Which type of breastfeeding is healthier for the baby?

• Natural or artificial feeding?

There is no doubt that natural feeding (i.e. breastfeeding) is much better than artificial feeding. A huge advantage of breastfeeding is the absolute sterility of breast milk. In addition, breastfeeding is a huge money saver. But the main advantage is that the child receives the most complete product for himself. There is another advantage that is often forgotten: breastfeeding better satisfies the child's need for sucking. He can suck the breast as much as he wants. Therefore, children who are breastfed rarely suck their fingers.

Mothers who breastfeed their babies report that they experience great joy in the fact that they are giving their child something that no one else in the world can give them. The mother and child are happy with their mutual closeness, and their love for each other grows.

When breastfeeding, you need to follow several rules. These are cleanliness, regularity, comfortable position of mother and baby during feeding, alternating breasts.

Maintaining cleanliness does not mean washing your breasts before each feeding, but you must wash your hands.

Regularity of feeding is not necessarily strictly following a pre-set interval between feedings. Now regularity is understood as a regime in which the child does not go hungry, but eats when he needs it. There are two types of feeding: feeding by the clock and a free feeding regime.

The feeding schedule by the hour provides for 7 feedings a day with 3-hour intervals and a 6-hour break at night. This schedule, although more convenient for the woman (she can plan her housework), is not always suitable for the baby. After all, if 15-30 minutes before the next feeding the baby starts crying, it means: he is already hungry. Why "marinate" him, causing him (and yourself) unpleasant emotions.

When free feeding, the baby is fed at any time when he "asks". After all, different babies need different amounts of milk. So, for children weighing less than 3.5 kg, a three-hour interval is enough, but sometimes children weighing 4 kg cannot withstand more than three hours.

Thus, with free feeding in the first month there can be 11-12 feedings. In addition, more frequent application allows you to maintain lactation. With a free feeding regimen, it is most difficult to ensure a full sleep, since the child may demand the breast in the middle of the night. It is possible that for the first month or two you will feed at night. Although it is worth trying to maintain night sleep, feeding the child at 24.00. Perhaps he will hold out until 6.00.

Normal feeding usually lasts no more than 15-20 minutes, since in the first 5 minutes the baby sucks out 50% of the milk he needs. But all children are different: some are stronger, others are weaker; some manage to get full in 15 minutes, while others need 40-50 minutes. However, if you "kill" an entire hour on each feeding, you will not have time to do anything around the house. Therefore, if the baby was actively sucking at first, and then began to doze off, but when you try to take him away from the breast, he starts sucking again, it is better to take him away from the breast. Most likely, he will get what he did not eat now, in the next feeding. In addition, sucking for too long can lead to cracked nipples.

Many people are interested in the question: does the baby have enough milk? To do this, you need to conduct a test feeding. True, for this you need to have scales at home. You weigh the baby before feeding, and then, after feeding, weigh again. And in the same diapers.

The resulting difference is the amount of milk sucked by the baby. However, the amount of milk sucked does not always answer the question: is the baby getting enough food? If your baby calms down after feeding, maintains the usual intervals between feedings, gains weight and grows, and has a bowel movement either after each feeding or, in any case, at least two or three times a day, then you can assume that he is eating normally.

During the first month and a half, the volume of milk consumed should be equal to 1/5 of the child’s weight; from 1.5 to 4 months – 1/6.

During the first month, the baby should gain about 600 g to the initial weight (birth weight). But the fact is that in the first 3-4 days, the so-called physiological weight loss occurs. This is due to the fact that in the first days, the baby cannot eat more than 10 g - the stomach is too small! And this amount, naturally, is not enough. And the baby begins to use its own reserves. Usually, the physiological weight loss does not exceed 150-200 g. Thus, in the first month of life, the baby gains about 800 g, but if you subtract the physiological weight loss, you get about 600 g. Subsequently, for each month up to six months, the baby gains about 700-800 g, and the second six months - 400-500 g. For each individual child, the gain may be different. Do not be surprised if your child gains 1 kg in any of the months. Usually, the average values for six months remain stable.

• Should you swaddle your baby tightly before feeding and sleeping?

Previously, it was believed that a child should be tightly swaddled, with legs tied so that they were straight, and if they were crooked, so that they would straighten out. It was also believed that a child's arms should be swaddled so that he would not scratch himself or be afraid of his own hand.

Nowadays, the approaches are somewhat different. Since the baby in the womb was relatively free in its movements, actively moving its arms and legs, then why swaddle it tightly after birth? Try swaddling yourself before going to bed and go to bed. You will either not fall asleep at all or wake up very soon. Scientists have proven that a person turns over every 15-20 minutes in their sleep. So why should we deprive our most beloved little person of this opportunity!

If you want to start hardening right away, you don’t need to throw your baby into cold water, like Charkovsky, but simply put him to bed naked (the room temperature should be no lower than 24-25 °C). If you are not yet ready for such extreme sports, put on a baby romper that fastens in the front, or a T-shirt and romper-type pants. You can wear a T-shirt instead of a baby romper. To prevent your baby from scratching his face, you need to regularly cut his nails. If you want, you can put on a baby romper with sewn-up sleeves. You don’t need to wrap your baby up too much during sleep (provided that the room temperature is normal). It is understandable that you are worried about him getting cold, but overheating is also a serious problem for a newborn. But when going out for a walk with a stroller, especially in the cold season, it is probably better to swaddle the baby and at the same time follow the rule: the baby should have one more layer of clothing than you.