FEEDING BABIES

Every Mum will find the ‘perfect feeding strategy’ for her baby

AS a Paediatric Doctor who has worked in Neonatal Intensive Care Units, focusing on exact numbers of millilitres is my job. We use specific calculations to measure to the last ml, exactly what a baby of a certain weight is getting. As a mum at home - this goes out the window. As a mum needing to mix feed - this is even more irrelevant. Having a baby has made me realise that you need to plan to not have a plan.

How do I know how much to give?

As much as your baby wants! Unless there is an issue with weight gain, your baby is the best judge of how much intake they need.

Breastfed babies will just decide how much they take without mum ever knowing the number of mls. We just need to trust that they are getting what they need.

Exclusively bottle-fed babies can be easier to predict as volumes are obvious. But even then, sometimes they will consume a full bottle and other times they won’t and that’s OK.

Mix fed babies are tricky because it’s hard to know how much they’ve had via the breast. If needing to top up with a bottle I would suggest:

• offer a random amount to start with

• see how much they take

• with time you may see a pattern emerge with how long the breastfeed was versus how much they need to be topped up afterwards • occasionally there is no pattern and you just make it up as you go! And that’s OK.

Babies are exceptionally good at selfregulating. As long as they are well and their weight is OK, you can be at liberty to give as much as they want.

How do I know if my baby is growing?

Weights with the Maternal Child Health nurse or GP are the best way to track weight. These should be plotted on growth charts, in the baby book. A single weight is often not useful; serial weights plotted over time are the best way to track growth. Ideally, they stay within two to three of the centile lines on the growth chart. If they are heading outside of those lines, it is a good time to speak to a GP. It may be completely normal for your child, but occasionally it is a clue that something might need to be checked.

I’ve been told I should be feeding a particular way.

Always take with a grain of salt any advice that tells you exactly how much and how often to feed your baby. Volumes and numbers are an arbitrary way to ensure enough caloric intake for a baby to grow.

It works beautifully in a controlled setting like in a hospital, but at home, that level of control is often impossible. My general rule is, don’t change a thing if:

• Baby is gaining weight.

• You are happy.

• Baby is happy.

Of course, if you are feeding hourly and miserable or your baby is not putting on weight then seek advice. But if a certain feed pattern, volume, frequency works for you and your baby, then don’t let anyone tell you it should be done another way.

It can take weeks or months to figure out what your own haphazard ‘feeding pattern’ may be. That may change from week to week, sometimes day to day, but that is part of this rollercoaster journey of motherhood and no one else can tell you how to ride it. Breast, bottle, expressed milk, formula, hourly, 5 hourly - whatever you decide to do, enjoy it. And if you’re not, seek some non-judgmental support because there is always help available. As a mother, feeding in any form is our biggest privilege (you are literally the reason your baby is growing and alive) but it can be our worst nightmare. We need to stop trying to do what we feel we should do and just listen to ourselves and our babies. Day by day, feed by feed. You’ve got this!

Dr. Nelu Simonsz is a Paediatric Doctor specialising in General Paediatrics. She has a particular interest in Emergency Medicine, Allergy and more recently, parenting. Contact her at www.drnelu.com