Breastfeeding and Rh factor

Is it possible to breastfeed a baby?

The answer to the question of whether it is possible to feed a baby with breast milk is obvious. This option of feeding a baby is rightfully considered the most useful and safe for a newborn, since thanks to it it is possible to achieve better development of the baby.

Why is it better to choose breastfeeding your baby? The fact is that nature “developed” the composition of mother’s milk in advance. It contains the most necessary substances for a newborn, which allow him to fully grow and develop. They are:

• vitamins;
• proteins;
• fats;
• microelements;
• amino acids.

All these substances are present in mother’s milk in the quantities required for the baby, so they are quickly and easily absorbed by the baby’s body.

Incompatible blood types. Lactation

There is no reason to stop breastfeeding if you have incompatible blood types. The thing is that bilirubin is excreted from the child’s body exclusively with feces, that is, recommendations for supplementing with water in this case are not only useless, but may even be harmful. After all, the more water the baby drinks, the less milk he will need. In addition, we must not forget that jaundice makes children sleepy, and they can sleep even when hungry. Therefore, to organize proper nutrition for such a child, it is necessary to wake him up every 2 hours and try to put him to the breast at least 8-12 times a day. Additionally, between feedings, you can try to express milk from the breast and give it to your baby using a spoon or alternative feeding devices.

How to feed your baby

Doctors say that newborns not only can, but also need to be fed naturally, since artificial formulas do not contain so many useful substances. This means that children may get sick more often. After all, unnatural food is not able to protect babies due to its not entirely natural composition.

Breast milk contains leukocytes and immune proteins, thanks to which the child’s body is reliably protected from diseases dangerous to health. After all, it is known that the immunity of newborns is not developed enough to cope with this or that disease on their own.

Breast milk has the optimal temperature for infants, is sterile, and is easy to consume at any time and anywhere. Therefore, you should not worry about whether you can breastfeed your baby, but feel free to do so.

Natural feeding has many advantages for the health and development of the child, namely:

• daily feeding can provide a powerful emotional connection between baby and mother;
• while sucking, the baby develops a correct bite;
• when teething, mother's milk relieves symptoms and protects the oral cavity from the development of diseases;
• It has been proven that children who eat naturally, as they grow older, get much less sick than “artificially fed” ones, due to their well-developed immunity.

Breastfeeding according to the sunnah

After birth, a person needs breast milk. This unique product, by the will of the Almighty, contains many vitamins and nutrients necessary for a small body. By feeding her child, a woman thereby demonstrates her love and care to him.

Breastfeeding, according to Islamic belief, should last for two years. This is due to the fact that during this period of life the baby needs breast milk as a source of maintaining its immunity. If parents decide to wean the baby from the breast earlier than the established period, then this is considered permissible, but provided there is no harm to the child. It is also not forbidden to feed longer than expected, but according to Hanafi theologians, the maximum age of a child should be no more than 2 years 6 months. Shafi'i scholars believe that it is permissible to breastfeed a child until he reaches the age of 7 years.

If a mother, for one reason or another, refuses breastfeeding in favor of formula milk, then this is also allowed. But at the same time, there is a risk of purchasing a product of poor quality or containing harmful substances, which can harm the baby. For this reason, you need to think carefully when making such a decision.

The benefits of breastfeeding

Breastfeeding according to Islam has many benefits for the mother. Therefore, it is advisable for every woman to give her children her own milk.

The mercy of the worlds Muhammad (s.w.) said: “After childbirth, not a single drop of breast milk remains without the reward of Allah. And if the baby prevents the mother from sleeping, then her reward is equal to the freeing of seventy slaves” (Tabarani). Another narration says: “A nursing mother receives a reward for every drop of milk with which she feeds her child.”

In addition, natural feeding can lead the mother to the Paradise abode. The Messenger of Allah (saw) instructed: “Women who bear a child and then give birth, breastfeed them and show love and mercy to them, if they pray and do not treat their spouses badly, will undoubtedly end up in Paradise.” (Ahmad, Tabarani, Hakim).

Nursing and fasting

During breastfeeding, as well as during pregnancy, a woman is exempt from obligatory fasting, as stated in the hadith: “Prayer is made easier for those on the road, and those who are pregnant and nursing are exempt from fasting” (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah). This is due to the fact that fasting and other types of dietary restrictions can lead to the disappearance of milk necessary for the baby.

