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Momodou
Denmark
11787 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Jan 2008 : 16:49:35
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HEALTH AND NUTRITION BANTABA
By Yaya Bajo
Infant and young child feeding education is a relevant tool for lactating and would-be lactating mothers, as good knowledge of it enables breastfeeding mothers to practice ideal methods of breastfeeding. In view of this development, Health and Nutrition Bantaba takes an extract from the IBFAN Africa news, which attempts to highlight the tips and advice for proper ways of breastfeeding.
It is recommended that women breastfeed their babies for at least 2 years. Yet many women don’t even come close to six months due to lack of support with breastfeeding. Mothers can be discouraged from breastfeeding if they do not get proper support with good positioning and attachment of baby to the breast.
Make sure your baby has a good latch. This right here is the primary problem of breastfeeding. Poor latch can result in sore, cracked and bleeding nipples. Your baby’s lips should be flanged (fish-face) around your areola. The baby should be feeding on your areola, not on your nipple. The tongue should be beneath your areola, not on top of it or in front of it.
Remember that breastfeeding should never hurt, though it may be uncomfortable in the beginning. If your baby has an improper latch, disengage it from your nipple by sticking a finger in the mouth to release the suction, and then try again.
Get comfortable when you breastfeed. Always bring your baby to your breast. Don’t bring your breast to the baby. Go to the bathroom, drink a glass of water and prop pillows beneath your arm for help.
You should be hearing your baby swallow. In the beginning, your baby may only swallow every five to ten sucks, but once your milk comes in you should hear a swallow at each suck. A swallow will sound like a faint click.
If you believe you have mastitis contact your care provider.
Mastitis is a special breastfeeding issue. It’s an infection or inflammation of your milk ducts. It can make breastfeeding very painful. Symptoms include a tender, reddened patch upon the breast, or entire tender and reddened breast, fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit, chills, headache and fatigue.
Mastitis is caused by extra milk in the milk ducts. A circular problem can be created if you try to empty your breasts at each feeding by pumping, since your baby will assume more milk is needed and will produce more milk.
To avoid mastitis, try not to wear an under-wire bra or to miss feedings, and try to get plenty of rest, food and water. Mastitis is treatable with home remedies such as warm compress, patience and potentially antibiotics.
Correct latch-on. Note how the baby’s lips are correctly fixed and the mouth is opened wide. Also notice how much breast tissue has been taken in, almost the entire areola is in the baby’s mouth.
If your baby is latched on and sucking correctly, you should not feel any pain. If you feel pain, or the baby does not seem to be sucking correctly, stop and start over again. Break the suction by putting your finger in the side of the baby’s mouth between the gums. Do not let the baby continue to feed incorrectly, as you can
develop painful and damaged nipples, and the baby may not be able to get enough milk.
Expressing Breast Milk
Meanwhile, if a mother cannot take her baby with her to breastfeed at work, she can express her milk by hand before she goes to work, and leave it for a helper to feed the baby while she is away. If a mother also expresses milk while she is at work, this helps to keep up her milk supply.
- Express milk into a clean cup or container. To make sure the cup is clean, wash it with soap and water and
leave it to dry in the sun; then pour boiling water into the cup. The sun and boiling water will kill most germs.
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap before expressing milk.
- Lean forward, supporting the breast over the cup or bowl.
- With thumb above and first finger below the nipple, press in towards the body a little way.
- Then bring thumb and finger together, squeezing behind the nipple.
- Release and repeat until milk starts to drip or flow.
- Press the areola (the darker area around the nipple) to the left and right of the nipple in the same way, to make sure that milk is expressed from all sectors of the breast.
- Express breast milk (EBM) should be given to the baby from a clean cup.
Feeding bottles should not be used because they are very hard to keep clean and because they make the baby less eager to suck at the breast.
- Expressed breast milk can be stored during the day (up to six hours if no refrigerator is available and up to 24 hours if kept refrigerated), but it should be kept covered and as cool as possible. Do not worry if the milk separates; it can be shaken up and is still good to use.
- Using expressed breast milk is the best way to feed a baby who is too ill to suck, and expressing milk can relieve very full or leaking breasts.
Breastfeeding and Diarrhoea
- Babies who are exclusively breastfed are less likely to get diarrhoea, because breast milk is free from germs and contains anti bodies which protect a baby from infection.
- If a baby as diarrhea, always continue breastfeeding because a baby still needs food, and especially liquids, to replace what is lost during the diarrhea.
Breastfeeding will also reduce the stool volume and speed recovery.
- When a baby has frequent diarrhea, oral rehydration fluids may be needed as well.
These should be given by cup and spoon. If the baby is too weak to suck at the breast, expressed breast milk can also be given by cup.
- Cups used to feed a baby with expressed breast milk should be carefully washed with boiled water to sterilize them.
When given oral rehydration solution or expressed breast milk always use a cup and spoon, never a feeding bottle.
Bottle-fed babies are more likely to get diarrhea. Feeding bottles are very difficult to keep clean, and dirty bottles are a major source of illness, especially diarrhea. Bottle-fed babies are also at risk from contaminated water, which may be used to mix up powdered milk.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issues
No. 11/2008, 25 - 27 January, 2008
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