Up to what age to breastfeed a child?

The first years of a little man's life are magical. At this time, my mother with particular strength wants to give her baby all the best and useful. For the newborn baby, the best gift from mom will be tenderness, warmth and affection, and, most importantly, natural breastfeeding. The question of how much to breastfeed your child, often comes in the company of young mothers. This question in our time is of concern to many.

How old is breastfeeding?

Opinions of specialists on this issue diverge. Some of them believe that feeding is a private matter for every woman and her child. Mama herself decides when to stop feeding, focusing on the behavior of the baby. Others suggest that feeding after a year is not advisable, since milk loses its nutrients. Still others indicate the optimal age - a year and a half. So to whom of them will listen to the young mummy? How long to breastfeed your baby? A difficult question.

First six months of feeding

How long to breastfeed a newborn baby? Public opinion, statistics, personal experience of millions show that up to six months the baby should receive breast milk of the mother, and in the amount that he asks. Exceptions are cases of problems with lactation in the parturient woman. At this age, the child eats only mother's milk. Only occasionally, in extreme heat, it is allowed to give the baby some boiled water.

The first lure for a child

After the baby reaches the age of six months (in different cases it can happen a month earlier or later), the mother starts to introduce other foods into his diet, continuing active breastfeeding. Gradually, the baby begins to drink special infant formulas (up to 8 months), then try different mashed potatoes and mushrooms. Very soon the menu of the child will expand significantly. During this period, my mother has a natural question: how many months are breastfed? Maybe I should start weaning the baby?

General information on the properties of breast milk before the year

Mother's milk is an extremely valuable food for a newborn baby. Breastmilk contains all the vitamins necessary for a child.

Milk consists of various substances that stimulate the normal development of the brain of the newborn.

Children breastfed in breast milk have good health, high immunity, and later adapt to the surrounding world much faster and easier. Therefore, it is not worth puzzling and worrying about how much they are breastfeeding a newborn baby. In any case, it is more useful than harmful.

Psychological basis

An important factor in feeding is the relationship between the child and his mother. The very process of uniting the mother with the child is priceless. He is the psychological foundation for their future relationship. Due to the modern rhythm of life, even a mother who is not working, a child may have a shortage of maternal heat. Do not forget that mother's milk, sincere care and love are vital for your baby. Your presence is important for the child, no matter how often you give him a breast and up to what age. Breastfeeding your newborn baby is a beautiful, unifying mother and child, the process.

Consider the stages of weaning from the chest

Milk milk from children over 10 months old passes easily enough, provided timely introduction of complementary foods.

Usually at this age the child is applied to the breast twice a day - in the morning and in the evening, before going to bed. Sometimes a kid asks for a breast in the daytime, but more for his own comfort than because of hunger, because a ten-month-old child receives lure about 3 times a day. This mode of feeding can last up to a year, in some cases and longer. Try not to violate the basic regime, regardless of how the baby eats and how much. You need to breast-feed a child at his request, but the time of complementary feeding and sleep - according to the regime.

The first is where to start?

To begin with, you need to specifically decide on your desire - do you want to wean the baby completely or to minimize the feeding? Of course, twice a day - not so much, especially after a six-month application of the baby to the breast 8-10 times a day, but these last two times the most difficult.

And yet, how much to feed a newborn baby with breast milk? If you are going to go to work, it is advisable to wean the child from morning feeding. Perhaps you are not going to go to work, but for some reason you have a more free morning for solitude with the baby. Then skip the evening feeding. In the event that there is no difference, it is preferable to leave the evening time, since closer to the night nothing will prevent you from attaching the baby to your chest and slowly enjoying the unity. Dinner mother's milk will provide a good baby, a sound sleep, and my mother will facilitate the task of "tucking" a tomboy into the cradle.

