Friday, July 27, 2012

Jom tambah ilmu pasal breastfeeding..

Salam Jumaat,
Bulan puasa kali ni betul-betul memberi cabaran kat saya. Adryan dah mula nak breastfeed lama-lama, hanging lama-lama kat Ms B. Kadang nampak saje2 nak spend time dgn mommy, sometimes mmg dia lapar specially at morning time tatkala mommy sibuk bersiap2 nak pergi keje, SubhanaAllah. Tension pagi2 buta. Weekend tak usah cakap, one to one session lah orang kata. Takde can Abg Adam nak manja-manja. Tapi risau jugak, maybe dia start to breastfeed longer now due to my supply drop, could be one of the reasons. But, InsyaAllah, I'm still in the midst to solve the problem and to ensure sustain milk supply during this fasting Ramadhan. Soon will share about this if it really works!!*praying harder*

I dah google some professional views. Love how they explained. Feel free to read about how long baby need to breatfeed. And some info about foremilk and hindmilk too. I've read one awesome entry about this from Anne's blog, how she has overcome baby weight issue of her last child. Have been pending to search more info about that, and lucky today I found a good article about that too. Alhamdulillah, maybe kedua-dua anak saya bambam sebab memang actively bf, lama plak tu. So semua hind and foremilk tu sapu bersih.=)


How Long to Breastfeed??



how long to breastfeed

After figuring out how to hold your baby and how to get a proper latch-on, the next obvious question is "How long am I supposed to do this for?" Most mothers will want an exact answer such as "feed your baby 20 minutes per breast"; but this is not possible since every mother-baby pair is different. Although there are general guidelines to help you (see below), the best answer is "feed your baby until he has had enough". He has had enough when he starts non-nutritive sucking.
  • Newborns can nurse for 5 to 10 minute per breast; every 2 to 3 hours. This comes to about 10 to 12 feedings per day. In the beginning, there is only colostrum, and there’s not very much of it, so be ready to feed often but for short durations.
  • One month or more: as baby gets older, his stomach will get larger. He will nurse less frequently but for a longer duration at each feeding session. For example, he may nurse 20 to 40 minute per breast every 3 to 4 hours.
  • By 6 months, Baby may breastfeed for 20 to 40 minutes per breast; 3 to 5 times per day.
Some babies drink quickly and are done after 10 minutes. Other babies drink slowly -stopping to rest after a few sucks- and will nurse for over 40 minutes. A baby isreally drinking breast milk if:
  • he is taking long, deep sucks on the breast,
  • you can hear him swallowing,
  • you can see his mouth moving up and down,
  • you can see his temple moving with each suck,
  • you can see a sliver of milk on the side of his mouth pulsating with every suck, and/or
  • you can feel milk draining out of your breasts.
When these things are happening, then your baby is actively sucking and eating. Let him eat. You can't over feed a breastfed baby.

Non Nutritive Sucking

On the other hand, if your baby is sucking only occasionally or is making quick, shallow sucks, then he is not really drinking. He is comforting himself on your breast through non-nutritive sucking. Of course, all babies like to snuggle by and suck on mother's warm breast; this is expected and will happen. But...
  • Non-nutritive sucking may not illicit the let-down reflex, so although Baby may be on your breast, he is not getting any milk. If your baby is not drinking your milk, your body will not produce any more (no supply when there is no demand).
  • Continual non-nutritive sucking may give you sore nipples.
  • And lastly, it may not be to your benefit to be a human pacifier.
--> If your baby does non-nutritive sucking, even at the beginning of the feeding session, then you should speak to a lactation consultant and get professional help. 
--> If your baby is doing non-nutritive sucking at the end of the feeding session, then the choice is yours: allow him to take comfort from your breast or remove him from your breast and hold & rock him instead.



Foremilk Hindmilk Imbalance


Foremilk and hindmilk
Foremilk hindmilk imbalance is one of the most common breastfeeding problems and usually occurs due to wrong information and misconceptions ofhow breastfeeding works. There are three types of breast milk…foremilk, hindmilk and colostrum. Colostrum is produced only a few days before and after giving birth, it is the clear liquid that is very rich in nutrients and antibodies…read more aboutcolostrum and its benefits.

hindmilk/foremik

What is foremilk?

Foremilk is the milk that is lying in the front of your breasts, this is the first milk that baby drinks with a breastfeeding session and this milk is watery compared to hind milk and is usually bluish in color. Foremilk is also abundant in carbohydrates, protein and vitamins.

What is hindmilk? 

Hindmilk is the milk further at the back of your breasts that is calorie loaded and much higher in fat percentage…it also looks thicker and darker in color.

So why this difference in milk?

When the milk is produced it passes the alveoli (milk producing cells)…most of the fat in the milk then sticks to these resulting in hind milk and the rest of the milk collects in the front of the breast. (less fatty foremilk)
So the fat actually just becomes stuck further back in the breast and this is what causes the large difference between the milk in the front and the milk further back. The fat content in the milk increases gradually during a feed as the fat globules are released from the alveoli.The longer mom waits between feeding the more foremilk is allowed to collect and the longer it will take before baby receives the hindmilk.The high lactose level found in the foremilk is important for energy and brain development and also quenches baby’s thirst…the hindmilk is important for growth and helps baby feel full.

Foremilk hindmilk imbalance
~ Interesting fact ~
The less breast milk a mom has in her breast…the higher the fat content will be.


What is a foremilk hindmilk imbalance ?

This happens when mom allows baby to breastfeed only for a few minutes on each side…it will result in baby becoming full on only foremilk…which again results in an oversupply of lactose, causing gassiness and foamy green explosive stools. For this reason it is so important that mom allows baby to drink from one breast until it seems empty (breasts are never fully empty because they are constantly producing milk) before offering the other one…this will ensure that baby receives the foremilk and hindmilk. The hind milk will fill baby more and decrease colic symptoms and explosive stools.
Sometimes mom might have an oversupply of foremilk which will also result in a foremilk imbalance problem. What causes this? Breastfeeding too often, and not allowing baby to finish one breast at a time. How can you fix this? Don’t allow baby to comfort feed (flutter sucking usually indicates comfort sucking)
soilednappy1
soiled3
Foremilk hindmilk imbalance symptoms

- Green frothy explosive stools
- Baby spits up a lot
- Colic symptoms (fussiness)
- Baby wanting to breastfeed all the time…not becoming satisfied.
- Gassiness
- Blood in stools
- Slow weight gain
- Diaper rash due to acidic stools
- Baby has a bowel movement immediately after feedings

The causes of a hindmilk foremilk imbalance

- Nursing for short frequent feedings.

How to prevent or stop a fore milk hind milk imbalance

To prevent this, moms should breastfeed only from one breast with each breastfeeding session. If the other breast becomes a bit engorged, mom can just express some of the milk until her breast feels less full and tight. If mom has an oversupply of breast milk she can pump some of the breastmilk before breastfeeding to ensure that baby receives the hindmilk as well as foremilk. To remedy the imbalance mom can breastfeed from each side for a separate 12 to 24 hours. (To prevent engorgement you can express some milk). How to reduce breast milk supply ~ If mom has an oversupply she can try reducing milk supply by drinking sage tea or using cabbage leaves. Usually the oversupply is accompanied by a forceful letdown. Read more on overactive and under active milk let down here.




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