Features of breastfeeding at 3 months
By three months, the baby usually becomes calmer and more predictable.
He is no longer bothered by colic, a semblance of a routine begins to emerge in the baby’s life, and the mother’s lactation becomes mature - milk is not produced spontaneously, but in response to sucking. It would seem that here it is, the opportunity to breathe deeply. Alas.
At this age, you will have to face new pitfalls that will not allow you to turn breastfeeding at 3 months into pure pleasure. The most common of them are growth crisis, false breast refusal and lactation crisis. Let's look at each in more detail.
Growth crisis - what is it and how to survive it?
This factor has two sides: physiological and psychological. First, let's deal with physiology. At this age, babies experience a significant growth spurt, so if you previously fed him strictly on an hourly basis, a problem may arise - it will become difficult for the baby to withstand breaks. Some women try to get out of the situation by supplementing with water or supplementing with artificial formula. Often this ends with an involuntary transition to artificial feeding, although initially the mother did not plan anything like this.
In fact, the growth spurt of a child at 3 months during breastfeeding and the difficulties associated with it can be overcome simply: you just need to forget about the clock and feed the child on demand, including at night. Gradually, under the influence of frequent stimulation, the production of mother's milk will increase, the baby will be able to be better fed and will come to the optimal schedule for him and you.
Psychology is a little more complicated.
In this case, it does not matter whether you adhere to the breastfeeding regimen at 3 months or offer the breast to the baby on demand, you may encounter the so-called false refusal. It looks like this: the baby pushes the nipple out of its mouth almost immediately after the start of feeding, turns away or pushes the breast away with its arms, and can take one gland and flatly refuse the other. It seems that he is simply not hungry, although you know for sure that the child last ate several hours ago, which means he cannot be full.
With such actions, the baby, firstly, demonstrates his independence - after all, it is at 3 months that the first psychological signs of personality begin to form in him, and secondly, he, as it were, tests his mother’s reliability: will she refuse or abandon her?
When faced with a false refusal to breastfeed at 3 months, do not panic and run headlong for a bottle of formula. Moreover, it is not a fact that the baby will eat the mixture more readily. Remember that the energy reserves of any person, including a child, allow them to survive without food for quite a long time, let alone several hours or even 1-2 days. Act in two directions at the same time.
First: do not carry the child in your arms for days, let him be alone. At this age, he can easily entertain himself without your help, for example, lying in a crib or stroller. And it’s enough for mom to be within sight or audibility. Let the duration of such independent festivities not exceed 15-20 minutes to begin with; over time, their duration can be increased. And you will get a certain freedom and will be able to take care of yourself or household chores.
Second: if your child refuses breastfeeding at 3 months, try surprising him. Change your usual place and way of eating. If before this you fed your child while sitting in a chair, move to the kitchen table. If you did this lying down, sit down or even stand up. This will allow your baby to be captivated by new impressions, and he won’t even notice how well he’ll eat in the meantime.
Mom has a breastfeeding crisis at 3 months: why does it happen?
This condition is also called a lactation crisis. It is directly related to the growth spurt, and one could not dwell on it if it were not for the panic of many mothers, especially those whose lactation crises at 3 weeks and 1.5 months passed unnoticed by them.
The fact is that the mammary gland needs time to adapt to the increasing demands of a growing child's body. But it often seems to the mother that it is not the child who has begun to eat more, but her production has decreased. Panic state “Milk is disappearing!” provokes stress, and it is not the best assistant to stable lactation.
The recommendations in this case are essentially the same as for a growth spurt: feed on demand, don’t be nervous, get enough sleep and eat well. But resorting to supplementary feeding at 3 months while breastfeeding is not recommended. Monitor the number of urinations: if there are more than 8 per day, there is no need to worry. And remember: after a few days, lactation will definitely return to normal.
How to deal with a lactation crisis
To correct the problem and eliminate the lactation crisis, a nursing woman needs to take a number of measures, all in combination.
Emotional component
Negative emotions have a detrimental effect not only on lactation, but are also transmitted to the baby. Therefore, a caring mother should be nervous, worried and worried as little as possible. A woman’s stable emotional state leads to full lactation and the absence of a crisis. But if the problem already exists, then the correct breastfeeding technique and a favorable emotional background can speed up the process of restoring milk production.
All possible help, support and understanding of the young father are very important for the mother during the milk crisis.
Increasing standard of living
A favorable environment for the development of a lactation crisis can be considered lack of sleep, excessive fatigue and excessive physical activity. A young mother should allocate enough time for sleep - at least 9 hours. If you were unable to sleep well at night, you need to rest with your baby during the day. When a crisis occurs, it is better to delegate most household chores to relatives.
