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When your baby burps it
gets rid of swallowed air that builds up from sucking
and crying. It's important to burp your baby during
feedings. When babies swallow air, they feel full and
won't suckle for long. After they burp, there is room
for more milk and the interest in eating usually
returns.
Most babies need to burp
midway through a feeding and then again afterwards. Some
babies also need to be burped before they begin to eat,
especially if they have been crying. To help prevent air
from being swallowed during breastfeeding, make sure
that baby is comfortable and has a good seal on the
areola. If you are bottle feeding, hold the bottle at an
angle that keeps the nipple full of milk.
There are two ways to
burp a baby—one, is by sitting the baby on your lap
with the baby's chin supported on your hand, or two, by
holding the baby against your chest, facing over your
shoulder with the baby's stomach well planted on the
shoulder. In either position, pat or rub the baby's back
gently.
By the
time your baby is able to sit-up and move around without
help, the burping stage ends!
Hiccups
Many babies have hiccups.
You might have even noticed your baby's hiccups during
your pregnancy. If your baby is still feeding when the
hiccups start—don't worry, continue with the feeding.
Hiccups usually go away in a few ten minutes and tend
not to occur very often after three months of age.
Over the days that follow
birth, babies stools change from a blackish green tar
like substance called meconium to a loose yellowish
sometime seedy consistency. Some babies strain, turn red
and draw their legs up when having a bowel movement.
This doesn't mean they're constipated.
After your baby is taking
in milk that is satisfying to their appetite, they
should be urinating 6-8 times a day. This all happens in
the first week of life.
If your baby starts to
gag or vomit during a feeding, stop the feeding, lay her
face down and gently rub her back. Wait for her to get
her breath back before continuing the feeding. If the
spitting up seems excessive (more than a teaspoon or so)
or if it repeatedly comes out in a forceful way, contact
the baby's doctor or nurse. It's not unusual for newborn
to have a sticky, watery mucus in the throats. This may
cause them to gag or spit-up during a feeding.
Fluoride supplements are
not recommended for breast or bottle-fed infants if your
water supply contains fluoride. (Formula already has vitamins added.) If your water
supply does not contain fluoride, a fluoride supplement
is recommended by six months. Vitamins may be
prescribed for breast-fed infants at about two months.
If the baby is full term
they will get enough iron from breastmilk to last at
least the first 6 months. Formula
fed babies should be
given formula that has added iron—look for the words iron-fortified
on the label.
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