Necessity For Breast Feeding!

When should you start?
Breastfeeding should ideally start soon after your baby is born. This may be before they are weighed, bathed and dressed. It doesn’t matter whether child is born normally or via a caesarean section

What to do if your baby will not latch on?
If your baby will not latch on or suckle within the first hour:

• Express colostrum directly into your baby's mouth or give it by teaspoon or cup. This can stimulate your baby to seek the breast.
• Gently stroke your baby on their abdomen and legs, to help your baby to wake and seek the breast.
• Hold your baby close and have lots of skin-to skin contact.

How often should you feed your child?
There is lot of debate on time based or demand based pattern of feeding, in my experience its always better to feed when the child demands. A child is generally fed as the child desires usually every 02-03 hours with longer intervals (4-5 hours) in night. Newborn babies should breastfeed 8-12 times per day for about the first month. Newborns should not go more than about 4 hours without feeding, even overnight.
A sensible guideline for duration of feeding is 05 minutes per breast at each feeding the first day, 10 minutes on each side at each feeding the second day, and 10-15 minutes per side thereafter. A vigorous infant can obtain most of the available milk in 05-07 minutes, but additional sucking times ensures breast emptying, promotes milk production and satisfies the infant’s sucking urges.
The side on which feeding is commenced should be alternated. Your baby may like switching breasts at each feeding or prefer to nurse just on one side. If so, then offer the other breast at the next feeding. Do whatever works best and is the most comfortable for you and your baby.

How long does nursing take?
Newborns may nurse for up to 20 minutes or longer on one or both breasts. As babies get older and more skilled at breastfeeding, they may take about 5–10 minutes on each side.

Am I getting enough milk?
They wake up and start crying every time you try to settle them in their own bed. They only stop crying when you cuddle them and/or take them into bed with you. They are feeding for hours on end but never seems satisfied. They are not passing much urine.

The 12 fakeout signs of low milk supply:
1. Your breasts don't feel full of milk.
2. Your baby wakes in the night, middle of the night.
3. The length of your baby's feeds are erratic.
4. You don't feel the sensation of a let-down.
5. Your baby wants to breastfeed frequently.
6. You have an unhappy baby.
7. Your baby is fussy before bedtime.

If you have a cold or flu, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting, or mastitis, keep breastfeeding as normal. Your baby won't catch the illness through your breast milk in fact, it will contain antibodies to reduce her risk of getting the same bug, not only is it safe, breastfeeding while sick is a good idea.

How long should I breastfeed my baby?
That's a personal choice. Experts recommend that babies be breastfed exclusively (without formula, water, juice, non–breast milk, or food) for the first 6 months. Then, breastfeeding can continue until 12 months (and beyond) if it's working for you and your baby. Breastfeeding has many benefits for mom and baby both. Studies show that breastfeeding can lessen a baby's chances of diarrhea, ear infections, and bacterial meningitis, or make symptoms less severe. Breastfeeding also may protect children from sudden infant death syndrome (sids), diabetes, obesity, and asthma.
For moms, breastfeeding burns calories and helps shrink the uterus. In fact, breastfeeding moms might return to their pre–pregnancy shape and weight quicker. Breastfeeding also helps lower a woman's risk of diseases like:

• Breast cancer
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Heart disease

It also might help protect moms from uterine cancer and ovarian cancer.

Contraindications to breast feeding

• Infants with galactosemia (an inherited disorder where child can, t digest sugar obtained from milk)
• HIV (talk to your doctor)
• Anticancer medications
• Avoid alcohol / smoking