New Parent Tip: Feeding your Newborn

Going to be a mother for the first time? Many doubts, many confusions would be swinging in your mind about which diaper you should use for your little one, what to feed him/her, what are the things you should avoid in order to protect them from various consequences.

The first question that arises about feeding your newborn is whether you should opt for formula milk or do it in a natural way that is breastfeeding?! Let’s clear the air about this dilemma with proper information about both ways

How Much To Feed Your Child

Your infant will need about 8 to 12 times a day in the first week. And the duration of feeding may lead upto 20 to 30 minutes but setting a time limit is not necessary, let you baby fulfill their need as per their own demand. You might notice a decrease in the timing when your baby gets older.

And when we talk about formula milk, the consumption could be 2 to 3 ounces every 3 to 4 hours. Newborns are likely to have it every 3rd hour. The hungry little creatures also give off signs when they are hungry, here’s a guide to make you informed about it

Guide To Your Baby’s Signs When Hungry

• When your infant opens mouth.
• A very obvious sign, when your baby is crying.
• When you baby press against you breast of suck your clothes.
• When the baby is licking their own hand or stick out tongue as an act of sucking it.
• When the baby move its head side to side.

Formula Milk vs. Breastfeeding

It is seen that some mothers are not comfortable with breastfeeding and have supersticians that milk from breast may harm their newborn, but in reality, formula milk is not best suited for your sweetheart.

Breastfeeding is preferred by doctors which can be a natural food for your loved one along with many health benefits for you and your baby.

Formula Milk Pros and Cons

Along with many handy benefits for you as a mother, formula milk comes with many disadvantages for your baby.

No Mental Growth

The baby formula has shown no good results in terms of baby’s mental growth, be it intelligence or smartness. As compared to babies who breastfeed, baby formula feeding babies are less intelligent. That is also because baby formula only fulfills the nutritional requirement selectively while breastfeeding has all the natural components to provide your baby with a complete range of nutrients like proteins, vitamins etc.

Discourages Physical Attachment With Mother

Baby formula is fed by bottles, although feeding your baby with a bottle may come with many other perks like anyone in family can feed them and you can enjoy them watching for example, watching you in-laws or you husband feeding their little one may give you joy but there will also be a bad side to it.

The disadvantage is that it will detach you with your sweetie, breastfeeding is done keeping your baby close to you, there is physical connection as well as emotional bond of mother and the newborn which has shown growth in babies in terms of emotions and IQ level. Baby formula discourages the bond between mother and baby.

No Boosting of Immunity

There are no ingredients in formula milk that will contribute to your baby’s immunity. Although many companies claim that but in reality no one does as compared to breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has naturally been rewarded with this quality which naturally boosts your baby’s immune system as it is hygienic and healthy. Another disadvantage if we talk about formula milk is that it is easily exposed to germs because bottles are not as safe as a mother’s breast.

No promise of Long-Term Protection

The newborn days of your baby are said to be the most sensitive ones, as it sets the base of your baby’s health for long-term. If these starting days are not cared for enough, the consequences could be a little disturbing in future. So formula milk is an outsourced way to keep your baby fulfilled but only breastfeeding can do a wholesome work and will prevent diseases in future as well.

Now if we talk about some other social perks of formula milk there are many, let say, you can feed your cranky little human in public too if you feed them with a bottle without feeling awkward. But you might not want to risk your baby’s health over some worldly perks.

Breastfeeding Pros and Cons

Breastfeeding doesn’t even need an appreciation or any justification because it’s a natural phenomenon that is itself a miracle. When you get pregnant, the mammary glands in your breasts get what they are made for and get prepared for your baby’s after care.

World Health Organization (WHO) has also stated that breastfeeding should be done until your baby is 2 years old, let’s count the benefits

Best for Mom and the Baby

After you deliver your baby, breastfeeding helps you regain your previous shape and lose weight, helps your uterus to contract and stop bleeding sooner, and prevent many diseases like breast cancer. As much as it’s best for your baby, it’s no less for yourself too. Unlikely formula milk, as spoken earlier, breastfeeding fulfills the need of all nutrients required for the baby’s growth. The energy provided by natural milk is more likely to digest by your baby than the formula milk. Immune system gets stronger each passing day of breastfeeding as it prevents allergies and infections.

Natural Bond with your baby

Breastfeeding promotes your bond with your baby emotionally and physical as there is a physical contact. The time you’d be saving from cleaning those bottles of formula milk, you can spend with your kid all alone in your room, feed your baby as much as he/she wants and when they’re done talk to them and create a phenomenal mother and kid bond. There are such hormones released from your natural milk that causes warmth and feeling of calm in mother and a child both.

Economical Along With Many Benefits

You don’t need to think about making a budget for your child’s nutritional needs. Breastfeeding is cost free along with all benefits that a formula milk can’t provide. There will be no expense incurred for your child’s medication as it will save your little one from many diseases and infections, also it prevents constipation. So medication expenses will be lesser as compared to those who feed their newborns formula milk.

Maintains Baby’s Weight

Breastfeeding discourages weakness and promotes health and weight gain for a child. When we talk about weight gain, we talk about healthy weight gain not overweight. Breastfeeding helps maintain the weight of the kid and prevents child obesity. The reason is that it keeps the digestion well and regulated and everything keeps going inside your baby’s stomach normally.