Breastfeeding by the hour. Feeding on demand or on a regimen: advantages and disadvantages

In a few words, whichever is more convenient for you. For more details, read below.

This dilemma is faced, perhaps, by every nursing mother. To put the baby to the breast at a certain time, having developed a regimen, or to let everything take its course? Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Feeding on demand

The essence of feeding is to put the baby to the breast at the slightest cry, demonstration of the sucking reflex and other actions. As dissatisfied grandmothers say: “I whimpered a little - you immediately give him a breast!”

The advantages of this type of feeding are many:

Babies who receive breasts on demand grow more balanced, self-confident and calm. After all, the mother listens to the child and allows him to fully satisfy all the needs.
Babies, for whom access to the breast and breast milk is unlimited, fully satisfy the sucking reflex. This means that they do not need a nipple, which can cause malocclusion and speech problems.
Feeding on demand is an excellent prevention of milk stagnation, mastitis and other problems. After all, the breast is emptied on time, and the milk in it is produced exactly as much as the baby needs.
A child who receives a breast at will, up to 6 months, does not need to be supplemented with water or introduce any complementary foods (with the exception of pediatrician's prescriptions). After all, with milk, he immediately gets both. The light “front” milk will perfectly quench the baby’s thirst, and the nutritious “back” milk will saturate and provide everyone essential vitamins and minerals. But you can get the latter only with long sucking.
This method allows you to best establish lactation and feed the baby as much as you want.
It provides for nightly breastfeeding. It is in the dark that the mammary glands produce the main amount of prolactin, so night feeding is the key to a long and successful lactation.

There are, of course, disadvantages, but they are due only to the inconvenience of the mother herself:

The baby can be breastfed up to 30 times a day, so you need to be prepared for the fact that social life will be minimized.
The regime of the mother herself turns into chaos, since all her activities, even banal hygiene procedures, depend on the crumbs.

Feeding according to the regimen

In our country, this method became popular in the post-war period, when women had to go to work almost immediately after giving birth. At that time, labor legislation determined mandatory breaks for young mothers for feeding. They took place every 3 hours and lasted no more than 20 minutes. At night, the interval between feedings was 6 hours.

This method of feeding is convenient, first of all, for mom:

With a clear feeding schedule, she will be able to go on business and even go to work if necessary.
When the baby gets used to such a regimen, more or less calm nights will come.

But there are many more disadvantages of feeding:

Due to rare night feedings, lactation can quickly fade away.
The baby cannot be explained why he is not allowed to his mother's breast: as a result, the break is accompanied by screams and crying, and not every mother can stand it.
The risk of breast problems increases: it is not emptied on time and congestion may occur in it and, as a result, inflammation and mastitis.
In babies who are breastfed by the hour, the sucking reflex is not satisfied: the child begins to suck on a fist or finger.
IN different time day the child has a different appetite, and in a strictly defined 20 minutes he may not be satisfied. As a result, the baby may not gain enough weight and switch to formula.

Sometimes a specialist may prescribe this method of nutrition according to medical indications. For example, when the baby gains too much weight. Feeding according to the regimen will allow you not to overeat and thereby adjust your weight, preventing obesity in the future.

What to choose for a young mother - feeding on demand or breastfeeding according to the regimen? Which feeding option is recommended by pediatricians and obstetricians-gynecologists? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each newborn feeding option? Breastfeeding rules to meet the needs of the child and maintain the health of the mother.

The term "feeding on demand" has become very popular today. It is opposed to the "outdated" concept of feeding "according to the regime", when a woman puts her baby to her breast only at a certain time.

This opposition creates a confrontation between the knowledge and experience of the current and previous generations. Grandmothers and mothers strongly recommend that mother not be a “nipple” for her baby, streamline his diet, fit it into a framework that is convenient for a woman. Their instructions are correct, but from the point of view of the science of the last century.

Features of feeding "by the hour"

In the 20th century there were significant changes in the public consciousness. The woman ceased to be just a “keeper of the hearth”, who needed to take care of her husband, give birth to children and take care of everyday life. The woman became socially active, and the role of the mother did not fit well into the possibility of its implementation in public life.

To help women maintain an active social position and after childbirth, medicine volunteered. "Feeding according to the regimen" allowed young mothers to do as much as possible. It turned out to be unnecessary to spend a lot of time with a baby in her arms or under her breast. Periodic applications are sufficient, first every three hours, then every four.

Already after reaching the age of five months, the infant was recommended to introduce complementary foods. This need was explained not only by the need for the child to receive additional nutrients, but also by the almost complete suppression of lactation. Mothers who breastfeed by the hour simply had no milk left by this period.

In the last century, breastfeeding has acquired multiple prejudices. It has become a ritual, a complex technique. This is pointed out by the authors of the book "Ecology of infancy" Leonid Kitaev and Mikhail Trunov. “The mother had to thoroughly wash her hands before feeding, tie a scarf on her head. The chest should be treated with a 2% solution of boric acid or washed with boiled water. Feed the baby in your arms, substituting a bench under your foot. The chest must be held with four fingers so as not to block the child's breathing.

Feeding by the hour made other demands on the woman.

