VK
Buffer
Many young mothers who have decided to breastfeed are concerned about the question: does the baby have enough milk? This issue is especially acute from birth to six months of the baby, when breast milk becomes the only and best source of nutrition for the baby. Very often, a mother, having decided that the child is not getting enough breast milk, under pressure from relatives or the local pediatrician, transfers him to formula, depriving the baby not only of all the beneficial properties of a natural product, but also of full emotional contact, which also forms the basis of natural feeding.
When can you wean
For each case, there must be an individual approach to weaning a child from breastfeeding. But many mothers, especially young ones, are afraid that their breasts will sag and become ugly after a long feeding, so they try to wean the baby as early as possible. But this is wrong, since there is a certain time when it is better to wean a child from the breast without causing harm to either yourself or him - this is the period of lactation involution, that is, when instead of milk, a small amount of colostrum is released from the female breast. This happens when a child is from 2 to 4 years old, and his sucking reflex fades somewhat, therefore, every day it is easier for him to do without breast milk.
If a woman does not wait for this moment, then she is guaranteed not only sleepless nights with a nervous, hungry baby, but also many problems with her breasts: the formation of lumps, overflow of milk, mastitis. Procedures that can prevent the consequences are also not very pleasant: bandaging, pumping, limiting fluid intake.
Ways to wean your baby
Some mothers' children refuse to take the breast from the first day, but most, on the contrary, cannot calmly tolerate it being taken away from them. If you follow some rules, you may be able to wean your child off with the least amount of stress.
Soft weaning
It is not advisable to immediately stop breastfeeding; all doctors advise weaning the baby gradually, reducing the number of feedings and reducing portions every day. However, for the first time it is advisable to leave night feedings.
Positive aspects of soft weaning:
- The decrease in milk occurs gradually;
- the likelihood of lactostasis is minimal;
- Night feedings allow you to calm your baby at the most emotionally vulnerable time of day.
Disadvantages of soft feeding:
- it is necessary to constantly keep track of daily feedings;
- It is emotionally very difficult to “fight” with a child to reduce his diet;
- as a result of negative emotions, milk may completely disappear;
- by the end of the weaning procedure, the woman will be very tired from prolonged moral stress.
At the age of one, the child already understands quite well what is good for him and what is bad. If you impose on him the idea that “eating breast” is bad, that it is harmful, tasteless, then the child will not be able to understand this. And even more so, when his mother puts him to the breast again, he will undoubtedly understand that drinking milk is wonderful. And next time he will cry and scream, because he knows that breast is still delicious, but he is not allowed to have it.
However, all negative factors can be somewhat mitigated.
In order for a child to eat less during the day, he needs to be constantly captivated by something: various activities, games.
In this case, he understands that his mother is always with him and does not try to take the breast because she does not love him. It is also important that at this stage, relatives and friends did not comment on the desire to wean the child, otherwise the parents may doubt the correctness of their decision, and this affects the result. You need to read about the correct menu for a one-year-old child, and then, perhaps, the baby himself will switch from milk to more tasty complementary foods.
One-time excommunication
Instant weaning of a child is most often associated with reasons beyond the control of the mother: time to go to work or study, an infectious disease, or an urgent departure. However, this method has more negative reviews from doctors and child psychologists.
Negative aspects of one-time excommunication:
the child’s behavior changes seriously: he becomes uncontrollable, his reactions are quite aggressive, infantile depression is possible, i.e. refusal of food, withdrawal into himself, the appearance of breakdowns, sleep disturbances.
However, the child does not need to be brought to such a state if the mother is always next to him and still looks after him, plays, shows love and care. The main problem of most parents in this case is the incorrect interpretation of the situation to the child. He understands everything, so he can be intimidated if his mother says that the breasts are sore and they are not useful. At these moments, children usually have their most important fears, and then it will become even more difficult to wean them off night feedings.
It’s better to say that the mother has run out of milk, and the baby needs to continue eating from the bottle.
We feed on demand: the baby is hanging on the chest, what to do?
How long does it take to feed a newborn?
