Breastfeeding your baby? Here's all you need to know.
There are two types of milk present in breastmilk. The milk available at the beginning of a feed is typically low in fat and is called foremilk. The milk available towards the end of a feed is higher in fat and is called hindmilk. The fat content gradually keeps increasing as your baby empties out the breast. Fat is important for your baby's brain development which is why mothers are discouraged from dieting or cutting down fat content while breastfeeding.
If your baby is weak initially and isn't sucking well, it is always a good idea to let him suck for five minutes on each breast instead of ten minutes on one, so he gets adequate milk without having to work too hard. You don't have to worry about your baby getting enough hindmilk because if he feeds again after a short gap there will be enough fat in your foremilk itself. However, if he fees after a longer gap, the fat will again have moved towards the end of the ducts and the foremilk will be low in fat.
Many mothers are very particular about giving their child only breast milk, while there are those that supplement breastmilk with at least one formula feed everyday. "I would give my baby one formula feed of 4 ounces every night, just before I went to sleep. As formula is heavier than breastmilk, my baby would sleep longer before getting up for her next feed, and I managed to get a few extra hours of uninterrupted sleep, which was a blessing!" says Deepika Bakshi, who swears that giving one formula feed helped her baby gain weight faster, helped her get adequate sleep, and made it easier for her to wean her baby. As all the other feeds were breastmilk, Deepika didn't think her child's immunity was compromised.
We also hear of a number of stories of mothers who find it extremely hard to make the switch from breastmilk to semi-solids. And then there are those children that fall sick as soon as they are weaned, but thrived when they were on breastmilk. "I breastfed my elder daughter for eight months, and as soon as I started weaning her, she fell violently ill and had all kinds of digestive problems. Then I breastfed my younger son for three months, and he made the transition from breastmilk to semi-solids and then solids with ease!" says Gayatri. On the other hand there are those mothers that swear that those children who were breasfed longer, seemed to be healthier.
Thus there will always be conflicting advice. So as a mother, do whatever works best for you. If you feel one feed of formula at night will help give you a few extra hours of much needed sleep, go ahead, and don't let others make you feel guilty for doing so. What's good for you is good for your baby. Every baby is different, every family is different, and what works for one doesn't have to work for another. You will encounter mothers everywhere who will be ready with their two bits of advice to tell you how to do things and what works and as you will see, different mothers find different things worked for different babies. You too will need to find a balance between what is comfortable for you, and what works for your baby. Take advice from your paediatrician and your parents, read up on breastfeeding, make informed decisions and follow your instinct.
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