How
Do I Start Breast Feeding My Baby?
Well, it’s easy. With your free hand put your thumb on top of
your breast, and your other fingers below. Don’t touch the dark
skin around your nipple because this is where your baby’s lips
will be.
Touch your baby’s lips with your nipple, until your baby opens
his or her mouth very wide and pull your baby’s body close to
you. When your baby is latched on the right way, he or she will
make low pitched swallowing noises. If you feel pain while your
body is nursing, he or she is probably not latched on correctly.
How often your baby wants to feed may change overtime as he or
she goes through the growths spurt. Let your baby out fifteen to
twenty minutes on each breast, to have your baby nurse from both
breast at each feeding.
How Can I Prevent My Nipples From Becoming Sore?
Well it’s easy to prevent sore nipples than it is to treat them.
The main thing that causes sore nipple is, when your baby
doesn’t latch on properly. To take the baby off your breast,
release the suction by putting your fingers in the corner of
your baby’s mouth between the gums.
Applying crushed ice compress before nursing can ease
discomfort. Some women find that rubbing lanoline is soothing.
If you use lanoline wash it off before feeding your baby. Call
your doctor if you have a red sore painful area on your breast,
this may be a sign of an infection.
How Can I Prepare Breakfast For The Children
If We Have To Leave Home Early In The Morning? First and foremost you should not think of preparing an
elaborate breakfast. Simple cereals and peak milk in the morning
is a good breakfast to start up the day. Then about 10.30 –11.00
in school they can have their mid-day meal.
Now another thing you can do apart from taking cereal is
preparing pap. They can have pap and peak milk in the morning to
start them off. Also, during the weekend, prepare some meals,
pack them in your refrigerator and warm them up in every
morning.
If you think the children won’t be able to eat breakfast as
early as 5.00am when you’re leaving the house, warm them and
pack them in there food flask. In the car before you get to
their schools they can have their breakfast along the way and
with that I’m sure they wont miss out of the benefits of
breakfast. Remember, it’s a challenge for you.
As An Adult Can I Eat More Than One Egg A Day? Taking more than one egg a day for an adult can be
dangerous, because of the cholesterol level in the yellow part
of the egg which is the egg yolk. The important thing about the
cholesterol, it’s that though it is very good for the body but
it also has disadvantages when the level is too high in the
blood system.
It begins to clog the blood vessels which eventually can cause
heart problem. Now remember that whether you eat cholesterol or
you don’t eat it at all, the body still produces cholesterol by
itself. If you consider this you will realise that for an adult,
you actually don’t need more than one egg yolk a day.
Then if you are a healthy adult, you can have about three egg
yolks in a week, one on alternate days. So, you have to decrease
your love for eggs and probably divert it to fruits and
vegetables which are very good for you as an adult. It keeps you
healthier and makes you we longer in life. Thank you.
How Can My Child Get The Required Vitamins &
Minerals?
Most food items we eat have vitamins and minerals in them but
it’s the quantity in each food that varies. The water-soluble
vitamins such as vitamin C and the B-complex are found mostly in
fruits and vegetable.
The fresher your fruits and vegetables are the more the quantity
of the vitamins in them. Also the fat-soluble vitamins are
present in oily foods, nuts and protein foods. So you should
take more of variety of foods to be able to meet up with your
vitamin intake.
If you eat variety, you’ll definitely not going to be deficient
of any particular vitamin. But you should at least take a fruit
day. If you eat a fruit a day, you can be sure that you’ve
taking some amount of water-soluble vitamins. Then in cooking
your meals use oil and you are ensuring the intake of some other
vitamins in you meals. And with that you should be able to meet
a certain percentage of your body requirements on daily basis.
Is There Any Limit On How Much Sugar A Child
Can Have?
It is important for parents to know that Sugar provides nothing
but ‘empty’ calories. It is not necessary as a source of energy
for children. Many foods such as milk, fruit and vegetables
contain natural sugar, but these foods also provide other
essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fibre.
Natural sugars make up only a small proportion of the total
sugar eaten. It is refined sugars added to foods and drinks that
are a threat to health. Sugar should not be added to children’s
food and drinks.
Pure fruit juice or fresh fruits can be offered and naturally
sweet – tasting organic vegetables such as carrots or watermelon
are appetising and nutritious.
How Can I Get My Child To Eat Healthily?
Setting and creating good habits are much easier than attempting
to change a child’s eating patterns.
