Advantage of BreastFeeding

Written by admin on June 6, 2008 – 6:22 am -

Benefits for Infants

1. Protects Against Infection

a. Diarrhea

b. Haemophilus Influenza

c. Enhances Vaccine Response

d. NEC

e. Otitis Media

F. Herpes Simplex

g. Respiratory Syncytical Virus (RSV)

h. Respiratory Infections

2. Protects against Illnesses

A. Immunologic Development

b. Wheezing

Breastfeeding seems to protect against wheezing, respiratory tract illnesses in the first four months of life, particularly when other risk factors are present.

c. SIDS

d. AIDS

e. Infant Survival

f. Gastro esophageal Reflex

g. Multiple Sclerosis

h. Inguinal Hernia

I. Cryptorchidism (Undecided Testicle)

3. Protection from Allergies

a. Allergic Families

Breastfeeding, even for short periods, was clearly associated with lower incidence of wheezing, prolonged colds, diarrhea, and vomiting.

b. Eczema.

Long Term Benefits for Infants

a. Dental Health

b. Toddler Health.

c. Diabetes Mellitus

d. Childhood Cancer

e. Chron’s Disease

f. Hodgkin’s Disease

g. Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA)

Benefits for Mothers

1. Delays Fertility

Women, who nurse frequently during exclusive breastfeeding remained amenorrhea longer than infrequent nurses, introduced supplements later and did not resume menses as promptly thereafter. .

2. Breast Cancer

Among both premenstrual and postmenopausal women, risk of breast cancer decrease with increasing period of lifetime lactation experience although the effect was time after time stronger for premenopausal women.

3. Uterine Cancer

4. Ovarian Cancer

5. Endometrial Cancer

6. Emotional Health

7. Decrease Insulin Requirements

8. Decreased Osteoporosis

9. Promotes Postpartum Weight Loss


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Learning: How to Pump and Store Breast Milk ?

Written by chintan on April 14, 2008 – 3:02 am -

Learning how to pump and store breast milk can make returning to work easier and less stressful. It does require some work, but if you have a plan, it can be done.

FAQ’s about Breast Milk

(1). When should I start to pump my breasts?

If you will be pumping your breasts, practice for 1 or 2 weeks before you go back to work. You can try pumping just after your baby eats, or you can pump your breasts between feedings. Practicing at home will assist you study how your pump works. During this time, you also can start to gather and store breast milk to be fed to your baby when you return to work.

(2). How much milk will I get when I pump?

You may not get much milk when you first start pumping. After a few days of regular pumping, your breasts will begin to create more milk.

(3). How long should I pump each time?

Pumping your breasts takes about the same time as breastfeeding, but with practice and a good pump, you can pump your breasts in as little as 10 to 15 minutes. While you are at work, try to pump as often as your baby more often than not feeds. To keep up your milk supply, give your baby extra feedings when you are together.

(4). Will there be times that my baby will need more milk?

Yes, your baby will probably want more milk during growth spurts. The best way to increase your milk supply for a increase spurt is to breastfeed or pump more often.

(5). How should I store my breast milk?

Breast milk can be stored in a plastic or glass bottle with a sealable top, or in a sterile, sealable bag. Store your breast milk in amounts that you use every day to avoid wasting it. For example, if your baby eats 4 ounces in a feeding, put 4 ounces of breast milk in the storage container.

(6). Where should I store my breast milk?

Pumped breast milk should be cooled in a refrigerator or other cooler as soon as possible. The milk can also be frozen if you aren’t going to use it right away.

(7). How long can I store my breast milk?

The following are some general breast milk storage guidelines:

(A) At room temperature (less than 77°F) for 4 to 8 hours

(B) At the back of a refrigerator for 3 to 8 days

(C) At the back of a freezer for up to 3 months

(8). The breast milk I have in my refrigerator looks funny. Is something wrong?

Breast milk can vary in color. It can be bluefish, yellowish or brownish. It is also normal for breast milk to separate (the fatty part of the milk goes to the top). Shake the bottle or sealed bag, and the fat will go back into the milk.

(9). How should I thaw frozen breast milk?

Thaw the milk slowly by swirling the container of milk in temperate water or by putting the container in the refrigerator the day before it is to be used. Don’t use hot water to thaw breast milk. Never thaw frozen breast milk in a microwave oven. The milk could get too hot and burn your baby. Microwaving can also destroy valuable proteins in breast milk. Thawed breast milk can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours, but it should not be refrozen.


