A giddy baby and a tense mother equals a delightful and stressful feeding time.
Feeding problems are inevitable, but dealing with them can be as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Problem # 1: Difficulty in positioning your baby while breastfeeding.
Generally, breastfeeding is a special time between mommies and babies.
But sometimes, especially during the first few weeks, mothers may face some difficulties.
Such is the correct latching on of babies to their mothers' breast.
This crisis usually occurs when mother's breasts are fully engorged with milk.
Engorgement makes the breast hard and flattens the nipples so the baby has nothing to latch on.
Solution: First, position yourself in a relaxed manner.
Make sure your back, shoulders and arms are properly supported.
Sit in a comfortable sofa, rocking chair or bed.
Surround the room with soothing music to calm you and your baby's nerves.
Next, position your baby in a way that his head and body are turned to face your breast with his mouth level with your nipple.
Cup breast with your hand, express a few drops of milk and pull him in close.
Using electric or hand pumps is also a good idea.
Just refrigerate the milk and give it to your hungry baby later on.
Using nipple shields an hour before feeding your infant also helps the nipples protrude.
Problem # 2: Noisy sucking sounds while bottle feeding.
If you hear loud sucking noises, your baby may be taking in too much air.
Or, the nipple's flow in his baby bottle is either too slow or too fast.
Solution: Cradle your baby at a 45-degree angle (left-side lying while the bottle is on his side).
Furthermore, do not forget to tilt the bottle to make sure that the nipple and the neck of the bottle is always filled with milk.
Problem # 3: Gagging It is normal for babies to gag.
This is their automatic reflex to avoid choking which makes feeding time more challenging.
Solution: Do not force your little one to eat more than he wants.
For bottle feeding, see to it that the hole in the nipple is the right size with an appropriate flow rate.
When introducing solid foods, make sure his food is pureed smoothly.
Cut them into bite-sized pieces and avoid foods that are choking threats such as nuts, grapes and hotdogs.
Start by placing a small amount of food on a spoon.
Tilt the spoon and put only a bit of the food on the front of his tongue so your baby can eat the rest of the food without feeling it at the back of his throat.
Feed him slowly until he gets accustomed to it.
Give your baby time to swallow his food and only continue to feed him when he no longer has food in his mouth.
Problem # 4: Spit Ups Your newborn's digestive system is not fully developed making his esophagus work slower than an adult's which results for the inhaled air to get trapped with his food causing some of it to come out of his nose or mouth.
Solution: Keep your baby and his surroundings as calm as possible.
Reduce sound and other disruptions since an agitated baby is more liable to ingest air.
Cradle your little one in an upright position (curled up in your arms or when lying in a bed with his head on a nursing pillow).
This will not give the food a straight path to his stomach.
Burp you baby after every feeding, if he is bottle fed, burp him after he consumes 2 to 3 ounces of formula.
Make sure his diaper and clothes are not too tight so as not to hinder air circulation.
Lastly, do not play with your baby after feeding him.
Always hold or prop him in a vertical position.
Problem # 5: Messy Mealtimes Mealtime is a fun activity for any growing baby so expect tons of spills and stains.
Therefore, it is important to be ready 24/7.
Solution: Invest in an easy to clean highchair, preferably one that is vinyl-covered.
Have a large bib handy to protect your baby's clothes.
Thicken runny foods like soup with wheat and use a blender to make hard to swallow foods (e.
g.
squash, carrots, etc.
) mushy.
In this way, they cling to the spoon and avoid any spills.
Use a bowl with an anti-slip bottom to keep his food and his plate on his highchair instead of sliding on the floor.