Maternal duty or feat: why women refuse breastfeeding

The only source of food, as well as nutrients that are key to a child’s growth, development and health, is mother’s milk. It helps normalize the functioning of the digestive system, form the immune system, enrich cells with vitamins and beneficial enzymes, and prepare the body to digest heavier foods. Of course, the most popular questions among nursing mothers are “How long should I breastfeed my baby?” and “How to wean a baby?”

I won't feed because I plan to work or study

The problem of lack of time today is perceived as a barrier to breastfeeding. Household unsettlement forces young mothers to look for ways to resolve it. There is neither strength nor desire for constant pumping in the space “outside the home”. It’s much easier to get by with bottles of artificial milk.

Advice

If for one reason or another you had to leave your child and go to work (study), you just need to find time to express milk, not forgetting about the usual hygiene procedures: wash your hands and breast pump, milk bottles. Expressed milk must be stored in a regular refrigerator or a special device - a cooler bag. It makes it much more convenient to deliver food home for a small recipient.

Gradual changes

Not all mothers are able to get rid of the feeling of guilt and place their beloved child in the care of a father or grandmother. And relatives are not always ready to support a woman and leave the baby with them for such a long time. You will have to be patient and move towards your goal gradually. Some manage to stop breastfeeding in 1.5–2 weeks, others stretch out the pleasure for a month or a little more.

A child needs energy and a lot of vitamins to keep his immune system in working order. You should experimentally find foods that the baby likes and do not cause allergies, and gradually increase portions of adult food, reducing the amount of mother's milk. You can give more juices or compotes, make sure that the child has enough fluid. Mother's milk is replaced with cow's or goat's milk, or special formulas are purchased. There is nothing wrong with artificial powders; on the contrary, they strengthen the immune system and promote normal development.

While the child gradually switches to purees and soups, the mother is also advised to adhere to the diet. Avoid meals and foods that enhance lactation for a while. Try to drink a minimum of water and other liquids, use diuretics or herbs. Some women reduce their milk supply with laxative tablets or drops, but the benefits of this method are questionable, and the harm is obvious.

Red Herring

The child must learn to fall asleep first during the day and then at night without his mother’s breast. The woman is advised to lie down with the baby on the same bed so that he feels her presence and support. But if he starts to be capricious and demand “food,” you need to gently calm him down and offer him a hug. Only the child's back should be pressed against the mother's belly, so as not to tempt the child with the opportunity to have dinner before bed. You can offer a bottle of water or cow's milk instead of the usual breast, but some children then develop a dependence on the pacifier.

During the day, a woman should wear T-shirts or sweatshirts without a cutout, which prevent access to the mammary glands. You can wear sports tops that maintain the shape of your breasts and protect you from persistent children's hands. You cannot change clothes in front of your child and bathe with him in the same bath. During the day, when the baby begins to be capricious and beg for the breast, it is recommended to distract him with games, cartoons, go for walks or meet dad at the door. You can offer to look through the peephole, open the lock yourself, and even go out onto the landing to check if the other parent is there.

Over time, the child will learn to eat purees and cereals, and after a few months he will forget about the existence of mother’s milk. For some children, a week is enough to stop breastfeeding. First, they learn to fall asleep on their own and not get up in the middle of the night to “snack” their mother. Then they get used to having to eat mashed potatoes and steamed cutlets for lunch, without washing everything down with milk. During this period, it is advised to give full portions of food so that the child does not feel hungry.

Advice: If the baby refuses porridge, demanding the breast, you should not stuff lunch into him or immediately take out the mammary gland. Let him remain hungry for a while; nothing terrible will happen in a few hours. But then he will happily swallow everything his parents offer him.

To lull the baby to sleep, the mother is advised to sing quietly or read fairy tales. Stroking on the back or head also has calming properties. Women who have given up breastfeeding note that the baby sleeps much longer both day and night and becomes less restless.

Women should exercise, because physical activity and increased sweating help stop lactation. The swollen breasts are expressed, but lightly, to get rid of the discomfort. If you constantly empty the mammary glands, the body will produce “food” for the baby as usual. Breasts that retain milk are a signal to the brain that it is time to stop feeding.

What if the breasts change their shape and become ugly?

