How to organize breastfeeding: advice from consultants and advice from nursing mothers. Breastfeeding: tips for a nursing mom

The first half a year of a newborn baby's life, mother's milk is the most complete food. In order for this period to be comfortable for the mother, and to bring only benefits to the baby, every inexperienced mother should know basic and most important rules of breastfeeding.

Note to moms!

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Attaching the baby to the breast. Important points:

Features of modern breastfeeding

1. One of the principles is free and unlimited feeding at the first request of the baby. Unlike the old methods, this method has a positive effect on the psycho-emotional state of the child and. It is advisable to give the breast in any restless state of the baby, without waiting for him to cry. If the baby requires 10-16 feeds in the first months, this is normal!
2. Up to six months, the baby needs night feedings, since they bring the greatest benefit to the baby, and the mother forms a stable lactation.
3. The duration of sucking depends only on the child. The last milk in the breast is the fattest and healthiest, therefore it is recommended to let the baby suck out one mammary gland until the very end. The second should only be offered at the next feeding. An exception can only be in the case of a lack of breast milk in one breast for full saturation.
4. An infant up to six months can do only with breast milk without the introduction of additional nutrition. ()
5. The best option for the full development of the child, strengthening the immune system and protecting against viruses is breastfeeding for up to one and a half to two years.

When breastfeeding, you do not need:

1. Wash your breasts frequently, as frequent washing removes the protective layer of fat from the nipples. The lack of a protective film leads to painful cracks in the nipples and areola. It is enough to take a shower once or twice a day.
2. Give your baby water - Extra water can reduce appetite and increase flatulence in the baby's digestive system. A teaspoon of water per day can be given only if the child has constipation from mother's fatty milk.
3. Use pacifiers and drink from a bottle for up to six months. If the baby does not have enough breast milk, then the supplement should be given with a spoon or pipette. An infant may confuse breastfeeding with a nipple (it is more difficult to suck milk out of a breast than from a bottle), and improper suckling can lead to cracked nipples. In addition, the baby can completely refuse breast milk.
4. Express milk residues after each feeding. An exception is chest congestion, engorgement or forced separation of the mother from the baby.
5. Weigh the baby frequently. It is enough to control the weight once every one to two weeks. Frequent weighing can unnerve the mother and encourage unnecessary supplementation.
6. Give the baby sweet tea. Sweets can harm future teeth, and tea can contribute to iron deficiency anemia.

Video # 1

Video # 2

Breastfeeding a baby is an individual natural process. All children, like mothers, are different. Only with the help of her own experience, any mother herself will be able to establish the rules of feeding. infant, relying on the characteristics of your baby and following the recommendations of specialists and mothers who have fed more than one child.

In this article:

Breastfeeding is a process that causes many questions among the fair sex. How to apply correctly to the chest? What difficulties may arise? Why is breastfeeding of newborns sometimes contraindicated? We have to find the answers to these questions.

Breastfeeding technique

All women after giving birth want to breastfeed their baby. Mom's milk is the perfect food for him. Breastfeeding is a natural process. However, during it, various difficulties may arise.

It is difficult for a newborn to understand how to drink milk from the breast. In order for the feeding process to be successful, every mother should familiarize herself with breastfeeding techniques.

Breastfeeding your baby is easy. Women should pay attention to the following main points:

1. breast capture by a baby;
2. breast selection;
3. position of the child in the arms;
4. frequency of feedings.

Grabbing the chest

Every newborn has reflexes. Thanks to them, he finds the nipple, takes it in his mouth, sucks on the breast and swallows milk. The baby is only unable to support the breast on its own. It is also difficult for a newborn to properly grasp the nipple. Mom's help is needed. The woman's task is to correctly put the breast in the baby's mouth, to help him keep it.

When applied correctly, the baby captures the nipple and the dark circle around it - the areola. With his nose, he presses against the breast and remains in this position until the end of feeding. Thanks to the correct application, the newborn will be able to fully satisfy his nutritional needs by sucking the maximum amount of breast milk.

Breast selection

What kind of breast to give a baby? Can the same breast be offered? These questions are often asked by young mothers. Mother's milk is divided into two types: front and back. The difference between them lies in the saturation of nutrients, consistency. Foremilk is more watery. His baby gets it in the first minutes of sucking. Rear milk begins to be produced a little later. It is fatter and richer in nutrients.

