Like all young mothers, at one time I was worried about the question: how to understand that there is not enough milk? I know a few rules, and I'll tell you. We will also look at how to identify false signs of lack of milk, so as not to be needlessly upset. And of course, in case of insufficient lactation, you should not give up; I will tell you a proven way to improve lactation.
Features of adequate feeding
A mistake many mothers make is pumping to determine volume. breast milk. This is not worth doing, because it is impossible to fully express your breasts on your own. It is possible to determine whether the baby has enough food only by observing him. It is impossible to answer the question of how long you need to feed a child so that he is full. It all depends on individual characteristics baby's body. A newborn should be fed on demand; he will not eat too much. The number of attachments sometimes reaches 25-30 times a day, this is natural, because the baby feels warm and comfortable next to his mother.
But still, there are several signs that will help determine whether the baby is eating:
1. Number of applications.
In the first 2 weeks of life, a newborn requires breastfeeding 8-15 times a day. In this case, the minimum interval is 1 hour. This is because the stomach is too small to drink more milk. It should be borne in mind that mother’s milk is quickly absorbed, and the child’s body constantly requires nutrients for full growth and development.
2. Duration of sucking.
Moms, never take your newborn off the breast, even if you think he is sleeping. You just have to wait a little and the baby will release the nipple on its own. The baby can eat in his sleep, so tearing it away from the nipple can leave the baby hungry.
3. The newborn swallows while sucking.
If there is enough milk, the mother should clearly hear the baby swallowing. Moreover, in the first 2-3 minutes the newborn sucks a little and often swallows, and the rest of the time he has to make an effort, because the milk becomes quite thick.
4. Normal set weight.
It is necessary to weigh a newborn from the 5th day of life; in the first days, children only lose weight. Then weight gain is normal from 120-220 grams per week. Of course, it all depends on individual characteristics. It is important to note that children born weighing up to 2.5 kg gain 100-150 grams per week in the first month.
5. Healthy appearance of the newborn.
Of course, this is the main proof of sufficient nutrition. Sleep should be replaced by wakefulness in a timely manner, and the baby should demand to eat. If the baby releases the nipple on his own after feeding and soon falls asleep, it means he is full.
It is worth highlighting one more method that helps determine whether the baby is eating enough. Mommy should notice how many times a day her baby goes to the toilet. If you have to change the described diaper 5-6 times a day, you can calm down, the newborn is full. A breastfed baby may poop 2-5 times a day. But sometimes there are no bowel movements for up to 2 days, and this is not considered a pathology.
Normally, stool should be yellow in color with a granular structure; green stool may indicate lactose deficiency. This method is only suitable if the baby is not receiving additional formula or water. You now know how to know that a newborn is not getting enough food. We have to look at false signs of insufficient lactation.
False signs of lack of lactation
False signs of low milk supply can frighten any mother. What to do if there is no congestion in the chest, and the baby begins to eat in only 5 minutes instead of the usual 15 minutes? It is simply necessary to consider them.
No chest congestion.
As a rule, a nursing mother stops feeling hot flashes after a month of feeding. And this is not bad at all, and certainly does not mean that the amount of milk has decreased. On the contrary, this is the first sign that you have managed to establish lactation.
Increased appetite in a child
Many mothers think that if the baby often demands to eat, it means they have little milk. This is not true, there is certain periods development of the baby, when his body requires a larger volume of food. At this moment, the baby “hangs” on the chest for 20-30 minutes, every 2 hours.
How to increase lactation?
If you realize that the baby does not have enough food, do not rush to give up breastfeeding. There are several tips that will help increase lactation in just a few days. Remember that lack of milk is not a reason to supplement your newborn with formula. The first thing to do is to put the baby to the breast as often as possible; sucking the baby stimulates milk production in a larger volume.
What to do:
- Both breasts should be offered to the baby at each feeding.
- It is necessary to ensure that the baby grasps not only the nipple, but also the areola, this will ensure more effective sucking.
- When the baby stops swallowing milk, you need to change breasts.
- It is necessary to give up pacifiers and pacifiers. If you need to supplement your baby with formula, it should be given from a spoon.
- Equally important is the mother's peace of mind. The child feels the mother's mood.
