Dr. Neetu Talwar, Senior Consultant Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurgaon, joins us and answers worried mommies about their breastfeeding concerns. Thank you Dr. Talwar for your support to the New Moms Club.
Swati - My daughter is 17 months old and still I'm breastfeeding her. She eats solids but with difficulty.My question is that when I'm not at home, she eats but when I'm at home she wants only breastfeed. How do i sort this out?
Swati, if your daughter is 17 months and is still breastfeeding her then you are not benefiting her nutritionally. In addition to this, you are just filling up her stomach with food that is no more enough for her. You should stop the breastfeeding immediately. Just say no- the child at the age of 17 months needs to understand the word 'No.' We don't have to be aggressive just be very emphatic about this. The minute this is put to stop, the child will automatically start eating. That is the only solution.
Sanjini - My lo refused to take bf when he was 3 months old. I tried everything but nothing worked out. He is 5 months now and completely on ff. I'm really worried for him that his immune system will not develop well and sometimes I feel rejected too. What to do? Also I'm gaining weight rapidly...n worried about it!
Sanjani, in case you are feeling this guilty about not breastfeeding, I suggest that you take the help of a good pediatrician or a good breastfeeding counselor to find out why the baby rejected breast milk in the first place. Most of the time it is a correctable cause and as far as his immune system is concerned, it is a problem that can be rectified. If you are giving the baby a nutritious diet & give good supplements like vitamins, prescribed by your doctor it will be fine. And as far as gaining weight is concerned, you need to work it out with your doctor and start exercising in addition to cutting down on certain food items that are calorie dense.
Sanchita - I want to know bf safe painkiller SOS to be taken for migraines. Can you help?
If you want a safe painkiller then I think you should be sticking to paracetamol- that will be best.
Varsha - My baby is of 6 month..I had joined office now I m giving her breast feeding in morning and than in evening after 6 pm she is on breast feed only. She doesn't take ff (as she is not taking bottle). Please tell how much breastfeeding is required for baby after 6 month. As people says my milk production will get low since I m not feeding my baby in day time..so how to maintain milk supply.
In case you are going to the office and you want the baby to be on breastfeed, you can always express it out and keep it in a clean container- either inside or outside the refrigerator. Also, after 6 months, the requirement for breast milk will anyway go down. You are doing absolutely fine by giving her your milk in the morning and then in the evening. In the meantime you can give her homemade preparations like khichdi and dal and wheat based biscuits etc. You could also give the baby fruit shakes- Cheeku shake or banana shake, with little fruit and mostly milk.
Another suggestion is that you should go with your instincts. If you believe that what you are doing is right for your baby and you then continue doing it. You cannot sit at home and give up your job and your career- it's an important part of your life and you so you don't have to feel guilty about it. And as I said before, post 6 months, even if you were at home, your milk supply would've anyway gone down.
Madhumita - My baby is 6 months old and i feel that mythe medicines are lactcare, and leptadena whereas also taking milk with lactonic granules. Kindly help and suggest some home r breast milk has decreased although she has started eating solids but she take a feed almost 4-5 times now how to increase my feed i am taking medicine bt i dnt think there is any effect emedy for this
After six months, as I mentioned before, the requirement for breast milk goes down. It is also the time to start weaning the child. Weaning means that in addition to the breast milk, you should introduce extra food like Khichdi or soup or custard, or suji ki kheer etc.- we always recommend home cooked meals. That said, the medicines you just mentioned do help but if you are highly worried about this, only then doctors would recommend it; otherwise, as long as you are with the baby, you are feeding the baby, the milk will be just as much as the baby requires.
Pooja - My baby is 2 months old. And is on bf as well as top feed. My problem is that after every 3-4 days my nipples and breasts get sore. They hurt so badly that leads me to cry! There is no latching issue. But I'm not sure about milk supply. Most of the time I try and give him breast feed. But at times I feel that he's still hungry and my nipples and breast start paining badly. So I have to give him top feed in addition. I'm taking shatavari and lactonic granules. What else I can do to increase my supply. And what is the possible reason for sore nipples and breast.. What I can do to avoid them?
