A PLANNED BREASTFEEDING:

Healthy Considerations:

A planned breast feeding is good for  both  mother and infant health, which begins initial approach of infant near the nipple up to weaning stage of breast milk. The mothers adopting and confining themselves to  plan prove as good at nursinginfant.. There  is great satisfaction for gracefully accomplishing the duty bestowed upon as a gift instead of a burdensome task.   

Breast feeding plan ensures health of mother on whom  infant gets totally dependent. Nutritious health promoting easy to digest milk  infant can obtain from well nourished mother. The feeding mother can ruin self health also spoiling digestive functions of infant by adopting wrong food habits and not following an exercise schedule.

Living in polluted and un hygienic environment causes production of unhealthy breast milk for  child. A proper care by the feeding mother results into  healthy milk for  child. Mother's bad health in breast feeding  phase affects well being of infant also.

Wrongs of  Plan:

A very common wrong practice of feeding mother has inclination living a modern life by including wine, fermented alcoholic drink or spicy food to satisfy the mood and taste buds. This causes unnatural fullness which leads to digestive disorders for  mother and infant. Milk yield gets reduced and quality deteriorated harming infant health.

Correct Feeding Plan:

The correct plan based on principle of thinking positive and satisfied, dispelling negativism, and follow simple living taking a nutritious balanced meals shall optimise breast milk quality & quantity very nutritious for infant.

A Six Month Breast Feeding Plan:

It takes two to three days for breast milk to become fully formed after bith of child. Till mother's  milk does not have proper consistency thin barley water or diluted milk mildly sweetened should be given to new born baby.

When breast yield starts  infant should get with breast milk only at short planned frequency.

Breast Milk provides a balanced nutrition and antibodies to protect the baby from acquiring disease. Breast milk provides all the essential amino acids necessary for infant's optimu m growth.  Mother is the best guide regarding when to feed infant.

Infants feeding Capacity:

The sensitive stomach of  infant can digest only mothers' breast milk . He is not in  position to digest variety of foods. It gets filled up quicklyand digestion process is started.  After short interval again there is milk's need is felt by the ingfant  breast feed should be provided. 

There is  requirement to feed the baby after intervals of 3 to 4 spaced breast feeding. Thus there is adequate gap for milk to get digested during the spaced intervals. This shall regulate the bowel movement also. This practice shall reduce the child crying for milk. When the regularity of feeding is maintained, there will not be a necessity to breast feed every time thild cries.

Understanding Infant Cry :

A first time mother can not differentiate the feeding pangs and other usual crying infant's habits.She  offers the nipple in place of calming the child by other means. It may happen every ten minutes.  This is harmful practice because by excessive feeding, the stomach gets more milk before the earlier milk is digested increasing unnecessarily the frequency of bowl movement. Increased bowls frequency makes the baby week because food is not fully digested. The child feels uncomfortable and restless. This habit is difficult to control and may result into dehydration also, which can prove fatal. Maintaining a proper observation and care shall make the baby strong and healthy.

Feeding Guidelines:

The infant while sleeping should not have nipple in the mouth. During night food requirements are reduced so only two feeds one at night 10.00 P.M. with second feed in the morning around 5 A.M. be given and no feeding in between. This habit should be inculcated in the child.

If the mother has adequate quantity of milk yield after 6 months, only two feeds in a day should be continued till  stoppage of breast feed. In between other infant food formulations available in the market should be tried and if found safesubstituted to satidfy babys' appetite.

Obstructions during Breast Feeding:

A young woman while breast feeding may encounter crack of the nipples and breast feeding becomes painful. Proper medical advice and treatment of the cracked nipple should be obtained and the breast feeding should not be discontinued, because milk in the breast can become stale and unhealthy for infant as well as it may cause infective disease of  breast.

A Case Study of Harms of Alcohol:

A woman first time mother was accustomed to taking 1-2 servings of wine with occasional beer before becoming mother. She was wrongly advised to continue her previous diet pattern besides taking barley milk in the morning and at night. Surprisingly both  mother &  infant were having strong health during  breast milk feeding period. Mother's milk yield was sufficient till  nine month age of child.

Evidently no one noticed the havoc alcohol drinks was playing with the mother and infant's health. Continuing alcohol intake by breast feeding mother every day increases longing for taking more causing drowsiness all day, with insufficient sleep during night produces feeling restlessness, negligent behavior, frequent headaches, increased unsatisfied thirst, dry and irritation on skin, feeling feverish breast milk deficient lacking nutrition values. This upsets stomach of infant.

The medical advice prohibited alcoholic drinks and suggested corrective steps were suggested to follow strictly. The disease of tother and infant got cured. In due course health lost was regained.