Newborns bring a lot of joy to your family. At the same time, understanding your baby’s cues is always tricky. Providing adequate nutrition to your newborn for healthy growth and development is essential. Continue reading to know valuable insights on recognizing hunger and fullness cures in your newborn.
How to Find Hunger Cues in Newborns?
Newborns have unique ways of communicating their hunger. Observing and responding to these cues promptly ensures your baby receives the necessary nourishment.
Here are some familiar hunger cues to be noted:
Rooting Reflex: When you stroke or touch your baby's cheek, they may turn their head toward the source and open their mouth, indicating a readiness to feed.
Sucking on Fists or Fingers: Babies often bring their hands to their mouths and suck on their fingers or fists when hungry.
Mouthing Movements: Your baby may make lip-smacking or mouthing movements as if trying to nurse.
Restlessness: A hungry baby may become fidgety, squirm, or move their head from side to side.
Crying: While crying can indicate hunger, it's typically a late hunger cue. Responding to earlier cues is best to avoid your baby becoming overly distressed.
Fullness Cues in Newborns:
Recognizing when your baby is full is as crucial as identifying hunger cues. Overfeeding can lead to discomfort and digestive issues. Here are some signs that your baby may be full:
Turning Away: Your baby may turn their head away from the breast or bottle, signaling that they've had enough.
Slower Sucking: As your baby gets fuller, their sucking pattern may slow down or become less vigorous.
Relaxed Body Language: A contented baby often has a relaxed body posture and may appear drowsy or satisfied.
Letting Go: If you're breastfeeding, your baby may release the nipple or bottle teat when they are no longer hungry.
Spitting Up: Frequent spitting up, especially after feeding, can indicate overfeeding.
Easy Tips for Feeding Your Newborn:
Feed on Demand: Feeding your newborn on demand is generally recommended rather than following a strict schedule. This ensures your baby receives the nourishment they need when they need it.
Burping: Pause to burp your baby during feeding, as this can prevent discomfort from swallowed air.
Watch for Signs: Pay close attention to your baby's cues and avoid encouraging them to finish a bottle if they show fullness signs.
Skin-to-Skin Contact: Skin-to-skin contact with your newborn can enhance bonding and facilitate feeding.
Consult Your neonatologist: If you have concerns about your baby's feeding patterns, growth, or other related issues, don't hesitate to consult your neonatologist.
Recognizing and responding to your newborn's hunger and fullness cues is essential to nurturing their well-being and fostering a strong parent-child bond. Being attentive and sensitive to your baby's signals gives them the nourishment and care they need for healthy growth and development. Remember that each baby is unique, and it's perfectly normal for feeding patterns to vary from one infant to another. Visit Ovum Hospitals to find your best neonatologist in Bangalore. Your neonatologist and healthcare team are here to support you on this incredible journey of parenthood.