Parenting is not an easy task. Parents were not given a manual on how to parent their child when a child is borned. It is all through experience and sharings that we learn the way to parent a kid in the current world. Many parents would agree that today's children is very different from the previous generation. However, it is today's parents who have changed significantly and therefore bringing up their kids in a different way.

There is no right answer to "What's the best way in bringing up a child?" but being a pro-active parent is the best thing that we can do for our child especially during the formative years.

I hope this site can be a platform for parents to share their views and to get various parenting tips.

Happy Parenting! :)

How To Start Breastfeeding?

Latching
Position your baby's lips to your breast. Your breast are producing a substance called colostrum that will help protect your baby from infection. At this point of time, the mature milk has not come in yet.

Your baby's mouth should cover a big part of the areola below the nipple. If it hurts, stop the feeding by inserting your little finger between your baby's mouth and your nipple, then try again. Breastfeeding should not be painful. Once the latching is correct, your baby will suck automatically.

If you have a premature baby and unable to nurse right away, it is recommended that you start expressing your milk. This milk will be fed to your baby through a tube or a bottle until he is strong enough to nurse.

How frequent should you nurse?
The more you nurse, the more quickly your mature milk will come in and the more milk you'll produce. Nursing for about 15 minutes per breast, 8 to 12 times each day. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends to nurse on demand.

Signs that your baby wants a feeding
  • Mouthing

  • Rooting around your nipple

  • Increased alertness or activity

  • Crying is a late sign of hunger

    • Wake your baby up for feeding if it has been 4 hours since the last time he nursed. Some baby may fall asleep during feeding, you will have to gently stroke his chin or his lips.

    What you should eat
    You need to maintain healthy diet while nursing. Experts used to recommend nursing moms to get an extra 500 calories a day, but new research shows that you don't need that calorie boost, says breastfeeding expert Kathleen Huggins, author of The Nursing Mother's Companion. You'll want to maintain a well-balanced diet for your own health.

    You may want to limit caffeine, and avoid chocolate, spicy foods, and other irritants that get into breast milk and can bother your baby. The oxytocin released by your body while you breastfeed will make you thirsty and help remind you to drink, therefore, drink lots of fluids.

    Common problems in the early weeks
  • Engorgement: an overfull breast

  • Sore nipples

  • Mastitis: a breast infection

    • Don't suffer in silence. Call a lactation consultant or your doctor (especially if you think you may have a breast infection) if your physical discomfort is getting in the way of nursing properly.

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