The baby should receive both front and rear milk, so one and the same breast should not be offered often. It should also be borne in mind that the composition and consistency of breast milk changes in 3 hours. It is not necessary to give for every child's request new breasts, because he will receive only one type of milk.

The position of the baby in the arms

For breastfeeding to be successful, the baby needs to be comfortable in her mother's arms. The position is correct if:
the baby's body is turned towards the woman;
the face of the baby is at a close distance from the chest;
mouth wide open;
above upper lip much visible larger area areola than under the bottom.

If the body is not turned properly towards the mother, the lips are extended and a large area of ​​the areola is visible under the lower lip, then this means that the baby is not positioned correctly. It will be uncomfortable for him to be in his mother's arms. The kid will start to get nervous, naughty, give up breast.

Feeding frequency

Often, young mothers from their girlfriends or doctors hear that the feeding regimen is important for the child. This is true, but not for newborns, but for children over 6 months old. The newborn should be fed on demand. Each baby is different, so the interval between feedings may differ from child to child.

Difficulty breastfeeding

During the period of breastfeeding, you can face various problems:

• refusal of the child from breastfeeding;
• the formation of cracks in the nipples;
• lactostasis.

Let's take a look at these challenges and how to overcome them.

Sometimes women who have given birth to a child are faced with the fact that their baby refuses to breastfeed. In the hospital, he could eat well, but at home he became capricious. One of possible reasons- improper attachment to the chest. The mother should help the baby to make the correct grip on the nipple, more comfortably to lay it on her hands. It is recommended to drink warm liquid and take a shower before feeding. These simple measures will expand the milk ducts. It will be easier for the child to suckle the breast, he will become less capricious.

At 2-4 months of age, babies often refuse to breastfeed. The reason is that milk stops easily entering the baby's mouth in response to active sucking. The kid has to make extra efforts. Because of this, children begin to be capricious, offended, as they stop quickly getting what they want. The only way to solve the problem is to continue to apply the baby to the breast, to be persistent, not to give the bottle, since after it it will be difficult to transfer the baby to breastfeeding.

The reason for the refusal is sometimes the child's poor health. Mom may not understand this, because the baby does not know how to speak, and the symptoms are not always visible. Stomatitis, dermatitis, gas, and a mild runny nose can complicate the sucking process. If the baby refuses to breastfeed, then it is worth calling a doctor.

Breastfeeding often causes cracks in the nipples in women. The feeding process becomes much more complicated. Mothers experience discomfort, pain, when the baby takes the nipple in his mouth. The solution to the problem is simple - you need to buy a special cream at the pharmacy that will relieve inflammation, protect the skin from drying out, and make it more elastic.

Lactostasis is another difficulty that can be encountered with breastfeeding... The term refers to a blockage of the milk duct. The chest begins to ache, hardens, the body temperature rises. If these symptoms appear, you should see a doctor. He will give advice on how to overcome the problem.

The World Health Organization (WHO) advises you to follow several rules for breastfeeding. Many specialists are guided by them, advising women on the issues of feeding children.

• the first breastfeeding should be carried out within an hour after the birth of the baby;
• feed the newborn with mother's milk up to 6 months of age, without introducing complementary foods, water;
• carry out feeding at any time of the day at the first request of the crumbs;
• at 6 months, introduce complementary foods into the child's diet, without giving up breastfeeding.

Experts note that breast milk is a natural food product that contains energy and nutrients that a baby needs in the first months of life. Milk satisfies the need for vitamins, microelements and in older children: 1/2 during the second half of the first year of life and 1/3 during the second year of life. This is why WHO recommends breastfeeding for two years or more.

Contraindications to breastfeeding

Not all women can breastfeed their newborn. There are contraindications for breastfeeding. The mother is forbidden to feed the baby if she has the following problems:

• oncological diseases (for treatment, heavy drugs are used that can enter the child's body with milk and harm);
• dangerous infectious diseases (cholera, typhus, smallpox, anthrax);
• open form of tuberculosis;
• HIV-positive status in a woman;
• serious mental illness (drugs are used for treatment that can adversely affect the condition of the newborn, and there is also a possibility that a sick mother will harm her baby);
• during childbirth, there was heavy bleeding (doctors are engaged in restoring the mother's health and, after normalization of the condition, they allow breastfeeding).

