Over a span of time, the body would gradually identify the amount of milk to secrete on the basis of the milk being removed from the breasts. Breasts being emptied signal the body to produce more milk. Similarly, breasts that are full give hint to the body for making lesser milk. Regularly emptying breasts in the initial phases of lactation would assure that one has an adequate supply of milk. In case breastfeeding has not started off well or one desires to raise milk supply then below mentioned are 35 beneficial ways of boosting milk production.

1. Breastfeeding on a frequent basis is the key to bolstering the supply of milk.
2. Both breasts need to be offered at the time of feeds.
3. Ensure that the baby is nursing for that long to enable complete emptying of the breast.
4. Avoiding scheduling feeds and following the baby’s appetite signs for feeding.
5. Allowing cluster feeding wherein the baby engages in breastfeeding on many instances in short spans of time. This behaviour is mostly observed during evening times prior to going off to sleep.
6. Try toggling nursing in between breasts when the baby gets weary being latched on one breast, and continuing this till both breasts have emptied or the bab  has stopped sucking.
7. Employing breast compression during nursing wherein the breasts are massaged and the additional milk is squeezed out while the baby is nursing.
8. Breastfeeding during the night as night feeds are ideal for bolstering milk production.
9. Pumping subsequent to nursing would aid in emptying the breast. In case one finds that one is unable to pump anything subsequent to nursing, then one could attempt to pump prior to nursing. Babies are more pertinent at emptying the breast in comparison to a pump; hence this could be working better for some of the mothers.
10. In case one’s supply is less or the child is not showing appropriate weight gain, then it is important to seek assistance from a lactation consultant.
11. Ensuring that the child latches on properly to the breast and employing several approaches for enabling that.
12. Seeking assistance from other breastfeeding mothers.
13. Pumping during nursing is a good option. Pumping on one breast and nursing on the other, followed by swapping sides and allowing the baby to empty the breast that has been pumped.
14. Having plenty of skin contact with the baby during feeds.
15. Nursing in bed. One could lie down in bed to facilitate a relaxed posture and allowing the baby to nurse for lengthier spans of time.
16. Avoid sleeping on the stomach while asleep as it compresses the breasts and hampers the supply.
17. Allowing comfort nursing in spite of the sounds of gulping are inaudible.
18. Attempting babywearing and propping the baby on a sling or attempt to nurse the child while in a sling.
19. Avoiding pacifiers and synthetic nipples.
20. Steering clear from birth control pills during breastfeeding.
21. Avoid smoking.
22. Keeping hydrated at all times, particularly prior to nursing.
23. Restricting the intake of caffeine.
24. Attempting to unwind while nursing and not rushing.
25. Avoiding supplementing in case possible.
26. Eating a wholesome diet replete with ample protein.
27. In case the child requires supplement, then considering employing a supplemental nursing method or lactation support so the child could nurse on the breast when one supplements.
28. Taking a nursing retreat and spending a weekend lying in bed with the baby and nursing as much as possible.
29. Starting on fenugreek, blessed thistle as both have proven efficacy in enhancing milk production.
30. Attempt consuming mother’s milk tea that is obtainable at several health stores.
31. Avoid dieting during breastfeeding.
32. Consuming oatmeal as few mothers vouch by its effectiveness in augmenting milk supply.
33. Speaking to the doctor regarding prescription medications such as Reglan for boosting milk supply.
34. Avoiding decongestants and antihistamines as they could lower the supply of milk.
35. One must bear in mind that any quantity of breast milk, the child gets from the mother is the best nourishment.

On majority of the occasions children face dehydration due to either diarrhea or vomiting occurring due to a viral infection. The ideal line of treatment to resolving infant dehydration is by giving plentiful fluids during the entire time the child in unwell. This is known as fluid replacement.

• Apposite fluid replenishment in kids less than 2 years comprises of Pedialyte, Rehydralyte, Pedialyte chilled pops, or any analogous products intended to reinstate fluids, glucose and electrolytes (liquid suspension containing sodium, potassium, chloride). These products could be bought at almost all big grocery and medical shops.
• A potent as well as easily-made ORS or oral rehydrating solution or fluid could be whipped up by adopting the following proportions: Half teaspoon of salt, half teaspoon of potassium chloride or lite salt, half teaspoonful baking soda and four tablespoons of sugar stirred till all the components get dissolved in about a quart of water.
• Kids who are past two years of age could be offered fizzed out soda i.e., soft drinks that have been uncorked and then shaken for letting the fizz out, Gatorade or watery soups.
• Making the child sip the drinks in an interval of every couple of minutes.
• Though it might appear that the kid is puking all that is being offered, generally an ample amount of liquid is retained by the body despite that.
• About four hours subsequent to the vomiting being bought under control, the infant could be started on a BRAT dietetic intake (i.e., bananas, rice, apples, toast and other kinds of basic starchy foods like noodles, potatoes) in those kids who have been ablactated from formula or breast milk.
• The child should be gradually shifted to a normal dietetic intake subsequent to 1-2 days of following the BRAT diet. Those mothers that have been breastfeeding the child could carry on with it all through the sickness.
• In case the child is being bottle-fed, then one could commence them with initially following half the strength that what was followed when the child was alright. This should then be returned to the normally taken total-strength formula feeds within the span of the following day.