Set a time limit for meals and remove any uneaten foods. Do not
bribe a child to eat their meal and do not prepare special foods
as an alternative to a meal that is has been refused
However, praise a child when trying new foods. Also, involve
them in shopping, cooking and setting tables. Some choice in
menu selection can encourage older children. If at first, a new
food is refused, persevere. Experts believe it could take a
while before a new taste is accepted and repetition could only
help.
Be a
good role model by preparing and eating healthy meals.
Serve a
variety of foods that are attractively presented.
Keep
portion sizes small - children can be intimidated by large
food.
Schedule meals and snacks so that children are hungry when
its time to eat (but not too hungry) and let them stop when
they are full.
How Can I Reduce My Child’s Salt Intake? The immature kidneys of an infant are unable to cope with
salt, but after the age of 1 year there is less risk of kidney
damage. However, salt is not needed when preparing and cooking
food for children and the use of table salt should be
discouraged.
The best way to reduce salt in your child’s diet is to try
alternative flavourings such as spices, lemon or lime juice,
which offer a wide range of interesting flavours. When buying
processed foods, look out for the reduced salt varieties.
Avoid fatty and high salted foods. When ever possible, choose
meats and poultry, along with fresh fruit and vegetables, which
are low in sodium and so are ideal for young children.
Is It Safe To Breastfeed While Pregnant?
Pregnant mothers can continue to breastfeed as long as they
want. Experts believe that breastfeeding during pregnancy pose
no nutritional risk to the foetus. However, mothers who have a
history of miscarriages or preterm labor with previous
pregnancies, breastfeeding may increase the risk of these events
occurring again.
Because breastfeeding releases a hormone into mom's bloodstream
that can cause the uterus to contract and if a mom's uterus is
especially sensitive to this hormone then breastfeeding could
trigger the uterus to contract. However, most women's uteruses
are not sensitive to this breastfeeding hormone. It is therefore
safe to breastfeed during pregnancy. You should discuss your
situation with your doctor.
Is It Safe To Fast While Breastfeeding?
Most information regarding this deals with actually going on a
long-term diet, not sporadic fasts. In the Muslim and Jewish
religions, 12-hour fasts are common throughout the year. In the
scriptures relating to these spiritual fasts, pregnant and
nursing mothers are exempt.
When Do I Start Giving My Baby Water?
Starting solids doesn’t mean you have to start water, although
it can help treat the constipation that might result from the
solids. A common mistake that parents make is to give extra
water on a hot day in lieu of breast milk which could lead to
electrolyte imbalances in a young baby. At this age, water is
not necessary, but also not harmful. In other words: if you must
give him water it should be sips.
When the baby is older and starting to use a sip-it cup, parents
could fill the cup with water, and not juice. Toddlers and older
kids need to drink several cups of water each day – not several
cups of juice. Kids get too much sugar as it is. A little juice
is a nice treat, but it is important that when kids are thirsty,
they ask for water – a healthy habit that will last a lifetime.
Is Breast Milk Nutritionally Useful After
One Year?
Of course it is still nutritious. Nothing magical happens to
your milk at 1 year. In fact experts advice that breastfeeding
should continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as
long as mutually desired”. So keep breast feeding because breast
milk does not go stale.
Does Nutrition Affect The Developing Brain
Of A Child?
Brain development is most sensitive to a baby's nutrition
between birth and three years of age. Breast milk offers the
best mix of nutrients for promoting brain growth, provided that
breast-fed infants receive some form of iron supplementation
beginning around six months of age.
Children who are malnourished and deprived of adequate calories
and protein in their diet throughout this period do not
adequately grow, either physically or mentally.
Inadequate brain growth explains why children who were
malnourished as fetuses and infants suffer often lasting
behavioral and cognitive deficits, including slower language and
fine motor development, lower IQ, and poorer school performance.
When Should I Begin Feeding Infants Solid Food?
Most babies are ready to progress to solid foods sometime
between 4 and 7 months of age. A baby is ready to add solid
foods when the infant sits up, opens his mouth when something is
approaching, and draws in his lower lips as a spoon is removed
from his mouth. It’s essential to discuss the baby’s readiness
for solid foods with its parents. Continue to consult with each
baby’s parents concerning which foods they have introduced. This
allows you to follow the parents’ schedule as well as more
easily identify food allergies or intolerances.
How Much Fat Should I Let My Child Eat?
Fats and oils are an important source of energy for young
children, and provide the major energy source particularly in
the diet of children up to age of 5. However, fats are
concentrated, providing twice the number of calories per gram as
carbohydrates, and often make foods ‘taste better’.
There are some concerns that if food is too fatty, a child may
develop a preference for fatty foods and always choose these
instead of other foods that contain other essentials nutrients.