Breast shape is, first of all, a hereditary factor. Breastfeeding cannot in any way affect her appearance, because even mothers who have not breastfed are not always happy with their appearance. Irregular pumping, eating “for two” and sudden weight loss, lack of help in learning how to properly latch on and the correct position at the breast, bandaging the breasts and other factors - these are the reasons that affect the subject of women’s pride.

Advice

A woman's breasts are made up of fat, connective tissue and skin. During pregnancy, each mammary gland becomes approximately 400 grams larger due to the growth of the gland. And a nursing woman produces up to 1400 ml of milk per day. Without the necessary support, stretch marks may appear and the load on the cervical and thoracic spine increases. If these problems have passed you by, you can safely do without nursing underwear.

There is no point in becoming despondent at the thought that breastfeeding will ruin your breasts forever. Breast volume is given exclusively by adipose tissue, so significant fluctuations in weight often affect its attractiveness. First of all, you should pay attention to the food you eat, wear special corrective underwear that allows you to keep your breasts in their previous shape.

The natural cessation of breastfeeding is of great importance, which contributes to the normal course of the process of involution of the mammary gland and the gradual return of adipose tissue, which gives the breast its usual volume. When the lactation process abruptly stops, some women have to struggle for a long time with congestion in the chest (lactososis). During this period, depression is often observed, sometimes even requiring medical treatment, since the body can perceive such a situation as the loss of a child.

Tablets to stop lactation

All nursing mothers know about the existence of drugs aimed at increasing milk production. But not everyone knows about means with the opposite effect. These remedies not only reduce lactation, but also help eliminate hot flashes and heaviness in the chest.

When choosing a drug, you need to consider the following nuances:

• Deviation from the dosage of the drug (especially its excess) can lead to serious hormonal disorders;
• You can take medications only if feeding is completely stopped;
• Breast pulling is prohibited, as it can provoke lactostasis and mastitis;
• It is necessary to express milk from time to time to eliminate the possibility of stagnation;
• If the drug is based on estrogen, it can cause headaches, nausea and vomiting. Safer are drugs containing gestagens, which are steroidal sex hormones.

Some of the most popular medical remedies for reducing lactation include:

Cabergoline (the active ingredient is similar to the name). Dosage form: tablets (2 or 8 pieces per pack). Designed to reduce prolactin levels and suppress lactation.

Contraindicated in the following cases:

• during pregnancy;
• a month before planned conception;
• with arterial hypertension;
• in case of hypersensitivity to the components of the drug.

Similar products: Agalates, Bergolak. The average price of one pack of such medicine is 670 rubles.

Bromocriptine (active ingredient bromocriptine). Sold in tablet form (30 pieces per jar). The drug inhibits the hormone prolactin and, as a result, reduces lactation. Creates the necessary conditions for stopping breastfeeding. The medicine should be taken twice a day. The course of admission is 14 days. If you stop taking it, milk may return, but in small volumes. Repeated use is allowed within 7 days and not more than a day. The most common analogues: Parlodel, Abergin, Apobromkreptin. The average price is from 360 rubles.

It is important to understand that absolutely any drug can have a negative effect on the body. If you find that the medicine is causing damage to your health, stop taking it, and if your health condition has seriously deteriorated, seek medical help.

It hurts me to feed

Painful sensations when establishing breastfeeding are common. Now there are great opportunities to prevent and solve problems associated with the painfulness of this process.

Advice

To make feeding pain-free, first of all, you need to learn how to properly attach your baby to the breast. Even during pregnancy, you should start caring for your breasts: take a contrast shower, massage with a mitten, lubricate them with cream to prevent cracks. However, when using such creams, care should be taken to ensure that such cosmetics repel the child with their smell, or even cause irritation upon skin-to-skin contact.

I have small breasts, what if I don’t have enough milk?

In this case, size does not matter. The volume of milk produced does not depend on the size and shape of the breast. The division of breasts into “meat” and “milk” is incorrect here. Milk is constantly produced in the alveoli, so a nursing mother’s breasts are never “empty,” and if the baby is hungry, there is no need to wait between feedings for the breasts to “fill up.” Frequent latch speeds up milk production, so women with small breasts should simply breastfeed more often.

