Your child's nutrition

Early on in pregnancy, we usually ask what food you want to feed your baby. Let's say up front that no choice is the wrong choice. I wanted to breastfeed because I always try to take nature as much as possible as my starting point. I also relied on that during my delivery and I wanted to do the same with feeding. Nature has thought about that too and the nutrition you make as a mum is completely adapted to your baby's needs. Through the saliva your breast comes into contact with, your body adapts the nutrition and passes on antibodies against any viruses found in the saliva. This is how your body protects your baby. How nice is that! Of course, every advantage has its disadvantage. When it comes to feeding, too, it is not all plain sailing and sometimes it can be a struggle. Some babies refuse the breast, others refuse the bottle. It is always a search for the way that suits you and your baby. Being a breastfeeder myself, I can only share this experience with you. After giving birth, I wanted Maas to drink at the breast within an hour. This is important for the first stimulation, the bonding between mother and baby and the first signal to your body for the production of nutrition. Even if you are not breastfeeding, it is important for the bonding between mother and child that your baby lays on your breast for the first hour. Because my delivery went without complications, I also had this opportunity. Maas turned out to be a natural and latched on well right away! In practice, I have seen several times how much energy it can take to get a baby to latch on properly. So I had also prepared myself for the fact that this would also be the case for me. This is because it takes a while for your milk flow to get going properly. This usually only happens around 3-4 days after delivery. You notice this because you get congestion, or as we call it: Pamela day! For the men: you can look, but don't touch! So the milk flow gets going well that day and this results in very full breasts! They feel hard and tense. Fortunately, this usually lasts about 24 hours and then it subsides again. Your body then starts adjusting the amount of milk to your baby's demand. You will also see that from then on, your baby will start growing again. In the beginning they lose weight because the milk flow is not yet established. They have gained extra fat reserves for this so they can get their energy from this during the first few days. So your baby is adjusted to the fact that it will take a while for them to get milk. With me, fortunately, this all went smoothly but this is by no means a given! This is why we are very grateful that, as midwives, we can call in the lactation consultant! These are people who have completely immersed themselves in feeding your baby and have learned how to deal with problems with this. So, as you have read earlier, Maas has reported every two hours from the start. I did find this tough, but fortunately by pumping I was able to share the workload with Jordy. Now I am now very happy that it worked out with breastfeeding. I especially find it very convenient that I always have food with me, at the right temperature and in the right quantity! In short: my experience with breastfeeding is very positive. Do you have any questions about feeding/breastfeeding? Ask them in a comment or at the consultation! We are happy to think with you.