However, this does not mean that breastfeeding women are strictly prohibited from fasting. If a Muslim woman is sure that there is no harm to herself and the child, she can comply with it. For example, if the month of Ramadan falls during the cold season, when there is no heat and the duration of abstinence from food is less than half a day. However, before making such a decision, a woman must weigh the pros and cons and adequately assess her physiological state. Fanatical fulfillment of religious instructions in this case may not lead to additional savab, but, on the contrary, arouse the wrath of the Almighty, Who cares about His creations and does not prescribe anything unnecessary to them.

If a Muslim woman still does not fast during the feeding period, then she needs to make up for the missed days in the future, when the child is weaned. If a woman gives birth quite often and every month she is either pregnant or breastfeeding, then she is allowed to feed someone in need for each missed day of fasting.

How to tell if your baby has enough milk

A baby who feeds on mother's milk must be latched to the breast upon request during the day and 2-3 times at night. On average, the baby eats 10-12 times a day. What does on-demand feeding mean? This means that as soon as the baby begins to worry and cry, he should be fed.

In order for the baby to be satisfied, he needs to be placed correctly. You can find out what positions you can choose from your doctor or watch video lessons for young mothers. On average, a baby eats from 5 to 20 minutes, which depends on his age and sucking speed.

Signs that your baby is hungry:

• he whines;
• puts a finger in the mouth or sucks a fist;
• opens mouth wide;
• turns his head, thereby trying to find the nipple.

Attention! Newborns suckle at the breast for more than just satiety. It is also necessary for removing gases, recovery, calming and falling asleep easier. Therefore, the younger the child, the more often he needs to be put to the breast, as this helps him to avoid anxiety. In addition, physical contact allows babies to feel calmer and more confident.

However, you need to know when to stop everything. Therefore, parents often wonder whether it is possible to overfeed their baby with breast milk. Statistics show that today newborns are overeating with mother's milk. This is due to the fact that the calorie content and composition of such food differs significantly from artificial products. This product contains more carbohydrates, fats and microelements, which means that feeding infants too often can lead to overeating. But it does not benefit his health, but, on the contrary, aggravates it.

To understand whether a newborn has enough milk, you need to carefully monitor his weight. On average, every month a breastfed baby should gain 500 grams. However, doctors call this figure individual, so mothers also need to monitor the frequency of feeding the baby. If he demands the breast every hour, this indicates a lack of milk from the mother. In this case, it needs to be supplemented with artificial mixtures.

Photo: gdakaska

Breastfeeding and Rh factor

Rh incompatibility during pregnancy can negatively affect the child. Let's take a closer look at the definition of this problem in medicine, preventive measures, and breastfeeding in case of Rh conflict. Why is he dangerous? An expert assessment is given by general practitioner, allergist-immunologist Tatyana Nikolaevna Dzyaduk.

— Tatyana Nikolaevna, what is the Rh factor and how is it related to breast milk?

— The Rh factor is a protein. If it is found on a person’s red blood cells, the Rh factor is positive, and if there is no such protein in the blood, the Rh factor is negative. 80-85% of people are Rh positive. The blood group based on this protein is called the Rh factor system.

The function of the Rh factor is currently unknown. This protein does not pass into breast milk and does not affect the development of the baby. But this is an antigen that can cause an immune response in the mother’s body and lead to her Rh incompatibility with the child.

— What is Rh conflict?

— Rh conflict is a situation when the mother’s immune system reacts to the Rh factor on the red blood cells of the unborn child, starting an attack.

The layout could be like this:

Problems arise when the Rh factor is negative in the mother and positive in the child. For the mother, this protein is not normal, because her immune system views the child’s Rh as a foreign substance (antigen) and begins to activate, producing Rh antibodies of class M and G.

— How can a mother’s immune system attack the baby’s red blood cells if the bloodstreams don’t mix?

- If the pregnancy is going well, a small amount of the baby's blood enters the mother's bloodstream at the time of birth, when the placenta separates and bleeding occurs. It is at this moment that the immune system reacts to the child’s Rh. In the first pregnancy, if there have been no miscarriages or abortions, the risk of conflict is minimal and occurs only during childbirth. But the likelihood of an attack of red blood cells increases with each pregnancy, so the doctor needs to know what kind of pregnancy a woman has. In addition, various complications of pregnancy can lead to the development of Rh antibodies, because the baby's blood then enters the mother's bloodstream before birth.

Factors that increase the risk of Rh conflict between mother and fetus:

• termination of pregnancy;
• hydatidiform mole;
• abdominal trauma;
• intrauterine fetal death;
• invasive measures to take biomaterial for genetic research.

