Feed the world? It certainly feels like I am!
Most newborns like to feed regularly, but high-needs babies in particular may feed very frequently ("she wants it all day, every day!", one friend remarked about her 2-month-old girl). And their preference for all-day grazing may well continue well into the second half of their first year, or even beyond.
Newborns have such small tummies that they often just can't go for more than two to three hours without a feed, and the smaller the baby the faster they can get hungry after their last feed. Frequent feeding is also key for your milk supply early on, if you're nursing. Not to mention the many other benefits aside from nutrition that a breastfeed can bring - comfort, calming, and bonding between mum and baby.
It is important that, during those first few months, you go with it as much as you possibly can. Now is not the time to be scheduling feeds or trying to space them out. Nor is it very kind to try to delay feeding your baby - even ten minutes is a long time for a tiny stomach to be rumbling. And the earlier you pick up on the signs that your baby wants to be fed, the easier it can be for them to latch on.
It's very common for babies to cluster feed in the evening during the first few months and this can involve the baby being almost permanently attached to you during these hours. Be kind to yourself: put your feet up if you possibly can and and take up any offers of help from your partner, friends or family to cook you dinner! Bottle-feeding mums should also be looking to feed on demand for the first few months at least although formula is slower to be digested and therefore bottle-fed babies do traditionally feed less often than breastfed ones.
Newborns have such small tummies that they often just can't go for more than two to three hours without a feed, and the smaller the baby the faster they can get hungry after their last feed. Frequent feeding is also key for your milk supply early on, if you're nursing. Not to mention the many other benefits aside from nutrition that a breastfeed can bring - comfort, calming, and bonding between mum and baby.
It is important that, during those first few months, you go with it as much as you possibly can. Now is not the time to be scheduling feeds or trying to space them out. Nor is it very kind to try to delay feeding your baby - even ten minutes is a long time for a tiny stomach to be rumbling. And the earlier you pick up on the signs that your baby wants to be fed, the easier it can be for them to latch on.
It's very common for babies to cluster feed in the evening during the first few months and this can involve the baby being almost permanently attached to you during these hours. Be kind to yourself: put your feet up if you possibly can and and take up any offers of help from your partner, friends or family to cook you dinner! Bottle-feeding mums should also be looking to feed on demand for the first few months at least although formula is slower to be digested and therefore bottle-fed babies do traditionally feed less often than breastfed ones.
Expressing milk to give a bottle without medical reason tends to split opinion. Some breastfeeding women are staunchly against it as it takes away the natural element and adds extra faffing around - and some women just don't want to share the feeding! Others find the extra hassle of expressing to be worth it for the break it gives them from their baby. Some even manage to go out in the evening or for more than a couple of hours in the day, and say this helped them keep their sanity during those early months.
If you're expressing infrequently, a manual pump may be adequate, but for regular pumpers an electric pump is much faster and more efficient. Double ones, particularly, will get the job done in much less time. The Medela Pump in Style is the one I've heard the most positive reports about, but the Lansinoh one is also supposed to be very good. If you buy a double pump, seriously consider investing in a pumping bra. You can express completely hands-free and use the time to read a magazine and drink a cup of coffee! |
How much is too much? And why are they never satisfied?
Some medical professionals do point out that comfort feeding can sometimes overload a baby's tummy, but breastfeeding counsellors argue that this is rare and more likely to happen to bottlefed babies. If your baby has reflux or another gastrointestinal condition then you may be advised that you need to avoid feeding them for comfort, and of course you should follow any advice given for this - though sometimes even doctors can be wrong and I found it was always a good idea to ge t a second opinion from a qualified breastfeeding adviser such as those from La Leche League (find your nearest group or see details of their helpline here) or from Breastfeeding USA.
Some babies can become very unsettled after feeds with gas and discomfort and sometimes this can be caused by an imbalance between hind-milk and fore-milk, according to many breastfeeding advisers. If you think this could be the case, then consider seeking specialist help. If your baby isn't putting on enough weight or regularly seems agitated after feeds then do seek medical advice. It's also worth being aware that tongue tie or lip tie are conditions that can affect your baby getting enough milk, thus causing babies to be unsatisfied after a feed. If you are bottle feeding, there are special bottles you can buy to help babies with colic or reflux. I constantly had a stream of anxieties, worries and questions during the early days of breastfeeding and would regularly refer to my 'breastfeeding bible', aka 'The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding'.