One of the rules of on-demand feeding is this: the baby should be kept at the breast for as long as he needs. For each baby, the feeding process takes a different amount of time: some need 5 minutes, while others need 30.
To a large extent, this depends on the temperament, state of the nervous system and age of the baby. As a rule, a child hangs on the chest in the first weeks of life, when falling asleep, when they are sick or experiencing psychological discomfort. The baby will release the breast on its own when he is ready for it.
Should I alternate breasts during on-demand feeding?
It is advisable to give the baby one breast at one feeding. Breast milk contains “foremilk” and “hind” milk. The baby receives the “front” at the beginning of feeding. It contains a lot of liquid, carbohydrates (lactose) and protein. This is a baby drink.
Hind milk is food. It comes to the baby at the end of feeding and is rich in fats, polyunsaturated fatty acids and enzymes necessary for the digestion process.
At the end of feeding, the baby continues to hang on the chest and begins to fall asleep
Fat milk makes the baby drowsy, and he begins to suck more sluggishly. Often it is at this moment that the mother thinks that the baby has eaten enough and has fallen asleep, and takes the breast from him, thereby depriving the child of nutritious food.
Why does my baby have colic?
As a rule, due to errors in the organization of feeding on demand. If the mother, thinking that the baby is hanging on the breast for too long, interrupts “lunch” ahead of time, the baby does not receive “hind milk” (food).
Hind milk contains a special enzyme - lactase. It breaks down lactose from the foremilk. If the baby does not have time to drink hind milk, undigested lactose enters the large intestine, where it causes fermentation, increased gas formation, bowel dysfunction and abdominal colic. All this, in turn, leads to poor weight gain in the baby, anxiety and sleep disturbances.
The baby hangs on the chest, I interrupt him, the milk becomes less
Your “dairy factory” operates on the “supply and demand” principle. Due to poor emptying of the breast and not sucking for long enough, the production of a new portion of milk decreases, and milk stagnation (lactostasis) may also develop. Less demand means less milk, this is the law of nature.
The feeling that the baby’s breast is not only for food
Yes, not only that. You are his mother, the dearest and dearest person with whom the baby was connected by the umbilical cord for 9 months. For children in the first 3 months of life, frequent breastfeeding is the norm. With the help of sucking, the child satisfies the need for physical and emotional contact with his mother, for warmth, security, constant care and love. When experiencing any discomfort, the baby calls his mother.
We should not forget that young children have a well-developed sucking reflex, and they need its satisfaction.
What to do to make it easier for your baby
In young children, breastfeeding becomes a habit, and it consists not only of receiving nutritious milk, but also of the sucking process itself.
To make it easier for your child to endure weaning, you need to walk him outside more and engage him in various games at home.
It is advisable to get rid of everything that may remind him of breastfeeding:
- try to avoid places where feeding took place;
- do not pick up as if breastfeeding;
- if the baby is used to falling asleep on the chest, there is no need to try to immediately rock him to sleep in the crib - it is better to do this in a stroller;
- Do not walk naked in front of your child.
After a couple of weeks or months, the child will completely forget about what breastfeeding is. And if he cannot calmly bear the “loss” only because he still has the habit of sucking, then you should give him a pacifier, but it will also be difficult to wean him off it.
What to do if the baby is constantly hanging on the chest?
Many mothers are concerned that due to the child’s excessive breastfeeding, they are unable to do anything around the house.
First, exhale and imagine that you have already weaned your little one. Now he eats adult food, runs around the house and shows no interest at all in what used to be everything to him. Did you cry? Enjoy the moment and hold your baby close to your chest, because he will grow up so quickly!
Secondly, get things done while the baby is awake . Give him toys, or arrange a place for the baby in each room. For example, in the bedroom he can play in a crib, in the living room on a rug, in the kitchen in a high chair. And at this time you are cleaning and cooking, talking with the baby. But when the child wants to sleep, you can relax with him. And let it hang on your chest as long as it fits!
Thirdly, organize a joint sleep. I know that many mothers are categorically against “accustoming” to their parents’ bed, but if this is the only way to get a good night’s sleep, do not neglect it.
