May
I have heard that breastfeeding babies often
take longer time to sleep all night. Should my son do this?
First, remember that “sleeping all the
night” at this age actually means 5 or 6 hours, not 8 or 9 hours. Second, every
baby is different from another. Some babies will start sleeping a lot at 3
months of age, others will not until grower. “Babies sleep all the night when
they are ready, even if they were breastfed or not”, explains Panchula.
Babies
sleep all the night when they are ready, even if they were breastfed or not.
In fact, because breast milk is digested
faster that powder milk, breastfed babies usually require feeding - and thus he/she
wakes up - more often than infants who drink powder milk. (Tip: do not look at
the clock! Keep feeding the baby whenever he/she hungry, whether day or night).
June
My child seems ready to eat solid food.
When should I feed these foods for my son? And how?
When
should I feed these foods for my son? And how?
“Breast milk is the most important
component of your baby’s diet at this age, so let the baby breastfeed before
you feed him/her cereal or other foods”, Debi Page Ferrarello, R.N, M.S,
I.B.C.L.C, director of family nutrition and education at Pennsylvania - the
University of Health System, said. When you fed the baby hard food, start with
rice cereal and gradually add fruit and cooked or pureed vegetables. (Some
pediatricians think it’s good when you start with pureed fruit, or even purees meat;
let check with your doctor to see what they recommend). You need to wait 3 to 5
days before introducing other foods, so that you can track the cause any
allergy.
July
Can I take the pills if I’m a breastfeeding
mother?
“Yes. Remember to choose the mini pill,
which just contains progestin, because estrogen-containing drug can reduce the
secretion of milk”, said Ferrarello. Depo-Provera - injecting drug using in 3
months - is a safe progestin pill to use while breastfeeding. Let wait six
weeks after giving birth to use them.
August
My milk ducts are clogged. What causes
this problem and what can I do to treat it?
“One of the risk factors leading to clogged
ducts is the change in your baby’s milk feeding”, explains Ferrarello. “If your
baby is nursing less because he/she is eating more solid foods, too much milk
is in the chest can occur and clog the ducts”. The best way to treat clogged
ducts are nursing or sucking milk from the affected breasts frequently, use
warm gauze, drink much water, and rest. If you have a fever, let see your
doctor, you may have mastitis, an infectious disease that needs
antibiotics.
September
My child bites me! What can I do to stop
it?
Let stop the child from the breast when he/she
begins to bite, and say “no bite”, then keep the baby away from the breast
until the next feeding time. We alert: biting usually occurs in the end of
breastfeeding, so if you know your your baby is going to finish nursing, let
take the baby out of your breast before he/she bites.
October
My child seems not to like nursing. Is
it normal?
“This is completely normal at this age”,
Harvey said. “The children are curious about their world and they start
exploring right now”. Your toddler may be distracted by any noise that he/she
heard, which causes children to stop nursing, or your baby is crawling, in this
case he/she really wants to explore. While this may be frustrated time with
you, it will pass soon; it does not mean your baby is ready to wean.
November
My child is eating a lot of solid foods.
How many times should I feed him a day?
“At least 4 times a day is what we expect”,
Harvey said. “A child at this age should have 16 to 20 ounces of mother milk
every day”. At the end of first year, a half of baby's calories should come
from mother milk.
December
I’m not sure if I am ready to let the
baby wean or not. Is there any appropriate reason to breastfeed more than 1
year?
I’m
not sure if I am ready to let the baby wean or not.
There are many reasons to continue
breastfeeding, but one of the best reasons is the health of your baby: breast
milk not only protects the baby from many diseases but also helps him/her
recover faster after sick”. “As long as your baby is drinking mother milk,
he/she has all immune benefits that breastfeeding offers”, Harvey said.
But there are still many other reasons. “Mother
and child have a special relationship, and there is no reason for woman to
weaned quickly”, Harvey said. “As long as mother and the baby are happy, there
is no reason to wean”.