Feed only a certain number of times a day. At the age of three months, the number of feedings should be 7, every three hours. From three to five months, the number of feedings is reduced to six every three and a half hours. And up to a year, it is necessary to put the baby to the breast every four hours no more than five times a day.
Strictly alternate chest. Attach the baby to only one breast at one feeding. The duration of application is 30 minutes in the first month after birth. Up to three months, the duration of application is 10-15 minutes.
Express the chest. If milk remains in the mammary gland after feeding, it must be expressed.

Modern pediatrics has proved the complete groundlessness of the framework in which medicine has tried to fit breastfeeding for a whole century. The WHO recommendations note the need to stop feeding by the hour, the pros and cons of which cannot be compared.

Advantages and disadvantages

The regime formed by the mother for the baby does not correspond to the physiological needs of either her or the child's body.

The regimen does not meet the baby's need for food. A newborn baby has a delicate, immature digestive system. Until a certain time, the stomach does not participate in its work at all. It "turns on" only when it is necessary to digest "foreign" food, while breast milk is completely absorbed in the intestines. The process of digestion occurs very quickly, much faster than within three to four hours, so the real need for food in a newborn occurs much more often.
The regimen inhibits lactation. The process of producing breast milk is carried out as a response of the mother's body to the request of the child. The amount of milk produced corresponds to what was drunk from the breast. Feeding every three hours, in which only one breast is released, each mammary gland is left to “idle” for up to six hours. At this time, the brain does not receive a signal to produce milk. And it stays so small that the child cannot compensate for their nutritional needs with them. There is a need for supplementary feeding, which pushes the issue of breastfeeding into the background and puts an end to lactation.
Feeding by the hour provokes mastitis. Rare emptying of the breast leads to stagnation of milk - lactostasis. Without urgent action to eliminate it, lactostasis transforms into mastitis within three days. When feeding by the hour, emptying of the mammary glands is catastrophically rare. Pumping was called upon to “smooth out” the problem somewhat. However, the frequency of mastitis in women who adhere to the regimen with breastfeeding, many times higher than that of those who feed on demand.

Today, the World Health Organization has put an end to the dispute “feeding on demand or by the clock”. “Offer your baby to breast as often as he asks,” says one basic postulates Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. The breastfeeding regime is recognized as a harmful and dangerous relic of the twentieth century.

Orientation to the needs of the child

The technique of feeding "on demand" implies the satisfaction of not only the physiological, but also the psychological needs of the newborn. In fact, she answers all the problems of the child, compensates for his worries and fears. "A baby who breastfeeds as often as he needs doesn't cry at all," says breastfeeding consultant Maria Gudanova. "There's no reason for him to do that."

The rules for feeding a baby on demand are simple.

Attach the baby to the chest "for any squeak" without waiting for this demand to become pronounced, loud. Evidence that the baby needed a breast can be his anxiety, motor movements of the sponges, groaning, head movements in different directions.
Do not use "breast substitutes". The pacifier is intended for artificial babies who cannot otherwise satisfy their sucking reflex. Breastfeeding on demand eliminates the use of pacifiers and bottles because they are not needed. Moreover, pacifiers have been proven to have a negative effect on lactation, as sucking on the nipple disrupts the baby's appropriate attachment to the breast. The emptying of the mammary glands becomes painful, defective.
Do not supplement with water. A baby up to six months does not need it if he receives breast milk in the volume he needs. With mother's milk, consisting of 90% water, he satisfies the needs of both food and liquid.
Sleep next to your baby. So you can give him a breast in time when he starts looking for her at night. If you miss the moment, it will be much more difficult to calm a crying baby.

Regular breastfeeding on demand eliminates the need for pumping. The mammary glands are fully released, which minimizes the risk of lactostasis.

How often

A newborn baby satisfies all his needs, being at the mother's breast. Here he receives food, warmth, gets rid of fears. While sucking milk, he easily leaves gas from the tummy. Often, babies poop when they suckle their breasts, only because at these moments their intestinal motility is activated.

Near the mother, the child feels comfort, similar to that which accompanied him during intrauterine life. Therefore, the question of how often you need to apply a child in the practice of feeding on demand can be answered as follows: how the baby needs it.

In the first month after childbirth, the number of applications can reach twenty-five per day. By the third month, the baby develops its own individual regimen, in which feedings accompany him “around dreams”. Older children are sure to breastfeed when offended, upset. Up to a year, the number of applications is 10-12, of which only some are long-term, and most take a few minutes.

How long

The baby spends a different amount of time at the breast. It depends on what kind of need the baby needs to satisfy. If the baby is thirsty, he will only suck for a couple of minutes to get liquid foremilk. If there is, the duration of feeding will be longer, up to forty to fifty minutes.

Babies always fall asleep under the breast, suck for a long time in the morning. Especially noticeable are long-term applications during periods of “growth spurts”, when the baby needs more milk. And only prolonged stimulation can increase the intensity of its production.

Mom can note the child's need for a long attachment in his painful conditions: teething, discomfort in the tummy, diseases. In each case, breast milk, due to its unique composition, can reduce pain.

The advice of lactation consultants for on-demand feeding is to provide as long latching as the baby needs. Let him release the breast himself when he falls asleep or eats. You can use this time to relax, read, listen to music or take a nap.

Up to what age

Completion of lactation is an individual process in each mother-baby pair. Everyone comes to this event at different times. But the framework established several decades ago, when a child at 11-12 months old had to be weaned, is refuted today.

