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We do not always have the opportunity to feed a baby every time it needs it. The ideal would be to exclusively breastfeed your baby. Sometimes, however, due to travel, illness, work or other circumstances, we have to give your baby milk from a bottle. Feeding your baby from two different sources is called mixed feeding. How to approach him?
Mixed feeding – rules and introduction
Mixed feeding is used when it is not possible to breastfeed only. It happens that the child’s mother does not have enough milk, then if the attempts to stimulate lactation are unsuccessful, it is necessary to introduce modified milk. If the mother is able to breastfeed, but works or is away, you can feed the baby in her absence with milk expressed from the breast. Sometimes a baby is born sick or too weak to suckle the breast on its own. Then it is also worth introducing mixed feeding.
In all of the above-mentioned cases, a bottle with a nipple will most likely be used for feeding the baby, the use of which requires the baby to work completely differently for the muscles of the mouth, tongue and throat – it is easier than sucking the breast, so the baby may initially choke on the teat or drink too much milk. greedily.
Milk from a bottle with a nipple should therefore be given to the baby very gently and carefully.
The rubber nipple may be uncomfortable for your baby at first. It is worth feeding your baby with a silicone, odorless and tasteless, small, wide-diameter teat.
Mixed feeding can also be done with a spoon, a spout cup, or even a plastic syringe and pipette. There is also a special baby feeding kit, called SNS, which is especially used when the mother has insufficient milk. The baby sucks the breast, but the milk is given to him via a tube connected to a bottle of formula milk.
Switching your baby mixed feeding should be done gradually, for example by feeding one meal in two times through the nipple instead of from the breast, and gradually increase the number of meals given with the nipple, eliminating breastfeeding over time. It is useful to approach such attempts when the child is relaxed and in a good mood to avoid screaming and crying.
Mixed feeding has the advantage that after introducing it, the baby can be fed by someone other than the mother – maybe the baby’s new father, maybe someone from the family or a nanny.
important
Mixed feeding allows the mother of the child to rest when she needs it and to return to work or leave if necessary.
When to introduce mixed feeding?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the minimum period of breastfeeding, necessary for the proper development of immunity and the health of a child, is six months. Unless there are other indications, such as health reasons for the mother or baby, do not introduce mixed feeding until the baby is six months old.
Breastfeeding increases the emotional safety of the baby, gives you exceptional warmth and creates a bond with the mother. It is not worth replacing this unique feeling with bottle feeding just for the sake of convenience.
Some babies, feeling that feeding with a bottle is easier and does not require them to suck their mother’s breasts hard, may eventually want to drink milk only from a bottle or cup.
How often should you give your baby bottle-fed food?
Babies should be fed ‘on demand’, that is, when they are signaling hunger. A newborn baby should be fed approximately every three hours. When a baby is breastfed, we don’t know exactly how much milk he has drunk. With a bottle, it’s easier to plan feeding and give your baby the right amount of milk, which can regulate his lifestyle and digestive tract thanks to the regular intake of an appropriate, filling portion of food.
If you give your baby breast milk and the amount is sufficient, there is no need for breastfeeding and formula feeding at the same time. If we are unable to express and store enough breastmilk, infant formula can be introduced. The amount of modified milk that can be given to the child is described on the packaging of the product: unless your doctor tells you otherwise, follow these guidelines.
It happens that the baby is on milk. Then there is a so-called protein defect and it is not possible to feed with breast milk. Then the modified milk is introduced immediately.