Breastfeeding
Breast milk is actually the only food your baby will need until 4 months of age, although most babies do well on breast milk alone for 6 months or better.
There is really no advantage to adding other foods or milks before 4 – 6 months, except under unusual circumstances. Water Breast milk is over 90% water. Even in the hottest days of summer, a baby won’t require any extra water. If a baby isn’t feeding well, they still don’t require any extra water – although they will need the breastfeeding problems to be fixed. Vitamin D Although breast milk doesn’t contain much vitamin D, it does have a little.
The baby will store up vitamin D during pregnancy, and remain healthy without any vitamin D supplementation, unless you yourself had a problem with vitamin D deficiency when pregnant.
Exposure to the outside will give your baby vitamin D, even in winter and when the sky is covered. An hour or more exposure during the week will give your baby more than enough vitamin D. Iron breast milk contains less iron than formulas do, especially those that are iron enriched. Iron will give the baby added protection against infections, as many bacteria need iron in order to multiply.
The iron found in breast milk is utilized well by the baby, while not being available to bacteria. The introduction of iron should never be delayed beyond the age of 6 months. Breast milk is the best that you can feed your baby, as it provides everything he will need for probably the first 6 months. After the first 6 months, you can introduce solid foods to your baby if he is taking an interest in them.
The nutritional requirements for the baby will rely solely on the breast milk, and therefore the mother will need to maintain a healthy diet. If the baby is large and grows fast, the fat stores gained by the mother during pregnancy can be depleted quickly, meaning that she may have trouble eating good enough to maintain and develop sufficient amounts of milk.
This type of diet normally involves a high calorie, high nutrition diet which follows on from that in pregnancy. Even though mothers in famine conditions can produce milk with nutritional content, a mother that is malnourished may produce milk with lacking levels of vitamins A, D, B6, and B12. If they smoke, breastfeeding mothers must use extreme caution.
More than 20 cigarettes a day has been shown to reduce the milk supply and cause vomiting, diarrhea rapid heart rate, and restlessness in the infants. SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is more common in babies that are exposed to smoke. Heavy drinking is also known to harm the infant, as well as yourself. If you are breastfeeding, you should avoid alcohol or consume very small amounts at a time. The excessive consumption of alcohol by the mother can result in irritability, sleeplessness, and increased feeding in the infant. Moderate use, normally 1 – 2 cups a day, normally produces no effect. Therefore, mothers that are breastfeeding are advised to avoid caffeine or restrict intake of it. By following a healthy diet and limiting your intake of the above, you’ll ensure that your baby gets the right nutrients during your time of breastfeeding.
This stage of life is very important – as you don’t want anything to happen to your baby.
You must be logged in to post a comment.