Breast-feeding: supplementary bottles
Every new mother is worried about how well she can feed her baby and may feel a pressure to go onto supplementary bottles...
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We have all heard tales about women not having enough milk to feed their babies and, even though the fear may be only subconscious, when problems arise during the early days of feeding a woman may use this as an excuse to justify giving up on breast-feeding.
Please don't succumb to this pressure; resist it even if your midwife suggests it to you, and certainly when friends and relatives do.
Every woman comes equipped with the means and capacity to feed her baby. Breasts respond to the demand for milk by producing it, so if your baby is not taking off all your milk in the initial stages you should try to express the rest so that the demand for milk from your breasts is kept up. Most breasts respond to this approach with a good flow of milk.
As your child gets older and perhaps has bouts of crying, someone will nudge you and say the baby is hungry. You may have just fed your baby, in which case he may be simply thirsty. This occurs, of course, as soon as you start mixed feeding because food needs liquid to dilute it and to be digested. So initially you can try your baby with 15ml ( ½ floz) of plain, cooled boiled water to quench his thirst.
Every new mother is worried about how well she can feed her baby and may feel a pressure to go onto supplementary bottles. The attraction of the bottle to an anxious mother is that she can see instantly how much milk the baby has taken - an assurance not available when breast-feeding.
But try to be logical and rational about it, and above all have confidence in your ability to feed your baby. Remember that a baby takes 80 per cent of the feed in the first two to three minutes on each breast. So although the baby may become rather bored with being on the breast, if he has been sucking for at least five minutes, he has almost certainly had enough milk to satisfy his hunger.
There may be times, such as when you have a blocked duct or a very sore nipple when it is painful to breast-feed. Hard as it is, it's best to avoid offering your baby formula if you possibly can if this happens. There are so many benefits to your baby being exclusively breast-fed for the first six months if possible.
When feeding is painful, many mothers prefer to express milk from the affected breast and use this in a bottle. Giving supplementary formula feeds can undermine the production of breast-milk.
A baby who has become used to the nipple may dislike plastic teats. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to tell whether your baby just dislikes the teat, or is not hungry. If you persist, he'll eventually get used to the bottle, but you may then find that he doesn't want to go back to the breast. If your breasts are very sore, try giving your baby the expressed milk from a sterilized spoon or cup.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 30.06.2010
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