Q&A

Although specialists have diverging views as to the absolutely correct position of neonates and babies, they do however agree that the prone position should be avoided when the baby sleeps unattended. Placing the baby on the prone position has been abandoned in the last 20 years, following an extended campaign as it is blamed as one of the most important causes for the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome-SIDS. The frequency of this syndrome has been mitigated ever since babies do not fall prone for sleep. The babies' sleep in supine position on a relatively flat and firm mattress is suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics to avoid as much as possible the sudden death syndrome. Side position can be applied by using a wedge in a relatively firm mattress.

A quiet environment is required during breastfeeding. Make sure you sit comfortably. If you are not using an armchair, put pillows under your elbows. If you had a caesarian section, place the neonate on your side on the pillow to avoid contact with the sensitive section point. During breastfeeding, the entire baby's body and not only its face should be turned towards facing the breast's side. Your legs should not be suspended. During breastfeeding, you should allow the air to flow freely from the baby's nostrils, removing that part of the breast obstructing the nostrils.

Infantile colic is internationally defined as episodes of unexplained and intense crying in healthy and normally developing babies lasting at least three hours per day, for more than three days a week, at least for three weeks. Colic pains appear during the first 3-4 months of life and unfortunately the causes are unknown.

Breastfeeding, a balanced diet of the mother, a quiet environment and a massage on the baby’s belly can help.

In case of babies presenting colic pains while feeding on formulas and in case the pediatrician ascertains gastroenterological disorders, such as Gastroesophageal reflux, constipation, intolerance to lactose or cow’s milk protein intolerance, powdered milk specially modified to treat colic pains can be chosen following medical advice.

A burp is caused by swallowing air (aerophagy) during food intake. Babies usually accumulate air while feeding and therefore should be helped to burp, i.e to take the air out of the stomach and then continue their feeding session. At the end of each feeding session, it is always useful to help babies burp, before putting them to sleep. There are many positions that could help the baby burp. The most usual one is to put the baby on the adult’s shoulder with the baby's stomach on the adult’s chest. Gently pat your baby’s back until it burps. It is not necessary to burp after every feeding session. Therefore, if 5-10 minutes pass without a burp, you can put the baby to the bassinet.

Avoid drinking coffee during the entire breastfeeding period. Caffeine passes through breastfeeding to your baby's body causing irritation. If you definitely need to drink coffee, then do so immediately after breastfeeding, so that your body has the time to eliminate the largest quantity of caffeine until the next breastfeeding.

The number and texture of poops vary greatly depending on the kind of nutrition and the neonate's age.

Breastfeeding babies poop from 1-7 times per day or even just one poop/week

Babies feeding on artificial food poop 2-4 times per day during the first weeks and then have approximately 1-2 poops per day.

A hiccup is a normal situation during the first months of a baby’s life and it is common phenomenon particularly after food intake. Hiccups appear a little while after feeding and duration varies from a few minutes up to half an hour. The baby is not disturbed by hiccups but it would be wise to avoid feeding it when hiccup occurs.

During a feeding session, make sure the baby is not placed in horizontal position but in a semi-recumbent position and the bottle is parallel to the ground. Try to perceive early the breaks the baby is making while drinking as you should stop feeding if it is choking. When the flow is higher, the baby is forced to swallow faster, so you should modify the flow either making the nipple tighter or using a feeding bottle with a smaller nipple. Take regular breaks to check if the baby is still hungry or if it is well fed.

In infants, the sphincter separating esophagus from the stomach is not sufficiently developed; it is therefore loose pushing stomach liquids upwards to esophagus and then to the mouth, causing regurgitations (‘pouring out’).

Regurgitation is a normal condition; vomiting on the other hand should worry you enough to immediately consult the pediatrician. When regurgitating, the baby ejects a small quantity of milk from its mouth, usually when burping, but it could also happen at any time during the day, even during sleep. When vomiting, the baby throws out a large quantity of milk and is restless.

To reduce regurgitation as much as possible, follow the tips below:

• Feed your baby in a quiet place away from noise,
• Interrupt the feeding session at least once allowing the baby to burp,
• At the end of each session, hold the baby in an upright position in your arms for 5-10 minutes enabling it to burp,
• Avoid feeding the baby when it is lying down
• Refrain from making abrupt movements to your baby after the feeding session,
• If you feed your baby with a feeding bottle, make sure the nipple of the pacifier has the correct size.

If the problem is too intense (the baby frequently pours out long swigs) and it persists for a long time, you should consult a pediatrician or a pediatric gastroenterologist, to help your further investigate the problem.

-Pacifier should not be given to a breastfeeding baby during the first six weeks since birth in order to consolidate breastfeeding.

- The pacifier should not be offered as a food substitute when the baby is hungry. It may cause strong discomfort and cause problems to its feeding.

-After 2 years of life, efforts should concentrate on the infant’s discontinuing the use of the pacifier.

Pacifiers are made of rubber or silicone. Pacifiers made of rubber must be replaced when the material starts to stick after frequent use. Pacifiers made of silicone are softer and the material does not stick after frequent use. However, they present cracks when babies have teeth. Once such cracks are observed in pacifiers made of silicone, they should be replaced with new ones.