Breast feeding is natural for the infant. A well
nourished mother can usually provide breast milk to
satisfy nutritional needs of baby during the first
four to six month of life. A poorly nourished mother
may also be able to breast feed her infant in the
initial month ,but growth rate of infant is low.
Breast feeding should be discontinued for mild
diarrhea.
How to take
care of the breast?
Care of the breast is essential for breast
feeding. After 6 month of pregnancy for
prevention of retraced nipple breast should be
gently pressed with fingers ,manipulation starting
from the periphery of the breast and proceeding
towards the areola and nipple. Before each feed
nipple should be cleaned with lukewarm water. Don't
use excessive soap so as to prevent nipples dry.
The preparation for breast feeding should
actually started from the middle of pregnancy. Any
abnormality in the nipple, like cracked or depressed
nipple should be adequately treated. Massaging the
breast, expression of the colostrum and maintenance
of cleanliness should be carried out during the last
four weeks of pregnancy.
Techniques of breast feeding:-
During breast feeding a semi-reclining
position is comfortable for mother. Mother put head
of baby on elbow and buttock of baby on her palm.
Mother should gently compress her soft breast with
two finger to prevent blockade of the infants
nostrils.Feeding schedule:-
After few hours of births baby should put to
breast for sucking at breast. Breast secrete only
small quantity of colostrum which is anti-infective.
During the first 24 hours, the mother can feed the
baby at adequate interval but not exceeding
5hours.Graduaaly, the regularity become established
at 3-4 hour pattern by the end of first week.
Few day 2-4 hours after each each feed. Most of time
infants go to sleep after each feed. Most of time
infants go to sleep after a few sucks.
The hungry baby gets up and cries. If baby cries too
soon after feed, then there is another problem. The
breasts feeding schedule should not be followed
according to the clock. If the infant is sleeping at
the expected time of feeding, baby or infant should
not be forced into feeding. Feeding is considered
satisfactory if the baby sleep for 2-4 hours after
each feed.
The advantage of breast milk:-
- Ideal composition for easily digestion with
low osmotic load. Fat is digested better than
emulsified and the globules are smaller. The
mineral contents like potassium, calcium, sodium
and chloride are such as to make it a low
osmotic load so that less burden falls on the
functionally immature kidneys.
- When exclusive breast milk give to baby
there is low risk of infection. Breast milk is
clean. Breast milk contain several
anti-infective factor which protect the baby
from external infection.
- Breast milk has less protein then any other
milk. It is easy protein then any other milk
such as cow milk protein act as an antigen and
may lead to cow milk allergy. There is no risk
regarding breast milk. Milk allergy in infant
exclusively breast fed during the early month of
life.
- Lactating mother need additional food
supplement, cost of breast milk is negligible as
compared to commercially obtained powder milk.
- Breast milk is readily available, usually
sterile and is given to the baby directly at
body temperature. In commercial terms, the milk
is supplied directly from the procedure to the
consumers without intervention of a middleman.
- Breast feeding acts as a natural
contraception. The contraceptive impact is more
significant in regard to population than to
individual cases.
- While breast feeding, the physical and
emotional bond develop between mother and baby.
It acts as laxative action. No danger of
allergy. Helps involution of the uterus.
Difficulties in Brest
Feeding :
1. Due to Mother:
- Reluctance to breast feeding
- Infant's attachment to breast
- Previous history of failed lactation
- Following operative delivery
- Milk secreation is inadequate
- Breast aliments
2. Due to infants:
- Low birth weight baby
- Temporary illness
- Congenital malformation
Storing Breast Milk:
Storing breast milk is good idea for working
mother. When your breast may be too full and hence hurt
then it would be a good idea to express the milk and
store it for later use. You may want to go out and
you like the your baby to feed the
baby breast milk. As you want you can express milk with your
hand or with a breast pump.
- Now a days bags are available in market that
are specially made to store expressed breast
milk. You can also use small disposable bottle
bags , plastic bottles also. It depend upon you
that at what time you want to use expressed
milk.
- Fresh expressed milk can be refrigerated for
anything between five to seven days. Before
giving it to your baby, taste the milk .
- Expressed milk is fresh up to ten
hours at room temperature fresh can be
stored for ten hours after refrigerating or
freezing.
- When you use pump to expressed milk , that
milk has been refrigerated for less than 48
hours can be frozen.
- After freezing breast milk is expand. While
filling bottles or bags leave about one inch
from the top so that there is place for this
expansion.
- For precaution milk containers should be labeled with the time and
date on which it was expressed.
If you can express large quantities of milk, do
not store it in a big bottle or bag. Use small
bags or bottles.
- Do not use microwave to defrost , as it
destroys the essential vitamins and enzymes in
the milk.
To thaw breast milk, use a hot bowl of tap water or
do it at room temperature. Defrost using minimum
amount of heat.
If the milk smells or tastes sour do not use it.
|
