BREASTFEEDING TECHNIQUE AND SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES

BREASTFEEDING TECHNIQUE AND SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES

1. Breastfeeding should be done in as clean and safe a manner as possible.
2. The mother and baby should be comfortable and relaxed at the feeding time.
3. She should be well conversant with “how to put the baby to breast and how to remove him off it.”
4. Correct position consists in supporting whole body on the infant so that it faces the mother and the head and the body are in the same plane, and his abdomen touches mother’s abdomen.
5. Good attachment of infant’s mouth on mother’s areola and nipple is important for good suckling.

It is indicated by

-Infant’s mouth wide open

-Infant’s lower lip turned outward

-Infant’s chin touches mother’s breast

-Most of areola inside infants mouth.

     6.    At least one breast should be completely emptied at every, sitting.

     7.    In the case of a working mother, her “expressed” milk can be spoonfed to the

            baby in her absence. The mother should be conversant with the teqnique of

            expressing    milk. Using both hands, she should squeeze gently from the base of

            the breast towards the areola and nipple. Then the breast and areola should be

            squeezed   between fingers and thumbs and the milk collected in a clean

            container. The container should be stored in a cool place. If stored outside the

            refrigerator, it has got to be used within 12 hours. Just before feeding, this milk

            should be warmed by placing the container in a bowl of hot water.

8.        Starting from the initial 5 minutes, the nursing time can be gradually increased to

15 to 20 minutes in the subsequent days. Breastfeeding until 4 to 6 months of age should be infant’s exclusive intake. He need not be given even water, not to speak of supplementary feeds. There is now sufficient evidence that exclusive breastfeeding can maintain hydration, urine output, urinary specific gravity and rectal temperature without water supplementation even at environmental temperatures varying from 23 to 41 degree C and relative humidity from 15 to 96%. On the other hand , early supplementation may led to infection, lactation failure and dilution of beneficial effects of breastfeeding.

     9.    In order to “kick out” the swallowed air, the act of nursing should be followed by  

            Burping. It consists in holding the baby erect over mother’s shoulder or making

            him sit in mother’s lap and then patting or rubbing his back so that he eructates

            the swallowed air. Failure to do so may cause regurgitation, vomiting, and even

            abdominal pain.

9.        Mother should given adequate attention to her diet, personal hygienic and health

and have sufficient rest. As far as possible, she should avoid unnecessary use of drugs which may have adverse effect on the body.

A contented baby is a good guide as regards the adequacy of milk supply. A contended baby sleeps well after feed, is playful and passes adequate urine. The most reliable criterion of adequate supply of breast milk and growth of baby is the weight gain. A baby who gains less than 500 gm in any 4-week period in first 3 months of life or 200 g in any 4-weeks period in second three months is likely to be malnourished later.