WHO recommendations suggest feeding the baby until he reaches the age of two. Until this period, milk continues to play a key role in providing his body with valuable substances. And if earlier child took from him construction material"for the growth of the body and the establishment of the functioning of its systems, then in the period up to two years, mother's milk helps to mature nervous system, intellectual development and development of immunity.

Until what age should I feed on demand? Until you decide to stop breastfeeding. The number of applications per day for children who have already "outgrown" the need for constant contact with their mother is no more than three.

Advantages and disadvantages

When weighing the pros and cons in choosing between breastfeeding on demand or by the hour, it is important to take into account the feedback of pediatricians, breastfeeding consultants. The disadvantages of feeding according to the regimen can easily be countered by the advantages of feeding according to the needs of the baby.

The child receives the amount of food he needs. He himself controls the volume of its production, in accordance with individual nutritional needs. That is, from an early age, the baby develops the correct skill “to eat according to appetite”. In adulthood, it will provide the right taste preferences and the absence of cravings for uncontrolled eating.
The child is calm. Baby crying in breastfed families, where the child is not restricted in access to the breast, is almost never heard. Motherhood turns from a heroic feat and sleepless nights at the bedside of a screaming baby to the pleasure of being a mother. Calmness of the baby ensures peace and normal sleep of other family members.
Mom can rest. The first year of a child's life completely changes the family's way of life. A young mother cannot do without the help of relatives, because she spends most of her time with the baby. “The main principle of family life with a newborn is that the mother takes care of the child, and everyone else takes care of her,” says AKEV expert Ekaterina Savosina. “After all, all relatives are interested in the fact that the baby is healthy and calm.” This approach allows you to redistribute part of the household chores to loved ones, devoting enough time to the child and yourself. Feeding periods will help a nursing mother get enough sleep and fully relax.

The last advantage is considered by many women as a disadvantage. After all, spending the main part of the day with a child in her arms, there is simply no time left for everyday issues. Breastfeeding consultants recommend looking at it differently. Right now, you can spend time recuperating after childbirth, understanding your new role as a mother, and establishing a close psychological connection with your child. The kid will grow up quickly, and everything will change. And those wonderful moments of his stay near your chest will remain only a warm memory.

What to choose - feeding on demand or on a schedule? The World Health Organization recommends paying attention exclusively to the needs of the baby. The subtle symbiosis of mother and child, which is largely supported by breastfeeding, does not need external coordination. Feed as often and for as long as your baby asks for. This will be the key to his healthy, harmonious development and peace in the family.

To feed a child on demand or according to a schedule, that is, by the hour, what is better for the mother and baby, what are the advantages of this and that method of feeding children, and what are they?

In Soviet manuals, books and instructions, one can read that children from birth should receive food (artificial or natural - breast milk) according to a special regimen. Namely, once every 3 hours, with a mandatory break at 6 hours at night. But now this technique is considered rather harmful, as it leads to a rapid cessation of lactation. About feeding on demand or by the hour: a lot has been written for and against. We summarize the main points, immediately indicating the advantages and disadvantages.

1. Women who feed children by the hour are not too attached to them and can go about their business and leave the house until the next feeding, if there is someone to leave the baby with. Be socially active. For this reason, Dr. Komarovsky is not a supporter of on-demand feeding.
In the absence of the mother, the child will be given a pacifier or water, if he starts to act up, burst into tears.
The problem is that, perhaps, the baby wanted to eat ahead of time and is forced to endure the pangs of hunger. Many pediatricians now oppose scheduled feeding for this reason. 3 hours is too long for a newborn.

According to statistics, women who are in favor of hourly feeding often face the problem of low breast milk production. And their lactation period ends at a maximum when the child is one year old. But the last statement is debatable. Rather, the standard, again, Soviet recommendations about this optimal age for curtailing breastfeeding play a role here.

And, finally, women who oppose on-demand feeding are more likely to experience early unwanted pregnancies in the first six months after childbirth. Whereas in women who “do not look at the clock”, amenorrhea (lack of menstruation, ovulation) persists for several months, and sometimes the entire period of breastfeeding. By the way, this fact (a temporary, but rather long separation from critical days) is also very pleasing to many mothers.

2. Convenient and comfortable end of lactation. Yes, the less often a woman breastfeeds, and by the age of one year there are usually literally a couple of breastfeeds per day, the easier it is to complete breastfeeding. The kid, if he will be capricious, then quite a bit. And the mother will not have lactostasis, since not much milk is produced.

Indeed, you need to think about a comfortable end of the GW in advance. If you continue to feed every hour of the child after a year, then a lot of milk will be produced. And, in order to complete lactation, you will either have to take special drugs that suppress the production of the hormone prolactin, or the period of HB coagulation will stretch for several weeks, at least. Mom will be forced to gradually remove breastfeeding.

3. Preservation of good relations in the family, sex. If the mother is not exhausted by frequent feedings, including night feedings, the climate in the family is calmer.

So many people think, but feeding according to the regimen does not always free the mother's hands. The baby still needs a lot of attention. But instead of comforting him with her breasts, the woman and all family members are often forced to carry him in her arms, rock him, etc., which does not contribute to a calm life.

