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Does Giving Top Feeds Reduce The Need For Breast Feed In Infants?

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Posted on Tue, 24 Mar 2015
Question: Hello Doctor,

would like to check , will there be any impact if a new born was not getting enough mother's milk ( due to lactation issue) after a month of his birth. from the second month onwards we are giving him Nan Pro 1 , but what are the best practice or steps we can take to stimulate the baby to start taking the mother's feed.

in the last few weeks , when ever the mother attempts to feed , the baby is not showing interest to suck the nipples as the flow of the milk was very less. also from the day of delivery till today , the mother did not felt that adequate level of milk was available or not..

now we are already in the third month , is there a chance for us to take some steps to increase the lactation . also , kindly state whether the health of the baby will have any impact later in his life since he was exposed to nan pro 1 very early.

can you advise some lactation consultants available in XXXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Diptanshu Das (52 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Breast milk is produced in response to the baby's demand for feed.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.

Congratulations on having a baby as well as for your interest in breast feeding. Breast milk is the best possible feed for a baby. At birth, breast milk is never supposed to be 'adequate'. Breast milk is produced in response to the child's hunger. If the baby is hungry, the baby sucks more and more breast milk is produced. If the baby gets top feeds, it naturally has alternative source and hence no requirement to suck more. Hence the baby does not suck properly once you introduce top feeds. Moreover, formula feeds are sweeter and hence the baby may prefer its taste, thus making breast feeding even more difficult. To add to this, there is something called nipple confusion. The artificial nipple is much easier for the baby to latch upon as compared to the mother's nipple. Hence, once you introduce top feeds, the baby chooses the easy way out.

In a nutshell, the very step of introducing top feeds has proved disastrous. After the disaster, it has been continued for 3 months already and now you seek assistance. All I can say is that if you give the baby no other option, it will automatically start breast feeding and the amount of breast milk will increase. Giving the mother Lactonic Granules 1 XXXXXXX with a glass of milk twice daily should help in increasing the amount of breast milk.

If the baby does not get adequate amount of milk, the urine frequency comes down. If the baby passes less than 6 times over a period of 24 hours, it indicates that the amount of feeding needs to be increased.

The long term effect of top feed is that the benefits of breast milk might lack. But since it is already the scenario, I do not think that you need to worry further.

I do not think that you need to go to a lactation consultant, but if you really want, you can visit 'The Nest' ( http://www.thenest.in/lactation-clinic.aspx ).

Hope that helps.

In case you found my answer to be helpful, please close the thread with a positive review and a 5 star rating.

Regards
Dr. Diptanshu Das
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Diptanshu Das

Pediatrician

Practicing since :2005

Answered : 3875 Questions

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Does Giving Top Feeds Reduce The Need For Breast Feed In Infants?

Brief Answer: Breast milk is produced in response to the baby's demand for feed. Detailed Answer: Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic. Congratulations on having a baby as well as for your interest in breast feeding. Breast milk is the best possible feed for a baby. At birth, breast milk is never supposed to be 'adequate'. Breast milk is produced in response to the child's hunger. If the baby is hungry, the baby sucks more and more breast milk is produced. If the baby gets top feeds, it naturally has alternative source and hence no requirement to suck more. Hence the baby does not suck properly once you introduce top feeds. Moreover, formula feeds are sweeter and hence the baby may prefer its taste, thus making breast feeding even more difficult. To add to this, there is something called nipple confusion. The artificial nipple is much easier for the baby to latch upon as compared to the mother's nipple. Hence, once you introduce top feeds, the baby chooses the easy way out. In a nutshell, the very step of introducing top feeds has proved disastrous. After the disaster, it has been continued for 3 months already and now you seek assistance. All I can say is that if you give the baby no other option, it will automatically start breast feeding and the amount of breast milk will increase. Giving the mother Lactonic Granules 1 XXXXXXX with a glass of milk twice daily should help in increasing the amount of breast milk. If the baby does not get adequate amount of milk, the urine frequency comes down. If the baby passes less than 6 times over a period of 24 hours, it indicates that the amount of feeding needs to be increased. The long term effect of top feed is that the benefits of breast milk might lack. But since it is already the scenario, I do not think that you need to worry further. I do not think that you need to go to a lactation consultant, but if you really want, you can visit 'The Nest' ( http://www.thenest.in/lactation-clinic.aspx ). Hope that helps. In case you found my answer to be helpful, please close the thread with a positive review and a 5 star rating. Regards Dr. Diptanshu Das