Contraindications to breastfeeding can be not only on the part of the mother, but also on the part of the baby. A newborn should not be fed in the traditional way if certain hereditary pathologies have been identified (for example, phenylketonuria, galactosemia, maple syrup disease). Also, breastfeeding is contraindicated in case of severe prematurity of the child, his low birth weight, serious condition (respiratory failure, hypoglycemia, exicosis).

Thus, when feeding a child, a young mother needs to adhere to the above rules, listen to the doctor and not breastfeeding when breastfeeding is contraindicated. The well-being and health of the child depends on this.

Video on how to breastfeed while in the maternity hospital

• GW basics
• Doctor Komarovsky
• Rules and postures
• Nutrition
• Breast milk composition
• Expressing
• Storage

Breastfeeding is recognized as the safest and most useful way feeding a baby in the first year of life. With all the simplicity of breastfeeding, there are quite a few misconceptions and difficulties that can interfere with lactation. Let's take a closer look at such a natural process, which is available to every woman who has given birth, as breastfeeding (HB) in more detail.

Benefit

Receiving breast milk, the baby will grow and develop harmoniously. The crumbs will have well-being, the risk of developing anemia, allergies, rickets, gastrointestinal diseases and other pathologies will decrease. In addition, the emotional contact with the mother acquired during breastfeeding will contribute to the development of the personality of the little one in a positive way.

Why is breast milk necessary for babies?

To achieve an increase in milk production, more frequent latching, feeding the baby at night, changing the drinking regime, good nutrition, a shower and a bath for the breast, as well as the use of special tea help. It is very important that the woman is in the mood for breastfeeding, knows the correct feeding technique, turns to counselors in a timely manner, and is provided with support from the family and other mothers with at least a year of breastfeeding experience.

Hyperlactation

Excessive milk production in the breast causes great discomfort in a woman. She feels that her breasts are bursting, the mammary glands become painful, the milk is leaking. In addition, with hyperlactation from the mother, the child receives too much liquid milk, which is called "front", and, accordingly, does not receive more fatty milk remaining in the back of the glands. This leads to disturbances in the digestion of the baby.

The most common cause of too much milk production in women is intense and prolonged expression after feedings. Also, an excess of fluid and lactogonic agents can lead to hyperlactation. It happens that hyperlactation is an individual feature of the body of a nursing mother, and then it is not easy to cope with it. You have to limit your drinking and control your diet so that it does not contain foods that provoke excess milk production.

Pumping must be done responsibly as it affects breast health. Read about the types of pumping and the technique of pumping breasts by hand in other articles.

In addition, we suggest watching a video on this topic.

Baby refuses to breast

The reason for refusal can be a stuffy nose, ear inflammation, stomatitis, teething, colic and other health problems of the baby. Changes in mom's diet, for example, eating spicy foods or spices, can affect the taste of milk, so the baby will refuse to suckle. The use of pacifiers and the feeding of a baby from a bottle often leads to refusal.

A situation is quite common when a grown-up toddler at 3-6 months of age may refuse to feed, since its needs for milk decrease, and the pauses between feedings are lengthened. During this period, the baby explores the world around with interest and is often distracted from sucking. Over the age of 8-9 months, breastfeeding can be triggered by the very active introduction of complementary foods.

Establishing contact between the baby and the mother will help to solve the problem of breast rejection. The baby needs to be carried more often in his arms, hugged, talked with the baby. You need to give complementary foods, medicines or drinks only from a spoon or from a cup, it is advisable to refuse dummies, and the mother's menu should not include foods that are unpleasant for the baby.

Choking

The baby may choke with too "greedy" sucking, but this situation may also indicate an excessively rapid flow of milk from the female breast. If the newborn begins to choke during feeding, it is worth changing the position in which the baby is eating. It is best to sit up straight and hold the baby's head up.

In the case when the cause of choking is excess milk, you can strain the breast a little before offering it to the baby. If the change in posture and strain did not help, contact a specialist, since the reasons may be different pathologies of the oral cavity, larynx, or the functioning of the nervous system.

For the most common problems and how to solve them, see the video, in which experienced obstetrician-gynecologists tell important nuances.

