Feeding is a time to hold and enjoy your infant and the interaction of feeding. Tips about positioning and burping your infant are included.
Breastfeeding Goals
Feeding your newborn is a great opportunity to bond with your baby. Try to enjoy every mealtime. For the first few months, you should be feeding your baby breast milk or infant formula only, as these are the best nutrition for the newborn infant. Do not give any solid food in the first months.
Making sure that feeding is enjoyable for you and the baby is important. Pick a comfortable place to sit and relax with the baby while you feed your baby. Be sure that you are holding your bottle-fed baby propped in your arms. Feeding is a time to hold and enjoy your infant and the interaction of feeding should be pleasurable.
Breastfeeding moms might want to have a cup of water handy and a pillow on their laps to make positioning easy and to quench thirst that often happens when you start to breastfeed. Newborns feed frequently, and this is normal. Remember that breastfeeding is comfort as well as food, so feeding often is OK for settling a baby that has already fed. It is difficult to overfeed a breastfed baby.
Here are some tips on feeding your baby:
Positioning
If you are bottle-feeding, hold your baby and talk to him or her. Do not lay your baby down and never prop the bottle in position. Infants need to be held and cuddled during feeding and should never be left propped with a bottle.
Breastfed babies can be held in your lap or in the “football” hold, with the baby’s legs at your side, perhaps on a pillow. Many breastfeeding mothers like feeding in bed with the infant rolled towards you.
Breastfed babies can be held in your lap or in the “football” hold, with the baby’s legs at your side, perhaps on a pillow. Many breastfeeding mothers like feeding in bed with the infant rolled towards you.
Burping
Your baby will probably swallow some air while feeding. This could cause him or her to spit up or become fussy, so it is important to burp your child after every feeding. To burp your baby, sit or hold the baby against your chest or shoulder, and pat gently on the back. Each baby, whether breast- or bottle-fed, is different. You will, with time, learn to recognize your own infant’s needs. Breastfed babies, less often, but sometimes need burping.
How do I know my baby is eating enough?
If your baby is wetting lots of diapers with dilute urine, then your infant is likely getting enough to eat. Regular check-ups will help determine if your baby is getting enough because a weight will be checked at each visit.