How to understand if enough milk for your newborn?

One of the common fears of mothers of newborns is the fear of lack of milk. It is believed that the baby becomes restless when hungry. But not always malnutrition is manifested through the nervousness of the child.

In this article we will tell you how to accurately determine if you have enough milk, and what you need to do so that the baby is always full and content.

Causes of malnutrition

First, let's look at the possible causes of malnutrition of the baby.

Mom's anxiety and milk quality

The most important role in feeding the baby is the quality of milk. Strangely enough, but it does not appear in the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and not even in their ratio. The most important in milk is the concentration of "mood hormones". The development of "stress hormones" increases in your body, and they automatically get into milk if you:

• much experience;
• often feel tired;
• Do not get enough sleep;
• do not have time to rest.

So arranged by nature that the mother's milk is formed (if speaking figuratively) not in the chest, but in the head and even, rather, in the soul of the mother. Let's try to imagine how much the baby can safely drink "alarming" milk for its health?

Many mothers out of curiosity conducted such an experience: they specifically expressed a little milk in a cup to try it. And it was noticed that ordinary milk has a sweet taste. Milk "on stress" has an already sour taste. Perhaps, that is why in olden days it was said that "the milk of the mother is pissed off."

If you somehow manage to cope with fatigue and anxiety through time, then the taste of milk is likely to change. And, of course, the baby will signal you about this in all the ways available to him: he will turn away, stop taking his chest, grunt and even cry, wag his pens and pinch his legs. How to change the situation for the better, you will learn at the end of the article, where we describe in detail the technology of safe feeding. In the meantime, let us consider the following cause of malnutrition.

The baby has a sore tummy

Another common cause of malnutrition can be problems with the gastrointestinal tract of the child: from the initial digestion of milk in the stomach and ending with its immediate completion.

Problems with the gastrointestinal tract can arise not only because of "disturbing" milk, but also because of certain situations that occurred in the first 2-3 days from the moment of birth, when the colostrum did not get colostrum, and the baby was fed artificially. The peculiarity of the colostrum is (and this is its main difference from milk) that it contains a huge number of immune cells and various hormones that help to "start" the intestines of a child. And what is meant by "well working intestines of a baby"? This is the intestine, capable of producing its own microflora and microfauna, which help digest milk, and in the future - all other food. Having received such a useful substance, as colostrum, kids eat with pleasure and eat well. This is evidenced by this experiment of scientists.

Biologists have studied the milk of different rodents. They determined in it the amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, the percentage of water, the composition of amino acids and other related substances. Next they developed and created the ideal milk formula, which began to feed the cubs. The experiment completely failed - all the kids died within a few days. And when one drop of natural cow milk was added to the diluted mixture, the cubs were painful, but still survived.

What conclusion can be drawn from this experiment? Unequivocally: about the advantage of "live" mother's milk before artificial, and in the case of newborn babies - before colostrum. But how do you determine if your child is full? Let's see.

Signs that the baby is not full

Of the numerous observations of the babies, mothers, along with various specialists, identified 5 main signs of malnutrition. First sign. As described in the article above, this is the general anxiety and nervousness of the baby. Recall that they can manifest as follows:

• the kid does not want to take the breast and turns away;
• he grimaces and grunts angrily;
• sharply jerks hands and feet;
• sounds disturbing sounds.

To calm the child, you can take him in your arms, walk with him, shake. If you have not enough strength, use a cradle or stroller for this. You can also bathe the baby in a warm bath with chamomile.

The second sign. After a long period of anxiety, the baby is usually very tired and falls asleep for a long time. This dream lasts more than 3-4 hours. And this is not the norm. An exception can only be the situation of taking some medicine or the state of the baby in case of illness. In this case, experienced midwives recommend waking up a crumb after 2-3 hours to feed. But you need to do this carefully: with light touches and stroking. You can also call the baby by the name in a low voice. The third sign. When malnourished, the baby may have "hungry diarrhea". It has a green color and can irritate sensitive kid's skin. To protect the baby's skin from diaper rash and irritation, a special line of diapers GOO.N for newborns was created (weighing up to 5 kg).

• Their embossed 3D-surface does not allow the liquid stool to touch the skin of the baby, and the stool itself is absorbed into the grooves. The skin remains in a relaxed state, because it contacts the smaller area of ​​the diaper.
• The line GOO.N for newborns is made of a very delicate material and has a "breathable" outer layer. It allows you to remove water vapor outward and works as a membrane, i.e., lets the air pass to the baby's skin. This increases the protection against diaper rash.
• Due to the neutralization function, the odor after use of the diaper becomes less severe.

The fourth sign. The number of pensions is another indicator that can tell about malnutrition. If the baby pisses less than 7 times a day, then milk is definitely not enough for him. GOO.N diapers for newborns have a special filling indicator. When wet, the lines turn blue, indicating that the diaper is about to change. This little detail will help Mom to easily determine how many times a day the kid has pissed. The fifth sign. Perhaps, this sign - the brightest of all listed: the baby begins dehydration, in which the tummy falls and there is a blind crying. And here all the doubts are disappearing whether the baby has enough milk. In this state, the baby can only be soothed by good milk. And then we'll tell you what you need to do, so that you always have enough "calm" milk, and your baby remains full and satisfied.

Helpful tips for feeding

How to make milk "calm"

Often you can hear the opinion that a lot of milk is in women with large breasts. But, according to the observations of specialists and the mothers themselves, it is incorrect. For the return of milk, the "hormone of embraces" or "magic hormone" answers-oxytocin. It is formed in the presence of 4 conditions (the so-called "four T"), when:

• quiet;
• dark;
• heat;
• closely.

The whole situation when feeding a newborn must meet these conditions. That is, it is necessary that the room is quiet and warm, and the lighting should be muffled. The very baby needs close contact with the mother: "skin to skin", "eyes to eyes". The yield of milk in this case will be excellent.

But...

What you need to remember mom

Even if you created a "four T" condition, your state is of no less importance. And for this you need to remember that:

1. feeding is a rest, therefore it is better to feed the child in comfort conditions: lying down, sitting in a comfortable armchair, without a TV set and annoying sounds;
2. joint daytime sleep with a child will help you regain strength after a sleepless night and calm your nerves;
3. you need to eat! Insufficient nutrition is a common problem for moms, whose thoughts revolve around the child's well-being; eat on time, drink warm drinks, and then you will feel good, and with you - and the one you care for so much;
4. try to always dress warmly, since hypothermia can cause serious problems with breast health and milk yield.

As you already understood, taking care of yourself relieves fatigue and anxiety better than any medication. And if so, your newborn will always be fed, satisfied and healthy! Anfisa Kalistratova, child psychologist