To calculate the likelihood of a Rh conflict, you also need to know your medical history, monitor IgG antibodies in the mother’s blood (if these antibodies are not present, then the immune system is not activated and everything is fine) and determine the titers of these antibodies (the more there are, the higher the threat to the child ). Antibodies appeared and began to grow - this is a picture of the development of Rh conflict: the child suffers, red blood cells are destroyed.

If a Rhesus conflict is suspected at birth, then the child's blood is taken for bilirubin.

Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, which when destroyed is metabolized into bilirubin. And the more red blood cells are destroyed, the higher the amount of bilirubin in the blood.

— How else does Rh conflict manifest itself and why is it dangerous?

- During pregnancy, ultrasound can detect indirect signs of destruction of red blood cells - this is an increase in the speed of blood flow in the aorta and middle cerebral artery.

After birth, depending on the severity of the condition, the newborn may be pale, cyanotic, with signs of tachycardia. The most severe manifestation of Rh conflict is hydrops fetalis and edematous syndrome of newborns (due to the large number of destroyed red blood cells, anemia is severe, fluid from the blood passes into the organs, the child does not breathe or breathes very hard, problems with blood supply and circulation are observed).

Rhesus conflict in a newborn may not appear immediately. The baby is born outwardly normal, but during the first two days the amount of bilirubin increases sharply and it turns yellow. The higher the amount of bilirubin in the blood, the yellower the baby. This is a hemolytic disease, or jaundice, of newborns.

Mild manifestations of Rh conflict include a slight increase in the amount of bilirubin

– they do not need to be treated, they go away on their own. But the more serious the situation, the more treatment measures are required.

— Is it possible to breastfeed with Rh-conflict and is there a need for a special approach to breastfeeding with hemolytic disease of the newborn?

— Hemolytic disease of newborns as a result of incompatibility between the Rh-negative blood of the mother and the Rh-positive blood of the child is manifested by an increase in the level of bilirubin in the child’s blood or anemia of varying severity.

How does breastfeeding affect this situation?

1. Mother's antibodies (immunoglobulin G), produced against antigens on the baby's red blood cells, penetrate the placenta and attack them.
2. At birth, immunoglobulins G stop entering the child's body - they do not pass into breast milk. Breastfeeding with Rh-conflict is maintained.

Breastfeeding in case of hemolytic disease does not stop due to Rh conflict; it should not be abandoned: on the contrary, to establish lactation, frequent breastfeeding or pumping is recommended.

Rhesus conflict in itself is not a contraindication to breastfeeding. Myths that in this case there is no need to give breastfeeding to the baby are due to the fact that hemolytic disease of newborns, caused by Rh conflict, is often confused with other types of jaundice. The most common of them, benign jaundice of newborns, is a physiological situation when, after the birth of a baby, there is a massive breakdown of excess red blood cells. And when breastfeeding, it is this jaundice that prolongs. It is not known why this happens, but this is normal if bilirubin does not increase in certain quantities.

— Tatyana Nikolaevna, what recommendations does the World Health Organization give for preventing and overcoming Rhesus conflict?

— The recommendations of Russian specialists and WHO in this situation coincide and are regulated by documents.

• During pregnancy

If the mother’s blood is Rh-negative and the father’s is Rh-positive, then at the 28th week of pregnancy the woman is given anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin if there are no anti-Rhesus antibodies in her blood. This prevents the production of anti-Rhesus antibodies. If the mother already has antibodies in her blood, then administering immunoglobulin is useless.

Anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin is also administered in situations where there is a high probability of the baby’s blood entering the mother’s body, for example, in case of threatened miscarriage, abdominal trauma, invasive chorionic villus biopsy techniques or amniocentesis.

• After childbirth

Immunoglobulin is administered to the mother within 72 hours after birth (after confirmation of the newborn's Rh-positive status). Some recommendations extend this period to a month if for some reason it is not possible to administer immunoglobulin in the first three days. The procedure is important for the prevention of Rh conflict in subsequent pregnancies.

— What should a mother do if her child is weaned for medical reasons? How to feed your baby?

— If stopping breastfeeding is due to the baby’s condition, you can feed him expressed breast milk through a bottle or through a special tube. If the mother does not have milk, you can use donor milk, prepared exclusively in a medical organization in compliance with all safety and sterilization measures, or switch to an adapted milk formula.

