Mommy & Baby: Feeding

If you are a mom who intends to breastfeed her baby, start as
soon as practical after the baby is born. Some of this will
depend on the hospital’s procedures with newborns; there are
hospitals which test a newborn, often returning him to you after
several hours time has elapsed; others who deliver via caesarian
will have to be in post-op for several hours.

Your milk will not be “in” immediately; typically this takes 3-5
days after birth. But your baby will receive nutritionally
superior colostrum, which contains many antibodies and helps him
develop a healthy immune system. I suggest you limit your baby’s
nursing to 7-8 minutes per side before your milk comes in—you
will achieve nothing more than sore, cracked nipples if you let
him suck longer than that. This is how long it should take a
healthy infant to draw the colostrum out of your breast.

Once your milk comes in, it is important to stimulate each
breast during nursing times; 15-20 minutes on each side is
sufficient for your child to empty your breast and to stimulate
your glands for further milk production. Some babies are more
efficient nursers than others; if you have a “rester” or a baby
who takes longer than 20 minutes to empty your breast, let him
nurse until he’s done.

Through the first five days after birth, maintain a 2.5-3 hour
flexible routine. Do understand that a newborn is an incredibly
sleepy little creature and you will need to wake him in order to
get him the nutrition he needs. You may need to undress him to
his diaper or use a cool washcloth to wake him up in order to
eat. Full feedings (as opposed to snacking) will give him more
of the nutrients he needs and will also encourage deeper and
more restful sleep for him; full feedings are hard to achieve if
your baby is not awake.

Bottle feeding will also provide the nutrition your baby needs
if you choose to do it. Additionally, dads are able to take part
in the feeding routines and thus bond more deeply with their
babies when bottles are used. The most important thing to
consider is the correct-sized hole in the nipple. Too big a hole
and your baby will choke, sputter, and throw up. Too small a
hole will lead to your baby’s frustration, hunger, and
discontentment.

As with breastfed babies, 1.5-3 ounces of formula should be
sufficient for your baby at a feeding for the first several
weeks of life. If you make a 4 ounce bottle, your baby will
generally stop when he’s full. As he grows, you will need to
increase the amount of formula he receives; he will tell you if
he’s not done when the bottle is empty via continuing to suck
and frustration at not getting anything!