Breast milk is the best food for children under the age of 1 year. Therefore, many mothers prefer natural feeding. Sometimes there are reasons why it is impossible to carry out, which jeopardizes the full development of the baby. Moms have to look for a way out of this situation. How to breastfeed with a mixture during breastfeeding? The article will discuss the features of this process, its positive and negative sides.
How to understand that the child is not enough milk?
Dokorm, unlike complementary foods, is not necessary for all babies. Experts are sure that this should be done only in case of insufficient milk. However, not every mother, especially a young one, is able to determine if her child is eating up. Often, women from false motives inject supplements with a breastfeeding mixture. This worsens the lactation process. And in the future leads to a complete transition to artificial feeding.
When a child is short of milk, this is manifested as follows:
- the newborn is gaining weight poorly;
- when sucking, he behaves uneasily, often abandoning it;
- There are clear signs of dehydration (lethargy, dryness and pallor of the skin).
The most reliable way to determine a sufficient amount of milk is a wet diaper test. For its implementation, the mother should for a day refuse to use diapers. And during this time, observe how many times the baby urinates during this time. If he moistens the diaper at least 12 times a day, this confirms that he has enough breast milk.
To accurately determine that the newborn is not full, you must consider all of the above symptoms. When a woman no longer fixes milk tides, as at the beginning of lactation, and milk cannot be pumped between feedings, while the baby is gaining body weight and is developing normally, he does not need to introduce the mixture.
Recommendations for action
Before you start feeding with the mixture during breastfeeding, you need to contact a lactation specialist. Perhaps he will tell you how to avoid this. Some experts advise how to feed the baby with a mixture in order to maintain natural feeding in the future. After all, the best nutrition for him is breast milk. Sometimes women express it and thus feed their children.
If all options have been exhausted, then you should contact your pediatrician, who will determine which mixture is best for breastfeeding.
Sometimes the following situations occur in nursing mothers:
- The family is preparing for the move or upcoming holidays. Due to the fact that the mother is tired and very busy, the baby is fed less often. Therefore, he begins to worry and often asks for breasts. In this situation, everything is decided by more frequent feedings, without using a mixture.
- In the second case, the baby is naturally fed, but does not gain weight. One possible reason is hard to suck. Therefore, mom expresses milk and feeds her baby until he gets stronger.
- In the third case, he does not gain body weight for a long time. Mom during this time decreased the amount of milk. Therefore, the woman continues to breastfeed. In addition, give the baby a mixture. Mom also expresses milk to increase its production.
How to breastfeed with a mixture during breastfeeding? There are some features of this process, which will be discussed later in the article.
Feeding Methods
If the baby is not fed up with breast milk, then there is a need for the introduction of a mixture. However, you should not use a bottle for this, despite the fact that it facilitates the feeding process. This is given to the baby easier than feeding from the breast, so after the introduction of the mixture, he may refuse to breastfeed. Among other things, the use of bottles contributes to improper grip of the nipple.
When a woman chooses this method of feeding, you should use anatomically shaped nipples with a small hole. It is best to offer the baby a bottle after application to the breast.
If the baby is not enough breast milk, what should I do? The following feeding methods are available:
- Syringe. In this case, use a 5-10 ml syringe without a needle. The tip is inserted into the corner of the child’s mouth and, gently pressing the piston, serves power. With a long and thin tube at the end of the product, mom can put a clean finger with the pillow up, so that the baby sucks it like a mother’s breast.
- A spoon. An ordinary teaspoon is suitable for this. A mixture or milk is collected in it, and when the child opens his mouth poorly, then carefully pour it on the middle part of the tongue or on the cheek. You can use a soft silicone spoon with a built-in capacity for food.
- A cup. Mom can use a small cup or a special plastic container for feeding. The child should take a sip or "lick" the liquid. This method of feeding is suitable for premature babies.
- Breast supplementation. To do this, use a special device that looks like a container with two long tubes, and a mixture or milk is placed in it.
- Pipette. This is the most time-consuming process, since the volume of the device does not allow you to give a lot of food to the child at a time. Therefore, such feeding is necessary for the baby when a lot of the mixture is not required or other methods do not work.
The woman independently selects the appropriate feeding method. The main thing is a positive result and convenience for the mother herself.
How to choose a mixture
The mixture must be selected correctly, taking into account the age of the baby and the characteristics of his body. You can consult with a pediatrician on this issue.
Babies up to 6 months of age need highly adapted artificial nutrition, as close as possible to breast milk. This is Nan-1, Nutrilon-1, Hipp-1.
For children prone to allergies, you can use "Frisopep", "Undeveloped", "Nutrilac GA". For problems with the tummy, it is best to use fermented milk mixtures Nan-1 and Nan-2.
When a baby has lactase deficiency and cannot absorb lactose, then it is fed with a dairy-free mixture of Nutrilon Lactose-Free, Nutrilak Premium Lactose-Free, Bellact.