Pros and Cons of Feeding on Demand

1. Prolonged lactation, good weight gain of the child, no problems with the amount of breast milk.
This is all true, but if the mother takes a clear position on the question of how often to feed at the request of the child - the more often, the better, in the future the child himself may suffer from this. Dr. Komarovsky, whom we mentioned earlier, shares with his listeners and readers stories of how children refuse to drink and eat in the absence of a breast. Some babies, in case of intestinal infections, have to be placed in hospitals with drips for dehydration. And all because they only want to suck on the breast. By the way, feeding can also be a problem. The baby is saturated with the breast and does not want to eat "adult" food. And if up to a year this is still acceptable, then after a year he may have serious health problems. The same iron deficiency anemia ( low level hemoglobin), for example.

2. Convenience. Chest always with you. And if most women are forced to carry bottles of water with them, you never know, suddenly the child wants to drink, breastfeeding “at the first peep of the child” is enough to wear clothes in which you can comfortably and discreetly breastfeed. And give the kid what he needs. It is just as easy to put a small child to sleep somewhere in the park or just to calm down.

All this is true, but children who are accustomed to eating breasts on the street require the same at an older age, after a year. They crawl under mom's clothes, which confuses both her and those around her.

Night feedings - the same ambiguous topic. On the one hand, it is easier to soothe a child with a breast at night than to rock him to sleep. On the other hand, at an older age, it is precisely those children who are used to sucking at the breast at night that wake up more often.

So what to choose? By the clock or on demand to feed the baby? Dr. Komarovsky says that it is better to choose the so-called free feeding. This is when a mother feeds a child when he is hungry. But not more than once every 2-3 hours. Breast should not be given more often. If a baby over six months old is thirsty, you need to give him water from a bottle, drinker or mug.

Here is such a golden mean. Agree with it or not - you decide. Many moms find on-demand feeding very convenient. And a certain mode of eating is formed even in this situation closer to one year.

Regarding how often to breastfeed at the request of a child older than a year, we can say for sure that no more than 1 time in 3-4 hours. After all, mother's milk by this time becomes just a drink for him.

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Feeding on demand is very popular in Lately. Information about this type of feeding is available to most young mothers, in almost every city there are consultants who can be contacted in difficult cases. Unfortunately, the older generation often has a negative attitude towards this innovation. A woman who has given birth has to listen to lectures about the inadmissibility of being with the baby all the time, the need for water, and sleeping in the same bed is generally declared dangerous for the baby. Let's try to figure out what the origins of such a confrontation are, feeding on demand or by the hour is better to choose, and whether there is a compromise in this situation.

Feeding the child according to the regimen

In pre-revolutionary Russia, in merchant families and among wealthy peasants, it was customary to breastfeed for a long time - three big posts. The average was a little less than 2 years. Mothers who had the opportunity to spend time with children did not deprive them of their breasts, the babies spent most of their time on their hands, having unhindered access to milk. For poor peasants, breastfeeding was far from being so joyful. They sometimes left babies in a cradle for the whole day, leaving a cone with a sweetened slurry of rye bread, and they themselves went to work in the field. The death rate of children at that time went off scale, in some regions less than half survived to a year.

Feeding according to the regime arose in the days of the USSR, in the 30s. On the one hand, it was an attempt to bring the basics of breastfeeding to the masses, on the other hand, it was necessary to prepare the child for the nursery regime, in which many babies fell into as early as 3 months, when the mother's leave of care ended. For working women, feeding by the hour was the only way to combine work with caring for a child and still manage to get enough sleep.

Thus, at that time this type of feeding was quite modern, reasonable and justified.

How often should you feed

The main idea in the theory of feeding according to the regime was strict adherence to the terms when you can give the baby a breast. Deviation was allowed literally in 10-15 minutes. This accuracy was explained by the concern that milk could accumulate in the mother’s breast, and the baby had time to digest the previous portion of food.

The newborn had to eat every 3 hours, after 3 months the period without food was extended by half an hour, after six months feeding was allowed after 4 hours. A long break was supposed to take place at night so that mother and child could get enough sleep, for a newborn - 6 hours, for a one-year-old - 8.

If it happened that the baby woke up feeding, he should be woken up with a delay of no more than half an hour, and then return to the schedule.

Features of hourly feeding

In addition to following the exact schedule, the idea of hourly feeding includes several rules that are designed to ensure that the infant receives sufficient nutrients and the mother is comfortable:

Breast alternation Only one breast should be released during feeding.
Application time is limited-then the baby is weaned until the next feeding. The sucking time for a newborn is 30 minutes, by 3 months - no more than 20.
Pumping immediately after feeding until there is no milk left in the breast.
Early introduction of complementary foods- for example, juices are introduced from the age of one month. This provided the child with vitamins when there was a shortage of milk and when switching to infant formula, which at that time were far from modern in terms of balanced composition.
Special attention to hygiene- before feeding the child, it was necessary to put on special clothes, cover your hair with a scarf, wash your chest and hands thoroughly with soap. Before feeding, it was recommended to treat the breast with boric acid and hold it in order to free the baby's nose for breathing.

Already at 5 months, the child took the main amount of energy from complementary foods. By this time, lactation was fading away in the vast majority of women.