Should I wash my breasts before breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding mothers should not fanatically follow the rules of hygiene and wash their breasts before each feed, especially using soap. It can destroy the natural protective film that covers the skin of the areola. As a result, frequent washing with soap is the cause of the appearance of cracks, because of which it will be very painful to feed the baby.

Moreover, in detergents has the ability to interrupt the natural aroma of the skin, even if the soap does not have a perfumed fragrance. It is very important for a newborn to catch his mother's smell during feeding, therefore, without feeling it, the baby will begin to worry and may even refuse to suck milk. To maintain cleanliness, it is enough to wash a woman's breasts once or twice a day, and only warm water should be used for washing.

Correct care behind the breast of a nursing mother - important point to avoid many problems. For more details, see the video.

How to latch on a baby to the breast?

When organizing GV, it is especially important that the grip of a small breast is correct, since a violation of grip on the breast threatens with excessive swallowing of air and insufficient weight gain. In addition to the nipple, the baby's mouth should also contain a portion of the breast area around the nipple, which is called the areola. In this case, the lips of the baby should be slightly turned out. In this case, the little one will be able to suck correctly.

The mother should not have any pain during sucking, and feeding can continue for a long time. If the crumbs are applied incorrectly, the woman will experience pain during feeding, damage to the nipples is possible, the crumb will not be able to suck the volume of milk it needs and will not gorge itself.

Experiment and look for the type of breastfeeding that is most comfortable for you and your baby. If your nipples are damaged, you can use an emollient cream like Bepantena.

How to understand that the child is full?

The duration of each feeding is individual and may vary from one child to another or from one infant to another in different situations. Most babies take 15-20 minutes to empty their breasts and eat, but there are toddlers who suckle for at least 30 minutes. If you interrupt the feeding of such a child earlier, he will be malnourished. Mom will understand that the little one is full when the baby stops sucking and lets go of the breast. It is not worth picking off the breast until this moment.

The baby will release the breast by itself after feeding, when he is full

Debunking myths

Myth 1. Before childbirth, it is necessary to prepare the nipples.

Women are encouraged to rub their nipples with a coarse cloth, but doing so is more dangerous than beneficial. Stimulating the nipple of a pregnant woman increases the risk of preterm labor, since there is a definite connection between the breast and the uterus (if you stimulate the nipple, the uterus will contract).

Myth 2. A newborn should be fed immediately with a formula, as milk does not come immediately.

Mature milk, indeed, begins to remain from the 3-5th day after childbirth, but until this moment colostrum is released from the woman's breast, which is quite enough for the baby.

Myth 3. For a successful hepatitis B, you have to constantly pump after each feeding of the baby.

Expressions after feedings are recommended by close relatives and even sometimes by doctors, ostensibly for the prevention of lactostasis, but in fact it is they that cause excess milk production and stagnation. It is worth expressing the breast only in case of pain and strong infusion, when the crumbs cannot grab the nipple. In this case, you need to express a small amount of milk.

Myth 4. If a child cries a lot and often needs breast, it means that he is hungry and does not gorge himself

Compared to formula feeding, the baby actually asks for breast more often, since human milk is absorbed very quickly, and the formula takes longer. In addition, it is often easier for a baby to suck milk from a bottle than it is to take from a breast. But this behavior does not at all indicate a lack of nutrition for the little one. You should focus only on the weight gain per month and the number of baby urinates per day.

Myth 5. Different women have different milk fat content.

Some women are lucky to have fatty milk, while others are unlucky because they have low-fat blue milk. This misconception is associated with the color of expressed milk, the front portion of which does have a bluish tinge. This part of the milk is a drink for the baby, therefore, by its color it is impossible to judge what kind of milk a woman has as a whole. If mom could express milk from the back of the breast, she would make sure of its fat content, but it is very difficult to get it manually.

Myth 6. The breast has stopped filling, which means that the baby does not have enough milk

This situation often occurs after a month or two feedings, when the woman begins to feel that the milk is no longer arriving in the required volume. Experiences further worsen the situation and can lead to the end of lactation. In fact, the absence of hot flashes has nothing to do with the amount of milk in the female breast, since 1-2 months after giving birth, milk begins to be produced exactly as much as is needed for the crumbs, and it arrives in the gland often in the process of sucking the baby's mother's breast.

