1) A relaxed mother who does not have to worry about demands from each member of extended family. Total privacy to be offered to her while she is feeding her baby.
- She deserves it.
- She does not have to make a show off of a natural process, like bringing a baby to Parliament house as a member mother who is duty bound but she is entitled to a minimum of 6 months as a maternity leave. Here entire nation is her extended family.
- Do not forget that the suckling baby does not want to Share its mother with anyone while being fed.
- The baby was bonded for 9 months and this bonding extends further, till the time mother feels that it is weaning time at 6-12 months or maybe more, despite solid foods started at 6 months onwards.
2) Operative delivery is no excuse for not feeding the baby.
- These days spinal anaesthesia is used and mother can feed the baby while lying down on her bed, helped by standing nurse to feed the first few drops of milk, colostrum which is the nector of life for baby as it has every immunity to fight diseases suffered by her mother all through her childhood and adulthood.
- Reason for giving vaccinations for Measles, Chicken pox, Mumps at 12 months because the baby is immune through milk of mother.
- Clever nature manufactures milk on demand only and there is no need to store milk of mother and reheat to feed with a bottle.
3) Feed the Baby Directly.
- Say No to bottles and avoid gastric infections.
4) Sometimes the flow is less.
- Remember about basic reflexes like Suckling, Cheek reflex because milk flows freely if an infant is put on breast just after birth and cheeks of baby touch the beasts.
- If the mother feels that she needs special diets or some medicines to increase flow, let her have them for few days.
- Our rituals promote eating of Jeera, Til, Dates, Dry fruits and pure ghee used to make special snacks.
- There is scientific evidence that all of above promote lactation.
- Tablet of Perinorm (metoclopramide) also helps if given in low doses so that the baby is not affected.
- Hope that more mothers will feed their newborns and relatives, doctors and nurses will see to it that The Mother is Relaxed along with her Newborn.
- It takes 3 months for a baby to get accustomed to.
- Baby needs rest too and resting baby grows faster.
- Let the baby sleep for 20 out of 24 hours during first few weeks.
5) A cranky baby will never make an effort to suckle and baby, if used to tastier top feeds, will Never like milk of the mother.
- Stay away from bottles and top feeds for at least 6 months.