baby feeding - from zero to 36 months

Premature infants begin their feeding in the hospital, which can be given by the vein, catheter or directly from the mother's womb, depending on their state of health. Premature infants do not yet have a mature gut, and many are unable to suckle because they still do not know how to suck and swallow, so it is necessary to start feeding through the vein or catheter

The composition of breast milk is ideal for a good growth and development of the baby during the first 6 months of age, without the need to supplement the baby's diet with no other food or water. Therefore, the composition of breast milk varies to suit the needs of the baby: Colostrum - comes out soon after delivery and is a thick, yellowish fluid rich in protein; Transition Milk - From the 7th to the 21st day, proteins and minerals are reduced and fats and carbohydrates increase; Mature milk - from the 21st day, the milk composition becomes more stable

Feeding your baby with solid foods can start at about 4-6 months of age when your baby is able to sit down and have the reflex of swallowing food. However, babies do not need solid foods before 6 months of age because milk is sufficient to ensure good growth. In addition, introducing too soon solid foods increases the chances of the baby developing allergies or intolerances, for example

The baby's nutrition has to be balanced with consumption of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat and egg so that the children have all the nutrients, ensuring the proper functioning of the body and to grow in a healthy way. Feeding infants up to 6 months of age should be carried out only with breastmilk or formula, and after that age they begin to introduce food in small portions, sometimes also begin to introduce new foods after 4 months of life

The baby's energy need corresponds to the energy the baby needs to grow in a healthy way. Depending on the age and stage of development, the baby needs different amounts of energy to grow. For example, when the baby begins to move better, it spends more energy and therefore needs to ingest more energy through the food to grow properly

The main way to know if your baby is feeding well is through weight gain. One should weigh the baby with a 15 day interval and the baby's weight should always increase. Other ways to assess baby feeding can be: Clinical Assessment - the baby should be alert and active. Signs of dehydration such as dry skin, dry, hollowed eyes or cracked lips may indicate that the baby is not nursing the desired volume

Inserting iron baby food is very important, because when the baby stops breastfeeding exclusively and begins to feed at 6 months of age, his natural reserves of iron are gone, so when introducing a diversified diet, the baby needs to eat: Cooked red lentil: 2.44 mg of Fe per 100g of food; Parsley: 3

To properly store breastmilk, it is important to know that you should store milk in a specific container for this purpose and be very careful when taking, storing and using milk to avoid contamination. The following images show the glass container and breast milk sachets, which can be found in specialized stores for pregnant and baby products, as well as on the internet

The four simpler positions for breastfeeding twins at the same time, in addition to stimulating milk production, save the mother time because the babies start breastfeeding at the same time and consequently sleep at the same time as they do the milk digestion, they are satisfied and sleepy at the same time

To know if the baby is eating well it is important to consider the baby's gastric capacity and compare with the actual volume of food eaten. Thus, a baby aged between 6 and 8 months carries in his stomach an approximate volume of 250 g. If you are between 9 - 11 months you should be able to eat 290 g of food per meal and from the first year to 2 years of age the food volume remains constant at approximately 350 g

To find out if the baby is breastfeeding enough, the mother or caregiver should observe some signs listed below, and when necessary, should contact the baby's pediatrician: If the baby wets at least 6 diapers in a 24-hour period (diaper test); If the urine is not too yellow and with a strong odor; If the stool is very hard and dry; If the baby does not seem to be satisfied after the feeding and continues to cry; If the baby wants to breastfeed very often and spend time on each breast; If the baby refuses to breastfeed