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How
many times
did you eat or drink something today? Coffee
break? Water fountain? Gum? Snack? TV nibblies?
Most adults have an urge to eat about every
90 minutes while they're awake!
Why
do you eat or drink? Hunger? Thirst?
Comfort? For social reasons? Just because?
Are
you trying to gain weight? If
you had to double your weight in 6 months,
how would you do it? Would you drink water?
Chew sugarless gum between meals? Eat large
meals at long intervals? Or would you do
lots and lots of snacking, day and night?
When
it comes to food, babies are people, too.
They're people plus, because
they are trying to double their weight
in about half a year, with a stomach that
starts out no bigger than a golf ball. Of
course they eat and eat and eat, especially
in the early weeks. If your newborn is gaining
about half a pound a week, he's doing well.
If not, a breastfeeding specialist can help
you find ways to help him nurse more effectively.
Remember, if milk doesn't go in often, pounds
can't go on fast. Here are some basics:
Pacifiers
are sugarless gum for babies -
an imitation of what a baby really needs.
You already have two of the real thing!
Think
nursing first whenever your baby
seems unsettled - even if he just ate. He
can always say no. If someone always analyzed
our reasons before allowing us food, we'd
go crazy! We don't want to have to demand
our food, and neither do our babies. What
would you think of a hostess who withheld
the cheese dip, saying, "You can't
be hungry; you just ate"? Why withhold
food from a fast-growing baby? Nursing freely
and frequently is actually easier than taking
time out for big meals at long intervals.
Your breasts won't feel uncomfortably full,
and his stomach will probably be happier,
too.
Let
your baby finish the first breast first
rather than shifting him automatically
after a set time. Each breast provides a
changing "soup to dessert" menu.
Would you like to have more soup put in
front of you just when you were settling
in with dessert? If Side 1 wasn't enough,
he can go on to Side 2, and maybe even back
again. If Side 1 was all he wanted, fine.
Let
your baby, not the clock, tell you when
he's full. Imagine a dinner at
which the ma�tre d' bustles over and tells
you your time is up!
Nighttime
is especially valuable nursing time. Don't
be too eager for your baby to sleep through
the night. Keep him conveniently close at
night - in your bed if you like - and know
that you're helping him grow those brains
and bones.
If
your baby seems to nurse constantly and
isn't gaining well, get
help from someone who understands breastfeeding.
A few simple changes are usually all it
takes to get back on track. And when all
is well again, you can forget about "feeding",
and just enjoy nursing. Let your baby lead
the way, and the pounds will take care of
themselves.
�1996
Diane
Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC
136 Ellis Hollow Creek Rd Ithaca, NY 14850,
with
gratitude to Linda
Smith, FACCE, IBCLC,
whose "Eating Patterns Game" is
incorporated here
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