Watching Your Baby's Signals for Hunger

It seems like "Tis the season to be pregnant". I have quite a few friends who are pregnant, and some of them haven't been around babies much. One of them was asking me some basic baby care questions, and of course "How do you know your baby is hungry?" was one of those questions. Glad she asked. Because many people, even those who have been around babies don't know the answer. Or they may answer you by saying "Well, the baby will cry!" or "Look at the clock, how long has it been?".

Babies let us know they are hungry way before they cry. They also let us know they are hungry before the clock might reveal they should. Although most young babies eat every 2.5-3 hours, some eat sooner, especially when going through a growth spurt. Also, formula fed babies tend to not get hungry as quick as breastfed babies because of the calories and contents of formula. The following are some signs the baby may be sending you to let you know it is feeding time:

1. Tries to put fingers, thumb, or fist in his mouth so that he can suck
2. Smacking noises and sucking motions with lips & tongue
3. Fussiness and wiggliness, and eventually flailing limbs if gets too hungry
4. Rooting and if breastfed tries to move toward the breast
5. Fisted hands
6. If the cues are not read and he isn't fed, he will progress to short rhythmical crying. If that is ignored, the crying may progress to an intense waling

Babies need to feel that we meet their most basic of needs. This includes reading the babies signals. Although some parents/caregivers miss hunger signals, other people miss the other signals babies can give us such as when they are bored, over-stimulated, sleeping, or ready to play. A common mistake parents/caregivers make is to feed a baby everytime he cries.
For more detailed information about how to interpret the baby's cries visit http://www.sense-ablebaby.com/. It also includes ways to promote sensory processing in babies.

Back to the Basics: Breastfeeding

I just finished attending a 2-day conference on breastfeeding. Why did I attend this? Well, not only am I very pro-breastfeeding, but I am an occupational therapist who works alot with infants and toddlers with feeding problems. At all of the feeding conferences I have attended in the past along with other occupational therapists and speech language pathologists, much of the information is geared towards bottle feeding. So, I decided that I am going to learn more about breastfeeding. Now, I nursed both of my children for one year, so I knew some about the subject already. But after attending this conference, I realized alot about atypical situations and breastfeeding the medically involved child. I thoroughly loved the conference, and left knowing that I had done the best thing ever by nursing my two kids. Of course, we know that breastfeeding helps boost the immune system of the baby, reduces chances of breast cancer in the mom, and aids in parent-infant bonding and attachment, but there are also so many other benefits to it.

I just think it is so bizarre that in third world countries pretty much everyone breastfeeds, and the few babies who aren't nursed often don't survive. This is because the formula doesn't offer anti-bodies to the numerous diseases they are exposed to. Yet, in a developed country like the US, so many women don't breastfeed. Now, I can't judge women who don't. They have their reasons. And as I learned at the course, some women just can't produce breast milk for various reasons. But many of the women who can successfully lactate, choose not to breastfeed. Maybe that is because our society doesn't really promote breastfeeding like it should here in the US. Over in some European countries, breastfeeding rates are much higher, maybe because they can take a maternity leave up to a year.

The reason I named this blog "Back to the Basics" is because there is not one single baby formula out on the market that is superior to breastmilk. They can simulate the DHA and some of the other nutrients, but not all of them! The best thing for our baby is free, and no matter the country or the amount of salary you earn, you usually can lactate. It is so basic, yet here in the US we make it so complicated!

The only person or thing that cow's milk is perfect for is a baby cow (calf)! There are so many formulas out on the market because so many children can't digest a standard formula. There is formula for sensitivities, allergies, and lactose intolerance. But for those women who can't lactate or who choose not to breastfeed, I am thankful for the numerous choices so that babies can be as healthy as possible.

Next week when I return to work, I hope that I can help all of the babies with their feeding problems whether they receive breastmilk from a bottle or directly from their mom, or if they receive formula from a bottle or g-tube. My mission as an OT is to help the babies and their families to be as functional as possible.

So much of feeding is related to understanding the signals given by the baby. Some of these are discussed on my website: http://www.sense-ablebaby.com/