- Complete and timely rest.
If you sleep the usual number of hours, but feel more tired, if you start to feel sleepy during the day, if even on weekends, after getting enough sleep, you don’t feel a surge of energy - this is an alarm bell.
Problems with concentration
Have you carefully read the recipe, went to the refrigerator to get the ingredients you need, and realized that you don’t remember half the list? Do you often find yourself walking into a colleague's office but forgetting what you wanted to ask? You watch a movie, but half an hour later you can’t tell your friend what it’s about? Let's run to the doctor.
Geophagy
This incomprehensible word means a periodically arising irresistible desire to immediately devour something inedible. Chalk, earth, sand - it doesn’t matter. If you are not pregnant (in this state, such things are within normal limits), then an attractive-tasting flowerbed should alert you.
Dyspnea
I caught up with the bus, and then for half an hour I couldn’t breathe, I was gulping air, I felt dizzy? Your organs simply don’t have enough oxygen!
Popular
Very pale skin
Aristocratic pallor is fashionable, and there are also naturally white-skinned people. It’s easy to check if there is any danger: if after working out in the gym or after any other physical activity your cheeks are turning red - everything is fine. And if you remain marble white, sound the alarm.
Unexplained muscle pain
Surely you are familiar with the pain that occurs after more intense exercise. But with a lack of iron, these pains can occur “out of the blue.” So if you've been lying on the couch all day, and the next morning you feel like you were unloading trucks, get a blood test.
Brittle nails
Even the most stylish manicure will not help hide thin, brittle nails if you have a lack of iron in your body. It is completely dangerous if you notice depressions and spoon-shaped depressions on your nails.
Frequent infections
Low hemoglobin can cause frequent colds. Stop blaming your colleague for turning on the air conditioner and check your health!
Restless legs syndrome
If you can’t sit calmly at the table, but constantly cross one leg over the other and back again, twist them into a rope, move them closer and further, think about it: this is one of the symptoms of iron deficiency!
Cold palms and feet
It's hot outside, but your hands are still icy? Can't sleep because you can't get warm? This shouldn't happen!
P.S.
Attention! If you smoke, your iron levels are almost always normal or even elevated. The reason is simple: the body, suffering from smoke, increases the production of hemoglobin. But that doesn't mean everything is okay! When exposed to nicotine, hemoglobin cells deteriorate and can no longer transport oxygen. But a blood test is not able to distinguish a working hemoglobin molecule from a non-working one, so it may show an increased level of hemoglobin, but in fact you do not have enough of it! So be sure to tell your doctor that you smoke. I mean, you’re already quitting, right?
Tests
If you have almost everything you want, there may well be something left for younot enough!
You may not realize it at all, butdeep downyou still feel that some niche is not filled.
This simple testwill help you figure it out , what should you gain to feel satisfied with life. Answer 11 questions and read the result!
What's missing from a good life?
4 Steps to Identify What You're Really Missing in Life
Sometimes you feel like you have everything in life: good job, home, family, friends, reasonable health, but at the same time everything something is missing. If you've experienced these feelings, you're not alone!
We offer you with four simple steps understand what you are missing and what you need to do about it.
1) Take the time to figure out what exactly is causing your dissatisfaction.
Even if it seems to you that your whole life is not at all what you really need, you can still highlight in it certain things and incentives that make you unhappy.
Maybe something is not going well in the relationship? Or do you leave work feeling dissatisfied after working day? Maybe you're not happy with your home or the city you live in? Think!
It is very important to highlight what exactly or who exactly is causing you negative emotions and a feeling of dissatisfaction, because without it it is impossible to make your life better.
2) Dig deeper and try to understand what is the real reason for dissatisfaction
For example, you realize that your job does not bring you pleasure. Last weeks you worked like hell, but in the end you only got emptiness and dissatisfaction.
You understand that not everything in work can take you out of state of comfort and happiness. Try to understand what exactly you don’t like: the specifics of your work, your colleagues, your work schedule or your salary? And so on.
3) Determine what needs to change to make you happy with the situation
If you have analyzed and realized that you are still not satisfied with your job, and having dug deeper, you have determined that you are just dissatisfied because it takes away your freedom and you have no more time for anything else, you are on the right track : Now you know, what do you really need!
