Article Index
Breastfeeding
To Assess and Celebrate
How was the visit? Was it possible to observe and talk about the Indicators of Opportunities and Achievements?
Based on what was seen and felt what else would you like to share?
Do you remember any message, reflection or prayer that celebrates this moment?
To See
The four to five months baby
1- How do the mothers feed their babies in this age?
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The mother’s milk continues to be the best and the only necessary food for the baby. In the first exclusive breastfeeding months, it is common the baby be fatter. Close to the four and five months the tendency is for the baby to continue to gain weight, now more slowly. But the gain of health and love that breastfeeding brings continues to increase more each time!
The mother’s milk is so appropriate for the baby that around the fifth month it gets less sweet so that in the sixth month new food can be introduced for the baby's needs.
When the mothers work out of home, they should continue to breastfeed. While the mother is out, the person that takes care of the baby can give the mother’s milk taken from the mother through the milking procedure. When the mother returns home, she can offer the breast to the baby.
Milking Procedure
Before doing the milking procedure, to keep the quality, some advices are to be followed:
• Wash and dry very well the hands with a clean tissue;
• Select a clean and water boiled container;
• Find a comfortable position to be and, if possible, in a quiet environment.
To take the milk from the breast:
• Make a circular massage with the fingers’ tip on the base of the breast towards the nipple;
• Put the thumb on the breast, above the areola, and the other fingers in the lower part of the breast, making a shell with the hand;
• Make the milking movement, gently squeezing in and out the breast rhythmically;
• Discard the first milk flushes because they bring microbes located in the closer part of the breast’s nipple. These microbes may spoil the milk that is stored but they do not harm the health of the breastfed baby.
When the mother returns home, she should offer the breast to the baby. After that, she can do the milking procedure to be used in the following day. The amount and the appearance of the milk vary from one milking procedure to the other.
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• Repeat rhythmically the milking movement, circling the hand around the areola to empty all the milk from the breast.
• Alternate the breasts when the milk diminishes or every five minutes, repeating the massage and the milking procedure till it reaches the expected amount of milk;
• After the milking procedure is done, pass a little milk on the nipples to avoid cracks.
How to store the breast milk:
• Soon after the milking procedure, the breast milk needs to be cooled. The container with the milk should be covered and put in icy water for two minutes. Then the milk should be stored in one of the fridge shelves (never in the fridge door). It shall be consumed within 24 hours;
• When offering the milk to the baby, use first the one milked earlier and after stewing it. This milk should be served to the baby with a spoon or straight from a glass.
When the mother is home, it is necessary that she often offer the breast to the child. Thus she stimulates the production of more milk and extends the breastfeeding period. The use of the milk bottle, instead, encourages the baby to quit breastfeeding.
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The person who takes care of the baby needs to serve this milk with a spoon or from a small glass. The baby gets easily used to the nipple from the milk bottle and this makes him/her thereafter refuse breastfeeding.
Leader, you can verify in the growth curve if the baby’s weight is adequate for his/her age. This will indicate if that the baby is receiving enough amount of milk for his/her growth.
When the baby does not gain weight in between months, talk to the mother to know what is happening. Maybe the baby is sucking little, or the mother is tired or she is not eating properly. In case the mother has already gone back to work, talk also to who is taking care of the baby.
When there is not enough milk from the mother, it is rather preferable to introduce baby food as of the fifth month than the milk bottle. Thus, beside breastfeeding, some food can be served with a spoon to the baby avoiding the competition with the nipple of the milk bottle.