Babycalming: Simple Solutions for a Happy Baby. Caroline Deacon

advice stay the same? ~

      The lungs do not expand to their full extent unless they are exercised every day. The infant has to cry – if nature is regularly thwarted by some well-meaning person who picks up the baby, there is a risk of the lungs remaining almost unexpanded.

      During the first few weeks you will spend a lot of time feeding your baby. Treat it as an apprenticeship and, before you know it, you and your baby will be old hands at it. In this chapter we’ll look at the mechanics of feeding; the following chapter will look at how much and how often to feed your baby in the early weeks.

      Bottle-feeding – How to Do It

      There is a huge choice in formula-feeds – it can be difficult to decide what to buy. You will need at least six bottles and teats, some method of sterilizing, plus of course the formula.

      It is probably best to be guided by your midwife and health visitor about which formula to start your baby on. She should also run through with you, at least once, how to prepare a bottle – but you must make sure that you read the instructions on the tin carefully, as it is important that the ratio of water to powder is correct. Don’t ever be tempted to make the milk thinner or thicker than instructed.

      Bottle Feeding – A Step-by-Step Guide

       1 Sterilize everything you are going to use – bottles, teats, measures, knife.

       2 Boil more water than you need, and allow it to cool.

       3 Fill each bottle to the correct level, using the cooled boiled water.

       4 Using the spoon provided in the tin of formula, take a scoop of formula and level it with the knife. Don’t pat it down.

       5 Add the powder to the bottle, put the top on and shake thoroughly.

       6 Place in fridge until you want to use it.

       7 When you want to feed the bottle to your baby, heat it by placing it in a jug of hot water. Test the temperature by shaking a few drops onto the skin in the crook of your arm, or the inside of your forearm.

       8 Sit comfortably and hold your baby across your lap, sitting her a little upright if you can.

       9 Keep the bottle at an angle, so the teat is full, to avoid air bubbles.

      Breastfeeding – How to Do It

      Have you ever wondered why it’s called ‘breastfeeding’ not ‘nipple feeding’? Because your baby feeds from a mouth full of breast – she doesn’t suck on your nipples. In fact, she needs a large enough mouthful so that your nipple comes into contact with her soft palate, which is at the back of the roof of her mouth.

      When your baby’s soft palate is stimulated, she instinctively starts to move her jaws so that she can breastfeed. If your nipple is not far enough in, it makes contact instead with your baby’s hard palate; peek in her mouth and you will see ridges. Your nipple would soon get sore pressed into that part of your baby’s mouth.

      As with bottle-feeding, someone should be there to help you the first few times you try to feed your baby, but these are the general principles:

      Before you begin, get comfy. You could be sitting in the same position for quite a while! It’s easier in the beginning to sit upright, so choose a chair which will support you sitting upright rather than slouching back, as this tends to pull your breast out of your baby’s mouth. You might need cushions or pillows to help you get upright.

      Your feet should reach the floor so that your knees are level or even slightly raised, to give your baby a nice cosy lap. A small stool or some telephone directories under your feet may help.

      If your breasts are high then you might find a pillow or even two useful to rest your arms on when bringing your baby level with your breasts. It’s easier to get your baby latched on first, and then tuck the pillows under your arms, otherwise the pillows can get between the two of you when you are trying to get started.

      The most common position for holding a baby is across your tummy, but you could hold her ‘underarm’, especially if she’s small, or if you’ve had a caesarean section and you need to protect your tummy. You will need to have several cushions between you and the chair back if feeding underarm, so your baby can stretch out without pushing herself off your breast. If she’s across your tummy, support her head on your forearm (not the crook of your arm).

       DID YOU KNOW? Who is in control of feeding and appetite? It depends whether your baby is breastfed or bottle-fed.

      With a bottle, you fill it up and you can watch it empty. If you’re breastfeeding, you can’t tell how much your baby has had to eat and so you have to rely on your baby’s signals to work out when she has had enough.

      The significance of this is that breastfeeding babies are more in control of their feeds, and their mothers need to tune in to their needs. Researchers have found that bottle-feeding mothers are more likely to override cues, ignoring signals which tell them that their baby has had enough to eat.¹

      Babies, whether breastfed or bottle-fed, do not suck continuously, but have frequent breaks to be winded or have nappies changed and so on. One researcher filmed mothers feeding their babies to see who initiated these breaks, and found that it’s the mother who controls the breaks for bottle-fed babies, while pauses in breastfeeding are controlled by the baby.²

      Top Tips for Correct Positioning at the Breast

      • Support your baby’s spine in line. Hold her so her back and shoulders are straight. Avoid holding the back of her head, which would push her chin towards her chest, making it difficult for her to open her mouth wide. Also, most babies don’t like having their heads held.

      • Hold your baby so you are both tummy to tummy. She will not be able to feed well if she has to turn her head sideways.

      • Align your baby’s head so she’s nose to nipple. Don’t hold her mouth to your nipple, as would seem logical, because once she’s on your breast, her chin would be pushed towards her chest and her throat would close, making swallowing difficult and slow. Your nipple needs to be in contact with the roof of her mouth for her to feed properly, and needs to be far enough back to avoid contact with her hard palate – that bony ridge at the front of her mouth, which would rub against and hurt your nipple.

      • Wait for the gape. Wait until her mouth is really wide open – imagine she’s about to bite on an apple – and then draw her swiftly onto your breast.

      • Chin in. Her chin will contact your breast first, digging well in, and leaving her nose clear.

       My second child, Eva, is 12 weeks old and all afternoon she wants to be rocked and carried; it’s the only way to calm her down. I wish I had some magic advice to offer, but I don’t. All I can say is, if you have family or friends close by who are willing to come and pace the floor rocking your baby, ask them. I leave her with my mum while I go food shopping. It gets me out of the house for an hour and gives me a break at least from the crying.

       – Stephanie, mother of Summer and Eva

       ~ Times Change ~ Answer – 1922 ~

      From Charis Ursula Frankenburg, Common Sense in the Nursery (reprinted 1934, 1954), cited in Christina Hardyment, Dream Babies: Child-care From Locke to Spock (Jonathan Cape, 1983)

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