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NEWBORN BASICS
Breastfeeding
Activities
Discussion
Resources
PFB book pages 66 – 69 PowerPoint slides 143-150
Breastfeeding Review handout Breastfeeding Poster Set Demo dolls Breast models
Breastfeeding is the biological norm and provides the optimal nutrition for baby. It is helpful to provide a brief overview of what breastfeeding is and why it is important, but breastfeeding should serve as its own course separate from childbirth preparation.
Discussion Prompts
• Why is breastfeeding important?
• How can you tell if your newborn is hungry?
• How often should a newborn baby nurse?
Key Points
• Breastfeeding basics:
• Newborn stomach sizes:
• Day 1: marble sized, holding about 5 mL( about 1 / 4 of an ounce).
• Day 3: ping-pong ball sized, holding about 25 mL, or about one ounce.
• Day 10 and beyond: chicken egg sized, holding about 60 mL or about 2 ounces at a time.
• Kinds of milk:
• Colostrum: the first milk, helps prepare baby’ s digestive system and clear out meconium.
• Transitional milk: greater volume than colostrum, starting around day 2.
• Mature milk: 2 – 3 weeks after birth, contains more carbohydrates than transitional milk.
• Hunger cues: rooting, mouth activity, squirming, fussing, trying to get into position, crying.
• When to feed: feed on demand( watch for hunger cues), 8 – 12 times a day( in 24 hours).
• Bringing baby to breast: line up nose to nipple, and when they open wide, gently pull them onto the breast. Look for lots of breast tissue in their mouth for a deep latch.
• Signs of a good latch: mouth opened wide with lips pursed out, chin touching breast and head tipped back slightly so that the nipple is pointed towards the roof of baby’ s mouth.
• Transferring milk: initial sucking, with short, quick movement of the jaw(“ nibbling”), gets the milk to let down. After let-down, when milk is flowing, baby will switch to a steady, rhythmic sucking. Watch for jaw and ears to move and listen for swallowing.
• Bottle vs. breast: involve very different uses and positions of baby’ s tongue. Using a bottle or pacifier during the first 4 – 6 weeks can cause latching challenges and should be avoided.
• Signs baby is well fed:
• Weight gain: back to birth weight by 10 – 14 days; gain of 5 – 7 ounces or more per week.
• Urine output: plenty of wet diapers( 1 on day 1, 2 on day 2, and 6 + by day 4).
• Changing stools: from black to green to yellow by about day 5.
• When to seek help: signs of dehydration or concerning signals from baby:
• Days 2 – 5: fewer than the minimum number of wet or soiled diapers.
• By days 4 – 5: not gaining weight.
• Lethargic, weak suck or will not latch.
• Will not breastfeed or feeds very little for eight hours or longer.
• Showing signs of dehydration: urine is absent or dark and smells strong, dry mouth, sunken fontanel( soft spot).
• Is inconsolable or still shows signs of hunger after feeding.
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