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Tips for feeding your baby

Written by kiran on April 11, 2008 – 2:11 am -

A bottle-fed baby wants, each day, two and a half ounces of milk mixture for every pound of his own weight. In practice, he may need a little more than this. Your baby’s appetite may serve as an indicator of the amount of milk he needs. The breast-fed baby will simply take better feeds as he needs them and the provide will adjust itself. His weight will show how well he is thriving. The average gain over the first three months is six to eight ounces per week; from three to six months he should gain four to six ounces a week and from six to twelve months, three to four ounces a week. If he is gaining weight steadily, is happy at the end of a feed, sleeps well and has normal motions, you have nothing to be anxious about. If he is underfed, he will fail to gain weight; he may cry between feeds and have frequent small, constipated motions. The normal breast-fed baby’s motions look like fresh mustard. At first, they may occur after every feed, but within a month or so, they become less frequent, perhaps only once or twice a week. This is because breast milk is so with no trouble assimilated that there is very little waste. A bottle-fed baby has paler, more formed motions, more often than not occurring everyday or twice a day.

Some babies do well on a rigid schedule, but babies are not machines and it seems reasonable to aim at a roughly four-hourly timetable. You can modify your schedule to fit the baby’s needs and your own. That is, if he wakes up early and is hungry, feed him. In fact, if he is breast-fed, this is the best way to increase the milk supply. On the other hand, if he sleeps past his feed time, you need not wake him up. Of route, he should not be fed every time he cries. Soon you will come to recognize the cry of hunger; once he settles down, it will almost certainly occur every three or four hours. It seems pointless to leave him screaming when he is hungry – he will only swallow air in addition to be unable to take the feed properly when it comes. The similar applies to night feeds. A baby does not make a distinction night from day. He only knows so as to he is hungry. When he can take enough to satisfy him, he will sleep from end to end the night. In the meantime, you will not spoil him by giving him his feed. It gives him security to know that he will live fed when he is starving.

Round about four months, the baby will be set for his first taste of foods other then milk. These should be introduced very gradually beginning at one feed in the day and allowing several days for the baby to get familiar to one new flavor before giving him another.

Weaning can be at any convenient time. At five to six months, the baby will be learning to drink rather than suck and he can be weaned straight to a cup. You can use boiled fresh milk, full cream dried milk or fade away milk. If you substitute one breast feed a week, the milk supply will mechanically dwindle with the lessening demands on it. Should the breast become overfull at anytime, you can express a little or present the next feed in the early hours.

By six months, the baby will be ready for more diversity in his meals and to trial with chewing. By seven toward eight months, he can go on to three meals a day and by his first birthday, he will be one of the family at meal times and attempting to feed himself.


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Tips for Breastfeeding

Written by rushika on April 10, 2008 – 9:18 am -

 

What are the benefits of breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding has many benefits for your baby. Breast milk is rich in nutrients. It helps protect your baby against infections. It also helps prevent your baby from having allergies.

Breastfeeding also has benefits for you. It’s clean and simple–you don’t have to wash bottles or mix formula. It’s cheaper than using formula. It helps your uterus contract back to normal size after having been stretched during pregnancy. It delays the return of your periods (though you shouldn’t count on it to prevent pregnancy). And it helps make time for you to be close to your baby.

How do I begin breastfeeding?

With your free hand, put your thumb on top of your breast and your other fingers below. Don’t touch your areola (the dark skin around your nipple). This is where your baby’s lips will be.

Touch your baby’s lips with your nipple until your baby opens his or her mouth very wide. Put your nipple all the way in your baby’s mouth and pull your baby’s body close to you. This lets your baby’s jaw squeeze the milk ducts under your areola.

When your baby is “latched on” the right way, both lips should pout out (not be pulled in over his or her gums) and cover almost all of the areola. Instead of smacking noises, your baby will make low-pitched swallowing noises. Your baby’s jaw may move back and forth. If you feel pain while your baby is nursing, he or she is probably not latched on correctly.

Your baby’s nose may be touching your breast during nursing. Babies’ noses are designed to allow air to get in and out in just such a case. But if you’re concerned that your baby can’t breathe easily, you can gently press down on your breast near your baby’s nose to give him or her more room to breathe.

How should I hold my baby while breastfeeding?

   You can hold your baby in a number of ways. Your baby shouldn’t have to turn his or her head or strain his or her neck  to nurse.

Cradle position

In the cradle position, you put your baby’s head in the crook of your arm. Support your baby’s back and bottom with your arm and hand. Your baby will be lying sideways facing you. Your breast should be right in front of your baby’s face.

Football position

The football position consists of tucking your baby under your arm like a football with his or her head resting on your hand. Hold up your baby’s body with your forearm. This may be a good position if you’re recovering from a cesarean section or if your baby is very small.

Lie on your side

You can also lie on your side with your baby facing you. You can use pillows to prop up your head and shoulders. This is also a good position if you’re recovering from a cesarean section or an episiotomy.