And fourthly, how many things can be done while the baby is hanging on your chest! Read an interesting book, write a blog article, chat with a friend, watch a movie, listen to lectures or music. You just have to want it, and the time with the child in your arms will pass pleasantly and effectively.
Don't be afraid - it won't last forever. Numerous studies have shown that children who received maximum warmth and affection from their parents in the first months of life grow up more independent and successful than those who were forcibly deprived of this intimacy.
As you can see, I do not give advice on how to lure the baby’s breasts by force or cunning. It can be done, but I don't see anything but harm in it.
I hope my article will help you no longer wonder why the baby is hanging on your chest, but accept the situation and enjoy the process! All the best to you 
0
0
Ekaterina Ulyanova
Mother of two wonderful daughters and author of the blog blogomamochka.ru
When not to wean your baby
There are times when a mother needs to delay the process of weaning her baby from breastfeeding, no matter how much she might want to.
It is undesirable to carry out weaning in the early spring, when influenza and ARVI infections are common. When a baby is deprived of healthy breast milk, he becomes extremely vulnerable.
You also need to endure a very hot summer; it is better to feed your baby until the end of August, since in extreme heat there is a high chance of an intestinal infection.
When a child is teething, his immunity is greatly weakened, and he is more susceptible to the influence of various negative factors and infections. In addition, every mother knows that the moment of teething is very painful, so giving up breastfeeding can be an additional nervous shock for him.
If the baby feels healthy and calm, then you can begin to wean him off the breast, but in no case should you do this if the child has been capricious lately, constantly cries and has nervous shocks.
Tips for mom
At first, breastfeeding may seem like it takes a lot of time, so you want to stop. But in fact, such a turn of events can be morally painful not only for the baby. In order for parents to feel confident that they are doing everything right, they should listen to the advice of psychologists.
Offer breasts back
If after some time the mother feels that she is missing the baby next to her, then this is a clear sign that it was too early to stop breastfeeding. At any time, you can offer the breast to the baby again, and then he must decide for himself whether to accept it or not. If he refuses, then there is no point in insisting.
You can, of course, get by in less radical ways, for example, constantly being close to the baby, giving him a massage, kissing, stroking, and performing finger games.
Don't overtighten your chest
If relatives or friends advise you to express milk and bandage your breasts with a towel, you should not do this. Bandaging is a direct path to mastopathy. For the first time after weaning begins, you need to limit your fluid intake. Of course, when milk appears, you need to express it immediately so that it does not stagnate and purulent processes begin.
Weaning a baby from the breast is a difficult process that will require a lot of effort and patience. But if the right time is chosen to stop feeding, the body will soon stop producing milk.
Views:
3666.
False signs
As a rule, the most common signs that your baby is hungry include:
- the anxiety that the baby shows while at the mother’s breast;
- the break between feedings is less than 3 hours;
- the newborn does not let go of the breast, “hangs” on it.
Despite their well-known nature, you should not focus only on these signs. In most cases, they do report the baby’s discomfort, but not about a feeling of fullness, but about problems with the intestines. If the newborn's behavior demonstrates the presence of all three signs, it is most likely colic. They often intensify in the evening, and are also accompanied by tucking the legs to the tummy and shrill crying after each breastfeeding.
By the way, switching to mixed or artificial feeding in this case will only aggravate the problem, so it is important to let the baby stay at the breast for as long as he wishes, try different ways to relieve pain (warm diaper, massage, etc.), but the most important thing is to be patient and wait until the digestive system matures.
In addition, you should not make one of the most common mistakes of young parents: weighing the child too often, especially after each feeding. In this case, the picture will be distorted, mom and dad will begin to get nervous that the newborn is not gaining weight, and will begin to feed him with formula.
Meanwhile, if you weigh a child no more than once a month, in most cases it will turn out that the baby gains the allotted 600 grams, or even more. To find out the weight gain in the first month, the starting point must be taken not at birth, but at discharge from the hospital. As a rule, during 3-4 days in the maternity hospital, together with the original feces, the newborn loses from 5 to 10% of its own weight, and this is considered the norm.