Myth 7. A nursing mother needs to eat more than usual.

Without a doubt, the nutrition of a mother who is breastfeeding a baby must be of high quality and balanced. However, to do this, you should not significantly increase the portions. The baby will receive all the useful substances with breast milk, even if the mother eats very poorly, but the health of the woman herself will be undermined by the lack of vitamins. So nutrition should be given close attention, but not the volume of dishes, but their usefulness. It should also be remembered that breastfeeding mothers should not go on diets and exercise hard until the baby is 9 months old.

Myth 8. The formula is almost identical to breast milk, so it doesn't matter how you feed your baby.

No matter how much the manufacturers praise their high-quality mixtures and no matter what valuable ingredients they add, no artificial nutrition can compare with milk from a woman's breast. An important difference between these two options for food for a baby is that the composition of human milk changes in accordance with the growth of the baby and the needs of the baby. Let's not forget about the psychological connection between a nursing mother and a baby.

Myth 9. After 6 months, the baby no longer needs milk.

Although complementary foods are already beginning to be introduced to a six-month-old toddler, human milk still remains the staple food for an infant. It does not lose its valuable properties even when the child is one or two years old.

Myth 10

If cracks appear from sucking, then it is better to switch to a mixture. The situation when the baby rubs the nipples to the blood in the first days of sucking is quite common. The reason for this is incorrect attachment. And having corrected it, it is quite possible to breastfeed the baby for a long time. The use of special pads also contributes to the rapid healing of cracks.

When is it worth stopping hepatitis B?

According to experts, best time for the termination of breastfeeding is the period of involution. Most often, this stage of lactation occurs at the age of a child from 1.5 to 2.5 years. To complete the GV, it is important to take into account the readiness of both the child and the mother. The gradual curtailment of lactation will not harm either mental state baby, no mother's breast.

There are situations when it is necessary to stop hepatitis B abruptly, for example, in case of an acute illness of the mother. In this case, one should be guided by the advice of a doctor so that the process of parting the baby with the breast, and the mammary glands with milk, is the least painful for everyone.

Read more about stopping lactation in another article.

1. To successfully establish lactation, it is important to take care of the early attachment of the baby to the mother's breast. Ideally, the baby should be laid on the woman's belly and found the breast immediately after delivery. Such contact will trigger the natural mechanisms of lactation regulation.
2. While waiting for the arrival of mature milk, you should not feed the baby with formula. Due to the small amount of colostrum, many women are worried, believing that the baby is starving. However, colostrum contains substances valuable for the baby, and supplementation with a mixture can greatly harm the development of lactation.
3. You should not replace your mother's breast with a pacifier. Let the baby get breasts whenever he wants to suck. Using a nipple will help distract the little one, but it can negatively affect lactation, especially if it has not already been established. In addition, the breast for the newborn is not only a source of food. During sucking, a deep psychological contact is established between the baby and the mother.
4. If you give the breast to the baby on demand, you do not need to add water to the baby. The first part of the milk sucked out is represented by a more liquid part containing a lot of water, therefore it serves as a drink for the baby. If you give the baby water in addition, this can reduce the volume of lactation.
5. You should not express after feeding until it is completely empty. This advice was common at a time when all children were advised to feed by the hour. Babies rarely breastfeed, and due to the lack of stimulation of milk, less milk was produced, so it was necessary to additionally provoke milk production by full expression. Now the breast is offered to the baby on demand, and during sucking, the baby makes a request for the next feeding - how much the baby sucks milk, so much of it will be produced. If you additionally express your breasts when the baby has already eaten, the next time more milk will arrive than the little one needs. And this increases the risk of lactostasis.
6. Do not give your baby a second breast until the baby has emptied the first breast. In the first months, it is recommended to alternate the breasts no more often than every 1-2 hours. If you give the baby a second breast, when he has not yet sucked the hind milk from the first, this threatens digestive problems. Both breasts may need to feed a baby over 5 months of age.
7. There is no need to rush to start introducing complementary foods into the children's diet. Exclusively breastfed infants receive sufficient nutrients until 6 months of age. And even after six months, milk remains the main food for the baby, and with the help of all new products, the baby first simply learns tastes and consistency that differ from human milk.
8. Find out what feeding positions are, since changing the position during the day will help prevent milk stagnation, because in different positions the baby will suck more actively from different lobes of the breast. The main positions that every nursing mom must master are lying down and feeding in a sitting position from under the armpit.
9. Doctors call the minimum period of breastfeeding 1 year, and experts consider the optimal duration of breastfeeding to be 2-3 years. Earlier weaning can be difficult for both the infant's psyche and the woman's breasts.
10. It is not at all necessary to give up breastfeeding for any mother's illness. For example, if a woman has ARVI, you should not interrupt feeding, since the baby will receive antibodies from her mother's milk. Lactation can be prevented only by those diseases that we indicated in the contraindications.