Medical Treatment

• In case of child being mildly dehydrated, i.e., about three to five percent of the complete body weight loss, then doctor would advice giving the child tiny mouthfuls of ORS or Pedialyte. In case the child is able to ingest fluids and no perceivable perilous underlying ailment or infection is there, then the child would be allowed to go home alongside instructions to be followed like orally rehydrating the kid, know-how regarding matters that need immediate concern and when is it necessary to re-visit or get in touch with the doctor.
• During moderate-scale dehydration constituting five to ten percent total body weight loss, the doctor would intravenously administer fluids to the child. In case the fluid could be orally taken subsequent to IV fluid replenishment, and the child’s condition is improving with no dormant ailment or infection, then child could be allowed to go home. The parents would be instructed on ways to orally rehydrate the child and a follow-up session to be done soon, quite often being the subsequent day with the family doctor. Instructions would be offered as to which matters one needs to pay concern and reasons for returning, calling back or re-visiting the doctor’s office.
• In case of severe case of dehydration constituting nearly ten to fifteen percent of weight loss, the infant would most probably need hospitalization, be kept under inspection, and mostly additional tests might be needed for ascertaining the reasons behind the dehydration. Those kids affected with bacterial infection would be started on a course of antibiotics; however, viral infections would not necessitate the need of any particular antibiotic treatment. Among children the use of antiemetic drugs intended to halt vomiting or anti-diarrheals are mostly never implemented as these treatments would mostly lengthen the diarrhea.

Below stated are the nitty-gritty’s to help one smooth sail past this phase of one’s baby’s life:

Getting a lowdown on Feces :

The initially occurring bowel movements or BM are known as ‘meconium’ – thick and gooey dregs having a greenish-black color tone. Once it is excreted, in most likelihood one would never be seeing again.

Food-in-excreta-out :

The milk swallowed by the baby courses its way through the stomach where it undergoes digestion by the acids and then travels into the small intestine. The assimilated, smaller sized food components and water get taken up into the bloodstream while the larger-sized, unassimilated foods such as fiber continues passing through. If the rate of passage of the unassimilated food is sluggish, then there is time for the water to get soaked up and the resultant stools might be quite hard. Contrarily if the rate of passage is rapid then there is dearth of time for the water to get soaked up and the resultant feces could have a more loose texture, much like diarrhea.

When the stools make their passage via the intestines, it additionally absorbs varied digestive juices, bile, bacterial forms and other chemical substances that might leave their typical color and smell.

The end product of Breast Milk vs. Formula feeds :

What the child eats also tends to make a variation on the final outcome. Breast milk has a tendency to get totally assimilated – at times there is hardly any dregs that might be excreted and a breast-fed baby might not pass a BM for days on end. Contrarily, several breast-fed infants excrete a mustard-like, seamy yellow-colored stool with every feed, for at least a short span of time. Babies that are bottle-fed have a tendency of excreting darker-colored stools that have lesser regularity.

It is crucial to note that each child is different and there could be wide-spanning array of what is known as normally occurring poop.

Pointers for Anxious Parents :

One must avoid being needlessly alarmed over the changing colors of BM. Among normal babies the color changes in BM’s are directly proportional to the variation in the dietetic intake, the development of the digestive tract, and as it is colonized by novel, normal bacterial forms. It is quite a rarity when color variations indicate the presence of a problem in digestion. Normally, color variations simply indicate the greater or fewer amounts in the yellow, green, brown or orange pigments which get absorbed on the way out.

Reasons to Fret :

• When the color of the infant’s poop continues to be chalky white in color. This indicates that the liver is not producing enough bile for digesting the food.
• When the color of the poop turns tar black. This point to the presence of blood in the digestive track which has changed color to dark black during its course downwards into the intestines.
• When bright or deep red color is noted in the stools then there is generally some form of blood being exuded near the anus. A red stool could also be the outcome of particular forms of medications, beetroots and certain food colors. If required, the pediatrician could check the baby’s stools to look out for any presence of blood.

One need not be apprehensive regarding the varying colored stools as they are in quite rare occasions an indicator of a digestion problem.

Frozen breast milk has been observed to have longevity of nearly fourteen days when preserved in the freezer compartment, where it would be exposed to recurrent bursts of tepid air. If one would store the milk in deep refrigeration for temperatures of zero degrees or lesser, the milk would last for nearly 6 months.

Ten Pointers for pumping and storage Breast Milk

There are ten prudent pointers that have been given by the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding safe preservation of breast milk:

• Maintaining sanitation by always washing hands prior to breast milk expression or handling.
• Breast Milk must ideally be stored in containers that have tightly closing covers or nursery plastic bags. One must not preserve milk in normal plastic bags or formula bags.
• Discarding all the milk which has been refrigerated for greater than three days.
• In case of freezing the milk, only singular servings – nearly two to four ounces that is regularly needed for a single feed.
• One must not mix fresh milk with milk which has been previously frozen.
• For liquefying the frozen milk, one could allow it to rest in the refrigerator or by placing the container in tepid water.
• One must avoid microwaving the frozen breast milk or heating it as there is non-uniform heating that could lead to scalding in the child’s mouth and tongue. Additionally, high temperatures could annihilate many of the nutrients present in the milk.
• One must steer clear from refreezing breast milk. Any leftover milk in a feeding must be discarded. Milk that is defrosted in a refrigerator must be utilized in a day’s time.
• One must not make the cardinal mistake of saving milk from a previously used bottle or refrigerate the baby’s leftovers to be used later on.

Read more at : Breast Pumps – A Viable Choice For The Working Mothers – Part II