A newborn baby is completely dependent on its parents. Any mother is very sensitive to every moment that concerns caring for her baby. Mothers are especially concerned about the process of feeding the baby, as well as whether it is necessary to hold it in a column after eating and how to do it correctly.
Baby in mother's arms in posture position
Why hold your baby upright?
Immediately after birth, the body of a newborn child begins to adapt to the world around it. Before birth, the baby received all its nutrients through the umbilical cord; when it is born, its digestive system begins to function fully. Sometimes, due to the immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract, difficulties may arise in digesting food. Pediatricians advise holding the newborn upright for a few minutes after feeding to help the digestive system function.
When eating, air bubbles often accumulate in the child's stomach. This is possible if:
- The baby does not latch onto the nipple correctly;
- When artificial feeding occurs, the nipple of the bottle has a hole that is too wide;
- The baby is in a great hurry when sucking milk;
- The child has a stuffy nose.
To prevent the baby from having health problems, parents should carry the baby in an upright position after feeding. In this case, the formed air bubbles will easily leave the small stomach.
Another reason to hold your baby upright is to get rid of excess food. Very often, children who feed formula from a bottle overeat. Excessive amounts of food in the stomach causes fermentation, gas formation and colic, and the baby also begins to hiccup. If you hold your baby upright after eating, he will be able to regurgitate excess food and will calmly fall asleep.
Many children like it when their mother rocks them in an upright position and cuddles them close. Tactile contact with the mother provides the baby with a sense of security and self-confidence. This is especially important if he is bottle-fed and cannot fully feel the heartbeat, warmth and smell of his mother.
Additional Information. Even if the baby does not have any problems with digestion, and the mother does not carry him in a column, in any case it is worth putting the little one in the crib on its side (it is better to place a cushion of soft diaper under the backrest). Babies with good digestion (and even more so with problematic ones) can sometimes regurgitate the remains of undigested milk or formula. Swallowing them may cause suffocation.
Newborn in the posture position
What else does the column pose give?
The column pose is an excellent exercise for the infant spine. When parents hold the child in a columnar position, they help strengthen the muscles of the neck and back, and this is a very important moment in the development of the baby. Just don’t do this exercise for a very long time - 3-4 minutes at a time will be enough. The “column” body position will help:
- Adjust the digestion of a child who is bottle-fed, since due to the large volume of the formula, he will swallow a lot of air while eating;
- Calm the baby - for some children, this position helps them fall asleep faster (the warmth of the mother’s body very well calms the baby’s nervous system);
- Strengthen the muscles of the spinal column - the column pose will truly train the baby, and he will quickly learn to hold his head;
- To develop curiosity - walk around the apartment in an upright position in the arms of mom or dad, which can be more interesting and useful for the baby.
Column position
The benefits of a vertical position
From the first days of life, the newborn’s body adapts to the surrounding world. And if previously the child received all the necessary substances through the umbilical cord, then after birth the baby’s digestive system is fully functioning. Sometimes difficulties with digestion may arise due to imperfections in the gastrointestinal tract. Young parents are advised to keep their newborn in a posture for some time after feeding to help the digestive system work.
When eating food, air may enter the baby's stomach. This is possible if:
- baby latches onto nipple incorrectly
- the nipple on the bottle doesn't suit him,
- the child is in a hurry,
- The child's nose is clogged.
Therefore, parents are advised to carry the baby upright in the first six months of life after feeding, so that the resulting air bubbles can easily leave the stomach.
Another reason why the baby should be held upright is the need to get rid of excess food. Formula-fed children often overeat. An excess amount of mixture in the baby's stomach begins to cause fermentation, the formation of gas, and colic appears. Newborns also suffer from overeating, to whom mothers often give breastfeeding to calm them down. If you hold the baby upright after feeding, he will be able to regurgitate excess food.
Tactile sensations are also important for babies. Newborns love to be touched by their parents and to be held in their arms, so they feel a sense of comfort and security. Therefore, it is so important to carry small children in your arms in an upright position, holding them close to you. And the vertical position also helps the baby carefully examine his surroundings.
In addition to all of the above, there is one more important point. While carrying the baby in a column, the muscles of his spine and neck are strengthened.
Thus, if the newborn is less than 2 weeks old, if you have not yet learned how to feed the baby correctly and he swallows excess air, if the child is bottle-fed, and the nipple of the feeding bottle is not suitable for the baby, then you should always withstand these episodes Hold the baby upright after feeding, even if he falls asleep while eating.
By the way, when you wean your child, use the tips given on our website happykids.ru. With them, weaning will be most favorable for both parents and children.
What not to do
How to hold a newborn correctly
There are certain rules for how to properly hold a newborn upright after feeding. By adhering to these principles, parents will be able to avoid possible damage to a very weak and fragile child’s body:
- When the child is in mom or dad's arms, there is no need to make sudden movements, you should not raise or lower him - this can cause severe child fear.
- The baby's head must be well fixed; it should not wobble from side to side. You can release the head only after the baby has been placed in the crib.
- Under no circumstances should you sit the baby on his bottom or hold him by the buttocks. This position will place additional stress on the baby’s still very weak spine.
- You should carefully ensure that the child’s legs do not rest against anything; he should not be placed on any surface. This will also place additional stress on the spinal column.
