Useful Tips To Make Newborn Feeding Easy and Effective

Ever seen a mother breastfeeding their newborn? The happiness spread on her face while watching her baby is a pure delight for the heart. No matter how tiny their baby’s appetite is, a mother always keeps them full.

You must be aware that breastfeeding a newborn comes with its own challenges, especially for first-time mothers. From guiding your baby to latch their mouth to your breast to understanding their hunger patterns, parents have a lot to deal with. Moreover, the endless opinions and advice do little to no good in your favour.

So, here is our friendly guide on everything related to newborn feeding. We are sharing some simple yet effective feeding techniques that will make your baby happy and full.

Choose breastfeeding for your newborn

Mother’s milk is the best nourishment for a newborn. Various research and reports from across the globe suggest only breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s birth. Formula food is a reliable option for mothers who cannot breastfeed their children.

Newborns get all the nutrients essential for their healthy growth from the breastmilk. They don’t need water, juice, or cereal to fill their hungry tummies. You can also choose Suvarnaprashan Drops by BabyOrgano to strengthen your baby’s immunity and foster their overall growth. These Ayurvedic Suvarnaprashan Drops are made with 24CT Gold Ash and 10+ herbs like Brahmi and Shankhpushpi.

Make the preparations

No matter how funny it might sound, breastfeeding your baby needs certain preparations from your side. Before you hold your baby for nursing, wear comfortable clothes with a button-up front. This is because babies have a small appetite, which requires frequent fill-ups. A buttoned front will make opening and closing easy.

You must keep a towel and pillows in your reach when feeding your child. The towel will help you clean the milk your baby might spit out. On the other hand, the pillow will offer good support to your back or legs.

Find the right position

When breastfeeding, you must choose a relaxing position that allows you to hold your baby for a long without feeling discomfort. Some common breastfeeding positions are Cradle Hold, Cross-cradle hold, Rugby ball hold, Side-lying position, Nursing in a sling, Koala hold, and more. Moreover, you must keep switching between the breasts to ensure sufficient milk supply from each one. Once you are comfortable, your baby will find it easy to latch onto your nipples to fill their tummies.

Help your baby latch

Many first-time parents think babies can latch themselves to the breast on instinct. But this isn’t true. Your little one needs guidance, practice, and patience from you to learn the correct way to attach to the nipples.

First, touch their upper lip to your nipple to ensure they open their mouth. Second, bring their head close to your breast and then rest their chin on your breast. Lastly, put their mouth on your breast to latch them. However, while slight stretching or tugging is common, you won’t feel any pain in your breast when your baby is latched correctly.

When the baby sucks your milk, you can hear them swallowing. Ensure that their baby’s chin is pressed close to your breast, the upper lip is jutted around your nipple, and the whole nipple is inside their mouth. If you must break the feeding round, softly press down on your skin close to their mouth. You can also put your finger into the corner of their mouth to stop the feeding.

Once done with the feeding, your breasts become softer. This shows that your baby has sucked the milk properly.

Be responsive to your baby’s signs

Your baby can’t speak, but they have a unique expression language for showing anger, hunger, happiness, or sadness. Understanding these signs can help you fulfil your little one’s needs quickly. Some common hunger signals given by babies are mouth opening, finger/fist sucking, and lip smacking. To your surprise, crying is mostly babies' last sign of hunger.

Understand the feeding count

Parents must remember that their baby needs frequent feeding for the first few months. Though their stomach can only hold a tiny amount of food at the start, their stomach continues to grow to make space for more food.

Studies show that most newborns need feeding almost eight to twelve times a day or every three to four hours. Each breastfeeding session can vary between 20 to 45 minutes, varying from child to child.

Also, as your baby grows, the count and frequency of feedings decrease because your baby’s tummy gets bigger and can store more milk at a time. Plus, the feeding count increases when your baby undergoes a growth shift.

Make your baby burp

Make it a promise to yourself to help your baby burp after every feeding. For this, gently hold your baby in your arms with their head against your shoulder on one side. Softly pat on their back till you hear the burping sound. Here’s everything you need to know about the importance of baby burp for healthy digestion.

Create Day-Night Feeding Routines

Your baby is too small to understand the difference between day and night. This creates a problem in fixing their feeding routines. As parents, you can help them in differentiating between day and night.

Right way to Bottle feed your newborn

Many parents switch to bottle-feeding after a few months of welcoming their newborns. It is safe, easy, and efficiently fills your baby’s tummy. However, you must follow a few things when bottle-feeding your baby:

• Wash the milk bottle well before every use.
• Always ensure that the milk is lukewarm. Place milk drops on your wrist before putting the bottle in your baby’s mouth.
• Close the lid tightly. Hold your bottle upside down to check for any leakages.
• Hold the bottle at an angle to help your baby gently suck on the teat.
• Be attentive to see any signs of discomfort in your little one. Remove the bottle immediately if you see your kid squirming or making faces.
• Change your bottle and teats if they are broken or leaking.

Wrapping up

New parents can find it hard to find the proper feeding routine for their precious baby during the starting months. They might struggle to understand their baby’s needs and feel stuck. This is when these handy breastfeeding tips can come into play. You can easily blend these feeding tips into your baby’s routine to ensure healthy growth. Keep visiting us for more such guides on effective childcare.

FAQs

Q1. Can I sleep with my baby while breastfeeding?

Ans. No. Most research organizations suggest parents avoid sleeping while feeding their baby. This can increase the risk of SIDS, suffocation, strangulation, or falling from the bed. 

Q2. Can I store my breast milk?

Ans. Yes, you can store your breast milk.