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- Basic rules of breastfeeding
Basic rules of breastfeeding
25.06.2024
Basic rules of breastfeeding
Everyone can breastfeed! Breastfeeding in the presence of a living and healthy baby is impossible only if the mother is absent or both mammary glands have been removed. A biological mother can feed twins, and even triplets, without using supplementary feeding for up to 5 months. Even twins and triplets can grow up to 4-5 months on exclusive breastfeeding. An adoptive mother can breastfeed a baby, even if she has not had her own children before.
A true lack of milk, which modern mothers are so afraid of today, occurs in only 3% of women. The remaining 97% can breastfeed, although they often don't know it. Quite often, women complain that they lose milk due to everyday problems, instability, stress or nervous tension. It turns out there is no such reason. Research has convincingly proven that if a woman WANTS to FEED, she will do it anyway. So, as a rule, the “lack” of milk is the fault of the women themselves, who do not want to breastfeed their baby or follow illiterate recommendations. If a young mother is introduced to the basic rules and taught breastfeeding techniques, she will successfully breastfeed her baby for as long as desired and successfully stop lactation within physiological periods.

For breastfeeding to be successful, you must:
- a woman's desire to breastfeed;
- training in breastfeeding techniques and practices;
- compliance with the basic rules of breastfeeding;
- timely resolution of breastfeeding problems with the help of lactation consultants;
- support for family members and experienced mothers who have positive experience of prolonged breastfeeding for more than 1 year.
Correct attachment to the breast
When applied correctly:
- feeding a baby does not cause pain; pain can only occur when the baby latches on to the breast;
- nipple injuries, mastitis and other problems do not occur;
- the baby sucks enough milk;
- The duration of feeding does not matter.
If applied incorrectly:
- Painful sensations occur when feeding a child;
- nipple damage, mastitis, lactostasis and other problems occur;
- there is a need to limit feeding time;
- The baby sucks out little milk and doesn’t get enough to eat.

Comfortable feeding position
It is very important that when feeding, the mother takes a comfortable position herself and gives a comfortable position to the baby. A comfortable feeding position ensures a good flow of milk from the breast and prevents lactostasis.
Lying and sitting poses from under the arm are required for demonstration and teaching . Feeding in the basic sitting and sitting position is more difficult to perform. Therefore, it is advisable to learn these two poses after mastering the correct application in the “under-the-arm” and “lying” poses for 3-7 days.
Feeding on demand
Breastfeeding is a mutual process, therefore, speaking of feeding on demand, we mean demands not only from the child, but also from the mother.

Duration of feeding
When the baby is satisfied, he feels comfort, stops sucking and lets go of the breast. There is no need to interrupt feeding after a certain period of time and wean the baby from the breast. Different babies stay at the breast for different lengths of time. Most of them are satisfied within 20-40 minutes, and some babies can nurse for 1 hour or more.
The duration of feeding depends significantly on the age of the child. The smaller the child, the more often and more acutely he experiences a feeling of discomfort, and the longer and more often he stays at the breast. As the baby grows older, he begins to experience discomfort less frequently and less acutely. In addition, he becomes strong and agile enough to quickly cope with a fairly large volume of milk. Therefore, from 2-3 months, children begin to have short-term breastfeeding, which are necessary to achieve psycho-emotional comfort, and continue to have long sucking for satiation, which are grouped around dreams.
Feeding from both breasts
You should not transfer the baby to the second breast before he has suckled the first. Since the milk in the mother's breast is heterogeneous and is divided into earlier milk, which the baby receives at the beginning of feeding, and later milk, which the child receives at the end of feeding, there should be no rush to offer the baby a second breast. If the mother rushes to give the baby a second breast, then he will not receive late milk, rich in fats. As a result, he may experience digestive problems: lactase deficiency, foamy stools, etc. When feeding on demand, you should ensure that each mammary gland is offered to the baby for 1-2 hours and only then changed to another.
Night feedings

Night feedings are necessary to maintain full, long-term lactation. Breastfeeding between 3 and 8 a.m. stimulates milk production in sufficient quantities for subsequent feedings during the day. During this period, at least 2-3 feedings should be organized. For better development, the child must receive both day and night milk.
Elimination of additional feeding and additional drinking of the child
Breast milk is a balanced food and drink for babies. It fully satisfies all the child’s vital needs. With properly organized breastfeeding, including proper attachment, frequent and prolonged feedings of the baby, co-sleeping and night feeding, the baby does not need additional nutrition until 6 months of age.
A baby who is on properly organized exclusive breastfeeding does not need additional feeding until 6 months of age. And from 6 months he should start introducing complementary foods.
When breastfeeding the baby, the mother's milk supply decreases, and breastfeeding may end by 3-6 months.

