electric children
AUGUST, 2018 | The HEALTH
21
THE BUMP
Quick Tips
• Breastfeed early within an hour of
birth and eight to 12 times within 24
hours.
• Skin-to-skin contact between mother
and baby enhances milk supply.
• Ensure baby has a good latch. Get
help if needed, especially if nipples
are sore.
• Offer both breast at every feeding in
early days.
Baby’s first baths
• Ensure baby is actively sucking and
transferring milk while at the breast.
AFTER the baby’s umbilical cord stump falls off
— generally by the third week, you’ll finally be able
to give her a real bath. To keep the baby warmer,
more comfortable and less likely to cry, place a warm
washcloth over her tummy during the bath. It makes
all the difference between a happy water baby and a
miserable one.
Also, if your house is on the colder side, turn up
the heat a little before the bath so the cold air won’t
be as much of a shock after the bath.
• Supply and demand — the more the
baby nurses, the more milk you will
produce.
• What comes out must have gone in:
Five to six wet diapers and at least
three bowel movements should be
expected.
• A supportive network is essential
to help smooth out the bumps in
the road that you’re going through.
through.
body to increase milk supply according to baby’s
needs.”
On the other hand, a baby that is not latching
well to the nipple will not stimulate milk production
efficiently.
“In addition, a bad latch can cause nipple soreness
as a result of tongue-tie, which affects the baby’s ability
to drain the breast adequately.”
Infrequent nursing
If baby is sleepy, ill, or you are separated from your
baby for any reason, your milk supply will start to
decrease, therefore stimulation on breast with breast
pump or hand expression is important.
Remember the basic principles!
• The more efficient the baby is in emptying the
breasts, the more milk your body produces.
• Your body will produce milk in response to stimula-
tion of the breast.
JOJO MAMAN BEBE
“A good latch
stimulates
milk letdown
(oxytocin
hormone),
leading to
increase
milk supply;
keeping your baby
contented. It also gives a
cue to the mother’s body
to increase milk supply
according to baby’s needs.”
Breast feeding
nutritionally
YOU may have heard of how some mothers continue
breastfeeding their child for years. But, exactly how
nutritious is it?
Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur Neonatologist
and Paediatrician consultant Dr Uma Sothinathan
highlighted that just sole breastfeeding is enough for
the child nutritionally until six months.
“The reason why we say that we start weening at
six months is because then breast milk on its own
isn’t nutritionally holistic. You need to start giving
other food.”
“The mother may decide to continue for a year
and if she wants to, the second year. However, there
is very little evidence of the benefits of breast milk
after two years.”
There is almost no evidence to suggest that sole
breast feeding after six months is the right thing for
your baby. So, food should be introduced.
Five best
ways to feed
your baby
MOMJUNCTION
AS parents, you would have the
opportunity to teach kids to recognise and
enjoy healthy amounts of good foods. Once
that opportunity is missed, we end up with
picky eaters who only like kids’ foods and
whom we fight to get to enjoy vegetables.
Here are five strategies that, from that
first spoonful of solids, will help you to
raise a child who will learn to eat and love
everything.
• Time those first bites right in the
morning or right after a nap.
• Give her a variety. Once your baby
has gotten used to the act of eating,
introduce new foods rapidly. Burping a baby
• If the carrots were a bust - try again in a
couple of days. FEEDING a baby for the first time is an exciting
experience for any new parent. However, burping
them after feeding may seem like a task.
Here’s a quick guide to doing it right.
Lift your baby up to your shoulder while support-
ing his head and neck. Pat or rub the baby’s back with
a firm open hand to help release the trapped air. Lift-
ing him higher and allowing his belly to rest lightly
against your shoulder helps press out air inside.
• There’s no research that says we have to
give babies a bland diet – so spice things
up.
Swaddling comforts the baby and helps them sleep better.
• Help him connect to food. Hand your
baby an avocado and say avocado.