(1) The best diet is a balanced diet with carbohydrate, protein vegetables and fruits and small amount of fat. Milk is a good source of calcium that you will need. Cold or hot does not matter. Soft drinks are not encouraged but an occasional drink is fine. That is because soft drinks have little nutritional value but lots of calories and prevent you from eating what you and our baby need. Do not eat like you are not eating for two; follow your own hunger cues.

(2) The lovely thing about breastfeeding is that you can do away with all this measuring. Every baby is different and even each baby is different at different times. Feed by demand. Occasionally there are growth spurts when your baby will suckle more. As a rough guide a baby needs 150ml X weight in kg per day. If you feed 8 times a day, divide this total by 8 to get the amount per feed.

 

(3) Fully breastfeed till 6 month. Start solids at 6 months but that does not mean that you must stop breastfeeding altogether. Breast milk is still a source of nutrition. WHO and HPB recommend that you breastfeed for one year and beyond. After that it’s a decision that you and your baby will make. Night feeding is can be continued longer because it allow you to bond with your baby even after you go back to work. For some mothers, it makes them feel less guilty about leaving their babies at home.

 

(4) Usually in the early days, we suggest that you wake baby up at least 3 hourly to feed as breast milk is digested easily. However if your baby is content, active and well  and is passing urine wetting 6 diapers a day and passing motion regularly, it means your baby is getting enough, then you have no cause for concern.

 

Answered By
Dr Yong Tze Tein
Senior consultant
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Singapore General Hospital
President of the Association for Breastfeeding Advocacy (Singapore) 

 

There is no necessity to drink water as there is adequate water in breastmilk to quench your baby’s thirst

 

The baby will wake up less often once her brain is a bit more mature.  She will wake when she is hungry. So, you can’t really train her as such. She will do this automatically as she gets older.

You just have to be patient. What you can do is not to encourage her to wake up so often. Stick to same night time routines. Darkened room and quiet helps signal it is sleep time. When she wakes up for feed, feed her and then get her to go back to sleep. Do not play with her.

Why most mothers ask this question is the lack of sleep that comes from waking up to feed the baby. One of the tricks you can try is breastfeed in bed if you are comfortable. Then you can breastfeed without getting up.

 

Answered By
Dr Yong Tze Tein
Senior consultant
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Singapore General Hospital
President of the Association for Breastfeeding Advocacy (Singapore)

Yes as long as it is properly cooked,free of bones and a consistency that the child can manage.