The dangers of bottle feeding and the use of pacifiers
Babies suckle differently from the breast and from a bottle or pacifier. A baby who has been bottle-fed or given a pacifier will not latch onto the mother's breast properly, so after bottle feeding and using a pacifier, the mother may have problems. Numerous examples prove that sometimes even one bottle feeding is enough for the child to refuse the breast, and a lot of complications arise with further breastfeeding. Using a pacifier causes the baby to latch onto the breast incorrectly, which can cause nipple injuries. In addition, it is known that even short-term use of a pacifier can lead to insufficient weight gain in the child and a reduction in lactation in the mother.
Breast washing
When washing the breast, especially with soap, a protective layer of a special lubricant is removed from the skin of the nipple and the surrounding area, which softens them and contains protective factors that prevent pathogens from penetrating the skin of the breast. Frequently washing nipples with soap dries the skin and leads to abrasions, cracks and mastitis. Therefore, you should not wash your breasts before each feeding.
It is enough to wash your breasts with plain water without soap daily or once every 3-7 days while taking a regular hygienic shower or bath.
Pumping
If the mother feeds the baby on demand, then there is no need to express milk after each feeding. During normal lactation, pumping interferes with natural feeding, since it takes up time that would be better devoted to the child or household chores, and causes inconvenience. Pumping may be necessary in case of problems - breast engorgement, treatment of lactostasis or mastitis, treatment of cracked nipples, lack of milk to increase its production, in case of forced separation of mother and child in order to preserve milk, etc. The need for pumping will be determined by a lactation consultant.
How to check that your baby has enough milk?
To make sure that the baby is getting enough breast milk, you need to regularly perform a “wet diaper” test and weigh the baby once every 1-2 months, and if something is bothering you, then once a week. A healthy child with adequate nutrition gains weight from 120 to 500 grams every week. Frequent control weighings performed daily or even several times a day do not provide objective information about the nutritional status of the baby. Moreover, control weighings irritate mother and child, as a result of which the baby gains worse weight and the mother’s lactation decreases.
Nutrition and drinking regimen of a nursing mother
During breastfeeding, a woman's diet should not differ from her usual diet in terms of food composition. Since pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding are natural physiological processes, their success cannot be fundamentally related to a woman’s diet.
Drinking to stimulate lactation
There are no universal recipes for stimulating lactation. Neither tea with milk nor carrot juice will help if the baby is not breastfeeding enough. Lactation is stimulated only by the frequency and duration of breastfeeding. If the baby suckles rarely and briefly, then the volume of milk will be minimal, but if it is long and often, then there will always be plenty of milk.
If either parent is allergic
If the mother or father of the child suffers from allergies, then the mother should be more careful about her diet. Particular vigilance should be exercised if the mother of the child suffers from allergies. Not only the mother’s food allergies, but also allergens such as poplar fluff, odors, dust, etc. can negatively affect the baby. In this case, the child may have a tendency to diathesis.
In children predisposed to allergies, diathesis may occur to the following foods:
- citrus fruits - lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit;
- strawberries and raspberries;
- foreign protein - beef and dairy products from cow's milk, fish and fish products, poultry and eggs, soy and legumes (vegetable protein), etc.
In addition to food, allergies in a child can be caused by:
- chemical additives used in the food industry, such as preservatives, flavoring agents, leavening agents, etc.;
Therefore, if the mother or father suffers from allergies, allergenic foods should be carefully introduced (no more than one per day) and carefully monitor the baby’s reaction throughout the day. If a nursing mother is allergic, she usually excludes from her diet those foods that cause allergic reactions in her.

Prepared by: Obstetrician-gynecologist of the obstetrics and observation department Denisevich T.V.