Think about what it takes to make you happy with your job: Flexible schedule? More flexible schedule? Absence strict rules and work schedule? More time off and the ability to be late sometimes?
With the birth of a child, any mother has many questions. One of them sounds especially often: “Does the baby have enough breast milk?”
A baby cannot tell you that he is hungry. He can only cry. But crying is not only a sign of hunger. Children cry when they are cold or hot, when they feel discomfort from a diaper or stomach pain, when they just want to be closer to their mother.
The main indicator of whether there is enough breast milk is the baby's weight gain. Doctors believe that healthy baby must gain at least 125 grams of weight each week during the first three months life. If the baby gains weight according to the norms, then he has enough milk. But do not forget that these figures are advisory in nature. Your baby can gain less, but at the same time be absolutely healthy and calm. Each person has a different body constitution, and a child is no exception.
The most important sign that your baby is getting enough breast milk is that he great mood. A healthy and contented little man is little capricious, grows quickly and develops well. His skin is clean and smooth. And when the baby wants to eat, he loudly and actively demands the breast.
But what to do if you notice that the baby is capricious, turns away from the breast and constantly demands to eat? How do you know if your baby is getting enough breast milk?
The baby should swallow and smack
Your baby can spend an hour or two at the breast and still be hungry. Or it can fill you up in 15–20 minutes. If you do not hear the characteristic swallowing sound, this may mean that the child is not eating. He can simply calm down at the breast, feeling that his mother is nearby. It may even sleep, but at the same time make sucking movements. Children feel warm, calm and comfortable next to their mother. It is quite natural that the baby calms down better and faster on the chest than even in the arms. Observe whether your baby's chin tenses while eating. The longer the moment of tension lasts, the more milk he will swallow at a time.
Should my baby be given both breasts at one feeding?
It all depends on the amount of milk. If there is a lot of it, then one breast is enough for the baby. But don’t rush to give him a second breast as soon as he starts fidgeting and getting nervous.
The female breast is designed in such a way that milk is produced in it by the anterior and posterior lobes of the mammary gland. The milk of the anterior lobes is thinner, sweeter and contains fewer nutrients. We can say that this milk is more of a drink than a food. If the baby receives only foremilk, then he gets full quickly, but the feeling of hunger will return to him faster.
The milk of the hind lobes is thick, almost like cream. All the most useful things are in it, but it is also more difficult to eat. The child needs to make a lot of effort to get it. Some babies, especially weak ones, fall asleep at the breast from fatigue before they reach hindmilk. And his mother thinks that this breast has run out of milk, and she is already offering another.
What to do in this case? During feeding, give the baby a little rest and offer the same breast again. If he almost immediately starts to get nervous, bend over backwards, and show his dissatisfaction in every possible way, then it’s time to offer someone else.
What can a child's stool tell you?
A breastfed baby goes to the toilet more often than a breastfed baby his age. artificial feeding. In some children this may happen once or twice a day, in others - after each feeding. However, this is not so important.
The type of stool can tell you much more. If it has a creamy consistency, is homogeneous, and has a characteristic yellow, then breast milk is enough for the baby. But the stool is too thick dark color may indicate insufficient or unhealthy nutrition. That is, here we can say that the baby does not have enough breast milk.
Too much is not always diarrhea. In this case, it is possible that the baby receives primarily foremilk, and because of this he remains hungry. Changes in color, smell and consistency, the appearance of mucus or blood in the stool is a signal to contact a pediatrician.
It is also worth paying attention to the child’s urination. A baby who gets enough breast milk pees at least once every three hours. Urine should be clear and practically odorless. If it darkens, the child is experiencing dehydration.
However, you should not force your baby to drink water. Breastfed babies do not need water. You can offer your child water in a bottle. If he drinks - great. No, it’s not a problem either. This means he has enough breast milk.
If your baby is gaining weight slowly, you should not give him a lot of water. The fact is that plain water can increase weight, but will not bring important micronutrients to the child’s body.
Weighing after meals
If you want to know exactly how many grams your child eats at one feeding, you can try the weighing method.