Advice

All mothers, regardless of breast capacity, are able to fully provide their babies with milk. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that a mother with small breasts should under no circumstances accumulate milk and take long breaks between breastfeeding; frequent feedings are a good prevention of congestion and infections.

I don't want to breastfeed because my environment has done without it

Negative experiences of close relatives and friends have a corresponding impact on a woman and undermine her decision and desire to breastfeed. And, not finding sufficient support, overwhelmed by fears and uncertainty, the inexperienced mother decides that feeding is difficult and not for her.

Advice

In any situation, you need to listen only to your feelings. If your friend was unable to establish lactation, this does not mean that this will happen to you. Breastfeeding should not be seen as hard work, but as a pleasant duty.

What to do to prevent your baby from getting used to it

Forming a habit is a long process. Parents themselves provoke its consolidation. It is much easier for moms and dads to cope with a screaming child if they have a magic pacifier at hand. If you don’t want to painfully wean your child off harmful substances in a couple of months, then use it correctly, taking into account some recommendations:

Do not force your newborn to suck on a pacifier. If the baby falls asleep without it, he quickly calms down and plays calmly during the day.

Do without a rubber assistant. Play, talk with your child, take a walk. Get interested in new subjects, teach actions. There will be no time left for sucking without feeling hungry.

Give six-month-old babies a drink from cups, remove the bottle from the house by 8-9 months

Give water or milk with a spoon, from a glass, so that the child learns to swallow.

Doesn't leave nipples visible. When the baby learns to sit well, buy him beautiful toys, cubes, pyramids so that he can be busy playing games during the daytime. Gently and slowly replace sucking on a bottle at bedtime with spoon feeding and a story. Let the baby fall asleep to the sound of his mother's voice, forgetting about the habit of holding a pacifier in his mouth.

Thus, answering the question: “How to avoid getting used to a pacifier?”, we can say: “Do not encourage the formation of a habit, do not encourage the desire to fall asleep with it in your mouth and suck during the day.”

I don't want to breastfeed because I'm afraid

Negative experiences with her mother in childhood and the mindset that she herself will not have milk prevent a woman from fully concentrating on feeding. If a woman’s mother breastfed her, but experienced discomfort or internal reluctance, but fed under pressure, then, as a rule, the child clearly understands that feeding him is not the most pleasant event for the mother. Consciously, a young mother wants to feed and understands the importance, but subconsciously she does not want or is afraid to do this and is looking for what are called reasons for failures in breastfeeding.

There may also be a fear of not being able to handle the process. Many mothers work themselves up into panic: what if the baby doesn’t have enough milk, is it too fatty or, on the contrary, low-fat? Under the pressure of advertising, pharmacy counters with formulas, nipples, and bottles are being emptied in confusion. And one day, far from perfect, all these devices find their use. And having tried food from a bottle at least once, a child may refuse mother’s milk forever.

Advice

You should bravely face your fears. There are mothers who do not think about the health of their child. You shouldn’t put yourself in this category of careless women. Problems associated with lactation crises are easily solved. Do not rush to accustom your child to formula; breast milk is much healthier than artificial substitutes.

How to wean a baby?

Ending breastfeeding is stressful for both mother and baby. Therefore, it is necessary to wean off the breast gradually to minimize its consequences.

Of course, there are no rules that must be strictly followed. After all, every baby is unique, so you need to choose your own “key” for him. Yes, and a lot depends on age. And you will have to be patient, be smart, and also be creative.

It is better to start weaning with daytime feedings, since the baby is distracted during the day. However, sometimes, on the contrary, it is easier to wean off night feedings. That is, everything is very individual.

* To begin with, eliminate one feeding completely, it is better if it is your least favorite - at lunch (favorite - before daytime and nighttime sleep). After eating, do not feed the baby. However, explain to the child that he has recently eaten, so he does not need milk now

Then switch your baby’s attention to his favorite toy or game, read a story, take a walk, watch a cartoon, and so on.

* You can use a trick: say that your breasts are sore, you went to bed, you’re tired, and so on... every mother, knowing her baby, is smart.

* If the child is old enough, try to make a “contract” with him. For example, ask him to choose whether to drink breast milk during the day or at night. You can say that “the milk has gone to the bunnies/pussies” or “you’re already big, so now the milk will be less and less” and so on.