The mother herself should take care of herself and the baby - put her to the breast more often, caress and take care of the newborn.
Physical exercise
A nursing woman can influence the level and quality of milk through massage. Light kneading, stroking with the palm of your hand or rubbing the mammary glands can increase blood supply. Breast massage frees the milk ducts, resulting in the outflow of milk faster and in greater quantities. You can supplement the beneficial procedures with a warm shower, cream or oil for the delicate skin of the breast.
Complementary feeding from 3 months while breastfeeding: is it necessary?
Only in the most extreme cases, for example, if due to certain circumstances the child cannot receive sufficient amounts of vitamins, macro- and microelements from mother’s milk. For example, when a woman is prescribed a strict diet with many restrictions for health reasons.
In this case, it is allowed to introduce applesauce and banana puree, very liquid and well-cooked cereals, some vegetable and fruit juices, prepared at home immediately before feeding, into complementary feeding for a breastfeeding child from 3 months. But we should not forget that from the point of view of benefits, nutritional value and digestibility, not a single delicacy can compare with mother’s milk. Especially at an age at which the baby’s digestive system is not yet physiologically ready to accept this delicacy. Therefore, you can feed a three-month-old baby with non-dairy products only after consultation with a pediatrician!
Eliminate stress
Often a lactation crisis develops due to a nervous breakdown. This can happen due to fatigue, lack of sleep, moral exhaustion, and so on. Therefore, a nursing woman needs mandatory support from close relatives. Never refuse help. Walk and spend more time in the fresh air. Long-term confinement within four walls only aggravates your condition. Don't isolate yourself.
If you feel constant anxiety, get nervous a lot and realize that you can’t cope on your own, go to the doctor. The doctor will prescribe you safe herbal medications, for example, Tenoten, Persen and others. They will not harm the baby, but will be able to normalize your condition. Remember that it is unacceptable to take medications on your own.
How to eat for mom: menu for breastfeeding at 3 months
By this time, a woman nursing a baby has already developed a fairly varied diet, which includes lean soups, poultry, veal, vegetables and fruits, nuts, compotes and fruit drinks. If the child digests all these foods without problems, you can add to the breastfeeding diet at 3 months:
- pearl barley and millet porridge with milk;
- natural honey in small quantities;
- freshly squeezed vegetable and fruit juices (carrot, beetroot, pumpkin, apple);
- some mild spices, for example, basil, mint, tarragon, thyme.
You need to start, as usual, with a minimum amount, observing the baby’s reaction.
Duration
How long does a lactation crisis last? This question arises for every woman faced with a similar problem. In fact, everything is individual. It is impossible to specify exact dates, because a lot depends on your desires and actions.
If you try to increase the amount of milk produced and comply with all the conditions described below, the crisis will end after a few days. Usually it takes three to four days. When a woman lets everything take its course and categorically does not want to fight, the crisis can last up to a week (provided that breastfeeding continues).
Is it possible to complete the guard for 3 months?
Considering the value of mother's milk for the growing child's body, it is, of course, not worth doing this without good reason. However, sometimes there are situations in which there is simply no other choice. A woman’s poor health, early going to work, taking certain groups of medications and other circumstances dictate their conditions.
If you have to wean a three-month-old baby from the breast, if possible, this should be done carefully and delicately, introducing an artificial formula in a volume of 10-15 g per day after one of the feedings. Gradually, the dose and number of feedings with artificial formula increase until it completely replaces breast milk.
If breastfeeding needs to be completed urgently, choose an adapted formula that is as close in composition as possible to breast milk. And, if possible, keep in touch with your pediatrician in order to consult at any time about the child’s reaction to such a drastic change in diet.
Let's summarize...
Any lactation crisis, periods whose timing is known to you, is not such a serious problem for a woman who wants to continue breastfeeding. Keep in mind that this situation usually resolves in about a week. If you follow the above conditions and tips, you can cope with a lack of milk in just a few days. If you can easily overcome the first lactation crisis, which occurs about a month after the birth of the child, then the rest will not pose any particular danger or difficulty.
An important point to remember is that bottle feeding should never be substituted. Don't think that your baby is starving. Check if the baby has enough milk. To do this, count how many times a day he urinates. If the number of wet diapers exceeds 12, then the child has enough nutrition. Please note that this rule is only valid for babies before complementary feeding is introduced. We wish you normalization of breastfeeding as soon as possible!
Source: https://kcdc.ru/zabolevaniya/krizis-pri-gv.html