This is a very common problem Pooja. So what you need to do is feed the baby and in between feeds avoid wearing your undergarment and let the nipples air dry. Also, after every feed, express out three to four drops of your milk and apply it over your nipples- that is the best antiseptic solution available and it will definitely help you. You should also remember to keep your nipples dry. You don't have to keep cleaning them all the time, just a wipe is good enough. 2-3 times a day if you are using soap and water, it is good enough.
Apart from over cleaning, another reason for this could be improper latching. The entire mouth area and the entire nipple has to be inside the baby's mouth; only then the baby will be sucking well and you will not experience any discomfort.
Megha & CA Priyanka & Damini - My baby is 8 months nad I'm still feeding her but my feed is not sufficient for her...can u please tell me how can the production be increased?
After 10 months the requirement for feeding especially in the night, decreases significantly. So if your baby is getting up in the night, it is usually for an emotional security or may be because she is scared that you will go away, more so when the mother is working. So if the mother is away the whole day, at night the baby wants to keep feeding. This is not because she requires it, its only for her emotional security. So you need not breastfeed the baby, with another solution being that you stop breastfeeding at night altogether.
Sofia & Payal - My daughter is on exclusive breastfeed. She is 1.2 years old. I would like to wean her off. But problem is she doesnt take milk from bottle or cup, only a few sips here and there. She is dependent on feed for sleep as well. Also Also she is a picky eater. So i m wondering if she would eat better if i wean her, or should I wait a little longer so that she starts eating better and decreases the feed on her own. Pls advice. Thanks in advance.
The problem here is that the child is on breastfeeding alone- this is never going to give the baby enough calories and proteins required for optimum growth after a certain age. So what you need to do is be firm and take you decision and stop breastfeeding. In the day time, 2-3 feeds are more than sufficient. Many mothers feel that only taking milk in large quantities will the baby grow properly etc. but that is not true- he minute you cut down on the milk, the baby will start taking feeds and solid stuff without any doubts.
Ayesha - I had surgery around 10 years ago and some of my glands were removed. As a result, my baby (2 months) isn't able to breast-feed very much. I'm giving her enfamil as a main course and breast-feed as a snack so that at least she's getting some. She's got nasty colic. Her digestion is fine and her diaper count for pee and poo is consistently good. As is poo texture and colour. Could the enfamil be causing the gas and increased spit up? My pead says it's GERD and I'm starting her on a one week homeopathic treatment. But I can't get this niggling thought out of my mind.
If the child has a gastric problem and is spitting up the milk then the common cause usually is that the burping is inadequate. So again, 10 minutes by the clock, burp the baby in the middle of the feed and then offer her the milk again. That said, it could still be GERD, but you should only believe that after you have tried everything else, including thorough burping. If it really is GERD then there are medicines available in the market for this but then it may take more than just one or two weeks to be treated.
Shivalika - Hello Dr. Talwar. I am a mother of 5.5 months old boy. I qm on labetalol 100mg since 6 months before pregnancy. M still continuing with tht doses adjusted to 100mg bd by my cardiologist. My baby is both breastfed and ff.my query is as labetalol is excreted in milk how can it affect my babies health? Secondly I was advised to take calcium 1000mg by my gynaecologist n my query is till what tm shall I continue with this strength of calcium ? My baby does take my feed but nt much.
Don't worry, Shivalika, you can continue with labetalol. And yes, you could continue with this dose of calcium- not only is it recommended for breastfeeding mothers, but it's also important for all mothers to regain all their nutrients and energy back because pregnancy itself is big enough to take a toll on your body.So it's vital for you to regain all your strength- good doses of calcium and iron- whether your baby is, or is not breastfeeding is essential.
Need to see a specialist? Visit Dr. Neetu Talwar's professional profile and book an appointment with her.
You can also read -
Common Breastfeeding Questions - Answered! (Part 1)
New Moms: Breastfeeding difficulties & more
Breastfeeding Problems for 1st Time Moms!
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