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Parenting

Feeding Your Newborn

Posted on: 06-30-2008 by mudger --
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If you are a first time mother learning when and what to feed your newborn is not as simple as one would think. Your newborn child is growing extremely fast, the fastest in its entire life; therefore, proper nutrition is essential to the development of the baby. As a newborn child, the only food your newborn needs is breast milk or formula, nothing else – not even water. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you stick with breast-feeding exclusively for about the fist six months. After consultation with your doctor, you may begin to introduce solid foods into the picture.

Remember to feed your baby only when your baby tells you in needs to be fed. The average newborn needs to be breast fed about eight times a day – that is a lot. Be prepared if you go out in public to wear appropriate clothing and forget about those people who think it’s rude to breast feed in public, they’re not the ones with the hungry baby. Within about three months, your newborn will fall into a regular habit of feeding, taking in more milk per feed and in less time.

Early signs of hunger from a baby include sucking and motions of the lips. When a baby starts fussing a crying they are already extremely hungry. You will be able to soothe a baby sooner and stop it from crying if your recognize the signs to feeding. You will know your baby is finished suckling when it turns its head away from the nipple or closes its mouth. Try burping your baby and then feeding again, if he or she refuses then they are most likely full.

 

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