When Is Poor Feeding a Sign of Infant Illness?
One of the most important clues to infant well-being is the frequency and quality of feedings. Parents, especially mothers, quickly become attuned to their baby’s usual feeding pattern and readily notice any changes in feeding frequency, duration, or vigor. Young infants have few ways to communicate illness. Poor feeding is one of the strongest indicators of a medical problem, and it must not be ignored. Sleeping through feeding times, showing less interest in feedings, suckling for a shorter period of time, or nursing with less stamina all could indicate some type of medical problem, such as an infection or a heart condition. You should promptly report any change in your baby’s feeding pattern to your infant’s doctor. What Does Infant Jaundice Have to Do with Breastfeeding? Many newborn babies develop a yellowish color to the whites of their eyes and their skin, a condition known as jaundice. Parents often wonder about the significance of newborn jaundice. In adults, jaundice rarely o
