Let's Breastfeed

So many new moms are concerned about over feeding their baby, which would cause problems later on in life. Breastfed babies are less likely to over feed as a chemical reaction takes place in the body when the baby has taken in enough food at a feed – this usually puts baby to sleep and there is no way any more milk will be consumed.

Now, that is all good and well, but what happens when a baby loses a lot of weight to start with and the new mom is constantly told that ‘her milk is a poor quality’ or ’she does not have enough milk’ or ’she is starving her baby’?

Well, naturally, the new mom will want to avoid this happening again, right? So every time the baby cries, it is very likely that mom/dad/aunty/uncle/neighbour/postman (everyone has a helpful opinion) will think the baby is hungry and try to give baby more food.

This is often when moms are told to introduce formula ‘just to be sure’ the baby is getting enough milk. (call me first – we may be able to increase your supply or just tweak things a little for breastfeeding success!)

Breastfed babies are quite astute and know whether or not they want to eat. If they don’t, they won’t but this will not always stop them from crying.

So why then, if the baby is not hungry, will he/she continue crying?

Well he/she could be crying because of trapped wind and but keeps being offered more food, or baby could be crying because he/she is tired but again is offered more food rather than sleep.

So how do you know when to offer your baby more food, wind them or help them go to sleep? This is a million dollar question and you will find the answer in my Let’s Breastfeed Program, but briefly:

• Ensure your positioning and attachment is correct so that baby is able to transfer milk effectively during feeds.
• Know when your breast is empty and whether or not to offer the second.
• Know what the nappies your baby fill mean or indicate with regards to foremilk/hind milk and volume.
• Create a rough routine which I prefer to call a rhythm.
• Know how to differentiate between tired, hungry and pain cries.

If you are offering formula as a top up, have a look at how much weight your baby is gaining each week. I would suggest that you try to increase your supply a little and reduce the amount of formula your baby is receiving, sooner than later.

The later you try to increase your supply, the harder it will be, so don’t fall into the trap of increasing the amount of formula your baby takes too quickly, or your supply will suffer and struggle to catch up.

Formula fed babies are more likely to over feed as mom is usually in control of how much milk the baby takes at a feed. The ‘correct’ amount is usually calculated by a formula company and ‘relevant amounts’ according to baby’s age are posted on the back of the tin. New parents assume that baby needs the amount stated and coax baby to feed until the bottle is empty. This is over feeding.

So for moms using formula, just remember that the amount stated on the back of a formula tin is only a suggestion. You don’t have to ensure that baby drains the entire bottle, let your baby guide you.

Much love,

Geraldine

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 12:54 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.