* However, when denying your baby the opportunity to breastfeed, do not be too strict: do not deprive your child of your attention, warmth and affection, so that the baby does not feel rejected.

Weaning off night feedings is usually more difficult. And there are also many ways, and which one to choose depends on the situation.

• If your child sleeps next to you, then you should think about increasing the distance, or give preference to sleeping together in closed clothes. Thus, the baby, waking up at night and not finding his mother’s beloved breast, will most likely fall asleep.
• A child over one and a half years old understands his mother’s speech. Therefore, when you put him to bed, talk to him and explain that everyone sleeps at night: mom, dad, teddy bear, and mom’s chest sleeps too. Moreover, it is advisable to say the same thing to a child who wakes up at night. If the baby hears this explanation for several days, he will understand that everyone is sleeping at night.
• Involve dad in the “night watch” so that he puts the baby to sleep, rocks him to sleep, gives him water, and so on. Then the smell of your milk will not increase your baby’s appetite.
• To prevent your baby from associating feeding with the bed, feed him while sitting in a chair.
• Psychologically, the baby is designed in such a way that if he does not receive enough breast milk during the day, then at night he “hangs” on the chest. Therefore, to make up for the lack of daytime feedings, simply give more physical contact during the day: caress, play, read fairy tales, walk, and so on. That is, let your baby understand that breasts are not at all necessary to show love.

In fact, there are many more ways to wean than are listed here, and not all of them work. Therefore, which one to choose is up to you. Of course, you won't get everything right the first time. Therefore, be prepared for the tears and whims of the baby. However, having made a decision, do not deviate from it, since the little home “monster” will use any of your hesitations to its advantage.

Unformed dominant motherhood

It so happens that during pregnancy and even after childbirth, a woman’s dominant motherhood traits have not been formed. There are various reasons for this: an unwanted or difficult pregnancy, an unloved husband, or, conversely, a favorite job, a spoiled figure, pain after childbirth or a cesarean section. Mixed feelings for the child do not allow a woman to fully achieve spiritual harmony, and instead of putting her child to the breast, contacts with the baby are reduced to a minimum. And it’s good if there are caring grandmothers (grandfathers) or fathers nearby at such moments.

Advice

Often, a young mother sees a child as a threat to the life she had before him. In an effort to return to the past, separation from the child and refusal to feed milk occurs. We must remember that this is a temporary phenomenon and do not blame yourself. But if postpartum depression persists for more than two weeks, you need to see a doctor for help.

Weaning Your Baby: 6 Steps

The need to end the baby’s relationship with the mother’s breast can appear at any age of the baby. But, in general, the weaning algorithm will be approximately the same for different stages of a child’s life. How to wean a child from breastfeeding? Consider six steps.

1. Remove intermediate applications during the day. We are talking about sucking when the baby is upset and wants to be comforted. “Pity” feedings are replaced by hugs, kisses and other types of sympathy. This also refers to chaotic attachments out of boredom. It is worth distracting and occupied the child with something exciting. If the mother suspects that sucking is caused by a feeling of hunger or thirst, it is worth promptly offering a suitable alternative to the breast.
2. Remove feedings during the day when you wake up. As soon as the baby shows signs of awakening, you need to distract him from thoughts about his mother's breast. It is convenient if someone other than his mother can be with him at this moment. After all, if she is nearby, it will be difficult for the baby to understand why she suddenly refuses him.
3. Avoid sucking during daytime sleep. Rituals will help with this. The child must get used to a certain sequence of actions before going to bed. For example: they ate, washed, read a book, kissed, stroked, gave breastfeeding, fell asleep. Gradually, as you get used to it, you can remove one link - breastfeeding.
4. Replace latching on with waking up in the morning. The actions will be the same as in the second paragraph.
5. Stop feeding before bedtime. Here rituals will also come to the rescue: evening water treatments, lullaby, rocking, and so on. First, there will be a link in this chain called “sucking”. Gradually it will be possible to reduce its duration, and then completely eliminate it.
6. Say goodbye to night feedings. As a rule, they “go away” in the very last place. In advance, you need to teach the child to calm down differently and fall back into sleep without the breast (kissing, stroking, humming, rocking).