Before feeding, undress your baby and place him on the scale. This will be the weight before feeding. After eating, weigh the child again without clothes and a diaper. The difference you see on the scale will be the amount of milk your baby drank.
For reliable results, this procedure must be carried out within 24 hours at each feeding. But remember that this method is not very effective. Weighing indicators may vary depending on how long ago and how much the child ate at the previous feeding. As a rule, such weighings only irritate the baby’s mother, which can negatively affect milk production.
Blood analysis
One of the signs that a baby is not getting enough milk is a rising level of bilirubin in the blood. This is the so-called physiological jaundice of newborns. This is a harmless disease and only affects children under 28 days old.
If there is enough breast milk, the baby’s body actively produces antibodies that help lower bilirubin levels. That is why neonatologists advise not to supplement infants with formula milk, but to try to establish breastfeeding as correctly as possible.
Indirect signs of lack of breast milk
- There is no feeling of a full chest. For some women, milk comes in very actively, and the breasts quickly become hot and heavy. For others, milk arrives gradually, and the feeling of fullness in the breast cannot be determined. But based on this sign, it is impossible to accurately determine whether the baby has enough milk or not.
- After feeding, the mother does not feel empty. If your baby doesn't eat much, you won't feel relief after feeding. The breasts will remain full and firm. But this does not mean that the baby remained hungry. Perhaps you just have too much milk. After a few weeks of breastfeeding, milk production levels will drop to normal.
- After feeding, I can’t express anything. Mom concludes: there is no milk in the breast. Which is not always true. You won't be able to pump your breasts as well as your baby can. Neither with your hands, nor with a breast pump. You may have enough milk in your breasts, you just can't get to it.
- The child began to ask for food more often. This could be a leap in his development. Typically, this stage lasts about two days. And kids also show anxiety. This may be due to teeth growth or changes in weather.
Regardless of the reason for the lack of breast milk, do not rush to introduce powdered milk formulas into your baby’s diet. Be sure to contact specialists breastfeeding or see a pediatrician. Understanding the exact reason will save you from possible mistakes.
First, make sure your baby is latching onto the breast correctly. Be sure to remain calm. If you are nervous, the amount of milk will only decrease. Continue to eat well and properly. Drink plenty of warm liquids and feed your baby on demand, not according to the clock. Try to walk outdoors as much as possible.
Don’t be shy to ask for help: caring for a newborn baby is work, so a woman needs to take a break from time to time in order to recover physically and emotionally.
Now you have complete information on how to find out if your baby is getting enough milk. And what to do if this is not the case. Let your baby grow up healthy and strong, to the joy of mom and dad!
There is a period of time when almost every person lacks something in life and he does not realize what exactly and psychologically suffers from this unconscious dissatisfaction, experiencing sadness and sometimes falling into despair and depression. Some people are constantly, one might say “always,” missing something. But if you ask these people: “What are you missing?”, they will most likely answer: “I don’t know what I want.” And if outwardly a person is “everything is fine,” then those around them say about such people: “Fat makes them mad.”
Often, some people, due to the awareness that something is missing in life, but a lack of understanding of what exactly they want, and most importantly, dissatisfaction with this hidden desire and need, sometimes a biologically (vitally) important need, especially if they are extroverts (sanguine people) and choleric people), they indulge either in extreme sports or “breaking bad”... (introverts (melancholic and phlegmatic) - in despair, apathy and depression, accompanied by self-destructive behavior: gluttony or drunkenness, drugs, computer games and other addictions).
In order for a person to understand himself and understand what he is missing in life, and not to “break the woods” - not to break himself and his life - he needs to analyze his hidden deep needs and desires - to answer the question: “What do I want?” and at the same time answer the questions: “What can I do and what do I need?” (“It is necessary” - understood as “Must”).
To do this, you can use “Maslow’s pyramid of needs” (Fig. above) and Berne’s scenario, transactional structural analysis of emotional and psychological starvation (dissatisfaction of biologically important needs). 
If you feel that you are missing something in life, then you apparently have disharmony within your personality - this is not a pathology, but it’s worth thinking about... and it’s better to solve this psychological problem - dissatisfaction with anything leads to emotional suffering... depression , neuroses and addictions...inappropriate behavior and
