Important Information and How-to's!
Milk Supply Growth Spurts Bottle Sleepy Baby
Breast Milk Collection and Storage
Positioning the Baby at the Breast Foods to Avoid Starting Solids Latching On
Your body makes milk on a supply and demand basis. We don't need ounce markers on the side of our breasts, to know the baby is getting enough. When your baby is first born, his wet diapers should increase daily. On day one, he should have at least one, day two, he should have two, up until day six. After six days of age, they have six to eight pale wet diapers daily and three to four "cottage cheese and mustard" stools. Other ways we can tell the baby is getting enough milk is that he makes quiet swallowing sounds at the breast. The breast feel full before the feeding and softer afterward. The baby seems satisfied after twenty minutes of swallowing. Babies may loose 7-10% of their birth weight, but begin regaining at day 6 and gain 5-7 ounces per week on the average until 6 months of age. The stools can change at 4-6 weeks of age. See growth spurts. Make sure you are drinking to thirst and still taking your prenatal vitamins. If you want a boost increasing milk supply, Fenugreek is safe and effective. It increases milk supply in about 48 hours. Blessed thistle and Mother's Milk Tea can also be helpful in milk production.
You can almost set your watch by a baby's growth spurt. The first one occurs anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks of age. The following ones come at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. When babies go through growth spurts, their feeding times change from every two to three hours to every hour on the hour. You just finish feeding them and they go rooting around again and act like they are starving. During the 3 week growth spurt, you can definitely see that the baby is pooping 4+ times daily and having lots of wet diapers. What goes in, must come out, so we know the baby is getting enough. The 6 week growth spurt can really floor you because at that time their digestive system matures and they have fewer dirty diapers. Some babies only have one every 3-5 days. Don't dismay, you can still tell he/she has plenty of fluids by the fact that the baby is still having six to eight wet diapers daily. The three month and six month growth spurts are pretty typical. Growth spurts usually only last 5 days if you don't interfere with imposed schedules and supplements. Make sure to keep drinking to thirst and taking your prenatal vitamins. If you want a boost for your milk supply, try Fenugreek.
Waiting until you baby is three to four weeks old to start a bottle is the best way to get him/her to learn to suckle the breast first. When you do begin a bottle, use your own expressed milk as not to interfere with your milk supply and use a silicone bottle nipple that doesn't have a smell and taste. Choose a slow flow nipple. To calculate how much to put in a bottle, see our chart under milk intake. Make sure to express you milk if you skip a feeding. The rule of thumb for a baby under six months of age is to pump every three hours with a pump that imitates you baby's suck cycle. After six months, if your baby is on solids, you would only need to pump twice on an eight hour workday instead of three times.
This is a common concern for newborn infants. First I would take a look at any painkillers you are taking. Pain medication from the hospital can cause the baby to be sleepy. Tylenol, Advil, and Aleve are all safe for breastfeeding and will not make the baby sleepy. Next, be aggressive. New moms tend to be very gentle, but newborns don't always know when they are hungry, so you have to wake them up every two to three hours with no more than one five hour stretch in any 24 hour period. Techniques for waking a baby include, stripping him/her down to a diaper, using the clutch/football hold so the baby is more upright, washing their face before nursing, changing their diaper, rubbing their hands, face, feet, or back. My personal favorite is alternate breast massage. As soon as the baby stops sucking or swallowing and begins to fall asleep. Massage the breast from underneath towards the nipple. This wiggles the nipple and "milks" the breast into the baby's, reminding him or her to start nursing again.
Breast milk Collection and Storage
Before beginning collection of breast milk, always wash your hands. Make sure the pump parts that will touch the milk are sterile (can be sterilized in the top rack of the dishwasher, a microwave sterilizer or boiling water for 5-10 minutes). After pumping store milk in 2-4 oz increments to reduce waste. Pump directly into hard plastic or glass bottles that you will seal with a solid or ring and disk lid or freezer bags that are specifically designed for storing mothers' milk. Breast milk is good at room temperature for 6-10 hours, refrigerator for 5-7 days, freezer for 3-6 months and deep freeze for 6-12 months. Make sure to freeze refrigerated milk within 24 hours if you are not going to use it within the 5-7 day time frame. Refrigerate milk immediately if you are not going to use it within the 6-10 hours that it is good at room temperature. Never refreeze breast milk or put milk back in the fridge. Never put milk on the stove or in the microwave. To thaw or warm, simply place the milk in warm water. To determine more closely how much breast milk to put in each bottle for a baby who is less than six months old, take the baby's weight and multiply by 2.5. Then divide by the number of feeding per day. After the age of six months, the baby needs 24-32 oz per day which is approximately 5-6 oz per feeding 5-6 times per day.
Positioning Baby at the Breast
To position baby at the breast make sure that the baby's body is turned in to mother. For example, in the cradle hold, the baby would be tummy to tummy with mom so that he/she doesn't have to turn his/her head to swallow. The baby's ear, shoulder, and hips should be in a straight line. Use a pillow and stool to make sure baby is at breast level.
There is no set list of foods that every nursing mother should/should not eat. Some baby's however are more sensitive to certain gassy foods especially in the early weeks or months. If you are experiencing a gassy baby, look for correlations when the baby is gassy and you have eaten these foods in the last 24 hours: green leafy vegetables, broccoli, tomato or sauce, citrus juices or fruit. If you cut out these foods temporarily, the baby should feel relief in the next 24 hours if that food was the culprit. If the problem is dairy products, you won't find relief for 10 days to 2 weeks.
Solids should not be started until the age of six months in most cases. Waiting until this age greatly reduces the incidence of allergies. Developmental phases should also be taken into consideration. The baby should not only have doubled his/her birth weight, but should be sitting alone without support. Readiness signs include grasping at the parents plate or food. Breast milk is still the main source of nutrition so always breastfeed immediately before offering solids as to ensure a healthy milk supply and a healthy appetite for the superior breast milk.
After positioning the baby properly (see Positioning Baby at Breast), make sure that your hands are supporting the breast with your thumb on top and the rest of your fingers near the chest wall, well behind the areola. If you can't tell where your fingers are, practice your breast hold in front of a mirror before you start. Then tickle down in the same direction towards the baby's chin until the baby opens wide like a yawn or a cry. Make sure the baby's tongue is down and then bring the baby to the breast swiftly.
Babies under the age of six months will normally nurse every 2-3 hours from the beginning of one feeding to the beginning of the next which is usually 8-10 times per day. During growth spurts at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months, they will up their feedings to 10-12 times per day. Between 6 and 12 months, babies will normally feed 4 or 5 times daily.
Breast milk intake depends on the age and weight of that baby. Below is a chart for babies under six months. Use these numbers if you are expressing a bottle for work or other times away from baby. Divide the second number below by the number of feedings your baby takes if it is a number other than 8. This is only an average amount. You may adjust to the next ounce, but usually not more than that. Babies over six months who are on solid foods three times daily still need 24-32 oz per day which is either five and six ounces if you expressing for a cup or bottle.
|
weight in lbs |
#of oz/day |
#of oz per feedings |
|
5# |
12.5 |
1.5 |
|
6# |
15 |
2 |
|
7# |
17.5 |
2.25 |
|
8# |
20 |
2.5 |
|
9# |
22.5 |
3 |
|
10# |
25 |
3.25 |
|
11# |
27.5 |
3.5 |
|
12# |
30 |
3.75 |
|
13# |
32.5 |
4 |
|
14# |
35 |
4.5 |
|
15# |
37.5 |
5 |
|
16# |
40 |
5 |
|
17# |
42.5 |
5.5 |
|
18# |
45 |
6 |