The transition to each subsequent stage occurs smoothly and only after the successful completion of the previous steps. This will ensure the success of the entire event and allow the child and mother to calmly adapt to the new way of life. The duration of weaning depends on many factors, including the age of the baby. On average, this process can take from a couple of weeks to several months.

Until the age of two or three, children really need close physical contact with their mother. It is embodied in hugs, kisses, stroking, rocking in the arms. This need increases when babies finish breastfeeding.

It is also important to consider that by the age of two, about 50% of children retain the need to suck on something other than to obtain food. Therefore, sometimes during weaning it makes sense to introduce an adequate breast replacement

For example, a pacifier.

I don't want to breastfeed because it will affect intimacy

If a woman, during intimacy with her husband, preferred caressing the breasts and the area around them, then putting the baby to the breast can cause her mixed feelings, sexual arousal and, as a result, a feeling of guilt. This reason can easily be eliminated with a frank conversation between spouses, where you can openly talk about your worries and experiences.

The matter takes on a different, unpleasant turn if a man is not attracted to a nursing wife and is not aroused as a woman. Usually the woman takes the child’s side, i.e. continues breastfeeding, but distances herself from her husband.

Advice

In order to improve the intimate side of marriage, a woman needs to understand and realize the importance of the situation. When a husband refuses sex, this is not an excuse, but a real problem. Perhaps the fact is that he associates the sight of a nursing woman with the image of a mother. If you continue to feed the child away from your husband and sometimes have romantic evenings alone with each other, the relationship can be easily fixed.

The most important thing in breastfeeding is the mother’s desire to feed her baby milk. You need to prepare for this psychologically even before giving birth. As practice shows, mothers who are not serious about breastfeeding face a huge number of problems when establishing lactation. In the era of artificial formulas, it is difficult for a nursing woman to realize that success in this matter depends on her efforts.

Physical contact between mother and baby during feeding creates a feeling of security, the baby experiences positive emotions and calms down. A mother's breasts are about much more than meeting a baby's nutritional needs. It performs such an important function as calming, is associated with safety and boundless love, the baby learns to love and communicate with the breast.

Breast milk is a convenient and cheap way of feeding compared to any other. Do not forget that children raised on artificial formula are more susceptible to depression, behavioral problems during adolescence and difficulties in establishing an independent family life.

Weaning sequence

Stopping breastfeeding is a process in which the child and mother are equally involved. They must be physically and psychologically prepared for separation.

Mom's readiness can be determined in the following way. The estimated period is 12 hours. During this time, the woman's breasts should not become full. How can you find out?

• First way. You can feed your baby with only one breast during the day. The second one should not be filled during this time.
• Second way. Leave the baby for the day with grandma or a nanny and monitor the filling of the breast.
• Third way. Watch your breasts when your child is not at home, but in kindergarten. A whole day without it, you shouldn't feel any pain or tightness.

When you see that you are ready to stop lactation, then after 8-12 weeks you will be able to finally wean your baby off the breast.

The baby's readiness is determined as follows:

• the child asks for the breast 1-3 times a day;
• such application lasts a long time from 1 to 2 months;
• The baby easily refuses bottles and pacifiers.

When the mother and child are ready for weaning, it is time to move on to its completion. There are two approaches here:

1. Gradual weaning;
2. Quick weaning.

Quick weaning comes down to taking medications, for example, tablets to stop lactation Agalates and stopping feeding altogether. This is stress for the baby and emotional shock for the mother. But with its help you can wean your child off the breast once and for all.

Doctors oppose rapid weaning, explaining this as a risk of loss of health for the mother and child. The baby may change greatly in behavior. He may be aggressive, refuse to eat, and have trouble sleeping.

Mother's attention will help alleviate emotional stress. She should, as before, communicate with him, smile and play

Of course, the first option is preferable. The child has experienced a close connection with his mother for a long time, so giving up her breast is very stressful for him.

How to wean gradually?

Gradual weaning comes down to a few steps:

Reduce the number of feedings. At this step, the mother’s actions should be confident. She should not give in to the baby's demands. It is not recommended to wear things that greatly expose your chest. The child, even if he is not hungry, will definitely ask you for it

Try to distract him, turn his attention to something else.

Teach your baby to fall asleep without breastfeeding. During the day, before going to bed, do not breastfeed him.

