Infant Feeding Guide

This guide will provide you the feeding  information you need through the first year of your child’s life. These information include General information, Breast feeding recommendations, Formula feeding recommendations and Solid food introduction.

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General information

• Mother’s milk is the best source of nutrition for the newborn baby.It is rich in antibodies, enzymes, and other factors that support the infant's immune system, protecting against infections.
• Mother’s milk contains optimal proportions of nutrients for the baby's growth and development.
• Its benefit goes beyond providing milk, it serves comfort, safety, and lifelong bond.
• It also reduces the risk of you having ovarian, breast cancer
• World Health Organization (WHO) recommend exclusive breast feeding for the first 6 months of life, you can continue to 2 years or more with additional food provided

Breast Feeding Recommendation

• The baby specially early in life can feed every 1-3 hours including nights, about 8-12 times a day
• The more you feed your baby the more your milk supply will be
• You should switch between breasts during feeds.
• You should feel breast softening after feed during the first 4 weeks  after delivery
• Respond to your baby’s hunger cues rather than following a fixed schedule
• Hunger cues:
  • Rooting ( moving the face around looking for breast )
  • Putting hands in the mouth
  • Opening mouth and sticking the tongue out – fussiness
• If direct breastfeeding is not possible because of separation from the baby , you can still feed him/her your breast milk , use the breast pump to express your milk and you can store it in fridge or freezer for long time
• Contraindication of breastfeeding are very rare including : if the mother has active TP (tuberculosis) , HIV , active HSV(Herpes simplex virus) infection with open lesions on the breast and if your baby has classic galactosemia, a condition where the body cannot process sugar properly.

Signs of adequate breast feeding:

• Here is a guide to help you recognize if breastfeeding is going well:
  • Your baby should have at least 4-5 wet diaper in 24 hours
  • Around 2-3 bowel movement a 24 hours.
  • At least 8 times of feeding  a 24 hours.
  • Your baby is happy and content after feeding
  • Your breast is full before feed and softer after feed during the first 4 weeks.
  • If any of the symptoms are missing, ask the doctor   

Formula Feeding Recommendation

• The newborn stomach is tiny, you can start with 1-2 oz (30-60 ml) per feed initially and increase gradually or follow the instruction on the formula tin.
• Feed your baby every 2-3hrs, but follow the hunger cues
• Amount will depend on your child age and weight, roughly (OZ equal 30 ml)

Make sure your baby gets a daily vitamin D supplement of 400 IU to to prevent Vitamin D deficiency, unless the formula you use already contains Vitamin D supplement, please check the information on your baby’s formula.

Introduction of Complementary Feeding

Around 6 months old,  your baby need more energy and nutrients than breast milk alone can provide. This is when it's time to start introducing complementary foods. If you wait too long or give the wrong foods, your baby's growth might slow down.

When to start?

• You baby is able to control his head
• Your baby’s weight above 13 pound (about 6 Kg)
• Start with small amounts of food and increase gradually as your child gets older

Baby food guideline :

• Introduce 1 type of a food at a time for 3-5 days before adding another.
• Observe for any allergic reaction (vomiting , skin rash , diarrhea , low blood pressure
• Practice responsive feeding by:  
  • Feed your baby directly and help older children eat on their own.
  • Feed slowly and patiently.
  • Encourage eating but don't force it.
  • Talk to your child and maintain eye contact.
• Practice good hygiene and proper food handling
• As your baby grow, Gradually increase food consistency and variety; change the consistency of the food from pureed to more coarse textue gradually.
• Increase the number of times that your child is fed:
  • 2–3 meals per day for infants up to 6–8 months of age.
  • 3–4 meals per day for infants of 9–23 months of age, with 1–2 additional snacks as required
• Use fortified foods or vitamin-mineral supplements as needed.
• During illness, increase fluid intake including more breastfeeding, and offer soft, favourite foods.
• Give protein (meat , chicken , fish ) and fat early on , avoid restrict fat or cholesterol as it is important for your child’s development
• Avoid things with choking hazard ( hard fresh food such as apple , popcorn , whole nuts , rounded food as grapes )
• Avoid giving fresh cow milk or honey before 1 year of age, consider fermented diary products instead.

Remember to Keep breastfeeding whenever your baby wants until they are 2 years

When to consult your healthcare provider?

• If you are breast feeding and Baby is not not gaining weight and there are less than 8 feeds on demand in 24 hours.
• Your baby is not passing urine and stool daily on first month.
• Your baby is too sleepy or fussy
• Refusal to feeding, poor sucking

Breast Feeding Checklist

Breastfeeding is going well when:

• Your baby has 8 feeds or more in 24 hours
• Your baby is feeding for between 5 and 40 minutes at each feed
• Your baby has normal skin colour
• Your baby is usually calm and relaxed while feeding and is happy after feedsYour baby is generally calm and relaxed whist feeding and is content after most feeds
• Your baby has wet and dirty nappies (see chart over page)
• Breastfeeding is comfortable
• When your baby is 3-4 days old and beyond you should be able to hear your baby swallowing frequently during the feed

Talk to your healthcare provider if:

• Your baby is sleepy and has had less than 6 feeds in 24 hours
• Your baby feeds in 5 minutes or less at each feeding. Your baby takes longer than 40 minutes to feed each time.
• Your baby always falls asleep on the breast and/or never finishes the feed himself
• Your baby appears jaundiced (yellow discolouration of the skin)
• Your baby comes on and off the breast frequently during the feed or refuses to breastfeed
• Your baby is not having the wet and dirty nappies explained overleaf
• You are having pain in your breasts or nipples, which doesn’t disappear after the baby’s first few sucks. Your nipple comes out of the baby’s mouth looking pinched or flattened on one side
• You cannot tell if your baby is swallowing any milk when your baby is 3-4 days old and beyond
• You think your baby needs a dummy
• You feel you need to give your baby formula milk