The second stage - feeding

For a more light and unobtrusive adaptation of the baby to a change in nutrition, you need to do supplementary feeding. If you decide to leave the evening for breastfeeding, then in the morning, before giving the baby a breast, feed him a baby formula (up to 8 months) or kefir (8-9 months). Enough will be 50 grams. After you put the baby to your chest and feed. With each subsequent day, slightly increase the portion of kefir (up to 100-150 g.), As a result, the child, unnoticed for himself, will cease to suck his breast. Thus, you will gradually wean the child from morning breastfeeding. The time of "feeding" for each mother is different, it can last from several weeks to several months. By the time the child is accustomed to milk mother's milk only once a day, in the evening, he will be about 1-1.5 years old. If your baby is older, do not worry, slowly continue the process - the result will come, no matter how often you feed it and to what age. Breastfeeding - the process is long, and weaning from it gradually - even longer.

Benefits of breast milk after the year of feeding

You do not need to hurry to cancel and this is feeding. Your milk is still very valuable for the baby. After a year of feeding, mother's milk brings to the body of the child the vitamins A, C, calcium, proteins, folates and other substances that are no less useful to him.

Fat content of milk increases several times, which contributes to the formation of the child's gastrointestinal tract.

Breastfeeding after the first year is also beneficial for the mother - the risk of breast cancer and other cancers is significantly reduced. Consider this, thinking how long to feed the baby with your baby's breast milk.

Last step

When you realize that your baby is asking for a breast, not because of, actually, milk, but more for a physical contact with you - it's time to completely wean him from the chest. For the child this process is a considerable stress, he will start to miss the close contact with his mother, can become irritable and eat poorly. To prevent this from happening, pay more attention to the baby while weaning the baby, hold it tight, hug, and play with it more often. It is advisable that during this period it is mother who bathed, clothed, fed, and also walked with the child, and not someone else. This will help the child avoid the stress of parting with his mother, as well as its consequences. Thus, the weaning will pass comfortably and easily, both for the baby, and for his mother.

How the baby's mom is going through the process

With a gradual decrease in the application of the baby to the breast, the mother becomes less and less milk, after a certain amount of time, it disappears altogether.

However, there are situations when milk continues to be produced in fairly large quantities, even with rare feeding. In such cases, if there is a need to wean the baby from an early age, it is necessary to do the following:

• Express the milk as much as possible;
• Enclose the breast with clean medical cotton;
• Tighten the chest with a wide bandage.

Do not remove the bandage for several days. Give a small amount of milk if you feel that the breast swells and hurts. Use less liquid, and soon the milk will disappear. If this method does not help you, consult a doctor - you may need to take medications.

Important!

It is highly recommended not to stop breastfeeding when the child is sick. Especially if the baby has stomach problems, breast milk will be the best and safest medicine. There is no longer a question of how long to breastfeed, no matter how many months or years your child - he needs a natural diet. During illness the child is in dire need of mother, her care and participation. Do not wean the baby from the chest in the summer heat, and immediately after the mandatory vaccination. At this time, the children's organism is particularly at risk of infection.

Due to the need to treat medications, some mothers have to give up breastfeeding, since the treatment can harm the baby's health. Often mothers are simply reinsured. There is a sufficiently large selection of drugs that are allowed for use during pregnancy and lactation. In addition, according to experts, most of the drugs prescribed in the standard dosage, practically do not affect the health of the child, since their content in milk is negligible.

When pregnancy occurs during lactation, you can also continue to breastfeed, at least in the first months.

Did you receive an answer to the question "to what age should breastfeeding be fed"? Have you found a suitable way for you to wean your baby? Did the process of weaning a child from breastfeeding in 1.5-2 years be considered optimal?

Each mother believes that it is necessary for her baby. At what time to bathe, when to give him the first nipple, what and in what order will her baby do: first to sleep, and after walking or vice versa. For a small, just born a man, everything is decided by his mother. But at the same time she magically feels what her baby wants. She understands his crying without words, feels that it is he who hurts or what he wants at the moment. The same applies to breastfeeding. When deciding how to feed a newborn baby with breast milk, trust your senses. They will not let you down!