs become dull;
  • the mucous membrane in the mouth is dry, the saliva has become viscous;
  • the baby is crying, but you don’t see any tears (we recommend reading:);
  • the skin has become loose (if you lightly pinch it, it will not immediately smooth out);
  • there is an unpleasant odor from the mouth;
  • dark, rich urine with a pungent odor that appears 6 or fewer times a day.

The last point, as well as the simultaneous presence of 2 or 3 others, is a signal that you urgently need to call an ambulance. Do not delay, so as not to lead to a deplorable situation.



If the mother noted that the baby has become lethargic and drowsy, it may be a sign of dehydration.

Why is there not enough milk?

The main reason why a child does not have enough breast milk is very simple and banal - an improperly organized process of natural feeding. Let's see what factors lead to this:

  1. Adherence to a strict regime. Lactation specialists have come to the conclusion that the process should be natural. You need to feed your baby when he asks. The only thing that is advisable to observe is the time interval between feedings, which should be at least 2 hours.
  2. Feedings are too short. The baby should eat until he is full. One feeding should last at least 20 minutes.
  3. The baby does not latch onto the breast correctly.
  4. When feeding, you take an uncomfortable position (we recommend reading:).
  5. Reduce night feedings or completely eliminate them. Feeding at night and in the morning maximizes lactation.
  6. Abuse of pacifiers.
  7. Bottle feeding.
  8. . They prevent proper nipple latching. They can only be used temporarily when the nipple is injured.


Silicone shields can only be used for medical reasons, as they cause improper nipple latching compared to natural feeding conditions.

The breasts begin to fill only 2-3 days after a natural birth and 5-6 after a cesarean section, but you need to continue to put the baby to the breast (we recommend reading:). Firstly, as long as he has enough colostrum, secondly, breastfeeding is the best stimulator of lactation.

There are other reasons why a baby may not get enough breast milk. Among them:

  • poor nutrition of the nursing mother and low fluid intake;
  • tense or stressful state of the mother;
  • hormonal disorders in the mother's body;
  • insufficient rest;
  • physiological features of the breast (flat nipples, narrow milk ducts) or temporary problems (lactostasis, cracked nipples);
  • improper functioning of the baby’s digestive system;
  • runny nose and swelling of the nasal mucosa, which is why the baby simply cannot breathe normally and suckle;
  • the toddler is too large and lacks nutrition;
  • The baby is too weak and simply does not have the strength to eat for a long time.


Stress in a nursing mother can also cause the baby to not eat enough and not have enough milk.

Correct feeding process

If you realize that your baby does not have enough breast milk due to non-compliance with feeding rules, then solving the problem is not very difficult. You need to eliminate mistakes and provide yourself and your child with everything so that no more difficulties arise in the future. Follow the recommendations:

  1. Feed your baby when he demands. The more he suckles, the more milk production is stimulated.
  2. Don't rush your child. When he is satisfied, he will simply release the breast.
  3. Make sure . The baby's mouth should be wide open and cover not only the nipple, but the entire areola. If it only grips the nipple, the nutritional fluid will not be sucked out and you will experience severe pain. You should also be able to hear the baby swallowing.
  4. Make sure that when feeding, sitting or lying down is comfortable for both of you. The child's head and back should be on the same straight line, the head slightly higher than the legs. Study for GW.
  5. It is advisable to place the baby on only one breast at one feeding. This way he will suck everything out completely.
  6. Weak babies sleep a lot, so they often have to be woken up to feed them. During the day, do this at least every 3 hours, and at night - after 5. Before feeding, you can wash the baby - this will slightly invigorate him.
  7. Do not use nipple bottles or pacifiers. It is easier to suck from a bottle than from a breast, so babies often refuse the breast in favor of a bottle. Give a bottle only as a last resort - for example, when the nipple is injured and you are simply physically unable to tolerate feeding.
  8. Get plenty of rest and sleep. Sacrifice household chores for good rest. The more tired you are, the less milk you will produce.
  9. Do not refuse help, even if it is offered by a friend who came to visit you.
  10. Eat every time after feeding, that is, at least 5 times a day. Provide yourself with a nutritious diet and plenty of warm fluids.
  11. If you find your baby has health problems, be sure to show him to the doctor.

7 myths about lactation

When young mothers are seriously concerned about whether their baby is getting enough breast milk, they may listen to dubious and completely meaningless advice, and wrong actions can have disastrous results. Let's dispel some of the myths regarding feeding and warn ourselves against mistakes:

  1. Weighing the baby before and after feeding to determine if he or she is getting enough to eat. The readings will be so inaccurate that the procedure loses all meaning. Weighings no more than once a week are considered more or less objective.
  2. . To produce more milk, the baby must suckle well at the breast. If you apply too little to your breast and give additional formula, be prepared for lactation to become even worse.
  3. Supplementation with cow's or goat's milk. The newborn's gastrointestinal tract cannot yet digest such food. Drinking cow's or goat's milk can cause tummy problems.
  4. Complementary feeding before six months. Adult foods, even in small quantities, can also lead to digestive problems.
  5. or other liquid before introducing complementary foods. This is not at all necessary, since breast milk consists of 86% water and is quite sufficient.
  6. Mother's consumption of milk in order to increase her own production. Milk in the mammary glands is formed from blood, so it makes no sense to further overload your diet. In order for it to form and be saturated, you need vitamins and other beneficial substances, which the mother receives with proper nutrition.

Natural feeding is providing the child not only with food, but also with good immunity, as well as spiritual closeness with the mother. If you want your little one to grow and develop fully, make every effort to maintain and normalize this process. Very soon you will see that it cannot be replaced by anything else.

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