Feeding from a bottle
Feeding a baby with a milk formula from a bottle is a safe alternative to breastfeeding if you follow the hygiene rules and carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Once you have decided to feed the baby from the bottle, you quickly set the procedure for cleaning and sterilizing equipment, preparing the mixture and feeding. It may seem that this is a large amount of work, but now all such actions will go much faster and easier than in the past. If you have not bought everything you need for feeding, cleaning and sterilization, ask for some tips on page.198. The market sells a lot of different milk formulas that meet the individual needs of parents and children. Regardless of what mix you use, always remember that babies fed from a bottle are more prone to infections than those who are breastfed, so pay careful attention to hygiene.
TYPES OF MILK MIXTURES
The Ministry of Health recommends that children who are not breastfed receive a formula at the age of one year. All infant formulas are produced under close supervision to provide the most approximate composition to human milk, the mixtures contain the right amount of fats, protein and vitamins necessary for the baby.
Children under one year of age should not be given ordinary cow's milk, as it contains a lot of protein and minerals that can overload the child's unformed kidneys and cause dehydration. In addition, cow's milk does not contain enough iron needed for the baby. For young children, goat and condensed milk are also unsuitable.
If you do not know which milk formula is best for your baby, consult a visiting nurse. Milk mixture can be bought in the form of powder, liquid concentrate and ready-made forms in most supermarkets and pharmacies.
powder milk powder is usually the cheapest, and ready-to-use forms are the most expensive, but they can be useful in the first few weeks, as long as you become accustomed to the feeding regime or lack time.
There are two main types of mixtures: based on modified cow milk and special formula, based on soy milk.
Modified cow milk
Most artificially-fed children receive a formula based on modified cow's milk, and if the child was fed with such a mixture in the hospital and there were no abnormalities, there is no reason to change the food when you return home. If you are worried that the baby is not gaining sufficient weight or still seems to
him a cold moist tea bag can also reduce the pain.
If at some point the nipples turn red, start burning or you feel a shooting pain in your chest, consult your doctor. Perhaps you have an infection, such as thrush.
Breast coarsening
A few days after birth, when the milk comes, the breasts of many women begin to swell, creating a feeling of swelling, hardening and soreness due to the accumulation of blood and milk. In this case, breastfeeding becomes a difficult, sometimes painful process. Frequent feeding( eight or more times a day) can help avoid coarsening of the mammary glands, but if your breasts are really full, try to squeeze a little milk before feeding. It can also help if before feeding you put a rag soaked in warm water on the areola, and after feeding put a cold compress on your chest. Some women relieve the pain with cold cabbage leaves: rinse the outer leaves of cabbage with water and put them on the chest for 10-20 minutes. Another solution is breast massage.
COMBINED FEEDING: BREAST AND BOTTLE
There are various life situations( for example, you decide to return to work) when you want to give breast milk to a child from a bottle or alternate breastfeeding with a milk formula. Try to avoid this as much as possible in the early days, as the child will probably need some time to move from breast to bottle, as the sucking action will be different. But once you establish an acceptable mode for you, try to express the milk. If a child at first reluctantly eats from a bottle, it will probably be easier if you ask someone else to feed the baby, and leave the room yourself. As an option, try feeding the baby from a pipette or a spoon.
If you want to stop breastfeeding altogether, it's best to do it gradually, alternating breast milk with a milky mixture in a bottle. Not only will the child take time to learn how to eat from a bottle, but also to your body, too - to rebuild. If you abruptly stop breastfeeding, there is a chance that you will have problems with the breast, such as coarsening.
Sometimes you need to express breast milk, for example, if it's your turn to feed your baby or you need to leave for a while. You can express the milk with your hands or with the help of a breast pump.
Milk should be expressed directly into a sterile bottle, sterilized plastic container or freezer for breast milk. Expressed milk can be stored in the refrigerator for a day or freeze and used for three months.
To express the milk by hand( 1), stimulate the flow of milk by hand, making the squeezing movements from the top of the chest to the areola. Then place your thumbs over the areola, the remaining fingers under the breast and begin to rhythmically compress the lower part of the chest, pushing against the sternum.
Many women believe that a mechanical or electric breast pump works faster, more efficiently and easier to use than to squeeze milk by hand. So, using a piston-type breast pump, you simply put the funnel on the nipple, press it tightly( 2) and move the cylinder back and forth. These movements will suck the milk. You should try several breast pumps to find the one that suits you, so ask if you can rent the device before purchasing.