Transcript

Title: Is supplementation needed?

Narrator: Tip number 3, breastfeed exclusively. Avoid supplementing with formula milk or water, try not to use pacifiers or milk bottles. The more you breastfeed your baby according to her needs, the more milk you will produce. As over 80% breastmilk is water, there is no need to offer water to your baby after breastfeeding. If you supplement the baby with formula milk or water, including glucose water, it will reduce her desire (and need) to feed at the breast. Hence, it will then decrease your breastmilk supply.

As breastmilk also serves as a protective layer on your baby's gut, supplementing her with water or formula milk will weaken this protection. Moreover, they are not sterile, so it will increase your baby's risk of getting infection. In addition, avoid using pacifiers or milk bottles in the first month. Suckling the breast is different from sucking the pacifiers or teats. Thus, it may affect some babies learning to master breastfeeding skills. Therefore, if you consider using a pacifier or teat, use it when your baby is over one month old.