- There is no need to hold the baby very tightly to you, as this can disrupt the blood flow in his body, and the baby's weak bones can also be damaged.
Column pose helps strengthen the neck muscles
When and how long should you hold your baby upright?
When asked how long a baby should be held vertically, it is worth considering two feeding options, since the duration partly depends on this:
- artificial babies at intervals after drinking 30-50 ml of milk formula, during which they are raised vertically.
- If a mother is breastfeeding , it is better not to take breaks. Give the child something to eat and then hold it upright until he burps. It happens a couple of minutes later or a little later. In the case of painful spasms, more time may pass - to help the baby, you can give him a tummy massage, put a warm, folded diaper on him, or even better, lean him against you, warming him with your body. This way the baby will quickly calm down and fall asleep. As a last resort, you can use special sedatives for children. However, all these actions should not be taken, since it is necessary to hold the newborn upright after feeding only if the child shows anxiety and spits up. When he falls asleep during feeding, do not disturb him. Place him in the crib on his side; children should not be placed on his back.
It is also important for parents to know until what age they should carry and hold their baby upright after eating. Based on the fact that the baby’s functional regurgitation due to undeveloped digestive organs goes away on its own by 5 months, then around this time there is no need to give them such a position.
Regarding the question of how many months children need to be kept with colic, here we need to focus on the fact that such a nuisance is observed starting from 1 month and can last up to six months.
Thus, such actions are necessary until the baby is 5-7 months old.
How to properly hold a newborn upright
A newborn baby has very weak muscles. Also, his coordination is not developed at all. You need to be very careful when carrying a baby in your arms and holding it upright.
Newborn head size
How to hold a newborn upright after feeding:
- Place a clean diaper on the shoulder so that if the baby regurgitates a small amount of food, the clothes remain clean.
- Carefully hold the baby, supporting the head and neck with one hand and the lumbar region with the other.
- Smoothly move the baby to a vertical position so that his chin is on his mother's shoulder.
- Watch the child's head so that it cannot fall back. To do this, you need to support the back of the baby's head and neck with one hand. With your other hand, hold the baby's back in the lumbar region.
- The baby's legs should be freely lowered down, unless he himself draws them in.
- Hold the child confidently, but do not press too hard, so as not to injure the chest.
- In order for the child to be calm and comfortable, mom or dad must also be in a wonderful mood. Children intuitively feel the condition of adults, and it can be passed on to them.
- After the baby releases excess air or regurgitates excess food, you can give his body a horizontal position without letting go of your hands.
Note! If the mother raises the baby to an upright position after eating, then it is worth putting a clean diaper or towel on the shoulder so that when the baby burps, he does not stain his clothes.
When holding a child, the main thing is to secure him well with your hands.
Is it necessary to hold the child in a column during breastfeeding?
Modern pediatricians and breastfeeding consultants explain to mothers that holding the baby upright after feeding is not necessary. It is necessary to monitor the baby’s well-being to determine the need for this ritual.
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Komarovsky’s opinion expresses the position of many children’s doctors. The doctor says that it is necessary to carry a child in a column only if he has indications for this. When the baby does not show dissatisfaction after feeding, he does not need a vertical position. In this case, the baby usually falls asleep calmly under the mother's breast. If the baby is applied correctly, he does not swallow air. Accordingly, there is nothing to go out.
Breast milk is an ideal food for a newborn; it is almost completely absorbed by the child’s body. Food does not linger in the stomach and almost immediately enters the small intestine. Mother's milk is quickly digested due to the enzymes it contains. Therefore, a healthy baby should not experience heaviness in the stomach after feeding. Accordingly, he does not need a “column” pose.
Some mothers can carry their babies in an upright position for hours after feeding, not fully understanding why they should hold their newborn upright and what to expect.
Benefits of standing upright after eating:
- allows swallowed air to exit the digestive tract;
- prevents bloating and colic;
- reduces the likelihood of regurgitation;
- allows you to regurgitate less milk than in a lying position.
Being in an upright position, the baby will not choke during regurgitation.
Modern pediatricians and breastfeeding consultants have a different opinion. They believe that it is necessary to hold the baby in a column only if there are indications:
Main
This position is also called the “cradle” - you place the baby on the platform formed by your arm and stomach, the baby’s head is in the crook of your elbow. Use your other hand to hold the child at his side.
When feeding, slightly lean the baby on top of you if he is breastfed. If he eats from a bottle, sit down and hold the container with his lunch with your free hand.
It is important to remember that you, the parents, should be comfortable and comfortable holding the child. Yes, now he is small and light, weighing only four kilograms, but six months will pass, the baby will get heavier, and you are unlikely to gain any strength. Adjust the position of your arms and torso, try changing angles, experiment, find your pose, advises Lusine Chebotareva.
After feeding
This is one of the mandatory positions - immediately after feeding the baby, it is necessary to “stand it up” to give him the opportunity to get rid of excess food - milk or formula that does not fit into it.
Lift your baby by the torso and press him to your chest so that he looks behind you. And be sure to hold his head, because the neck muscles of your son or daughter are still very weak. Hold the baby for a few minutes. Or to a characteristic sound that cannot be confused with anything.
When a young father picks up his first child from the hospital, he is scared and his hands are shaking. Now both dad and mom know and can do a little, including how to hold a child in their arms correctly. We will help.