Mixed feeding may be recommended for premature and low-birth-weight infants, because for a very weak, low-birth-weight infant, breastfeeding will become a strong physical activity, and he may lose more weight than he gains from breast milk. In this situation, supplementary feeding with a mixture is prescribed.

The reasons for temporary or permanent switching to formula milk are general; for Rhesus conflict there are no special indications. Here are the situations when the baby receives formula in the maternity hospital:

• the child’s serious condition when he cannot feed himself or is unconscious;
• mother's serious condition;
• lack of lactation;
• woman's reluctance to breastfeed.

— How do baby formulas for newborns with hemolytic disease differ from regular formulas?

— The choice of artificial nutrition depends on the baby’s condition. If the newborn is not undergoing treatment (blood transfusions, red blood cell infusions, iron supplements), he can be prescribed any mixture, ideally enriched with iron. There are no special mixtures for hemolytic disease, and mixtures based on protein or amino acid hydrolysis solve other problems. For premature babies, the doctor selects a mixture from a line labeled PRE.

When choosing a regular milk formula, a mother should pay attention to its composition. In a formula for newborns, it is desirable to have a reduced amount of protein, a balanced ratio of whey and casein fractions close to breast milk, the presence of iron, pre- and probiotics. The prebiotic component is especially important if the baby was born by cesarean section, because in this case he may have problems with the intestinal biocenosis. All of the above features are taken into account in infant formulas made from goat milk of the MAMAKO® Premium brand.

Rhesus conflict currently occurs much less frequently than it used to, because the obstetrics and gynecology service monitors this issue and implements preventive measures at the right time. If a Rh conflict occurs, the mother can breastfeed - there are no general contraindications here. The hemolytic condition of newborns is successfully treated and goes away without consequences - the child in the future is practically no different from babies without Rh conflict.

General practitioner Tatyana Nikolaevna Dzyaduk

*The ideal food for an infant is mother's milk. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months. MAMAKO® supports this recommendation. Before introducing new foods into your baby’s diet, consult a specialist.

What should be the frequency of breastfeeding?

To prevent babies from suffering from lack of nutrition, they should be put to the breast immediately upon request. Doctors say that the feeling of hunger overtakes babies every 2-3 hours. However, a break in nutrition may depend on many factors, namely weight and height, age, energy expenditure, and so on.

Compared to formula, mother's milk is absorbed somewhat faster, so there is less time between feedings. However, you need to be able to distinguish a real request for feeding from a false one. Sometimes children get lonely, and thus they try to feel safe.

If a child eats more milk than normal, this is indicated by the following signs:

• immediately after eating or for an hour, the baby burps profusely;
• the child requires the breast more than 1 time in 2 hours. In the first 7 days of the baby’s life, it needs to be applied to the breast every 15-30 minutes;
• Children gain too much weight in a month. If your baby shows signs of obesity, this indicates excessive milk consumption.

What are the causes of overeating:

1. Maternal hyperlactation (excessive milk production). In this case, the child is not able to cope with a large amount of food, so in order to avoid this problem, the baby needs to be given one breast at one meal. This will help ensure even milk production and also avoid the development of hot flashes.
2. Problems with the functioning of the digestive organs. Heartburn and colic make the child moody and restless. Therefore, infants try to get rid of problems by any means, thereby consuming large amounts of milk.
3. A sharp growth spurt. When the baby's body reaches an active stage of growth, the amount of food consumed increases significantly. In this case, the baby should be given both breasts at one feeding.

By monitoring your baby's feeding time, you will be able to avoid overeating, which can cause serious damage to his health.

Is it possible to breastfeed a child who is poisoned?

Surely the question of whether it is possible to breastfeed a child if poisoned is of interest to every mother. After all, you cannot insure yourself against various diseases, for example, food poisoning. But what to do if a nursing mother shows signs of poisoning? In this case, there is no need to panic. After all, as a rule, the malaise is not too long or severe, and this condition does not require hospital treatment. In addition, this is not an obstacle to breastfeeding the baby. If the mother experiences mild poisoning, the child’s health is not in danger, since along with the milk he will receive protective antibodies that are produced in the mother’s body to fight intestinal disease.

Attention! To avoid infecting the child through contact, the mother must follow the rules of hygiene, drink plenty of fluids, and also slightly increase the interval between feeding the baby.

If a mother is diagnosed with severe food poisoning, this also does not pose a risk to the baby’s health, since toxins and dangerous bacteria cannot be transmitted through milk. However, in this case, the woman will need to take antibiotics or antimicrobial medications, which are prohibited for infants. Therefore, during treatment, the mother will need to stop breastfeeding. And in order to avoid stopping milk production, it should be expressed several times daily.

