• Newborn weighing less than 1500 gr and/or preterm newborn less than 32 weeks of gestation
• Newborn with hypoglycemia, if breastfeeding does not correct the hypoglycemia
• Weight loss of more than 10% of birth weight.
• No weight gain after the fifth day or no weight regain from birth to the tenth day.
• Gain of less than 15-20 g/day from the tenth day onwards
• Mother-child separation due to maternal illness.

Supplementation of a newborn should be given after the breastfeeding attempt and only in a limited volume (usually prescribed by your pediatrician), in order to maintain your breastfeeding.

Each time the infant receives a supplement other than the mother’s freshly expressed milk, the mother should express by hand or pump to signal her body to produce more milk. Missed opportunities to cue can lead to further problems of low breast milk production.

To administer supplemental formula, you can perfectly well use alternative techniques, such as the use of a finger-syringe, cup, spoon or bottle. Important if you use a bottle, do not hesitate to use a custom designed Happymami bottle, this way you will prevent your baby from the confusion factor and protect your breastfeeding.

Below you will find the newborn supplementation volumes suggested by The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, for healthy full-term infant newborns based on the age of the baby.

• First 24 hours – 2 to 10 mLs/feeding
• 24 to 48 hours – 5 to 15 mLs/feeder
• 48 to 72 hours – 15 to 30 ml/feeding
• 72 to 96 hours – 30 to 60 mLs/feeder

As we have said, artificial formula milk supplements should only be administered to a breastfed infant when there is a justified medical indication that there is sufficient intake by the newborn newborn. The second point to take into account in order to offer you the best solution in your case is to know if your breast has enough capacity to express all the milk your baby needs, or not.

In this case we have a baby that is not eating enough, but the mother does produce enough breast milk, so we should encourage the supplementation of expressed breast milk, not being necessary to supplement with artificial milk.

On the contrary, if we have a new baby who does not eat what he/she needs, but in addition, the production of breast milk is insufficient so we need to supplement with formula milk.

As we have seen, whenever supplementation with formula is being considered, the first step should be an assessment by a breastfeeding expert who will help us identify and address the root cause of insufficient intake.

In addition, as we always remind you, we cannot lose sight of the importance of preventing our baby from the famous confusion factor, and not confusing our body that it must produce as much milk as I am supplementing it with formula milk, so we must ensure adequate production, improve the mother’s milk production (i.e., increase the frequency and complete emptying of the breast) to bring it closer to our baby’s needs. So that when this incident is resolved, exclusive breastfeeding can be resumed. improve the mother’s milk production.

And regarding the confusion factor, it is important to use methods that protect your breastfeeding, such as a syringe finger, cup, or breast pump, and if you use a bottle, use a custom designed Happymami bottle, to represent your breast in the bottle and prevent your baby from the confusion factor, avoid using generic bottles.

It is perfectly possible to return to exclusive breastfeeding after supplementation. In addition, if the mother’s decision goes along with it, it would be ideal. Whenever possible, your baby should continue to breastfeed directly while receiving this formula supplementation.

To do this, during the stage that we will be supplementing your baby, we must focus on maximizing your production at each feeding through direct breastfeeding, which will facilitate the return to exclusive breastfeeding, in addition to being conducive to a healthier weight gain.

To increase breast milk production, in many cases it is obtained by simply focusing on getting it too, doing frequent feedings and complete emptying of both breasts. Thus, as your milk supply increases, in parallel your baby will mature and his ability to empty the breast will become more efficient, so the amount of supplementation will gradually decrease.

When babies are born, they go from having a continuous source of nutrition through the placenta to needing nutrition on their own through the mouth, which will be more than enough with colostrum drops. This colostrum provides the best source of nutrition and protection for your baby, the famous liquid gold. Colostrum will be followed by milk let-down around three to four days after calving.

If you need to pump either partially or exclusively, it is important to make sure that you continue to produce enough milk for your baby over time. So it will be useful for your progress to have a pumping log to keep track of the number of times and volume of breast milk expressed. Records are available both in written form and in smartphone apps, such as the My NICU Baby app.

If in your particular case you express breast milk to exclusively feed your baby. You should aim for a milk volume between 600 ml and 720 ml per day by the end of your baby’s second week of life. For a premature baby we will need a little less than the previous volume, but as your baby grows his needs will be greater. Here’s how to estimate a baby’s milk needs

To help your body increase breast milk production, one way you can do this is by “hand expression”. To do this, massage both breasts before starting to express breast milk. And then express milk from both breasts at the same time, continuing to massage and compress the breasts during expression as much as possible.

You can use a special bra or other breast pumps with a hands-free option, which will make this task easier. And once the breast milk flow decreases to drops, we stop the pump and continue massaging the breasts. So we will finish the expression by using our hands to get the breast milk into the container or by using the electric breast pump in massage mode (if you have this option) to empty the breasts completely.

Breast milk can be stored in glass jars, plastic jars or plastic bags. It is interesting to know that the recommendation for its best storage and use is to do it in small quantities, between 30 ml to 120 ml. In this way, we will use the amount that the baby wants to consume, avoiding wasting as much breast milk as possible.

That’s why on our website, we have a section of products recommended by our midwives, where you will discover the best choice of container to store your breast milk, and with the best offer. Do not hesitate if you have in mind to get access to milk and take a look at it.

Must be labeled with permanent ink and a waterproof label. The date of breast milk expression must be indicated on this label. Thus, you will be able to use the oldest milk first. If your baby is in the hospital, some hospitals have different breast milk storage policies. Consult with your pediatrician or nursing team to do this properly.

For healthy babies at home, this breast milk can be safely stored in different ways:

• At room temperature (approximately 25 to 27ºC) it keeps up to four hours.
• In an insulated cooler with ice packs, lasting up to 24 hours if necessary.
• In a refrigerator, the shelf life is 3 to 5 days. (Studies have shown that it has been safely stored for up to 8 days if collected very cleanly)
• In freezer up to 12 months. Thawed breast milk can be safely stored in a standard refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
  • Breast milk that has been frozen and then thawed should not be refrozen.

Yes, it is possible to mix milk from different extractions on the same day. In addition, breast milk should be cooled in the refrigerator before combining, to mix it at the same temperature, and it is not recommended to mix milk expressed on different days.

Note that if you have warm or cold breast milk from the refrigerator, it should not be added to frozen milk. And we prioritize using the oldest milk first.

Before you start, remember that it is not recommended to heating breast milk in microwave ovens. The heating fast heating or the microwave negatively affect the immunological and nutritional properties of breast milk. breast milkFurthermore, microwaving microwaves heat breast milk unevenly milk unevenly, which could burn the baby’s mouth. baby’s mouth.