Breast milk is actually the only food your baby will need until 4 months of age, although most babies do well on breast milk alone for 6 months or better.  There is really no advantage to  adding other foods or milks before 4 – 6 months, except under unusual circumstances.

Water

Breast milk is over 90% water.  Even in the hottest days of summer, a baby won’t require any extra water.  If a baby isn’t feeding well, they still don’t require any extra water – although they will need the breast feeding problems to be fixed.

Vitamin D

Although breast milk doesn’t contain much vitamin D, it does have a little.  The baby will store up vitamin D during pregnancy, and remain healthy without any vitamin D supplementation, unless you yourself had a problem with vitamin D deficiency when pregnant.

Exposure to the outside will give your baby vitamin D, even in winter and when the sky is covered.  An hour or more exposure during the week will give your baby more than enough vitamin D.

Iron

Breast milk contains less iron than formulas do, especially those that are iron enriched.  Iron will give the baby added protection against infections, as many bacteria need iron in order to multiply.

The iron found in breast milk is utilized well by the baby, while not being available to  bacteria.  The introduction of iron should never be delayed beyond the age of 6 months.

Breast milk is the best that your can feed your baby, as it provides everything he will need for probably the first 6 months.  After the first 6 months, you can introduce solid foods to your baby if he is taking an interest to them.

Not only is breast feeding an adopted baby easy,the chances are that you will produce a large amount of milk.  It isn’t complicated to do,although it is different than breast feeding a baby you have been pregnant with for 9 months.

Breast feeding and milk

There are two objectives that are involved in breast feeding an adopted baby.  The first is getting your baby to breast feed, and the other is producing enough breast milk.

There is more to breast feeding than just milk,which is why many mothers are happy to feed  without expecting to produce milk in the way the baby needs.  It’s the closeness and the bond breast feeding provides that many mothers look for.

Taking the breast

Even though many feel the early introduction of bottles may interfere with breast feeding, the early introduction of artificial nipples can interfere a great deal.  The sooner you can get the baby to the breast after birth, the better things will be. Babies will however, require the flow from the breast in order to stay attached and continue to suck, especially if they are used to getting flow from a bottle or other method of feeding.

Producing breast milk

As soon as you have an adopted baby in sight,contact a lactation clinic and start getting your milk supply ready.  Keep in mind, you may never produce a full milk supply for your baby, although it may happen.  You should never feel discouraged by what you may be pumping before the baby, as a pump is never quite as good at extracting milk as a baby who is well latched and sucking.

Many women find that they can eat whatever they may like during breast feeding. Even though it’s true that some strongly favored foods can change the taste of your milk, many babies seem to enjoy the varieties of breast milk flavors.  Occasionally, your baby may get cranky at the breast after you eat certain foods.  If you notice this happening,simply avoid that particular food.

The most common offenders duing breast feeding include chocolate, spices, citrus fruits, garlic, chili, lime, gassy vegetables, and fruits with laxative type effects, such as prunes and cherries.

You can have a cup or two of coffee a day, although too much caffeine can interfere with your baby’s sleep and even make him or her cranky.  Keep in mind, caffeine is found in many soda’s, tea, and even over the counter type medicine as well.

It’s okay to have an alcoholic beverage every now and the, although having more than one drink can increase your blood alcohol level, putting the alcohol into your breast milk.

If you are planning to have more than one drink at a time, it’s best to wait two hours or more per drink before you resume any type of nursing or breast feeding.  There is no need to pump and dump unless your breasts are full and its time to feed your baby.  While breast feeding, any type of heavy drinking should be avoided.

Before you actually omit any foods from your diet, you should talk to your doctor.  If you avoid certain foods and it causes a nutritional imbalance, you may need to see a nutritionist for advice on taking other foods or getting nutritional supplements.