Simply put your baby in bed and leave the room for a minute, explaining to your baby that he needs to sleep and you need to leave. On the first day, go back and give the baby the breast. Then the time of your absence should be increased. If you show a lot of patience, then after a few days the baby will be able to fall asleep on his own, without your breast.

Teach your baby to fall asleep without breastfeeding at night. This step is identical to the second.

Gradual weaning does not take long because it works on the principle of one step forward, two steps back.

If a child strongly demands the breast, tries to persistently suck a pacifier, finger, or lip, do not injure him. Set aside the process for a short time. The baby is just not ready yet. But don’t give up trying, repeat the weaning after a while.

There are several recommendations for stopping breastfeeding. All of them are aimed at reducing milk production. So:

• Drink less. The liquid increases lactation, the baby easily sucks out milk. If you drink less, the sucking process will be difficult for the child. And he will gradually give up the breast.
• Reduce feeding time or skip it completely. It would be nice to distract the baby with a new and interesting activity.
• Don't express milk.
• Remove fluid through exercise.
• Do not eat foods that stimulate lactation.

When following the recommendations, follow the tips below:

• Make sure that your baby receives all the nutrients during the weaning process;
• the child should not experience hunger;
• if the baby strongly requires milk from the breast, give him a cup with this product;
• during the weaning process, caress, kiss and hug your child more;
• change where you eat. If you previously fed your baby in the living room or bedroom, move to the kitchen.

So, the mother gradually reduces the number of breastfeedings, replacing them with other nutritious foods.

Debunking myths

Often, women's refusal to breastfeed occurs due to many unfounded myths.

Myth 1: A breastfeeding mother must follow a strict diet.

In the diet of nursing mothers, you can often find two extreme opposites: some women begin to lean heavily on food, trying to provide the baby with everything necessary, while others, on the contrary, deny themselves the most familiar food, fearing allergies in the child. Neither approach is correct.

Eating a strict diet is only relevant during the first month of lactation. “New” products are introduced gradually and carefully so that it is possible to assess the tolerability of their components by the baby. However, the menu should remain complete and balanced in terms of the main components - proteins, fats, carbohydrates, calories, vitamin and mineral composition, and contain dietary fiber: porridge, boiled and stewed vegetables, lean meat, non-frying soups, fermented milk products.

In addition, in the first weeks, lactation is just establishing - it happens that the baby does not have enough milk. Therefore, the mother’s diet must be enriched with foods that can stimulate the production of breast milk, and she must drink a lot of liquid: compotes, special herbal teas for nursing, weak tea, perhaps with the addition of milk. Alcohol is excluded.

Myth 2: The baby will constantly hang on my chest and I will not have time to do things.

Such moments occur in infants of different ages. This is a temporary period associated with lactation crises, and if you don’t get nervous and don’t blame yourself and the baby for what’s happening, then this phenomenon will quickly and safely end, and you will return to your usual feeding rhythm. It is worth postponing all your pedagogical aspirations to a later period and allowing the baby to hang on your chest for as long as he needs. Co-sleeping and sling slings come to help the mother.

Myth 3: Breastfeeding will ruin my figure

In the first 6 months of feeding, a woman’s weight can indeed increase, regardless of the diet, but subsequently the accumulated fats begin to be consumed, and efficiency increases with the duration of feeding. You should not eat “for two” during this period, as this does not directly affect the sufficiency of lactation. Many women effectively lose weight during breastfeeding. Excess weight that persists throughout the entire period of breastfeeding most often indicates hormonal problems on the part of the woman.

Myth 4: Infants will develop an incorrect bite

Just the opposite. Breastfeeding is not only a way to instill immunity in a child, but also an opportunity to avoid malocclusion. In a newborn, the lower jaw is located noticeably behind the upper, this ensures the safety of the baby at birth. When suckling at the breast, the baby works the muscles of the lower jaw, moving it back and forth. This stimulates the growth of the lower jaw and by one year its size reaches normal.

Myth 5: Lactic acid causes tooth decay in children.

Long-term breastfeeding is not associated with dental caries in children. Breast milk does not stay in the mouth for long, unlike milk from a bottle. And it goes straight into the throat, the nipple is at the level of the soft palate. In addition, breast milk protects the oral cavity from drying out, which is one of the causes of caries.

