Dr. Manjit Singh Sekhon
Dr. Manjit Singh Sekhon
Breastfeeding
I am Gurvindar Kaur from SimpliHealth. Today we have the privilege to talk to Dr. Manjeet Singh, consultant pediatrician at Cosmo Hospital Mohali. I am very sure these questions will help many of our new mothers regarding breastfeeding in many ways. Thank you for coming to Cosmo hospital and choosing this topic which is extremely important for young mothers. And I think breastfeeding is one of the most misunderstood topics because there are many myths associated with it. And those myths are what we want to solve today.
I being a mother, have so many questions about breastfeeding. I would also add a few questions from my side.
How often should the mother breastfeed the baby?
To begin, I would say that, the moment the baby is born. This is the current thinking. And the baby is delivered from the mother’s body. Whether it is by a C section or it is a normal delivery. The first thing we do is take the baby and put the baby on the mother’s breast. So that is where breastfeeding starts. We don’t have to wait for hours, to wait for the baby to start this thing. Then we try to remain as close to nature as possible. So when a mammal baby is born anywhere in the wild, the first thing that baby does is try to reach the mother’s nipple and suckle over there. And that’s how it all starts. So basically, it starts right from there.
Breastfeeding normally should be done every 2 hours. However, there should be a 2-hour gap between the feeds because that gives time for the baby to digest milk that he’s already ingested. And also gives the mother time to replenish the milk that has been extracted from the breast.
How does the mother know that the baby is getting sufficient milk?
This is a common question that we are asked as pediatricians. And most mothers feel underconfident. They think that their baby isn’t getting enough milk, which is hardly ever the case. The baby is almost always getting enough milk. And the only way to find out is not why the duration of the baby assembly. It’s not by the baby crying between feeds. It is by weighing the baby daily and finding out about weight gain. Now what happens is, in the first seven days, the baby loses weight. There is excess water in the baby’s body which is drained out in the first seven days. So we accept that in the first seven days, the baby won’t gain weight. After that, they begin to gain weight at the rate of about 20 to 25 grams a day, so if the mother is very apprehensive, we call the baby every 15 days, and we weigh. Ande, we show the weather on the same machine that the baby is gaining weight at the rate of 20-25 grams a day. And if this is happening, then obviously, he is getting enough milk.
We have working mothers nowadays, and at times, it is not possible o feed the baby on the spot, so what is the most efficient way to store breast milk?
This is again one of the most common questions that patients ask. Most working mothers are given a certain amount of paternity leave. So the first few months are normally taken care of. If the mother has to go out, then breast milk can be stored by using a breast pump. And taking a number of bottles and putting in it about as much milk as the baby feeds in one day. So if the mother is expected to go away for 6 hours, this means there would be 3 feeds to be given to the baby in her absence.
So what the baby is supposed to do is the night before, she can use the breast pump to fill 60ml quantity in each bottle and then stored it in the fridge. And whoever is the caregiver can take out the water from the refrigerator, standard in water for a minute or two that brings the milk temperature to room temperature, and then feed the baby.
How long can it be store?
- You can store it very easily for 26 to 36 hours.
- In a freezer, it can be stored for a longer period.
Any exercises or diet you would recommend to the mothers to lose the post-delivery weight.
Exercise is not something that will help with this, but diet is undoubtedly helpful. We should understand that an average lady needs about 2000 calories a day. But this is something that very few people know. When the lady gets pregnant, her requirement begins to increase. This, people know, okay now she’s eating enough for two people. That is 1% to her baby. So around the peak of pregnancy that is just before delivery, the requirement is about 2700g. After the delivery takes place, the baby is born. Most mothers go onto a kind of diet to lose excess weight that they put on during pregnancy. This is a very bad idea. Because now her requirement increases from 2700 cal 3500 cal. So before pregnancy 2000. After delivery 35. So it’s almost twice. She should now be eating even more than what she was eating before. So most mothers tend os top to lose the weight they gained during pregnancy. They have to wait for some time. If good breastfeeding is established, they will start using with because of breastfeeding. As those excess cals
Any specific food you would recommend to the mother?
A good diet, particularly something which has a lot of liquids. Because as we know, milk is about 90% liquid Contents and milk solid. 90% liquid has to come from the mother’s body. Suppose a body is well hydrated. This is when she drinks plenty of water, plenty of liquid Like milk, lassi nimbu paani, etc. This would add to the flow of milk. And of course cal like we discussed. in the olden days, these calorie-dense foods like pennies, panjiri and so on used to be given to mothers for this reason only. The requirement for calories increases, but at the same time, she cannot eat that much bulk. Now you want to eat 27 35000 cal in just chapati and dal it would amount to a lot of food intake. She probably won’t eat this. Therefore, they used to give calorie-dense food like panjiji. Now that we do not use our hands so much And the mothers are more residential, I do not recommend eating this. This will make them put on more weight as they tend to go overboard.
Sometimes the baby sleeps while breastfeeding. So is it okay to let him sleep or wake him and feed him ultimately?
This is again a great question. If they’ll remember this one rule, that he was put to early gaps between feeds. So that the baby digest milk that is taken and the mother replenishes the milk that has been taken out of the breast. After that, the baby should be put on the breast for about 30 minutes. And out of that 30 minutes, his active feeding may not be more than 5 minutes. So away what to sleep with acceptable if you can put again so that you can get them you can put them on the other side try to see if he needs a little newer.
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