Baby Health Care – Baby care center

Breast Feeding Toddlers

Because more and more women are choosing to breast
feed their babies, more and more are also finding
that they enjoy it enough to continue longer than
the first few months they planned on. Breast
feeding to 3 – 4 years of age is common in much
of the world recently, and is still common in
many societies for toddlers to be breast fed.

Because mothers and babies often enjoy to breast
feed, you shouldn’t stop it. After six months,
many think that breast milk loses it’s value -
which isn’t true. Even after six months, it
still contains protein, fat, and other important
nutrients which babies and children need.

The fact is, immune factors in breast milk will
protect the baby against infections. Breast
milk also contains factors that will help the
immune system mature, and other organs to develop
and mature as well.

It’s been shown and proven in the past that
children in daycare who are still breast feeding
have far less severe infections than the
children that aren’t breast feeding. The mother
will lose less work time if she chooses to
continue nursing her baby once she is back to
work.

If you have thought about breast feeding your
baby once he gets passed 6 months of age, you
have made a wise decision. Although many feel
that it isn’t necessary, breast milk will always
help babies and toddlers. Breast milk is the
best milk you can give to your baby.

No matter what others may tell you, breast feeding
only needs to be stopped when you and the baby
agree on it. You don’t have to stop when someone
else wants you to – you should only stop when
you feel that it’s the right time.

Technorati Tags : breast feeding months babies

Refusal To Breast Feed

Sometimes, a baby that is breast fed may suddenly
decide to refuse breast feeding. The baby will
pull away from the breast, then toss his head from
side to side. This can happen at anytime, so there
really is no way to predict it happening.

Reasons why
Refusal to feed from the breast could occur when the
baby is in pain. Normally, this can be due to an
ear infection, sore head from vacuum delivery,
thrush in the baby’s mouth, or teething.

The use of dummies, teats or nipple shields may also
contribute to refusal. Some babies actually find
it difficult to feed from the breast and bottle as
the sucking action is very different. Some become
confused, therefore it’s always best to avoid using
any type of teats or dummies.

Sometimes, the milk just takes bitter. This can
be due to antibiotics, if you starting or in the
middle of your period, or nipple creams. If the
milk tastes bitter, your baby will normally not
want to feed.

Solving the problems
First, you should always try to identify what may
have caused the breast refusal then begin to treat
the cause. Always remain patient and gentle with
your baby. Be sure to hold your baby next to you,
skin to skin, so that he can take the breast when
he wants to, so that he begins to realize that
breast feeding is both enjoyable and comfortable.

Older babies may suddenly take shorter and fewer
breast feeds, although this can be normal with
some babies. Therefore, it’s always best not to
try and make the baby feed longer, but instead let
the baby decide how often and also how long each
individual feeding will last.

Technorati Tags : breast always refusal babies

Other Foods While Breast Feeding

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%PRCTG% 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 breast feeding 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 your 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
to them.

Technorati Tags : breast vitamin months water

How To Choose A Breast Pump

The milk production in the breasts, much like so many
other things, work on the shear principal of supply
and demand. The more breast milk your baby consumes,
the more your body will need to make.

Breast pumps are generally used to insure continued
production of breast milk when you cannot feed your
baby – whether you are back to work, traveling, taking
medication, or just out of town.

Basic types of pumps
Breast pumps can either be battery operated, hand
operated, semi automatic electric, or even self cycling
electric.

Hand pumps
Manual hand pumps are designed to use the strength
of your hand or arm muscles for pumping one breast at
a time. You can also get pumps that will use the leg
and foot muscles for pumping both breasts at one
time. Mothers that with carpal tunnel syndrome may
want to consider using a pump designed for the arm
or leg muscles or even an automatic model.

Battery operated pumps
Pumps with battery operation are the best for women
who have an established supply of milk and want to
pump once or even twice a day. These pumps use
batteries to create suction, minimizing any type of
muscle fatigue. Most battery type pumps are designed
for pumping one breast at a time and are recommended
for occasional usage.

Electric pumps
Even though electric pumps are more efficient than
hand or even battery operated pumps, they also tend
to be more expensive. You can however, rent them if
you need to. Electric pumps can normally plug
directly into an outlet and are designed for pumping
both breasts at a time and even frequent use. Hospital
grade pumps are the most efficient for initiating and
maintaining milk supply, and are available for rent
or purchase.

Technorati Tags : pumps breast electric battery

How To Use A Breast Pump

Just like breast feeding, pumping is a skill that you
learn. When first trying a breast pump, most mothers
are only able to express a few drops of milk. With
the proper practice and knowledge, the mother will
be more efficient at pumping.

Preparing the breast pump
1. Read all the instructions in the kit
very carefully.
2. Every part of the breast pump will need
to be sterilized before you begin using it.
3. After use, all the parts of the pump will
need to be washed in warm, soapy water, then rinsed
with hot water and drained on a clean towel. The
plastic tubing doesn’t need to be cleaned unless
you get milk into it. If you do wash it, it should
be hung to allow time to dry and drain thoroughly.
4. If your doctor feels the need, the
entire kit can be sterilized every day.
5. When you first start with an electric
pump, the suction level should be on the lowest
possible setting.

Getting started
- Warm compresses, gentle massages of the
breast and gentle nipple stimulation will help to
stimulate a quick let down.
- You should always relax while doing
breast massages during pumping. Some mothers prefer
to close their eyes then think about nursing the
baby, imagining the baby in their arms. The more
relaxed a mother is, the better let down she’ll
have and the more milk will be dispensed.
- Your first attempts at pumping should be
considered practice sessions with learning to use
the breast pump as the goal, not how much milk is
actually dispensed.
- When you use a hand pump, quick, short
pumps at the start is stimulating and will imitate
more closely the way a baby breast feeds. Once
the let down occurs and milk starts to flow freely,
long, steadier strokes are more effective and
less tiring.
- When you learn to pump, you should
practice for 5 minutes on a side at least once or
twice a day. Always pick the least stressful part
of your day for pumping.

Relaxing and realizing that the pump is your
friend is the single most important thing that a
mother can do. There are several things that a
mother can do to help herself relax, such as
putting a picture of the baby on the pump, playing
cards or a game with friends, watching television,
read books, or talk on the phone. Simply watching
the collection bottle is not helpful and will
probably put more stress on you than you actually
need.

Technorati Tags : breast should pumping mother