Feeding Your Newborn

Feeding your newborn baby is probably a pretty scary thoughts for most parents, especially first time parents.

Here are some great tips for feeding your newborn.

If you are bottle-feeding your newborn:

Use the same kind of formula and nipple that the hospital started your baby off on. This will avoid nipple confusion. If you must switch, get your doctor’s permission before switching formulas, and if you need to switch a bottle or nipple, there are several ways you can do this. To switch the bottle or nipple because you cannot find the same brand, go to one that is as similar in shape and size and texture as you can. Keep in mind that nipples can be switched between most bottles, except of course, the obvious like wide mouth Playtex bottle won’t fit the traditional bottles.

Some of the top nipples are the Dr. Brown and the Avent nipples. They each are orthopedically shaped to fit baby’s mouth and encourage sucking, and are even recommended, along with the Playtex Natural Action nipples (which come with those Playtex bottles with the plastic liners) for switching between breastfeeding and bottle feeding.

If you are bottle feeding your baby, you will also want to have a bottle sterilizer or a great bottle brush and be ready to boil your bottles for at least 2 minutes (and the nipples) o make sure your baby’s formula and bottle are sterile before giving it to him.

Be sure to hold your baby in a somewhat elevated position when feeding her. You do not want her laying flat on her back, as the formula can drip into her ear, causing an ear infection if you are not careful. Test the temperature of the formula by squirting a few drops onto your wrist. If it feels HOT, then it is too hot for your baby. Warm the formula only in a pan of water or in a formula warmer, never in the microwave as the microwave can break down the nutrients in the formula that are essential for your baby’s growth, and because a microwave can cause hot spots that will burn your baby’s mouth.

You will also want to burp your baby after every ounce to two ounces of formula, by gently lifting him onto your shoulder and patting his back until he burps. You can also lay him across your knees or your lap to burp him, face down.

Feed him what the doctor recommends, usually two ounces of formula to start every 2 hours or so when you baby gets hungry. Eventually, he will eat more and sleep longer, but in the beginning, newborns need fed in frequent intervals. Make sure your baby is wetting a diaper every few hours or so or more frequently (at least 10 times a day), and having a couple good bowel movements as well. During the first six weeks, newborns generally have at least one bowel movement per day, and may have as many as fifteen small bowel movements (a super pooper!). Even having as few as one bowel movement every few days does not necessarily indicate constipation (although you may want to consult your doctor). Neither does grunting, pushing, or turning red in the face while passing a stool. This is normal behavior, as long as stools are soft, do not contain blood, and do not appear to be causing pain.

If you are breast-feeding your newborn:

Newborns are newborns, and the same things apply to breast fed babies as well as bottle fed babies regarding their feeding needs. Newborn babies must be fed frequently, and although a breastfeeding mother cannot measure the milk that her baby gets, burp your baby at least once between switching breasts. Stool frequency in breastfed babies can vary even more than bottle fed babies, however, and can range from 15 per day to just one bowel movement every few days, after a few weeks.

Sore nipples may be a real issue for you, especially as a new mom. I highly recommend getting some lanolin cream for your breasts. It is a stiff, thick cream directly processed out of sheep’s wool, it is all natural, harmless of your baby to ingest and works like a CHARM on sore nipples. You can also use breast shields and breast protectors, although personally I have never had any luck with those. :) Sore nipples, though, are a fact of breastfeeding life, at least in the first few months. Please, try to work through it, for your sake and your baby’s, you will feel like a triumphant mother when you look down one day and realize that you are enjoying breastfeeding your newborn as much as he is enjoying nursing!

Read more about nursing your newborn in our Newborn Nursing Section!

Nipples

Feeding Supplies for Your Baby

Breast Care Products