Breastfeeding/
Formula feedingFoodBreastfeeding/Formula FeedingI'm sure most of us have heard the saying "Breast is best" when it comes to whether to breastfeed or formula feed. We have listed the many benefits of breastfeeding here, but for many reasons, quality of milk, inverted nipples, returning to work etc, some Mums & Dads choose to formula feed. So we have listed benefits on that & some information on the formulas available, tips on mixing etc. Formula is designed to mimic breast milk, although they have come very close to replicating it, they still haven't quite worked out the exact chemical makeup of breast milk. More than half the calories in breast milk come from fat, and the same is goes for formulas. The reason for this is because babies can only digest a certain amount of food in a day, but require a lot of energy for all the growing they are doing. The only way to do this, is if the food they are consuming contains a high density of fat.Some of the great benefits of breastfeeding are:
It is easy for baby to digest.
Your partner or friend/family can feed baby so that you can have a good, undisturbed rest.So you are breastfeeding or have decided to when your bubbalicious arrives? Here are some tips we have picked up along the way.The first breastfeed is usually within the first 30 mins - 2 hours after birth, so that your baby not only gets the important colostrum (the super fat milk you have been making for the last bit of your pregnancy, full to the brim with goodness!), but this also gives you and baby a chance to bond & starts to help your uterus return to it's pre-pregnant state. Babies love skin on skin contact, so if the weathers great (you don't want to freeze!) try to breastfeed when both you & baby are free from clothes. This really helps especially if baby is going through a stage of rejecting the breast or is a little unsettled. I found that breastfeeding while having a relaxing bubble bath with baby was a great way get him to feed when unsettled. It also helps you relaxing while feeding...if your tense, baby will usually pick up on that and be tense also.Being comfortable is such an important part of breastfeeding, so make sure you have some pillows & a comfortable chair to sit in or bed to lie down on. Don't forget to have some water nearby as you usually get really thirsty while breastfeeding. Hold baby close with his tummy, chest and hips against you and his head slightly tilted back at breast level. Gently touch baby's mouth with the nipple to encourage him to open his mouth wide, so he can get a good mouthful for attachment. Remember to bring baby to the breast, not your breast to baby. When your baby is properly attached his mouth will cover the nipple and a large portion of the areola. His chin will be touching the breast and his lips will be opened up over the breast... or as I call it, the "special K" lips. Have a look when you are feeding & you will know just what I mean! If you feel pain other than you nipple initially stretching, take baby off the breast and try again. To detach baby, slip your little finger between the corner of his mouth & your breast, DON'T pull him straight off! It will really hurt! They could put Hoover out of business if you could paten that type of suction!TopThere are several different positions you can use to breastfeed baby. Maybe you have come up with your own unique way to do it! As long as you & baby are comfortable & baby is correctly attached, go for it! It is a great time for you & baby to bond. If you like to read a book or magazine while feeding, why not read it to her, she will love to hear your voice. You may like to even sing her some lullabies.The most common position is the cradle hold. Get comfortable in a sitting position with a pillow on your lap so that you can easily have baby up at breast height, you may also want a pillow to support the arm on the side baby is feeding on. If feeding on the right side, hold baby with your left arm along her back with your hand supporting her head, face her body towards you, so that her tummy and hips are pressed up against you. You may want to support your right breast with your right hand until baby is comfortably attached. Once she is attached, place your right arm under her as though you are 'cradling' her against you. You may like to hold her left hand in yours while she feeds. Another hold is the "Football" hold. As charming as it sounds, it is very effective. Place a pillow in the same position you would to support the arm of the side you are feeding on for the "cradle" hold. But this time place your baby along the pillow, supporting his body & head with your arm. This hold allows you to have an arm completely free & is great for feeding twins! Feeding while lying down is a wonderful position especially if you have had a cercarian, or need to really relax & have a rest. This position is pretty self explanatory, you feeding baby on the side you are laying on, making sure baby's body is snug against yours. You may want to support baby's back with a pillow, making sure it is not around her head. If you are really tired while feeding in this position, make sure baby cannot roll off the bed & that there aren't any bed clothes or pillows that she can suffocate under. It is best to have someone there to put baby in her cot after she is finished, then you can have a nice rest without the worry of rolling on her, or her falling off. It is not a good habit to always feed baby in your bed allowing her to fall asleep there, then to move her to her cot while she's asleep. She will wake up & get startled, wondering where Mum went & why she isn't where she remembered being.Breastfeeding shouldn't hurt. It can take awhile to get used to though. Usually after 2 weeks of breastfeeding, you will notice just how far you have come since the start of this wonderful adventure! You might experience some hurdles along the way such as Mastitis, engorgement, breast refusal & sore/damaged nipples. If baby is attached correctly, your nipple will be the same shape after a feed as it was at the start. If it is flattened or ridged, it wasn't far enough back in his mouth. He won't suck continuously on the breast, he will pause now and then in response to what is going on in your breast. The pauses will get longer and longer until he has had his fill. A lot like when we sit down to a huge meal. We start of at a pace, then as we get fuller and fuller, we slow our pace right down until we are about to burst. As he gets older, the feeds will usually start to get shorter. So don't panic that 1 hour feeds 8 times a day is going to last. At 5 months, mine was feeding anywhere from 5 mins to 20 mins. Every baby is different with feeds, but if you have any concerns, please discuss them with your child health nurse. That's what the check ups are for! It is usually a good idea to burp baby during a feed. Some experts say every 10 mins while others say once the baby has been on breast for 20 mins, burp baby & offer the other side. You will soon pick up on how often your baby needs to be burped. Sore & damaged nipples are quite