Supplementary feeding
Your breast milk contains all the nutrients your baby needs for his/her development. Most newborns get reserves from the womb. Supplementation immediately after birth is therefore not necessary. There is no need for extra moisture, so no water is needed. Expressed breast milk can and may always be given.
Reasons to feed a baby can include:
- A baby with a high or too low birth weight.
- A baby who is at risk of losing 10% of his/her birth weight.
- With temporary use of certain medicines by the mother, where harmful substances enter the breast. (This only applies to a very small percentage of drugs.)
It is normal for a baby to lose some weight in the first few days after delivery. If, despite frequent feeding and pumping, there is still insufficient breast milk and your baby has lost almost 10%, then after consultation with the midwife, give additional supplemental nutrition in addition to the expressed breast milk. It is important to keep an eye on the weight of a newborn. The baby is weighed naked once a day. Most maternity nurses have their own scales to weigh the baby. If this is not the case, she will advise you to rent a scale from the Thuiszorgwinkel. You should not weigh your baby before and after a feed. This is not accurate and causes a lot of anxiety.