Disadvantages of time feeding

The advantages of feeding by time include a clear daily routine and mother's freedom, a woman knows exactly when she needs to be at home and can plan a day. In addition, this mode, earlier than feeding the baby on demand, provides a long sleep without interruptions for sucking.

The disadvantages of hourly feeding are much greater:

The digestive system in newborns is less developed than in adults; at first, little digestive juices are produced in the stomach. This circumstance is often used as an argument "for" feeding by the hour. In fact, milk from the breast is digested very easily, even starting from the intestines, and some of its proteins are generally absorbed in the stomach without splitting. Thus, after 1.5-2 hours the child may be hungry.
It is difficult for children to endure hunger, so the mother needs to be ready to distract the child, carry him in her arms, waiting for the next feeding time.
A baby can eat less if he is sleepy, sick, and simply not in the mood. If you make him wait a certain time, the baby will be malnourished, which will affect weight gain and overall development.
Feeding by the hour contributes to the gradual suppression of lactation. The system "milk production - consumption of it by the child" works amazingly accurately, milk is produced exactly as much as the baby is ready to suck. Adjusting the chest to his growing needs takes literally 1-2 days. If you feed on a schedule, alternating breasts, the mammary glands are emptied every 6 hours, prolactin is not produced enough, and milk comes less and less.
The exclusion of night feedings makes the greatest contribution to the reduction of lactation, since the main part of prolactin is produced in the pre-morning hours. This is a direct route to mixtures and early feeding.
Every child is born with a certain type of temperament. And if choleric babies are able to adapt to the rules of feeding by the hour, then phlegmatic people simply will not have time to eat up in the 20 minutes allotted to them.

The main disadvantage of hourly feeding lies in the psychological aspect of breastfeeding. Physical closeness to the mother and sucking her breasts are necessary for the baby not only to saturate, but also to calm down, a sense of security. A breastfeeding woman who waits every time for the time to breastfeed prevents the child from building a sense of trust in her mother, and then in the whole world.

Baby feeding on request

Breastfeeding on demand is often referred to as a new trend, in fact, this model of feeding is much older than hourly. Moreover, it was not developed by doctors, but formed naturally in the course of human evolution: mothers, having no watches, focused only on the needs of the child.

At first, breastfeeding at every request of the baby was based on fashion trends that promoted a return to nature. Subsequently, the theory was reinforced scientific facts, it was approved by both pediatricians and psychologists. With the advocacy of natural feeding, the duration of breastfeeding has increased significantly, it has become possible to postpone the start of complementary feeding without resorting to artificial feeding.

Basic rules for feeding on demand

It is believed that feeding a newborn on demand is not just a satisfaction of his physical need for food, but also compensation psychological problems, protection from the outside world. A child who is breastfed almost does not cry, because he does not have any reasons for this.

A list of principles describing how to properly organize feeding on demand:

to breastfeed the baby at his every request, without expecting loud crying. The requirement is whimpering, looking for movements of the lips and head, anxiety;
do not use nipples and bottles, as they distort the child's proper attachment to the breast, which leads to nipple injuries and insufficient stimulation to produce new portions of milk.
Do not supplement with water for up to six months, since breast milk can satisfy the baby's needs for both liquid and food.
To practice co-sleeping with a child in order to be able to feed him at night without getting up to the bed, over time, mothers begin not to even wake up to the end.

In the first month, the number of feedings of a newborn reaches 20 times, the child can literally not let go of the breast. For moms with multiple children or extensive household responsibilities, help will be required for a while. Already at 3 months, the baby determines his own special regimen, you can predict when the baby wants to eat, and set aside time for urgent matters.

When feeding on demand, the number of attachments in children under one year is 10-12 times a day. Most of these feedings are short, during which the child simply quenches his thirst or makes sure that his mother is nearby. The number of long feedings, when the baby completely sucks out the breast, decreases with the introduction of complementary foods.

The duration of feedings largely depends on the nature of the child: someone is saturated quickly, others like to suck on the breast until they fall asleep. Usually application time increases during periods rapid growth baby when he does not have enough milk. Long sucking in this case gives a signal to the mother's body to increase the production of breast milk (see how to do this).

The benefits of this feeding

Feeding on demand imposes certain restrictions on the mother - sometimes the child has to be fed at an inconvenient time and in the wrong place. Feeding in such cases is made more comfortable by devices for carrying a child, which not only free the hands, but also cover the chest and the child from prying eyes.

The advantages of on-demand feeding outweigh the disadvantages:

The baby receives as much milk as he needs and is able to regulate his release.
The habit of eating when hungry is formed from birth and determines eating behavior in the future.
Mothers who practice natural feeding are more mobile, the child is provided with food in any conditions.
Establishing lactation for the most part hassle-free, lower the likelihood of lactostasis in the breast.

Once you understand the pros and cons of both methods, it's easy to choose whether to feed on demand or on a schedule to best meet your baby's needs.

Why a woman can choose the first option

Breastfeeding on demand greatly reduces the mother's time in the first months and requires constant presence next to the baby. For mothers forced to work during their babies' infancy, this option may not be feasible. It is difficult to establish natural feeding even if the mother is periodically forced to go to the hospital or take drugs that are incompatible with breastfeeding.

