Nutrition is vitally important to a newborn baby. Babies develop the ability to stop and start sucking within the first month of life, and eating is a big part of how a newborn spends her time. According to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture website, newborns often determine their own feeding schedules. Feeding them healthy foods sets the tone for their growth and development.
Breast Milk
Breast milk is a healthy food for a newborn baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, recommends breastfeeding as the healthiest way to feed a baby and advocates giving a baby only breast milk for the first six months of life, although breastfeeding may continue through the first year of life or longer. According to KidsHealth by Nemours, the nutritional value of breast milk includes vitamins and minerals required for newborn health as well as antibodies that help protect babies from a range of diseases. Providing breast milk to a baby may also influence his health later in life, reducing the risk of obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, allergies and asthma. A newborn's digestive system cannot handle foods that are too complex, so breast milk's components easily break down for a baby. The AAP recommends giving newborns under the age of 2 months vitamin D supplements. Supplementation should continue until around the baby's first birthday.
Some women are not able to breastfeed because their work schedules do not allow for it or because health problems for either the mother or the baby prevent it.
Formula
Formula, a food that mimics breast milk, meets a newborn's nutritional requirements. KidsHealth from Nemours reveals that the exact composition of milk cannot be duplicated. One advantage to feeding a baby formula in a bottle is the flexibility. Bottle feeding may occur anywhere, whereas a July 2006 report from Good Morning America indicates that 57 percent of polled Americans feel uncomfortable about seeing breastfeeding in public places.
Bottle-feeding can offer more freedom and flexibility for the mother, and it makes it easier to know how much food the baby is getting. It does require sterilization of bottles and formula preparation. KidsHealth from Nemours reveals that iron-fortified formula containing up to 12 mg of iron per liter during a baby's first year is beneficial to meet nutritional requirements.
About Feeding a Newborn
Newborn babies require breast milk or formula eight to 12 times daily, approximately every two to three hours, according to MayoClinic.com. Because formula digests slower in a baby's system, feedings will occur less often. The frequency of feeding tapers down to six to eight feedings per day within two to three months. "Babytalk" magazine indicates that 82 percent of babies ingest both breast milk and formula. Physicians warn that if a newborn baby does not use six to eight diapers per day, doesn't experience regular bowel movements, does not gain weight or does not exhibit interest in eating, she may not be getting enough to eat. Parents should contact a doctor if this becomes an issue. The AAP recommends that newborns receive only breast milk or formula until at least 6 months of age.
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