Breast milk is the best food for growing babies.
It contains everything children need in the most adequate quantity:
- protein
- sugars
- fat
- vitamins and minerals
Breast milk protects against many infectious diseases, as it transmits many of the defenses that the mother possesses.
Newborns need to be breast fed very early, within the first few hours of birth.
The first few times mothers can encounter difficulties: for example, it can happen that the little ones latch on to the breast with difficulty, that sucking is painful, or that the milk is or seems scarce. There's no need to worry too much – this usually resolves itself within a few days. However, it is useful to ask for information and advice from expert personnel such as your trusted paediatrician or midwife present in the hospital ward or family counseling centre.
Up to 6 months of age, breast milk is the only food babies need.
It is not necessary to give water or other liquids.
Most babies are able, based on their own hunger, to suckle more or less often and for a longer or longer time for each feeding:
it is therefore advisable to breastfeed without rules or rigid schedules and to comply with the baby's requests .
The duration of the feed is usually 15-20 minutes. It should be remembered that there is no need to prolong it because most of the milk is suckled in the first 10-15 minutes. It is possible to breastfeed from one breast only or from both, starting in any case with the most turgid one.
By breastfeeding, the mother
establishes a very close relationship with her son or daughter . Early contact, already at birth, improves the relationship and well-being of both.
In order for there to be an adequate recovery, especially in the first months of breastfeeding, it is advisable for mothers to rest frequently, even when the babies sleep.
It is also advisable to breastfeed when babies are ill, for example when they have diarrhoea.
After 6 months, in addition to breast milk, according to the pediatrician's indications, other foods can also be introduced: meat, soups (e.g. vegetable puree), cereal flours, fruit and vegetables, while cow's milk, even if suitably diluted, it can only be given after the first year of life.
The weight of the newborn in the first days of life is subject to a decrease which is considered physiological, equal to 10% of the birth weight. Generally, the initial weight is regained within the first two weeks of life. Subsequently, if the weight increases regularly - at least 120 grams per week - the parents have the security that the child eats enough.
Source: saluter.it Portal of the Emilia-Romagna regional health service
Breast milk protects against many infectious diseases, as it transmits many of the defenses that the mother possesses.
Newborns need to be breast fed very early, within the first few hours of birth.
The first few times mothers can encounter difficulties: for example, it can happen that the little ones latch on to the breast with difficulty, that sucking is painful, or that the milk is or seems scarce. There's no need to worry too much – this usually resolves itself within a few days. However, it is useful to ask for information and advice from expert personnel such as your trusted paediatrician or midwife present in the hospital ward or family counseling centre.
Up to 6 months of age, breast milk is the only food babies need. It is not necessary to give water or other liquids.
Most babies are able, based on their own hunger, to suckle more or less often and for a longer or longer time for each feeding: it is therefore advisable to breastfeed without rules or rigid schedules and to comply with the baby's requests .
The duration of the feed is usually 15-20 minutes. It should be remembered that there is no need to prolong it because most of the milk is suckled in the first 10-15 minutes. It is possible to breastfeed from one breast only or from both, starting in any case with the most turgid one.
By breastfeeding, the mother establishes a very close relationship with her son or daughter . Early contact, already at birth, improves the relationship and well-being of both.
In order for there to be an adequate recovery, especially in the first months of breastfeeding, it is advisable for mothers to rest frequently, even when the babies sleep.
It is also advisable to breastfeed when babies are ill, for example when they have diarrhoea.
After 6 months, in addition to breast milk, according to the pediatrician's indications, other foods can also be introduced: meat, soups (e.g. vegetable puree), cereal flours, fruit and vegetables, while cow's milk, even if suitably diluted, it can only be given after the first year of life.
The weight of the newborn in the first days of life is subject to a decrease which is considered physiological, equal to 10% of the birth weight. Generally, the initial weight is regained within the first two weeks of life. Subsequently, if the weight increases regularly - at least 120 grams per week - the parents have the security that the child eats enough.
Source: saluter.it Portal of the Emilia-Romagna regional health service