But even in such situations, it is not at all necessary to strictly comply with all the requirements of hourly feeding, they can be changed taking into account the interests of the child. It is worth leaving at least one nightly feeding, trying to establish a joint sleep so that the mother can get enough sleep, use modern breast pumps and breast milk storage bags so that the baby can receive natural nutrition in the absence of the mother.

A kind of compromise, the so-called free feeding, is also possible. In this case, the baby receives the breast when it asks for 30 minutes at intervals of at least 2 hours, which allows the mother to free up time for other things.

"How often should you feed your baby?" —Almost all young parents puzzle over this question in the first days of a baby's life. They have not yet learned to distinguish the nuances of his behavior and doubt their ability to care for him. Depending on who they turn to for advice or what book they look for information in, new moms and dads get different answers to this seemingly simple question. Some sources advise to feed strictly at certain hours - for example, they say that children should eat every three or four hours. Feeding by the hour promises parents predictability. They feel confident because they follow recommendations from reliable sources. “We don’t have much experience with children, and it’s important for us to do everything right,” one father explained the reason why his wife was breastfeeding a child on a regimen. Other books recommend feeding “on demand”, “on demand”, or “feeding in response to signs of readiness to suckle”. Supporters of feeding on demand believe that the child should be fed when he is hungry. This means that the mother must learn to recognize the special behavior of the child when he wants to suck (more in). The child, as it were, sends signals to the mother that he already wants to suckle the breast:

the baby's eyelids tremble in a dream, the eyes moveunder closed eyelids ⇒ the baby starts to toss and turn, fidget ⇒ he is looking for breasts, opens his mouth ⇒ squeaks, grunts⇒ starts crying loudly.

For some, recognizing signs of readiness to suck is easier, for some it is more difficult. This ability depends on previous experience with children, self-confidence and how clearly the child is able to show by his behavior that he wants to suckle, and how vividly he responds to the actions of the mother. Some parents will need from a few days to several weeks before they learn to understand the behavior and needs of their child. Which approach to feeding is best? Which approach is best for breastfeeding? Why do parents choose one way or the other? Parents' actions depend on culture, individual preferences and values. If you break away from the influence of culture and look at the process of breastfeeding, the biology of a woman and a child, it turns out that abstract feeding very often does not work: children cry, women are nervous, and the amount of milk decreases.

Biological facts

In industrial cultures, adults often have no idea how children actually behave, although everyone has their own ideas about how children should behave. Adults do not realize that a child comes into this world with the same biological needs for food, protection, affection and attention as children born thousands of years ago, throughout human history. Humanity has survived and thrived because mothers have met the needs of their children by responding to their signals and behaviors, in particular, signs of readiness to suckle. Breastfeeding is the norm for mother and child.

It has been scientifically proven that bottle feeding will not replace the emotional and physiological process of breastfeeding, and no artificial formula will replace the nutrients and immune factors in breast milk that protect the baby from disease. Scientific research successful breastfeeding showed that, from the point of view of biology, both mothers and children are suitable for feeding not according to the regimen, but taking into account the behavior of the child. The capacity of the baby's stomach is small, and breast milk is digested quickly. By themselves, these two physiological facts confirm that the newborn will be calmer if he is allowed to suckle often, and not every three or four hours according to the regimen.

In the first two or three days after birth, the mother produces a small amount of an easily digestible, protein-rich fluid that contains immune bodies and prepares the baby's digestive system for a larger amount of food. And, of course, frequent attachments to the breast guarantee the baby enough affection, the feeling that he has not been abandoned, i.e. a sense of security, tactile contact and communication with mom. But that's not all. Frequent feedings in the first days of life help the newborn learn to suck on relatively soft breasts, so that later, the baby can confidently take tighter, fuller breasts. For a mother, frequent feeding in the first days after childbirth means a sufficient and stable amount of milk in the following months. And importantly, women who hold babies for long periods of time quickly learn to recognize what their babies need.

Research has shown that healthy full-term babies are remarkably good at regulating their milk intake if they are breastfed when mothers recognize behaviors that indicate a desire to suckle. The amount of milk the mother has in such cases exactly matches the needs of the baby. Regardless of the size of the mother's breasts and the weight of the child, a mother who feeds her child in proportion to his appetite has exactly as much milk as the baby needs. Babies suck when they are hungry, then suck more slowly until they are full and stop sucking. Some babies suckle little and often, others longer and less often. But in both cases, you can be sure that a healthy child will regulate how much milk he sucks out - and, therefore, will adjust the mother's milk production so that he always has enough.

Recently, a group of Australian scientists conducted studies that clearly showed the relationship between the appetite of the child and the amount of milk in the mother. This relationship is often described as supply-demand system. According to these studies, milk is produced in the breast more slowly or faster, depending on how full or empty it is. Full breasts produce milk more slowly, empty breasts faster. This means that when the baby has emptied the breast as much as possible, milk is produced most quickly. If the baby does not suck out all the milk from the breast, there will be less milk. The baby's appetite controls the mother's milk supply. Therefore, if you always give the baby a breast when he wants to suck, the baby will regulate the production of milk himself. If the baby is hungry and empties the breast, milk will be produced faster. If the child is full and does not eat for several hours, slow down.

Studies on the rate of milk production leave no doubt that in response to suckling a baby in an empty breast milk appears faster and such milk has a high fat content.

