Mother’s milk being the best food, should be given till 6 months of birth. After that, along with outside food it can be continued up to 2 years. Apart from being best suited to infants in composition and temperature, mother’s milk is also sterile thus reducing contamination led disorders.
Mother’s milk contains antibodies which block the absorption of toxic or allergic food materials to which the infant’s intestinal system is not immune. The milk also contains anti-microbial agents which fight against infection in the baby. The earlier the inclusion of cow’s milk or other sources of foreign proteins, the earlier the induction of allergy in the infant’s system.
Apart from creating a bond between mother and child, breast feeding helps the mother in spacing children as the chances of conception during lactation period is less? Contrary to popular myths, proper breast-feeding improves and shapes the mother’s figure by enabling the uterus (womb) to return to normal size and burning extra fat that accumulates during pregnancy. It also protects the lactating mothers from breast cancers. For the child, it acts as defence mechanism against bacteria, viruses (like virus causing poliomyelitis) and degenerative disorders (like arteriosclerosis).
There are certain measures that need to be taken by the lactating mother. They are :
1) The breast must be clean.
2) The nipples should not be retracted, cracked or sore. Engorgement or abscess prevents good lactation.
3) The infant should be put to breast within the first three hours after birth.
4) Frequent sucking promotes milk production so put the baby to feed as frequently as it can take.
5) Good diet is normally enough for adequate milk production. In case of difficult, consult doctor.
6) Be tension free as it is good for lactation.
7) It is good to express milk in the last week of pregnancy as it helps in larger production of colostrums after birth.
Manual expression is done by gently squeezing the skin above and below the nipple. In the beginning, the technique posses some difficulty but practice eases the problem. Unless the mother has initially expressed some milk, it becomes difficult for the baby to get his jaws around the nipple.
As for feeding schedule, demand rather than time is the guide. The baby should be fed whenever he feels hungry. Usually, over the weeks the feeding pattern becomes regular at 3 hours interval. If breast-fed adequately, the baby should be able to sleep for 2-4 hours and gain weight satisfactorily. The baby empties a breast in 10-15 minutes. Both breasts should be emptied at each feeding.
The position of mother and child is important for both of them. The mother should be in semi-recumbent position. She should support the exterior with one hand and head on the other elbow. Face of the child should be close to the breast which the mother supports with the other hand. This prevents choking of child and soreness of nipple of mother.
Many times, the baby takes in wind while feeding. In such a situation, he should be held erect over the mother’s shoulder and his back should be patted or rubbed. This eructation of swallowed air is called “burping”
In case of caesarean, during periods or if the mother is not well breast feeding can be continued. In case of jaundice or septicemia it has to be discontinued for a short while. This is because breast-feeding is not advisable when the mother is on drugs. Even contraceptive pills reduce lactation. But when the child is unwell, it is no time for stopping lactation. Healthy or unwell, he needs nourishment.
In case of artificial feeding, cow’s milk is preferred. It is often said that cow’s, buffalo’s or baby powders are to concentrated for the baby. The result is an over-diluted diet lacking in appropriate levels of nourishment.
The recommended level of dilution of cow’s milk for first fortnight is 1:1. Subsequently it can be decreased to 2:1, 3:1 and then pure. The same holds for buffalo’s milk. Skimmed milk powder is not advisable for infants.
Above 150ml per kg per day is the average requirement for a health infant. Starting with one ounce per kg in each feed, it should not exceed 8 ounces till first year.
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