Myth 6: Mother's milk is too fatty (or low-fat)

The very concept of fat content in relation to breast milk is incorrect. Breast milk is unique in composition and differs from mother to mother, from child to child, and even has a different composition depending on the time of day. If the baby is safely gaining weight (500 grams per month is considered normal), cries moderately, and is not nervous, then there is no need to worry and make hasty conclusions.

Myth7: I will not be able to use oral contraceptives

The use of birth control pills and other medications during lactation is possible, but only after consulting a doctor. Typically, nursing mothers are prescribed tablets containing hormones from the progestogen group or mini-pills, which will not harm either the mother or the baby in any way.

The benefits and harms of pacifiers

The sucking reflex is considered one of the most important for a newborn baby; it is not without reason that at the birth of a baby, pediatricians always check for its presence. If the sucking reflex is developed at the proper level, it means that the baby will eat well and develop. Unfortunately, babies are not able to control it, and can calmly suck on a blanket or the edge of a pillow that comes to hand; it’s even worse if the child puts his finger in his mouth. The biggest nuisance from this is the introduction of infection into the mouth.

For some babies, the sucking reflex is completely satisfied when he sucks the breast. Others begin to worry without a pacifier when falling asleep or at the first sign of hunger.

Many people believe that a pacifier can ruin the bite and correct pronunciation of sounds; in fact, this theory is not supported by anything. The psychological aspect is more of a concern - a baby accustomed to a pacifier is less interested in the world and may grow up withdrawn. You shouldn’t give up the pacifier completely, but in order to wean your child off the pacifier without any problems in the future, you need to take into account several basic recommendations:

• If the baby feels great without a pacifier in the first weeks of life, does not put diapers or fingers in his mouth, is not capricious and falls asleep easily, then you should not force it on him. Many children grow up without a rubber assistant;
• During the daytime, you need to talk to your baby more, show him the world around him - this will allow him to quickly and better adapt to an unfamiliar and unusual world and will not leave time for sucking a pacifier;
• From about 6-7 months, the baby should be taught to drink from a cup. The faster he learns to swallow well, the sooner bottles will disappear from the house, and therefore the usual pacifier (How to wean him off the bottle);
• Closer to 7-8 months, it is necessary to remove the pacifier so that your baby does not see it. You can give a pacifier only before falling asleep in the daytime or evening hours;
• When a baby is about a year old, he already loves to listen to fairy tales, and it is better to replace the process of falling asleep with a pacifier by reading two or three fairy tales. Usually the child falls asleep well to the sounds of his mother's voice;
• Your child must have something to do during the daytime - playing with pyramids, cubes, that is, everything that allows him to explore the world with interest, without being distracted by sucking.

Pros and cons

Many mothers hear advice on how to wean their child off a pacifier from grandmothers, neighbors, or just acquaintances. Each of them should not be carried out immediately; each child is already an individual with his own character and mental stability, therefore, what suits one person can be harmful to another.

It is forbidden

First of all, during the weaning process, you need to understand what can cause even more harm than the pacifier itself. Therefore you cannot:

• Smear the pacifier with various bitter substances, such as mustard or garlic. Not all adults can tolerate this spice, but imagine what it will be like for a child. In addition, it is not safe - allergic diseases have been on the rise in recent years and spices can cause swelling and spasm of the throat;
• Many people advise weaning a child off a pacifier by cutting it like a chamomile. This is also unsafe - the baby already has several sharp teeth in his mouth and he can bite off part of the latex and it’s easy to imagine that it will get into the throat and, at best, move into the stomach. And in the worst case, the sticky gum can attach to the mucous membrane of the throat, causing spasm and suffocation;
• You cannot raise your voice at a child, much less shout at him during the period when he asks for his “sedative.” The baby will not understand why his mother is angry with him and will be even more capricious (Important article on the topic: what to do if you yell at your child);
• There is no need to deprive your baby of a pacifier during the period when he is sick or teething. Every mother probably understands why - your baby will feel even worse and the recovery process will be delayed.

When is it time to pick up the pacifier?

