
Written by Aparna Hari
Once you’ve delivered your baby and you have them in your arms, the most beautiful thing would be to breastfeed them. Yes, many women find it very exciting to breastfeed their babies. But there might be some crucial factors that must be making it very difficult for a baby to respond to breastfeeding such as prematurity of the newborn, or the mother’s medical issues. In such circumstances, you may need to resort to some other methods such as syringe feeding a baby. This is another kind of feeding you can do under your doctor’s guidance so that your baby does not remain hungry for a long while.
In some cases, women take longer than usual to prepare their breasts so that they can breastfeed their children. They need some additional time to recover post-delivery. Another possible reason why a mother is unable to breastfeed their child is due to sensitive or sore breasts after delivery. This is not a situation to panic but to wait. Waiting to recover from post-delivery side effects may be the only option left with a mother. In such situations, alternative options for feeding your baby such as syringe feeding is the best solution.
In This Article
It is always strongly recommended to exclusively breastfeed a baby, especially during the first six months because breastmilk consists of all the essential nutrients required by the baby’s body in this growth stage. If a baby is not fed properly, their growth may slow down which will get unsafe.
In some cases, when a mother is not able to feed her child with breastmilk, they need to be fed with formula milk or expressed milk with the help of a syringe. This way the milk will reach directly into the mouth of the day without any needle. This form of feeding a baby is known as syringe feeding. Syringe feeding allows a baby to consume the mother’s milk with the help of specialized infant feeding syringes.
During the syringe feeding, the syringe’s tip is placed on the side of the baby’s mouth and this enables feeding. There are many kinds of syringes available for the baby’s feed but you must only buy them as per your doctor’s advice.
[Read : Benefits of Breastfeeding]
As we have already discussed above, syringe feeding takes place when breastfeeding is not possible. This happens when a mother has still not recovered from post-delivery complications or is not able to feed due to several reasons. Either her breasts have become soft or sagging or the baby itself is not able to suckle the breast milk.
Below are some kinds of scenarios where a baby needs to be fed from a syringe:
[Read : Sagging Breasts After Pregnancy]
Before you begin feeding your baby with a syringe, it is important to know a few steps so that you can do it in the right manner. If you are feeding your baby with breastmilk, you can directly feed with a syringe. However, if you are using formula milk to feed your newborn, it is better to follow the instructions written on the label so that the entire fluid passes through the syringe.
Here are the important steps you must follow when syringe feeding your baby.
[Read : Sucking Reflex in Babies]
There are some tips that you need to follow if you are feeding your baby with a syringe. Follow the tips below to ensure safe feeding from a syringe.
There are some precautions that you should take while feeding your baby with a syringe. Read them carefully below:
Syringe feeding a baby becomes important under some unusual circumstances. While breastfeeding is recommended, your baby may need to be syringe fed under the recommendation of the doctors. It is important to follow the procedures and precautions properly to avoid infections, choking and other avoidable situations when syringe feeding a baby.
Yes, for preterm infants who are at higher risk of acquiring infections, syringe feeding can be a better option than a bottle. This would ensure less risk of infections.
Well, syringe feeding is not just limited to just feeding breastmilk to your baby. It can also feed other things like the formula to babies. This is a versatile technique that can be used to feed your baby with multiple types of feeding.
Syringe feeding is considered safe only when you are required to feed your baby with smaller amounts of milk. This technique can be used after 2-3 days when your baby is born. But make sure to use a smaller syringe so that it does not hurt your infant.
Read Also: Spoon Feeding a Newborn – Why Should You Consider It?
Her experience in impactful writing combined with her background in Home Sciences makes Aparna the perfect candidate for content writing in the pregnancy and parenting niche.Read more.
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