common & are nearly almost the results of attachment problems. The greatest treatment is of course breast milk! Express some milk and rub around the affected area and let air dry. The fantastic antibodies in your milk will help heal your nipples. Engorgement can also be painful. As the levels of placental hormones drops after the birth, the blood supply in your breasts increases, making them feel full. But it will subside as your body gets in-tune with your baby's needs. You will find that expressing some of the milk will help relieve the pain. Also try a cool face washer over your breasts. You may experience 'let down' or 'milk ejection reflex'. All breast feeders release the hormone oxytocin & 'let down' their milk in reaction to baby's suckling. Some are unaware of it happening, and some others experience afterpains caused by the hormone oxytocin, when baby feeds. At the beginning of each feed, some feel a shooting sensationin the breast. Mastitis is painful...believe me! It is an inflammation of the breast that is usually caused by a bacterial infection. It happens when you produce more milk than what baby is drinking. The pressure then increases in the breast to the point where the milk is forced back through the lining of the milk ducts, then escaping into the surrounding tissue. Then causing redness, acute inflammation, pain & swelling. If the escaped milk enters the bloodstream, you will feel like you have the flu. And your temperature flies through the roof! Keep feeding though, none of this will harm baby. The feeding will also help ease the pain. Breast refusal is also another common occurrence. Usually around the ages of 2 - 5 months your baby might refuse to take the breast for some feeds. This may go on for a day or two. Although distressing, it is usually temporary. You can store breast milk for quite sometime in the freezer. Be sure to write down the date when you stored it.If you & your partner have decided to formula feed, here are some tips on mixing, storing formula & some of the different types of formulas out there. Make sure you have all the essentials required for bottle feeding your baby. Bottles, teats, bottle & teat brushes, and all the things to properly sterilize your baby's bottles & teats. You will also need insulated bottle bags to keep the mixed formula warm until feeding time. Most chemists now sell single sachets of formula so you can mix it while your out, then you know that it is freshly mixed. To make up formula, add the powder to the correct amount of cooled boiled water. Don't use water that has been boiled more than once. It is important to follow the measuring guidelines of the manufacturer. Don't 'guess' how much to put in. It's not like making a glass of cold Milo, you can't just add the amount to suit your taste at the time. Babies kidneys can get damaged & baby can get dehydrated. Also don't add anything, this includes sugar, honey or rice cereal. Your babies digestive system can't cope with solids until at least 4mths. Not to mention how overweight they can become if having all those carbohydrates & sugars. There is a difference between a "baby fat" baby and a fat baby. It can put a huge strain on their fresh little hearts & still developing limbs. Be sure to shake the prepared formula well to make sure all the powder is mixed in & there aren't any lumps in it that could clog up the teat and make for a frustrated baby that is trying to suck from a blocked bottle. You can prepare all the days feeds at the same time. Just keep stored in the fridge, but not in the door of the fridge. The temperature is too irregular in that part of the fridge. Throw out any prepared formula that you haven't used after 48 hours. To warm up, place the bottle in a bowl of hot (not boiling) water. Lukewarm is the temperature needed. You can also run it under the hot tap. Try not to heat up formula in the microwave as they heat unevenly, and what may seem warm from the outside, could be boiling on the inside. I'm sure most of us have all experienced uneven meals out of a microwave before. Make sure, when feeding, that the teat is always full of milk. There some bottles designed so that there is always milk in the teat when feeding. Babies can swallow the air which can get trapped under pockets of milk in their tummies, when you burp them, up comes the air.... after the milk! This can be very discomforting for such a little being. Even bottle feeding can be a special time for you and your baby. Be sure to hold them close, read the paper to them & even sing to them. Babies love skin on skin contact, so if the weathers fine, why not declothe & undress baby down to his nappy for feeding time. So your standing in the baby isle of the supermarket with over a dozen different formula labels staring back at you. It can all be a little overwhelming if you don't know what your looking at. Some of the formulas are designed for the different stages of your baby's development. As your baby grows, her diet requirements change too, so make sure your not feeding your newborn something that is specifically designed for a 12mth old. Two other main differences between formulas is whether it is cow's milk based or soy based. Normal, full-term babies are usually on cow's milk based formulas. Some babies have an adverse reaction to the protein in cow's milk, therefore they are usually given a soy based formula. Babies don't absorb some minerals, such as calcium, as easily from soy based formulas. Also soy based formulas aren't as good a source of protein. Nearly all formulas are iron enriched. This is a very important component in formulas as babies absorb virtually all the iron in breast milk, it is considerably less in formula. Iron is need to maintain proper blood cell counts or proper Haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is a blood protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues, & carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. Some other tips on formula feeding to remember are not to leave your baby alone while feeding, so don't be tempted to prop up her bottle with a pillow. Until she can hold her own bottle and sit up, you should keep her semi upright. This allows the milk to go down her throat, rather than her nose, this can cause all kinds of problems such as ear infections, or it can get into her lungs making her choke. Also, watching her feed allows you to observe her feeding habits. Be sure that the bottle and teat have been sterilized before filling with formula. As adults our immune system has gotten a great workout & is generally stronger against the types of bacteria that would be on the surface of a bottle or teat, but your baby's immune system still has it's trainer wheels on and isn't necessarily up to such a battle. And last but not least, discard any unused formula after your baby has finished feeding.
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TeethingThe information contained in the pages of Aradiia.com are a guide only & are not designed to replace medical advice. For any medical advice, see your local Child Health Clinic or doctor