Why the child does not eat up breast milk (how to understand what does not eat up, signs, causes and what to do)

A loving and caring mother gives herself to the baby through the main ability given to her by nature - breastfeeding. With the advent of the baby, mothers are concerned about one of the main questions: what if the baby does not eat up breast milk? What to do in this case?

In the first hours after childbirth, a woman's breast may not produce enough milk, however, with proper behavior, already on the second or third day, lactation normalizes. The needs of her baby should guide the actions of the nursing woman. Due to ignorance, fear, and carelessness, women begin to take care of stable lactation late. To avoid this problem, you need to monitor whether your baby is eating breast milk.

The main signs of malnutrition in infants

1. Hungry crying - each mother, by the nature of her baby’s cry, is able to determine what he needs;
2. Low activity of the child, lethargy;
3. A sharp reaction to the approach and smell of the mother;
4. Restless sleep or lack thereof;
5. Insufficient number of acts of bowel movement and urination. Normally, the baby is able to wet up to 20 diapers per day. The stool after each feeding is also a sign of fullness of the baby and good absorption of milk;
6. Sucking the finger, the edge of the diaper, smacking the tongue or lips;
7. Low weight gain or loss. It is determined on the control weighing at the pediatrician. The exception is the period of stay of the mother and child in the hospital for 3-5 days, when weight loss is considered natural within 10%.

Breast milk is both food and drink for the baby. More than 80% of it consists of water. Excessive dryness of the skin of the child can also be a sign that the child is not eating up.

Causes of a lack of breast milk

To understand that the baby is hungry after feeding is easier than finding the reasons for this. Usually they are detected in a comprehensive manner. Conventionally, they can be divided into general (environmental factors), behavioral (due to the behavior of the mother), physiological (depending on the condition of the child).

Common reasons why a child does not eat up:

• difficult psycho-emotional situation in the family, misunderstanding, lack of support, unwillingness of the rest of the family to accept new rules of life and restructure;
• irrational organization of the place of feeding the child and the rest of the mother.

The group of behavioral factors includes:

• insufficient and unbalanced nutrition of the mother - what can a nursing mother eat (grocery list);
• low motor activity, lack of fresh air;
• lack of sleep, fatigue;
• improper attachment of the baby to the chest, violation of the feeding technique;
• the presence of taste in milk due to the consumption of spices and seasonings;
• psychological unwillingness of the mother to breastfeed, rejection of the feeding process itself, postpartum depression, soreness, nipple cracks;
• medical indications (flat nipple).

The physiology of the child also affects the saturation process. A significant weight of the baby at birth (more than 4 kg) against the background of lagging rates of lactation in the first days after birth is the main cause of malnutrition. Runny nose, injuries of the oral cavity, uncomfortable body position, colic complicate the process of sucking and the child does not eat up.

Breast milk consists of front and back. Back milk is more fat, nutritious, thick. Front milk replaces the baby with water. A woman’s breast produces as much milk of optimal quality as her baby needs in every age period. Decantation artificially increases milk production. Consuming a significant amount of front milk, the child loses nutritional components, quickly assimilates it, and remains hungry.

Solution to the problem

What to do so that the baby is completely full? - Follow the rules below clearly:

• adjust nutrition - eat on the clock, at least 3-5 times a day, balance your diet: How much to feed the baby;
• consume a sufficient amount of fluid, including milk jugs are suitable for stimulating lactation (how to increase breast milk lactation);
• exclude products that affect the taste of milk - that you can’t eat to a nursing mother, and bad habits of mothers;
• walk in the green zone away from the roads;
• get enough sleep and rest at every opportunity;
• attract loved ones to help care for the child;
• to master the correct technique of applying the baby to the chest -how to apply the baby to the chest;
• be sure to feed at night;
• adhere to the feeding regimen, but do not refuse the baby in milk on demand;
• if necessary, milk the baby with expressed milk from a bottle, spoon, pipette, avoiding dummies outside the feedings;
• take care of breast hygiene - wash with warm water, lubricate cracks with special creams, rinse with a decoction of chamomile or furatsilin;
• do breast self-massage.
• read the article: advice to nursing mothers

Significantly facilitate the mother and baby feeding procedure will help such techniques as the use of a special pillow for feeding. The pillow allows you to correctly position the baby near the chest, relieve stress from the back of the mother. A comfortable feeding place, a comfortable chair, a quiet room, the absence of loud annoying sounds and strangers will create a positive atmosphere for mom and baby. Calm, rested mother - a well-fed baby.

How to determine if a child has enough milk