If the mother takes alcohol or smokes, substances harmful to the child enter the milk. Breastfeeding is not recommended for women who are on medication. In some diseases (HIV, tuberculosis, anemia, etc.), breastfeeding is strictly prohibited. The transition to additional or artificial feeding is prescribed for mothers who produce less than one-fifth of the daily milk requirement that a baby needs.
Of course, with artificial feeding baby loses a lot, as a rule, these children have a weaker immunity, they are slightly behind their peers, who are breastfed. However, one should not experience too much blame for this. Today, we can meet a lot of people who have been artificially fed in infancy. Some children "from the test tube" have allergic reactions to the mother's breast milk and all other types of natural milk, so artificial feeding for them is the only possible way out.
Modern mixtures have almost all substances necessary for the baby. It is only necessary to check that the mixture does not cause the child to have an allergy. Do not worry much about how to switch to breastfeeding, for him, this transition is much easier than for you. If the child is relatively healthy, he will be hungry. The nipple for it is a very convenient device, since it takes much less effort to get food out of it than when sucking a breast. Much more difficult is the mother, who has not yet passed the milk. On how to switch to breastfeeding a baby who has contraindications to taking certain substances, or an allergy, it is better to consult a doctor. Such children will be suitable mixtures based on proteins and amino acids, or based on soy.
If there are no medical contraindications, it is necessary to switch to artificial feeding with your own milk gradually. Just add the expressed milk to the mixture to the baby. This method of feeding is suitable for mothers who have reduced milk production. Since the child is not applied to the chest, but eats from the bottle, the milk will gradually decrease and disappear completely.
The scheme of artificial feeding of a child does not differ from the scheme of breastfeeding. Supplementing juices can begin at three months of age. Sometimes babies are allowed to give juices, already starting from the third week after childbirth. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the child and the situation in which you are.
When switching to artificial feeding, you need to monitor the amount of food that you give the child. Usually on jars with a mixture it is written, in what quantity, and for what age the mixture is intended. With any deviation from the norm, the child's chair begins to change. There will be either constipation or diarrhea. Also, follow the urination of the baby, although this is more difficult, since you will have to give up disposable diapers. Normally, with sufficient nutrition, the child must perform about 12 urination per day. The increased amount of urination indicates that the child receives either too much or too little food.
Do not forget about hygiene requirements. Bottles and nipples should be regularly boiled, kept in a specially designated place for them. The mixture for feeding should have a certain temperature. It should not be too hot or too cold. Give your child only a freshly prepared mixture and do not store leftovers.
The transition to artificial feeding, if possible, is better in the cold season, as the probability of infection is increased in the heat. Make sure that the temperature in the room where the child is, was not higher than 25 degrees.
Gradual transition to artificial feeding is better because it is possible to control the child's chair. Ideally, the child should not have diarrhea and constipation. If the stool has changed color, this is normal. However, remember that a greenish stool sometimes indicates an allergy. In this case, you need to check whether the child has other signs of an allergic reaction.
It is better to give the mixture in the morning, so that until the evening the child has time to digest it and not be capricious at a time when everyone wants to sleep.
By weighing before and after feeding, it is determined whether the child has enough food. Adhere to the daily rate of feeding, if the child ate a little more or less at a time than it should, at the next feeding, respectively, change the rate.