Some babies can become very unsettled after feeds with gas and discomfort and sometimes this can be caused by an imbalance between hind-milk and fore-milk, according to many breastfeeding advisers. If you think this could be the case, then consider seeking specialist help. If your baby isn't putting on enough weight or regularly seems agitated after feeds then do seek medical advice. It's also worth being aware that tongue tie or lip tie are conditions that can affect your baby getting enough milk, thus causing babies to be unsatisfied after a feed. If you are bottle feeding, there are special bottles you can buy to help babies with colic or reflux. I constantly had a stream of anxieties, worries and questions during the early days of breastfeeding and would regularly refer to my 'breastfeeding bible', aka 'The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding'.
What about pacifiers?
Some parents decide to introduce a pacifier to help calm their baby or give them a break. It can certainly be a real help for many babies. Our baby refused any attempt to introduce one, despite us buying no fewer than six different types to try. Note that you should not introduce a pacifier during the first few weeks of a baby's life if you are breastfeeding as it can interfere with latch and hamper milk production. You'll also need to be prepared for the fact that you may need to wean them from it when they are older.
Food, glorious food!
As a baby reaches weaning age, many mums breathe a sigh of relief - their baby no longer relies solely on them for nutrition. They can go out for an evening, a whole day - hell, even book a holiday! But your baby may have other plans.
My little girl, and certainly many of my friends' babies, did not stop wanting frequent feeds until well after six months. Once my baby reached about nine months, she finally stopped demanding it every two hours, only to regress to hourly requests for milk once she reached eleven months! I actually noticed that the milk by this stage seemed to stop soothing her as it did before. While some mums are happy to continue feeding on demand - even if the baby is a frequent feeder - I decided to cut back to morning and night only. It took a good few weeks for her to stop pulling at my neckline regularly, but eventually she accepted it and we had two good quality feeds per day, rather than ten that I resented and that she didn't seem to enjoy either. |
It's also worth noting that milk should be a baby's main form of nutrition until he or she is a year old. It is very, very common for babies to be slow to take to solids.
Others start off well then seem to stall at around ten months. Don't sweat it - when your baby wants food, he or she will eat it. Just keep offering a good range of healthy foods. Many mums and dads of more demanding babies find that the baby-led weaning approach suits their family better. Baby-led weaning is an idea founded by a UK health professional, where the baby helps him or herself from a range of finger foods. Spoon feeding a fussy and headstrong baby can be highly stressful for all involved and might end up giving the baby a negative view of mealtimes. Far better to let them decide how much to eat and when they want by just offering a range of finger foods. |
Not that we never spoon fed our little one; if she opened her mouth for us to spoon yoghurt in, we weren't going to say no (as some baby-led weaning fanatics do!). Being baby-led is doing what the baby wants or needs, not following a rigid set of guidelines. It is important not to turn meals into a battleground, so avoiding praising, cajoling and telling off is paramount for babies to grow up with a relaxed attitude to food. For more information on baby-led weaning, this book is really excellent. You may also find a baby or family recipe book useful. The Baby-led Weaning Cookbook gets good reviews, as do Cooking for Baby and the Baby and Toddler On the Go Cookbook.
As great as baby-led weaning is, you will get mess. A lot of it. Baby-led weaners (and in fact most parents) that we knew swore by the Ikea Antilop highchair, partly for its very affordable price tag but mostly because it is an absolute cinch to clean. You can easily dismantle it and pop it in the dishwasher if it's really mucky. If you fancy something a bit more upmarket, the Stokke Tripp Trapp gets rave reviews. It is designed for the baby to sit right up at the table with you - which fits in nicely with the philosophies of baby-led weaning. |
Other musts are a suitable floor covering such as this one and long-sleeved bibs. These are the ones we favoured when out and about, as they're hardwearing but roll up very small.
Though the squeezy purees and smoothies on the market don't really fit the baby-led weaning ethos of giving your baby the same food as you, they can be very convenient and not to mention a great way for a baby to feed itself once its got the knack of squeezing them. At one point, my little girl loved them so much I carried them round in my bag as our emergency food, as she'd be distracted from any whining for a full five minutes while she sucked all the fruity goodness out! They're not cheap, however, so if your baby is a big fan, this product is fantastic as it allows you to squeeze your own puree into it, saving you money in the long run not to mention allowing you to know exactly what goes into your little one's food. |