It follows from this that the question: “How often should I feed my baby?” there can be no single answer. Feeding on a strict schedule will disrupt the complex interaction between an infant's suckling and feeding needs and the mother's ability to produce enough milk. For example, if a child wants to suckle, but he is not given a breast, because according to the regimen the time for feeding has not yet come, the breast overflows, and milk production slows down. If this happens all the time, then the amount of milk from the mother will not meet the needs of the child. Some proponents of the regimen approach believe that one should wait until the breast is “full” before feeding the baby, and that the baby will not be full if he suckles on a relatively empty breast.

is another important factor that influences the relationship between a baby's feeling of fullness, the amount of milk the baby sucks, and the amount of milk the mother produces. The amount of fat in breast milk increases as the breasts are emptied. A not-so-hungry baby sucks out a small amount of low-fat milk. A hungry baby sucks out more high-fat milk, and the longer he sucks, the fatter the milk. Higher fat milk gives the baby a feeling of satiety at the end of feeding. If an infant is allowed to suckle on one breast for only a few minutes and then voluntarily switches breasts, he will only suckle a full breast on both occasions—which means he fills his stomach with more low-fat milk and misses out on the “cream” that would make him feel full. and satisfied.

Here we are talking about healthy babies who suckle and empty their breasts well, suck out enough milk and gain weight well. Babies who suckle poorly and do not empty their breasts may not always be able to set the pace of milk production and suck out enough milk for growth and development. If the newborn sleeps too much, he should be awakened and breastfed more often.

Scientists have also determined that the fat content of mother's milk decreases if the time between feedings increases. In other words, the more often you feed, the higher the fat content of your milk. An infant who is breastfed 30 to 40 minutes after he has emptied his breast will suck out more fatty milk than if he were breastfed two to three hours before.

Do not rush to come up with new rules for breastfeeding based on this article. No need to think about which breasts are full and which are empty, how much milk is in the breast or how much fat is in the milk. Look at the baby, give him the breast when he shows his behavior that he wants to suckle, and everything will be all right.

Babies change their personal "mode" of sucking depending on various circumstances: whether they are hungry, or they are hot and thirsty, or they are upset about something and need to be pitied. There are periods when children grow very quickly (), which means they suckle very often - and thus increase the amount of mother's milk to meet the growing needs for further growth (there was enough milk and it is getting even more!). When children begin to receive complementary foods, they breastfeed less often, and there is less milk. A well-oiled system works great because of natural behavior: the mother adapts to the child, and the child adapts to the mother. A strict feeding regime breaks this harmonious system. Nature has made it so that babies decide when to breastfeed.

Cultural reasons

To understand the behavior of the child, you need to make an effort and spend some time acquiring new skills. It's much easier to look at your watch or listen to an "authoritative opinion" about when and how often to feed your baby. If parents aren't sure they can figure out when a baby is "telling" them that it's time to breastfeed, they may find it easier to feed on a schedule. Some parents believe that feeding according to the regimen is good for the child - they themselves live according to a clear schedule and rely on the children's regimen to guarantee them the stable and predictable life they are so used to. There is also an opinion that the regime imposed by parents will help raise an obedient child.

Young parents often rely on the opinions of other people (grandmothers, doctors, "authoritative books", girlfriends) on how to properly care for a child. When an authoritative person in the eyes of a mother claims that if the feeding regimen is followed, the child will sleep better and longer and that she will “accumulate” milk for feeding, then most likely the woman will try to feed by the hour ..

However, the reasons why parents choose to feed on a schedule may run deeper than just personal preference. If the culture of parents is in control of children's behavior, parents are more likely to feed at fixed hours. If it is not customary in society to pay attention to the needs of the child, parents will be condemned if they respond to every change in the child's behavior. artificial feeding(in particular, long gaps between feedings) may become the norm, and parents of an infant will try to extend the time between feedings and avoid frequent attachment to the breast. Young parents are more likely to conform to cultural dictates than to listen to their own parental instinct.

Difficulties of feeding by the hour

Feeding infants according to a strict schedule and limiting the duration of sucking often does not go unnoticed either for parents or for the child. Most babies cry and demand to eat “too fast” and off schedule. But you can get a “good” baby who can handle hourly feedings, but as a result, such a baby may not gain weight well.

Very revealing in this regard is the study by Amy Brown and Broni Arnott on how the regimen in a child's life and the duration of breastfeeding correlate. 508 mothers of children under 1 year of age agreed to take part in their study, and the results were very interesting, linking a number of factors.

So, for example, it turned out that older and more educated mothers were much more likely to be characterized by excessive anxiety and the desire to follow the regime, at the same time, from their questionnaires it followed that they devoted much less time to actually babysitting.

An interesting relationship between breastfeeding and the regimen became clear even when looking at childbirth: mothers who immediately after childbirth fed the child with their own breasts or expressed milk were subsequently much less inclined to follow the regimen than mothers who began to formula feed. There was no difference between breastfeeding and breastfeeding expressed milk, but the difference appeared when the researchers looked at levels of anxiety: those who fed formula and those who fed expressed milk showed about the same level of anxiety—significantly higher than mothers. breastfeeding their babies.

