How you choose to feed your baby, bottle or breast, is a
decision you alone get to make. Do not listen to pressure from
outside sources that tell you that you “must” choose one way or
another in order to be a “good mom,” or that you are “doing harm
to your baby” if you opt against what they tell you. The fact
is, your baby needs food. If you give your baby the nutrition
she needs, you are a good mom. Period! Whatever form of feeding
you choose, the most important thing to consider is the gentle,
tender cuddling you provide for your baby during the feeding.
Mother’s milk is the complete and perfect food, and is nothing
short of miraculous. But if you choose to feed formula, you’re
not a bad mother, and you’re not doing irreparable harm to your
precious bundle of joy. While breastfeeding is preferred by most
pediatricians, there are women who are unable to successfully
nurse their babies, and then there are moms who are unable to
sustain the feeding patterns they are told are “necessary” to
breastfeed.
With parent-directed feeding (PDF), parents will feed their
babies on a 2-3 flexible routine based on the baby’s cues.
Crying is a late hunger cue, so don’t assume that your baby
doesn’t need food until she cries. Some newborns can go 5-6
hours between feedings, which is entirely inadequate for their
nutritional needs. This is why solely following baby’s cues may
lead to a sickly, undernourished baby who has failure to thrive.
Under-fed babies often lack the strength to cry and thus don’t
get fed at the appropriate intervals.
So how do you nurse successfully with PDF? You establish the
routine—most newborns can go between 2.5-3 hours between
feedings. This time is counted from the beginning of feeding to
the beginning of feeding. Latch the baby on to your breast
appropriately and allow the baby to nurse. Your child will
receive foremilk first—a watery thin milk with little nutritive
value.
As your baby drinks the foremilk, you will experience letdown in
which your glands will release the rest of the milk stored in
them—sometimes this is tingly or painful, other times moms have
no sensation. The milk your baby now gets is the hindmilk, it is
rich, fatty, and full of nutrients. The best indication that
you’ve achieved letdown is the consistent and rhythmic
swallowing as your baby nurses. Once your milk comes in, most
mommies have success nursing for 15 minutes per side, which
permits baby to receive the hindmilk she needs to grow strong
and healthy.
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