Many psychologists recommend starting to wean your baby off the pacifier from three months to a year. You shouldn’t delay your decision; the main thing is to choose a favorable moment and make every effort. And to do this you will have to follow the following recommendations:

• Spend more time with your child;
• During the daytime, you need to constantly walk with him, show him everything new and play with toys;
• After falling asleep, the pacifier should be removed from the mouth and placed next to it in the crib;
• Never offer a pacifier to your baby yourself, and remove it from his eyes during the day.

The experience of the Brovchenko family

How long does it take to wean your baby off the pacifier? What is the best and painless way to do this? Three ways to wean yourself off the pacifier.

There are two methods for weaning a baby off a pacifier, each of them is suitable for a certain age.

The benefits of breastfeeding are obvious

• According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, a woman who breastfeeds her child for at least about a year protects both him and herself by 15% from diseases such as diabetes;
• scientists from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology have proven that mother's milk protects the baby from allergies and intestinal infections;
• WHO states that switching too early to solid foods, as well as replacing mother's milk with animals (cow's or goat's, for example), reduces the child's immunity against HIV;
• Researchers from King's College London, Duke and Otago Universities looked at the effects of fatty acids found in human milk and found that they promote cognitive development in the early stages of human life, i.e. along with the receipt of milk, your baby’s intelligence increases;
• According to the Lancet, the risk of cancer in women who breastfeed for a long time is much lower and decreases with prolonged breastfeeding. The relative risk of developing breast cancer decreases by 4.3% with each 12 months of breastfeeding, decreasing by a further 7% with each birth.

Of course, breastfeeding will require some effort and changes in lifestyle from the woman, which in any case will no longer be the same after the birth of the child.
Going to work, your figure, and even the shape of your breasts - all these issues can be safely resolved with a competent approach to the problem. Breastfeeding can be fun, not painful, uncertain and hassle-free. Be proud of your status as a nursing mother, because you are giving your child the most valuable thing - breast milk. When he stops feeling the need for it, he himself will let you know about it. Don’t rush to stop feeding, because your baby’s health comes first.

Dragging breast milk

Some experts believe that this method of stopping lactation, like breast tightening, came from the people. Nevertheless, this folk method is widely used in medicine today.

Doctors turn to breast constriction in the following situations:

• Emergency cessation of lactation for medical reasons. This refers to situations where continued feeding of a child with breast milk jeopardizes his health (the development in the mother’s body of infectious diseases transmitted during feeding). These types of diseases include AIDS and infectious mastitis. At the same time, acute infectious diseases, inflammation of the birth canal and a whole range of other infections in the mother’s body do not pose a threat to the child’s life. The exception is situations when the mother takes medications that are not compatible with breastfeeding;
• Stopping lactation on the initiative of the mother. You should stop producing milk on your own initiative no earlier than a year after giving birth. In the first year of a child's life, breast milk is the foundation of his physical and psychological health and development. After 12 months, stopping feeding will no longer have too negative an effect on the baby, but only if complementary foods are introduced correctly (that is, introduced at the correct time, recommended by the pediatrician). As for breast pulling, this method has an obvious plus and an equally obvious minus. It is extremely effective and fast-acting, however, at the same time it is one of the most dangerous for the health of the mammary glands.

A number of lactation consultants say that breast tightening does not reduce either breast volume or milk production, and is physiologically absolutely useless.

The baby constantly cries and does not sleep. You can find out what to do in our article. How to bathe a newborn baby, read here.

How to massage a child, read the link

However, the practice of using this method says exactly the opposite. Tightening is a blockage of the channels through which milk flows. Because of this, the breasts are less intensely filled with milk and, as a result, lactation is suppressed. In addition, it will be much more convenient for a woman to move if her milk-filled breast is tightly fixed, since the slightest movement when it is not fixed is accompanied by pain.

The breast tightening procedure itself consists of the following steps:

• Take a wide towel or sheet. The most comfortable material will be cotton fabric that fits tightly to the body;
• Place the fabric over your chest. It is important to note that it should be covered entirely (that is, from the armpits to the lower ribs);
• Tie the ends of the fabric into a tight knot between the shoulder blades. You need to tighten it firmly, but not too much, that is, without any discomfort. It is very difficult to do this alone, so ask your spouse for help.

It is also important to note that pulling should be done after the baby has completely emptied the breast. Fixation should not be around the clock - a few hours a day will be enough.