Photo: gdakaska

How to comfortably breastfeed your baby

How to breastfeed a baby? The video can show how to do this correctly so that the baby eats fully and the mother does not experience discomfort. Doctors say that there are a huge number of different positions in which a baby can eat, but 3 of them are considered the most common. This:

1. Classic. In this position, the mother just needs to hold the baby in her arms, while slightly raising the head. As a result, it turns out that the child lies as if in a cradle, which allows him to quickly get enough and immediately fall asleep.
2. Lying down. Is it possible to breastfeed a baby while lying down? Yes, because babies cannot gag thanks to the sucking reflex. This position is especially often used by mothers with twins to make feeding their newborns more convenient and faster. It can also be used to quickly and easily feed babies to women after a caesarean section. The advantages of this body position include the fact that it allows you to completely release the breasts and also avoid the development of congestion. In addition, mothers do not have to stand on their feet and wait for the baby to eat. How to breastfeed a baby while lying down? In this case, it is important to correctly place the nipple in the baby's mouth. To do this, the woman needs to lie on her side and place the baby on her chest. After this, you need to take the nipple and place it completely in your mouth, while capturing most of the areola. The baby's lower lip should be bulging outward. Thanks to this, the baby will not suffer from colic, since air will not be able to penetrate into the esophagus along with the milk.
3. Sitting. Some women feed their babies half-sitting, with the baby on top of their chest. This ensures quick nutrition for the baby, as the mother’s breasts completely relax and milk flows easily.

Each woman needs to independently choose the most comfortable position for feeding the baby. Doctors do not advise changing it often, because newborns quickly get used to something and then find it difficult to “switch.”

Is it possible to give a baby someone else's breast milk?

It is not always possible for a woman to feed her baby on her own. In this case, many immediately try to find the best formula for feeding, the composition of which will be as similar as possible to breast milk.

However, some mothers still want their children to eat only natural food. In this case, the question arises, is it possible to give a child someone else's breast milk? Doctors say that someone else's mother can breastfeed her baby. However, in this case, it is important to pay attention to the following factors:

1. The age of someone else's baby. You need to feed two babies of approximately the same age at the same time. After all, milk changes every month, as if adapting to the needs of a growing child. For example, a newborn should not be fed with the milk of a mother whose child is 8-9 months old.
2. Hygiene. If a woman is feeding two babies, she needs to regularly wash her nipples, as the infection can be passed from child to child.

By following these rules, you will be able to safely feed someone else's baby breast milk, which will protect him from diseases and also promote healthy growth and development.

Is it possible to give breast milk to an older child?

Surely many mothers are interested in the question - is it possible to give breast milk to an older child? In fact, after the baby reaches 2.5-3 years of age, mother’s milk loses its value and does not bring any health benefits at all. Therefore, such feeding will simply be useless.

But when answering the question of whether it is possible not to feed a baby with breast milk, you should not rush to conclusions, since you first need to carefully familiarize yourself with the positive qualities of such food for newborns.

Attention! No infant formula contains as much protein, fats and carbohydrates as breast milk. Therefore, when choosing natural food for a newborn, it is better to give preference to breast milk rather than artificial formula.

Treatment

The maximum effect of drug therapy for this pathological condition is observed in children born prematurely. If this condition is of a secondary nature, the newborn baby is prescribed bacterial medications that stimulate the production of this enzyme.

In order to restore the normal microflora of the large intestine, infants are prescribed the drug Bifidumbacterin in the form of a powder for dilution. Bifidumbacterin is prescribed to babies from the first days of life. Until the natural production of lactase by the child’s body begins, the baby is prescribed enzyme replacement therapy. This group of medications is intended to be diluted in a small portion of breast milk before each feeding of a newborn.

In addition to specialized medical care, it is important for a young mother to review her natural feeding technique. A child with lactase deficiency should not receive only the front portions of breast milk. With frequent breastfeeding and incomplete emptying, a large amount of milk sugar enters the child's body, which provokes digestive disorders. Before each feeding, a woman should express her foremilk.

In case of severe intolerance to mother's milk, children are prescribed the following treatment options:

• Feeding with artificial lactose-free formulas;
• Prescription of medications containing an immobilized form of lactase.

Depending on the type of intolerance, as well as the severity of this condition, a child with lactase deficiency is prescribed mixed feeding, including dry lactose-free infant formula, as well as minimal portions of breast milk.