It is a good guildeline to try and ensure that children get no
more than 35% of their daily calories from fat, and of this, a
maximum of 10% of calories from saturated fat.
Are There Limits On How Much Sugar My Child
Can Have?
Sugar provides nothing but ‘empty’ calories. It is not necessary
as a source of energy. Many foods such as milk, fruit and
vegetables contain natural sugar, but these foods also provide
other essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fibre.
Natural sugars make up only a small proportion of the total
sugar eaten. It is refined sugars added to foods and drinks that
are a threat to health. Sugar should not be added to children’s
food and drinks.
Pure fruit juice or fresh or dried organic fruits can be used in
cooking or as a pudding or cereal sweetener and naturally sweet
– tasting organic vegetables such as carrots, celery or
sweetcorn are appetising and nutritious.
How Do I Know If My Baby Is Getting Enough
Breast Milk?
Often times, a concerned mother believes that her milk supply is
not adequate for her child, when, in reality, it is perfectly
adequate; it is merely a "perceived" low milk supply. In order
to help squelch any thoughts of inadequate milk supply, there
are some physical signs an infant displays that help assess
whether he/she is receiving adequate nutrients. These include:
a. producing at least 6 wet diapers per day
b. urine that is pale and dilute as opposed to dark yellow,
strong-smelling urine.
c. frequent, seedy stooling or if infrequent, large and soft
stools
d. eight or more nursings per day lasting about 15-20 minutes
each
e. a slow and steady weight gain
f. he/she appears healthy, has good skin, is alert, is active,
and has good muscle tone
g. once a feeding is completed, he/she seems satisfied.
Can I Continue To Nurse While I Go Back To
Work?
One of the best ways to facilitate the transition back to work
is to have a well-laid plan. Seek out the opportunities for
childcare, milk expression/pumping, bottle-feeding, and other
household chore delegation even prior to delivery. This will
help to ease the changes as they do come into play.
If possible, try to transition slowly. Perhaps you can begin
back to work for a few short days a week before jumping into a
full-time schedule. As you begin your back to work environment,
don't lose site of caring for yourself. Remember, fatigue and
stress can sabotage a full milk supply!
Does A Nursing Mother's Nutrition Affect The
Child’s?
Yes, most definitely!! A lactating woman requires an additional
500 calories per day compared to non-lactating women. A pregnant
woman's body creates some fat stores throughout pregnancy in
order to be able to accommodate the demands of nursing. While
these fat stores can be easily mobilized for milk production, it
is also imperative that a nursing woman consumes adequate
amounts of nutrients. This helps to develop a reliable supply of
milk.
Once the baby has been delivered, many women want to immediately
return to their pre-pregnancy weight. However, if calories and
nutrients are severely restricted, this may hinder the
development of the mother's milk supply.
Alcohol, nicotine, and many over-the-counter and prescription
medications can affect milk production. Even some herbal
remedies and dietary supplements can hinder milk production. It
is vital to use caution with these drugs and consult your doctor
prior to use.
Why Is My Baby Constipated?
When any new food is introduced to a child's diet, it may result
in some changes in their stool formation and / or pattern.
Constipation is a change in the normal pattern of stools for a
particular infant or as an extremely hard, dry, or small stool.
Breastfed children rarely show signs of constipation.
Constipation more commonly occurs with bottle fed infants. With
constipation, dietary intervention can help increase fluids into
the intestinal tract and alleviate symptoms very easily. If you
believe that your child is showing symptoms of constipation,
consult with your paediatrician.
Occasionally, when changing a child's diet, they may need an
"adjustment phase" to the new food. If your child is
experiencing any discomfort, pain, or cramping, consult with
your paediatrician.
Do I Need To Give My Child A Vitamin/Mineral
Supplement?
Experts believe that healthy children do not require a vitamin
or mineral supplement. When solid food is introduced to breast
fed infants, it should be iron-fortified foods in order to
ensure adequate iron intake.
Experts strongly encourages that vitamins and minerals be
obtained from whole food sources rather than from
supplementation as much as possible. There are many good,
healthy foods out there. Yet, when we rely on only one of these
foods, we miss out on all of the pleasures and the benefits that
some of the other foods can provide. Remember the saying, “Too
much of a good thing is bad”? Well, it's the same for healthy
foods. Reliance on a limited variety of foods could mean getting
too much of one kind of nutrient, and not enough of another.
By offering your child a variety of foods you will help to not
only encourage a healthy diet, but he/she will learn the joy of
various tastes and textures. In addition, he/she will also be
able to model your willingness to try new and healthy foods.