For successful breastfeeding, the World Health Organization recommends:

• Attach the baby to the mother's breast for the first time in the first hour after birth.
Rules and postures
• Nutrition

And other specialized experts strongly recommend that all young mothers breastfeed their newborns and not abandon this process for a long period of time. What is its use? How to get good lactation? When to start introducing complementary foods? You will read about this and much more in our article.

With the advent of artificial mixtures, which are maximally adapted to the characteristics of the organism of newborns and children under 1 year old, the process of feeding a child has been greatly simplified - in fact, quite a lot of problems associated with the physiological need of a growing organism have been solved. Until a few decades ago, doctors recommended a quick transition from breastfeeding to substitution feeding. However, modern global research has shown the fallacy of such judgments. Why is it so important to breastfeed your baby?

• Maximum adaptive potential. At the physiological level, mother's milk is intended for the child, which even the most perfect artificial mixture cannot provide;
• Protection against various infections. As recent biochemical studies show, breast milk contains white blood cells and many anti-infectious factors, which at the initial stage of development complement the immune system of the newborn;
• Optimal digestibility. Breast milk contains special enzymes, in particular lipase, that help break down fat as efficiently as possible. Moreover, whey proteins of mother's milk are processed by the gastrointestinal tract without consequences for the baby's body. Artificial mixtures have neither the one nor the other. Visually, it is easy to notice in the newborn's stool - in the first case, it is softer and practically does not have an unpleasant odor, while the stool of children fed with formula is rather thick, darker and has a pronounced aroma. The same factors are responsible for the almost complete absence of allergic manifestations and systemic problems with the gastrointestinal tract in newborns who consume breast milk;
• Faster mental development. Selected studies recent years indicate the indirect influence of food quality in the development of mental abilities of children under 5 years of age. The control groups of babies using artificial mixtures on a regular basis had lower rates in the tests compared to their peers who were breastfed. Some specialized experts associate this fact with the presence in mother's milk of a whole group of natural polyunsaturated fatty acids that affect the work and development of brain activity;
• Stable psycho-emotional background. Breastfeeding is not just the process of introducing food into the child's body, but also a close emotional and mental closeness between the mother and the baby. It has been proven that a woman's body actively produces endorphins (they are also called hormones of happiness) during feeding, while the child, feeling the close presence of the mother, is calm and cries less;
• Good development of swallowing and sucking reflexes. Breastfeeding, unlike artificial feeding with a bottle with a mixture, allows you to fully compensate for the sucking reflex and the development of correct swallowing - milk, naturally, is dosed into the child's body;
• Improving maternal health. Natural feeding allows you to quickly overcome postpartum depression, get rid of the stress of the first months after childbirth, normalize hormonal levels, reducing the risk of developing uterine and ovarian cancer, and more actively get rid of excess weight and mastopathy, prolong temporary lactational amenorrhea (absence of menstruation and, as a result, natural contraception with an efficiency of up to 99 percent), prevent anemia;
• Cost savings. If the mother eats properly and sufficiently, she supports healthy image life, then her milk for a long period of time fully satisfies the baby's need for nutrition. Good mixtures are quite expensive, and the artificial feeding system requires constant monitoring (sterilization of bottles and nipples, dilution and preparation of the mixture, control so that various pathogenic bacteria do not get into the raw materials, and so on).

The first days, weeks and even months of breastfeeding are fraught with various difficulties - both adaptive for the mother and child, and objective, especially when it comes to poor lactation. However, most of the problems can be effectively overcome by adhering to a number of rules and recommendations.