 

    When Twins Baby born that time holding the baby

 What is the let-down reflex?

A few seconds to several minutes after you start breastfeeding, you may feel a tingle in your breast, and milk may start to drip from the breast not being used. These are signs that your milk has “let-down.” This means your milk is ready to flow.

This let-down reflex makes breast feeding easier for your baby. Let-down may also occur if a feeding is overdue, if you hear your baby cry or even if you think about your baby.

Let-down can be forceful enough to cause your baby to cough. If this is a problem, you can express some of your milk by hand before a feeding to bring on the let-down reflex before you start breastfeeding.

What can I do if my nipples get sore?

It’s easier to stop sore nipples than it is to treat them. The main thing that causes sore nipples is when your baby doesn’t latch on properly.

If your baby isn’t latched on the right way, you’ll need to start over. To take your baby off your breast, release the suction by putting your finger in the corner of your baby’s mouth between the gums.

Don’t limit the time you let your baby nurse. Putting a limit on nursing time doesn’t prevent sore nipples, but it may keep the milk ducts from completely emptying. This can lead to swelling and pain. Applying crushed ice compresses before nursing can ease discomfort.

Some women find that rubbing lanolin on their nipples is soothing. If you use lanolin, wash it off before feeding your baby.

Call your doctor if you have a red, sore or painful area on your breast, if you have painful engorgement (overfull breasts), if you have a fever or if you feel achy. These may be signs of an infection.

Preventing/healing sore nipples

(1). Make sure your baby is sucking the right way. If the sucking hurts, your baby’s mouth may not be positioned correctly.

(2). Let your nipples air dry between feedings. Let the milk dry on your nipples.

(3). Offer your baby the less sore of your two nipples first. Your baby’s sucking may be less vigorous after the first few minutes.

(4). Change nursing positions.

(5). If possible, position any cracked or tender part of your breast at the corner of your baby’s mouth, so that it gets less pressure during feeding.

(6). Wash your nipples daily with warm water. Don’t use soap or lotion that may contain alcohol, which can dry the skin.

(7). Avoid bra pads lined with plastic.

(8). Express milk until your let-down reflex occurs. This will help make your milk more available so your baby sucks less hard.

(9). Breastfeed often to prevent engorgement. Engorgement can make it firm for your baby to latch on.

How often should I feed my baby?

Feed your baby as often as he or she wants to be fed. This may be 8 to 12 times a day or more. How often your baby wants to feed may change over time as he or she goes through growth spurts. Growth spurts occur at about 2 and 6 weeks of age and again at about 3 and 6 months of age.

Let your baby nurse until he or she is satisfied. This may be for about 15 to 20 minutes at each breast. Try to have your baby nurse from both breasts at each feeding. The box below lists the signs to watch for so you’ll know your baby is getting enough milk. If you’re nursing fewer than 8 times a day, be especially aware of these signs.

Signs that your baby is getting enough milk

(1). Acts satisfied after each feeding.

(2). Gains weight constantly after the first 3 to 7 days after birth. Your baby may lose a little weight during the first week after being born.

(3). Has about 6 to 8 wet diapers a day.

(4). Has about 2 to 5 or more stools a day at first and then may have 2 or less a day. Stools will be runny at first.

How can I increase my milk supply?

If you think your baby needs more milk, increase the number of feedings a day. It’s also important to get abundance of rest and eat right. Give your body time to catch up to your baby’s demands.

Don’t start giving your baby formula or cereal. If you give formula or cereal to your baby, he or she may not want as much breast milk. This will decrease your milk supply. Also, your baby doesn’t need any solid foods until he or she is 4 to 6 months old.

What should I eat?

The best diet for a breastfeeding woman is well-balanced and has plenty of calcium. This means you should eat fruits and vegetables, whole-grain breakfast cereal and breads, meats or beans, and milk and dairy foods like cheese. You’ll need to get enough calories–about 500 more per day than usual–and you’ll need to drink more fluids.

A fair diet that includes 5 servings of milk or dairy products each day will give you enough calcium. If you don’t eat animal protein or dairy products, you can get the calcium you require from broccoli, sesame seeds, tofu and kale. Talk to your doctor about taking extra calcium if you don’t think you’re getting sufficient from your diet.

  

What should I avoid eating?

If you think a food you’re eating bothers your baby, quit eating it. Caffeine and alcohol can get into your milk, so limit how much you drink. Drugs–even those you can buy without a prescription–can also get into your milk. Don’t take anything without talking to your doctor first. Also, if you smoke, nursing is another good reason to try to quit. Smoking can cause you to make less milk and the chemicals in cigarettes and smoke can get into your milk.

 


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