Breastfeeding - Foundation of LIfe , Part 3

• Breast Crawl - It is an ability  by which Every Newborn when placed on mothers abdomen, soon after birth, is able to make there way to mother's breast for feeding.  This instinct driven effort is known as ‘Breast Crawl’.

This can  be initiated by placing a baby , after regular breathing is confirmed, on his mother’s chest while mother is lying in natural laid back position. Here baby’s head lies between mother’s breasts. In this position , mother can make sure that baby is stable and doesn’t roll off.  Mother and her baby should be covered in same blanket to keep them warm and in each others touch. This helps to create bond of love. Within a hour, Breastfeeding can be introduced naturally with this method. Breast crawl is also important for infant’s physical and mental development.

• Breastfeeding should be avoided

• if mother has HIV infection

• If mother under any influence of narcotic drugs.
• If mother is under chemotherapy or radiation.
• And In case of tuberculosis infection, under medical advice should be seeked.

• Unwell baby -  A mother must  feed her baby even if it is unwell as it has low digestive power nad loss of appetite. Cooked food or top feed is difficult to digest. Hence for younger children exclusive nursing is strongly recommended. Also feeding is proven beneficial in order to give protection or faster recovery from neonatal jaundice.
• Cracked nipples - can be very painful while feeding baby and can be a hindrance during feeding process. It can be healed by applying breast milk regularly. No other cream/ointment should be used. If mother has severe pain , she can express milk manually for feeding.
• Breast Engorgement - is a condition where breasts gets swollen and painful due to overproduction of milk. Engorged breast can be tight,hard and painful if not drained on time. Swelling may go upto armpit. If left untreated it may get infected and cause fever and even may lead to an abscess. So it is important to keep draining breasts. Most easy and important way of doing it to feed your child frequently and as soon as possible. Manual expression is also a convenient method and expressed milk can be stored as per requirement. Check for baby’s latching position. Massage breasts before each feeding to express more milk. Use cold compression. In case pain increases consult your doctor for the treatment.
• As mentioned earlier , criterias to know if infant is getting enough breast milk are baby’s satisfaction,weight , urination and and stools (potty).

• Stools (potty) - infants pass first stools within 24 hrs of birth. And after that  once a day. But sometimes baby may pass stools 2-3 times a day or may be once in 2-3 days. These conditions are normal and do not need any urgent medical attention.
• Urination - first urine should be passed within 48 hrs of birth. After that baby wets at least 6-7 diapers when it is solely dependent on breastfeed.
• Weight -  baby continues to gain weight after gaining back the weight she initially lost after birth. (Most babies lose up to 7 percent of their birth weight and then regain it by the time they're about 2 weeks old). Generally an infant gains 20 gms of weight everyday. ie 500 gms per month. Baby roughly doubles its birth weight by the age of five months and triples  by the first birthday.

This entire week, we had tried to explain importance of breastfeeding. Everyone in the household must understand that breastfeeding is fundamental right of every infant and it is their basic need as well. Many a times these things are followed during first pregnancy and ignored in later pregnancies due to burden of work, when they are much needed. Society and employers should support economically backward class of community. We hoped to convey this message through this article series. Diet for lactating mother have not been discussed over hereas this could be a subject for entire full length article. Any comments and queries  are welcome.

Thank you.

References -

1. . Breastfeeding Promotion Network , India
2. Textbook of obstetrics
3. Picture reference - World Alliance of Breastfeeding Action (WABA) official website