Correct breastfeeding

The diet must include meat, fish, dairy and sour milk products, baked goods, all vegetables, fruits, berries, cereals and eggs. The main protein food should be fresh and low-fat, dairy products must be heat-treated. The restriction should be imposed on semi-finished products and exotic tropical fruits (except for bananas). Do not forget also about vegetable oil (from sunflower, olives or corn) and butter. As a "reward for your labors" you can pamper yourself with confectionery - mainly marmalade, low-fat cakes, marshmallows, marshmallows in limited quantities.

Despite the fact that during the period of initial active breastfeeding, a woman has a temporary menstrual pause, the chances of getting pregnant still remain. As a rule, the menstrual cycle begins to recover within 2 months after childbirth, and in case of interruptions in lactation - after 30-40 calendar days.

To avoid quick junk repeated pregnancy, which will greatly affect the health of a woman, it is necessary first of all to think about contraception. Despite the fact that there are no direct contraindications to taking progestins, gestagens or estrogens, in the overwhelming majority of cases, their regular intake (namely, constant use gives desired effect) can make a significant imbalance in the process of restoring the hormonal background of the fair sex. Recommended methods:

• Installation of the "spiral". It is possible only in the absence of postpartum complications and other pathologies of the female reproductive system;
• Condom use. A classic technique with a high degree of effectiveness, but often ignored by men due to the deterioration of tactile sensations during sex;
• Diaphragm setting. The classic "cap" can be installed 1.5–2 months after delivery and in the absence of cervical erosion / dysplasia.

Regardless of how often and intensively the mother uses breastfeeding, sooner or later the baby's diet must be supplemented with complementary foods. As modern pediatric practice shows, it is worth doing this after 6 months if the child is fully provided with mother's milk.

It should be noted that the introduction of complementary foods does not eliminate the need for breastfeeding - it can be carried out in parallel up to 2 years. Children's nutritionists do not recommend starting a separate meal at the family table - even the crushed and tidbits intended for adults do not always benefit the growing child. The optimal scheme is the use of special mono-component purees at the first stage with a gradual expansion to multi-component solutions and cereals.

Main phases:

• From 6 months - vegetable purees from carrots, zucchini, cauliflower. A new component is added no more than once a week;
• From 8 months - corn, buckwheat and rice porridge;
• From 9-10 months - oatmeal, wheat, multi-grain solutions;
• From 11-12 months - a phased introduction of fruits, meat, fish, biscuits and other products.

You should start introducing complementary foods with 1 teaspoon, for 1-2 months reaching a standard portion of 100-180 grams.

How to wean your baby from breastfeeding

If the child is completely breastfed and the mother's milk is fully sufficient to cover all the baby's nutritional needs, then the process of weaning from this activity can begin no earlier than 6 months after birth.

At the initial stage of the introduction of complementary foods, active breastfeeding should be continued, however, as the diet expands (especially with the appearance of cereals in it), it is worth creating the prerequisites for a reduction in the process - less often to breastfeed. Upon reaching 1 year of life, the child in the overwhelming majority of cases is practically provided with all the necessary nutrients from the main diet, but often still requires a breast. Within 3 months, reduce the number of breastfeeding to 1–2 approaches per day, then smoothly move on to the regular menu.

Breastfeeding problems

The overwhelming majority of breast problems at the stage of natural feeding of a child are formed not due to the physiological process itself, but as a result of non-compliance with the recommendations of specialists. Typical problems:

• Painful sensations and cracks in the nipples. Usually formed during an improperly organized feeding process, when the child lies in an uncomfortable position for himself and only covers the nipple with his mouth, and not a halo with it;
• Lactostasis and mastitis. Stagnation of milk in the breast indicates irregular feeding of the child or too fast feeding when the baby is weaned until full saturation. In addition, these problems can form as a result of hypothermia of the body;
• Infections. Occur when local breast hygiene standards are not followed;
• Breast reshaping. Many women complain that after the end of their breastfeeding period, their breasts sag a lot. Such a problem does exist, however, the correct preventive measures in the form of special gymnastics, the use of a tightening lifting cream and other procedures will quickly restore soft tissue and epithelium.

