For the newborn babies feeding time is the happy time, according to a research feeding develops a bond between the newborn baby and the mother. While feeding your newborn baby you should take special care of what you are feeding the newborn baby and how you are feeding. Carelessness and inattention leads to serious health problems for the newborn baby. The newborn baby has a small tummy, which means less food storage. So you have to feed your baby after every two to three hours. It has been proved through research and is now a well established fact that in the first year breast milk is the most complete and nutritious diet for the newborn baby. Breast milk is also the perfect food for the newborn baby’s digestive system; it contains minerals and vitamins that are essential for the infants healthy growth and nourishment. Breast milk also contains an array of anti bodies that help develop the baby’s immune systems and protect the baby from different diseases. Breastfeeding also ensures that the child never gets obese or overweight. Medical experts and nutritionists recommend breast milk for newborn babies for at least first 2 years. But due to any reason if breastfeeding is not possible you should use infant formula. Like breastfeeding, bottle feeding or using infant formula has its own advantages. Being a nutritious alternative to breast milk the infant formula or bottle feeding offers more flexibility like you can feed your baby in public or while in a journey. It also makes easier to know how much the baby is getting. Your partner can also feed the baby using a bottle. If you are going to bottle feed your baby you should consider the following tips.
- Pay special attention to the directions written on the label and follow them thoroughly.
- Bottles that were left out of refrigerator for prolonged periods of time should be discarded.
- Prepared bottle of formula should be placed in refrigerator but no longer than 24 hours.
To make it more comfortable for the babies, it is advisable to warm the formula milk before feeding. Do not use direct heat, place the bottle under running warm water to heat the milk. A bottle of formula milk should never be warmed in a microwave. Most newborn babies do not require water, juice or other fluids during first few weeks.
You should feed your newborn baby whenever the baby is hungry and needs feeding. Mothers or baby nurses should look for early signs of hunger for the baby, these signs include lip movements, stirring, sucking, crying and stretching. Its always better to start feeding sooner and stop feeding the newborn baby as soon as the baby stops sucking the bottle or breast or turns away from the mother or the bottle. During the first couple of weeks your will require more time in feeding your newborn baby, as the baby grows older he or she would consume more food in less time which means less feeding time. Also as the baby grows older the feeding pattern would change, in the growth spurts the baby would usually consume more food. While feeding a newborn baby you should trust your instincts and your baby’s. Most newborn babies know when to stop and when to ask for more food. Do not focus on how much the baby is getting or how often, just look for signs like steady weight gain, satisfaction between feedings and bowel movements. Consider each feeding a time to develop a strong bond between you and your newborn baby. Hold your baby close to your body while feeding to build the baby’s sense of security comfort and trust.
If you need more consultation help or advice in feeding your baby you can always call us at (415) 579-1603. If you are living in Bay area, Santa Clara, Menlo Park, San Jose, Contra Costa or Marin county you can avail our baby nurse or postpartum doula services by calling at the above number. For more updates and tips for newborn babies keep on visiting Bay Area Baby Nurse
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