That is, it turned out that breastfeeding mothers were the most calm and less inclined to follow the regimen; those breastfeeding with expressed milk also did not aspire to the regimen, but were more anxious; and those who gave formula to children were both anxious and prone to sticking to the regimen. Several “checkpoints” were also selected, which checked whether the mother was breastfeeding and what the general style of raising the child was. These control points were the moment of childbirth, two weeks, 1.5 months, 3 months and six months of the baby's life. Invariably it turned out that breastfeeding was associated with a lack of adherence and less anxiety, however, breastfeeding mothers showed more care for the child. Conversely, at all these checkpoints, adherence to the regimen was quite strongly associated with formula feeding and great anxiety on the part of the mother.

As Amy Brown said, “There is a tendency to encourage new parents to develop specific sleep or feeding routines, or not respond to baby crying, so that parents may believe that the routine will encourage babies to sleep longer or be more calm, but there is no supporting research behind these assumptions. . Our data show for the first time that following strict parenting programs may not be compatible with breastfeeding." Her colleague Dr. Arnott added: “We know that breastfeeding works best with on-demand feeding. Using a strict sleep or feeding regimen, refusing to carry the baby in your arms can mean that the baby's signals are missed or ignored, resulting in lower milk supply... Moms may believe that following the routine and sleeping through the night will make their baby "good" and “calm”, but normal and healthy behavior for an infant is to wake up often and ask to be held by mom.”

Of course, with age, feedings gradually become less frequent, and the child leaves his mother's hands to explore the space on his own, and the child's life rhythms are ordered by themselves. But if a mother initially denies a child his basic needs - to receive mother's breast and affection when he needs it, and mother's clock did not show - then the probability of maintaining breastfeeding is very small. Strict feeding is typical for formula-fed babies, and in itself, following a regimen that is imposed by parents without regard to the needs of the child usually entails switching to formula.

When parents look at the clock, deciding it's time for the baby to breastfeed, and don't consider the baby's desire to suckle, the baby's growth and the mother's milk supply are at risk. If the baby is not gaining weight well, this can be mistakenly attributed to the mother's "non-dairy" ability to produce enough milk. And if you know that there may be little milk due to the fact that a woman simply rarely feeds, the imaginary “non-dairy” can be easily corrected by frequent applications. But if you believe in congenital, family, genetic “non-dairyness”, which is so often unreasonably attributed to women who feed by the hour, then it is easy to agree that it is no longer in our power to correct the trouble. In this case, women often give up and stop feeding so as not to starve the child.

Most babies are very indignant and protest if they are not fed enough and they are hungry. If parents persist and feed the child at regular intervals, the baby will rarely be calm, satisfied and satisfied with life. When a child desperately demands (simply cries loudly) that the parents meet his normal and healthy needs, the parents become nervous and do not know what to do. The confrontation between a parent who tries to fit a child's needs into an abstract timetable and a child who struggles to get everything they need to survive, grow, and develop exhausts both parents and children. In a senseless struggle, the emotional and physical state of the child suffers, the trusting relationship between the parent and the baby is undermined.

Parents of an eternally dissatisfied baby between feedings involuntarily begin to think that he is unbearable, “difficult” or even unhealthy, spoiled and spoiled. People around are sure that parents are slow and negligent, because they cannot cope with their child. In this situation, parents are no longer able to trust their own feelings, whether they react correctly to the child's behavior. The natural, instinctive reaction is to do everything possible to calm their beloved helpless child. Most often, one has only to take the child in his arms and give him the breast, as he calms down. But what kind of mother would dare to take the child in her arms once again if she was frightened that such “connivance” in upbringing would spoil the child for life?!

Such a conflict between what most parents want and try to do for the peace and happiness of the baby, and what “authoritative” advisers are trying to convince them of, leads to a situation where parents do not believe in themselves and artificially suppress the natural reaction to the restless behavior of the baby. . The inner feeling of insecurity of parents leads to stiffness in communication with the child, and children immediately feel it. Parents not only do not trust their feelings, but also to some extent deny the child's ability to express their experiences and feelings. And since children learn the world through the prism of an adult, the baby may lose confidence in himself.

Additional Information

Babies grow very fast. Breastfed babies typically double their weight by 4-6 months and triple by 1 year. No wonder a baby needs to breastfeed often!At birth, a baby's brain is 25% the size of an adult's brain. The human baby matures outside the womb, and its survival depends entirely on the adults. If the baby is taken away from the mother, he immediately begins to protest - and thus provides himself with the necessary care and protection. Frequent cuddling satisfies the baby's need for close contact and helps the baby stay in a good mood.Feeding by the clock loses to attachment in response to the child's readiness to suckle.

A child who is fed by the hour:

gaining weight worse
does not receive the necessary amount of milk for growth and development,
suffering increased level bilirubin in the blood
he is often supplemented with formula.

Infrequent breastfeeding leads to:

engorgement of the mammary glands,
increase the likelihood of cracked nipples,
renewal menstrual cycle and ovulation - and therefore, a faster onset of the next pregnancy.

Sue Iwinski, Prospect CT USA, Gwen Gotsch, Oak Park IL USA

Translation by Irina Slukina, p edition of the translation by Natalia Gerbeda-Wilson

Proofreaders Dina Sabitova and Aliya Vasilchenko, Olga Shipenko

Bibliography

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