Artificial feeding

In fact, there are very few contraindications to breastfeeding, but there are many reasons to not breastfeed a baby. 64% of mothers start breastfeeding, but 52% continue it only for 2 weeks and 39% for 6 weeks. Thus, most mothers prefer artificial feeding both because of insufficient hygienic and medical knowledge, and because of insufficient promotion in breastfeeding.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6],

Milk composition for newborn

The cow milk is used as a basis, which undergoes "humanization" by reducing the soluble substances in it and modifying the content of fat, proteins and vitamins.

A formula that is close to whey is more suitable for feeding infants than milk rich in protein (casein), but the annotations applied to infant formula are almost the same and in all it is said that this milk is quite suitable for nutrition newborn. However, this problem is not allowed for infant feeding.

Preparing for bottle feeding

The hands of the mother must be cleaned, and all objects that come into contact with the infant during feeding are sterilized. Only boiled water is consumed - gastroenteritis in infants due to hygiene disorders is the cause of significant infant mortality in developing countries and significant morbidity in the UK. The amount of milk powder should be accurately measured. In the case of undernourishment, the growth of the infant slows down, and when overfed, hypernatremia, constipation and obesity, which are dangerous for the child's life, can arise.

Feeding procedure

The infant needs approximately 150 ml / kg of milk per day. The total amount is divided into 4-6 feedings, depending on the age and temperament of the child. Milk for feeding is often warmed, although there is no evidence that feeding with cold milk is harmful. Milk from the bottle should pour out almost a trickle. Before each feeding it is necessary to check the patency of the hole in the nipple, since it has the property of clogging. The hole in the nipple can be increased with a red hot needle. A bottle of milk should be kept nursing at such an angle that the child, along with milk, does not suck in air.

The allergy to cow's milk develops in some infants with atopy and is manifested by diarrhea (sometimes bloody), vomiting around the mouth, swelling, lagging development and insufficient weight gain. In such cases, you should switch to soy milk. Cow milk can be given with caution again to the child about a year later.

[7], [8]

Breaking the baby from the breast

Milk contains a sufficient number of nutrients and fully meets the need of a newborn in the first 3 months of life. Any additional chemical substances or "dense substances" should be introduced into the ration of the child in the period from 3 to 6 months in the form of porridge or mashed potatoes. Liquid gruel should not be added to a bottle of milk.

Read also: How to wean the baby from the breast?

After the child reaches the age of 6 months, protein-enriched mixtures can be used for feeding. You can begin to give food in small pieces so that the child learns to chew. After celebrating the first year of the birth of a child, he can consume cow's milk (preferably natural).

[9], [10], [11],

Benefits of artificial feeding

The only acceptable alternative to breastfeeding in the first year of life is the feeding of adapted mixtures; water can cause hyponatremia, and whole cow milk is not a full-fledged substitute for breast milk. The benefits of artificial feeding with adapted mixtures include the ability to accurately determine the amount of food and the ability to participate in feeding and other family members . Despite the fact that other factors are equivalent, these advantages are outweighed by the undeniable benefit of breastfeeding for the health of the child.

Commercial adapted mixtures for infants are offered in the form of dry, liquid concentrated and liquid diluted (ready-to-use) mixtures; all of them contain vitamins, most of them are enriched with iron. The mixture should be diluted with fluorinated water; when feeding a child older than 6 months in regions where fluoridated water is not available, or when using ready-made (diluted) mixtures prepared on the basis of non-fluorinated water, fluoride in drops (0.25 mg / day inwards) should be added.

The choice of mixture depends on the needs of the child. Cow milk mixtures are the standard choice in the event that anxiety, regurgitation, increased gas formation does not indicate sensitization to the cow's milk protein or lactose intolerance (rarely in the neonatal period), in these situations soya mixtures can be recommended. All soya mixtures in the US do not contain lactose, but some children with an allergy to cow's milk protein may also have an allergy to soy protein. In this case, mixtures based on hydrolyzed protein (elementary formulas) are used, which are made on the basis of cow's milk, but contain triglycerides, proteins and monosaccharides in a split form of small, non-allergenic components. Also special non-carbohydrate mixtures are produced. These mixtures have different amounts of vitamins and methods of preparation.

Children who are breastfed are also fed on demand, but due to the fact that the mixtures are digested slower than breast milk, as a rule, the intervals between feedings are longer, first about 3-4 hours. The initial volume of 15 to 60 ml (0.5 to 2 ounces) is gradually brought to 90 ml (3 ounces) about 6 times a day during the first week of life, which provides about 120 kcal / kg by the 1st week for a three-kilogram the baby.

Even fathers can feed a newborn from a bottle. At the same time, the mother of the child knows exactly how much the baby has drunk. Such feeding can be carried out without any difficulty and in places that are not adapted for this purpose. Many mothers of Asian descent believe that colostrum is harmful to the baby and, thus, prefer to start with artificial feeding.

[12], [13], [14], [15]