Choosing the best mixture for babies, parents should be guided not only by the price and popularity of the product, but also by other characteristics. These include composition, shelf life. They need to make sure that the mixture dissolves well. Her convenience in the nutrition of the baby will depend on this.
How to calculate the baby's feeding rate
When it becomes necessary to supplement, it is important to correctly determine the amount of the mixture and not provoke a deterioration in lactation, which can lead to the cessation of breastfeeding. The pediatrician will help to suggest the norm of admission.
To calculate the amount of the mixture yourself, first determine how much milk the infant should eat per day. At the same time, his age must be taken into account. This can most easily be done using the volumetric method. According to this formula, kids eat:
- 1/5 of body weight in 0-2 months;
- 1/6 weight in 2-4 months;
- 1/7 mass in 4-6 months;
- 1/8 body weight from 6 months to a year.
How much should a child eat per feeding? For example, an infant aged 3 months and weighing 5400 g should consume 900 ml of milk per day (5400 ÷ 6 = 900).
Next, the mother determines the amount of food per feed. On average, a 3-month-old baby is applied to the chest at least 6 times. Normally, he uses 150 ml of milk per feed.
If you specifically weigh the baby before and after feeding, you can determine how much food he ate at a time. Based on this figure, determine how much mixture he needs to give.
Also known is a method related to the results of a wet diaper test. If the child instead of 12 times emptied the bladder 8, then the resulting supplement should be enough for another 4 times. Due to the fact that 30 ml of food is consumed per urination, a total of 120 ml is missing per day.
Making calculations, mom should take into account that the total amount of the mixture should not exceed 1/2 of the daily amount of food.
How to feed
How to breastfeed with a mixture during breastfeeding? When a need arises, supplements are introduced gradually so that the newborn's body adapts to food new to him. In the early days, it is recommended that the baby be given 1/3 of the total daily volume of the mixture. Then the parents monitor the condition of the baby. In the absence of constipation, diarrhea, allergies, colic, the introduction of the mixture can be continued. Before and after feeding, mother is recommended to put the baby to her breast.
There are 2 power schemes for mixtures. According to the first, the total amount of feed is divided into 5 parts and given in equal amounts to the baby in the period from 6 to 24 hours. In time it will be 6, 10, 14, 18 and 22 hours.
According to the second scheme, the mixture is given every time before bedtime and after waking up. The volume of feeding is divided into an equal amount.
Feeding Rules
How to breastfeed with a mixture during breastfeeding? There are several rules:
- the mixture should be given to the baby after he has sucked both breasts;
- feeding should not exceed 1/2 the daily amount of feeding;
- at each meal, it is necessary to give the newborn a breast;
- the temperature of the mixture should be 37-38 degrees;
- during feeding with a pipette and syringe, it is necessary to give the baby a finger to suck;
- when choosing a mixture, you need to contact a pediatrician;
- if an allergy or colic occurs, it must be changed;
- the mixture must be prepared before feeding;
- usually complementary foods are administered to the baby at 6 months, but in the absence of a sufficient amount of milk, pediatricians are allowed to introduce it already at the 4th month (liquid cottage cheese or vegetable puree).
These rules will help facilitate the introduction of supplementary feeding without compromising the health of the baby.
Disadvantages of Mixed Feeding
Dokorm is administered only in extreme cases, if the baby is not full of breast milk. This method has serious disadvantages:
- none of the adapted mixtures contain as many nutrients and vitamins as mother's milk. It is inherent in nature that it is ideal for the child.
- when mixtures are used, the intestinal flora changes, as if the child was completely breast-fed;
- if supplementary feeding is carried out during the first 2 weeks after the birth of the baby, then the intestinal environment cannot be returned to its original level;
- prolonged use of mixtures can trigger allergies;
- supplementary feeding is most often the cause of dysbiosis, the symptoms of which are loose stools and intestinal colic.
Due to the inclusion of mixtures in the infant's nutrition, his stool becomes unstable and constipation often occurs.
When you need to refuse to feed
When a child wakes up at night and cries and has symptoms of an upset digestive system, then it is worth giving up mixtures until the gastrointestinal tract functions are fully restored.
It is best to feed the baby at this time with breast milk, often putting it to the breast. After all, its quantity largely depends on consumption. The more often the baby will suckle, the more breast milk will be produced.
You should also not continue feeding in case of allergies. In this case, the mixture must be replaced. It is not necessary to enter the mixture if the amount of urination is normal. In this case, pediatricians do not recommend introducing supplementary feeding if the mass of the newborn does not reach the weight required by age.
What to do to increase lactation
If a woman had to introduce supplementary feeding, then she needs to do everything necessary in order to maintain natural feeding. To do this, you need to often attach the baby to the chest, especially at night.
A woman needs to eat foods that increase lactation. You should also make skin-to-skin contact and drink more fluids.
Conclusion
Natural feeding is the best nutritional option for a newborn. If there are problems with lactation, a woman should not be afraid to introduce supplementary feeding. This should be done as recommended by experts and that artificial feeding is beneficial for the child.