Breastfeeding - Foundation of LIfe , Part 2

• Ideally a newborn should be allowed to be with his mother.It helps mother to understand her child’s routine,urine and stool frequency,its nature. And if needed she can alert nurses if anything is wrong. This also helps to create a bond of love between the mother and her child which inturn helps in lactation as breast milk secretion is stimulated by  child’s sight ,touch and sound.
• Always make sure that a lactating mother understands correct method of breastfeeding . Nipple and areola (dark part around nipple) should be in child’s mouth ,also sitting posture of mother ,baby’s holding position should me correct during breastfeeding . this ensures maximum comfort and increases success of sustainability of breastfeeding. If required, Lactating mother should seek help of doctors/ trained nurses or Lactation consultants in order to learn it.
• Duration and frequency of Breastfeeding - this can be different for every child. “Other child is feeding 12 times a day and my child takes only 6 feeds,something must be wrong with my baby.” Hold on… you should not judge your baby like this. There are different criterias which we will discuss in next article. But for now a Lactating mother should understand that she needs to feed her baby AS and WHEN she demands. A mother can feed her baby during night as well. Breast feeding can be given in sleeping position  but mother must take precaution not fall asleep during the feed as breast may smother baby.
• Contents of mother's milk - Breastfeeding is quite customized as per baby’s need. e .g. Studies have shown that when a mother of premature baby nurses her child , she produces breast milk which is slightly different than the normal breastfeed.milk that they produce is slightly richer in protein and have different types of fats and antibodies than the later week . it has such special composition to help baby to survive through those first difficult weeks.

                 In normal breast feedings also earlier milk, called foremilk, has lesser fat content and more water which helps to quench baby’s thirst . Fat consistency increases with progressing feeding and this thick milk, hind milk, helps to satisfy hunger. That's why mother should feed her baby from one breast at a time and shift to other side . (no need to choose one particular breast every time but let feed the baby fully on one of the sides every time)

• For a Working Mother - any mother should nurse her baby for at least 4 months . ideally this period is of 6 months which is why government has approved 6 months of mandatory leave for nursing mothers. Maximum women should avail this facility but there many women who may not be able to get normal leaves , let alone maternity leave. If for some reason a mother is not being able to get  maternity leave she must learn to express her breast milk manually. It can be done with clean hands or sterile breast pumps. This breastfeed can be stored in sterile containers. Proper method of expressing breastmilk and its storage can be learned from a doctor / nurses / ANM / Asha sevika. According to latest researches , Such stored miok can be kept at room temperature for max 6 hrs, for 24hrs in the fridge and up to 1 week in deep freezer. For using this milk can be kept in warm water , not on a direct gas stove, and can be given to the baby after checking its temperature. (Author of this article is an Ayurvedic consultant and according to ayurveda, ideally no food should be consumed after keeping it for longer durations, but for the time of need or if the baby is sleeping or in case  milk is leaking while working , breast milk can be stored and used as soon as possible or on the same day itself.
• Any top feed , be it cow milk or buffalo milk , goat milk or any infant formula available in the market , cannot be a perfect substitute for breastfeed. Mother must not opt for these substitutes unless and until  breast milk is not enough for baby.

(to be continued...)

Key features of Next Article

1. Process of breast crawl and its importance.
2. Diet for a lactating mother
3. Contraindications for breastfeeding the baby