Feeding Your Bundle of Joy
As soon as you welcome your little bundle of joy, you have to make a decision about feeding the baby, breast or bottle. Feeding your baby should come out of love not out of a sense of duty.
Please give adequate thought to decide on which method you would want to feed the baby. If you later want to switch from bottle to breast, it may not be possible, as without the stimulation of the baby sucking, the breasts may stop producing milk. Always bear in mind, whichever method you opt for, your love and attention is as much important to your baby as the milk you feed.
Breast Feeding
- There is no substitute for the colostrum that your breasts produce in the first few days. This equips the baby with antibodies needed to fight infection in the early months.
- Breast milk meets a baby’s needs perfectly with the right kind of nutrients.
- It is easily digested
- It is naturally hygienic
- It is available at the right temperature for the baby.
- It helps in developing a stronger bond between the mother and the child.
- It helps the mother shrink back to the pre pregnancy size soon.
Bottle Feeding
Though a bottle fed baby is more at risk of picking up micro-organisms that may cause diarrhea, there are some advantages:
- It helps your partner take an active role in feeding the baby
- You can monitor how much milk your baby has taken
- A mother’s tiredness or illness, which may reduce breast milk supply, does not affect bottle fed babies.
Sterilizing and Good Hygiene
Bottle fed babies are at higher risk for bacteria entering their bodies through milk causing gastro enteritis which may be life threatening in a young baby. You must wash and sterilize everything that comes into contact with your baby’s feed.
Washing
- Use hot soapy water to wash all bottle, teats, caps, jug, funnel , spoon and knife thoroughly
- Scrub well around the neck, screw , thread and the insides of the bottle to remove all traces of milk
- Use salt inside the teats and move it around by squeezing and massaging the teats to remove any milk traces.
- Rinse all the equipments under running water.
Sterilizing
- Fill a large vessel with cold water and add sterilizing liquid.
- Put the equipments in and fill the bottles to make them stay immersed.
- Jiggle the items around until you see no air bubbles at all. Put the float in and the lid on
- Leave for at least the minimum time
- Take out items as needed and rinse in boiled water
- Drain on kitchen paper.
Sterilizing By Boiling
Wash all the equipments then boil for 25 minutes. Keep everything fully submerged.
- Electric Sterilizer
This just takes the bottles and teats. You must wash everything well first.
If you are exercising adequate care, you need not worry too much about bottle feeding too. Breast or bottle is an independent decision which the parents should take and enjoy the whole experience of welcoming a child into your family.
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