• Avoid stress. Bad mood, depression, others psychological problems significantly worsen lactation and lead to a host of other problems;
• Eat well and variedly. Do not forget that in addition to your body, the child also gets some of the nutrients from the food consumed;
• Follow the recommendations of your doctors and visit them regularly. Regular visits to a pediatrician, gynecologist and other specialized specialists, as well as compliance with their recommendations, is a guarantee of the health of the mother and baby;
• Love and be loved. Maternal love for her child and the reciprocal feeling of the baby is the best that can be in a woman's life.

For seven years of study at the Medical University at the Faculty of Pediatrics, the phrase "Breastfeeding is the key to the good health of the baby" has firmly stuck in my mind. Young pediatricians carried this knowledge to the masses, actively promoting breastfeeding as the only true, optimal, natural method of feeding a child. We were not informed that this statement was not always true within the walls of the alma mater, and I periodically have to be convinced of its partial error in my practice.

Of course, breastfeeding has a number of benefits, including:

• The protective properties of breast milk, due to the presence in it of active antibodies to diseases suffered by the mother in the past. In other words, as long as the baby feeds on breast milk, he is immune to most diseases.
• Human milk has an optimal formula of proteins, fats, carbohydrates for the baby.
• Frequent latching to the breast provides close tactile and emotional contact, thanks to which the baby feels safe
• Breastfeeding is free

I want to note that the attention of young mothers is often focused by doctors on the last point. And this is not surprising if we take into account the living standards and incomes of most young families. It turns out that the cheapness of this feeding method is used as the main argument in its favor. But sometimes such savings can end in disaster.

One friend of mine gave birth to a wonderful baby three months ago. Due to some chronic pathology, doctors forbade her to go into natural childbirth, so a healthy, moderately well-fed and overly loud Kirill was born through a planned caesarean section. According to medical protocols, 20-30 minutes after birth, as soon as the young mother began to recover, he was attached to the breast for the first time. Since all the processes of restructuring the body in women after cesarean section are slower than in those who gave birth naturally, critically little colostrum was released, and the milk did not want to stay for five days. All this time, the child, who was unsuccessfully applied to the breast 30 times a day, was starving.

Mom, idealizing the idea of ​​breastfeeding, did not agree to feeding the baby with the formula to the last, surrendering with a fight only on the third day. By the end of the fifth postpartum day, the milk began to stay a little, but the baby, who was born with excellent appetite, did not have enough volume, so he was discharged from the hospital just as screaming and hungry. It would seem that nature itself in this case rebelled against breastfeeding the baby, but my mother stubbornly did not want to notice these signs.

As the weeks passed, turning into months, lactation improved quite insignificantly, so Kirill was constantly capricious, poorly gaining weight and was an extremely restless child. But the most important thing is that jaundice, which in the variant of the norm passes in newborns no later than the end of the second week, was not going to leave the baby at the age of 8 weeks. It was this way, yellow-eyed and yellow-skinned, that I saw him while walking in a wheelchair. To my friend's question about whether she was embarrassed by the yellowness of the baby at the age of two months, she said that she did not see anything wrong with that, because Kirill was born not naturally, but through Caesarean, so he is weaker and "matures" more slowly. I immediately sounded the alarm and persuaded her to donate the baby's blood for bilirubin, as well as to do a blood group compatibility test. It turned out that the child's bilirubin indicator stepped over the number 150, and this was due to the incompatibility of the blood groups of the mother and the baby. In other words, the only reason for the "gilding" of the baby was the mother's breast milk. Of course, after receiving the test results, Kirill and his mother left for two weeks to treat jaundice at the neonatal pathology department. There, by the joint efforts of pediatricians and neonatologists, the young mother was able to convince that her particular case requires a complete rejection of breastfeeding and the transfer of the baby to an adapted formula.

That is why, the choice of the method of feeding a child should be approached deliberately, objectively weighing all the pros and cons, and not perceive breastfeeding as the only possible and correct method, because in some cases, refusal from it can be a forced measure.

By the way, the refusal from breastfeeding was difficult for the young mother, and not for the child, because it was psychologically difficult for her to come to terms with the idea that she would lose one of the most important maternal functions in her understanding. Fortunately, through joint efforts with the baby's father, it turned out to convince her that the power of love of a little son will not diminish from a change in the way of feeding.

Breastfed baby - video