Mindful Feeding: Effective Diet for Babies Battling Congenital Heart Disease
January 16, 2025 | Contributed by Rajashree Banerjee
Having a baby is the greatest blessing a human must experience in a lifetime! Seeing your child growing, thriving, smiling back at you and speaking his/her own language is something that you want to hold onto and replay forever. However, if your days are not as bright and filled with bliss as you wanted them to be; due to the disturbing fact that your baby is fighting a Congenital Heart Disease, then you are not alone in this battle. There are thousands of families who have been in the same situation in the past and unfortunately, India is seeing an alarming rise in children born with Congenital Heart Disease. The battle continues. In fact, Genesis Foundation, a Congenital Heart Foundation in India is a significant NGO which has supported several families till date to fight this congenital disease that their children were suffering from! This NGO makes genuine efforts to give little hearts another chance to beat and the chance to live a healthy adulthood.
A newborn CHD baby should be taken extra care of, especially during feeding
It must be bitterly painful to see your baby not growing as much as the other infants are growing and reaching certain significant milestones. It is understandable that stress, shock, confusion yet hope have become a regular emotion to your daily routine. It is never too late to try. At least, you can take precautionary measures for your child in different ways. For expert guidance, you can get in touch with a Congenital Heart Foundation in India such as Genesis Foundation who maintain transparent communication and consult with their medical board and hospitals on a regular basis.
70,000 + children are born with critical CHD and require intervention within the first year of life to survive
Many babies suffering from this disease demonstrate poor appetite. There are a few tips that can be followed to ensure a healthy diet. However, we request you to exercise your own judgment and understand your baby’s readiness to food, taking the allergy tendencies into consideration.
For babies
(1) In the first 6 months, your baby must be breastfed keeping in mind how much s/he is able to consume. Babies suffering from this condition tend to get tired fast.
(2) If your baby is too weak to suck milk, use a pump and feed with a clean bowl and spoon.
(3) Avoid diluting breastmilk with water. Use 30ml of water for a spoon of milk in case you are formula feeding.
(4) Discuss with your doctor once before you start with high caloric formula feed. You can even connect with Genesis Foundation to get information about the best Pediatric Cardiologists in India. Being the most trusted children’s heart foundation, it has partnerships with the best hospitals in the country.
(5) A CHD baby’s body requires extra calories to function a bit better. With minerals and vitamins, please consult a doctor before feeding.
(6) If your baby is less than 12 months old, continue to feed breast milk and avoid cow’s milk.
(7) In case of any infection, feed your baby more. (Catch –Up feed is the key here)
For Toddlers
(1) Avoid giving liquid frequently. Focus on solids and solids.
(2) Increase the frequency of high-calorie food as children of this condition have high calories and burn calories fast! Feed nutrients as well frequently.
(3) Egg, meat, fish and chicken for non-veg diet and sprouts and soybeans for veg diet should be given as they are high in protein. Omega-3 fatty acids, plant proteins like beans and peanuts can also be included.
(4) Ghee, curd and milk can also be given if the child wants to have them.
(5) For older children, limit the salt intake, cholesterol (less than 300 mg daily) and saturated fat-rich foods.
Serving size, reducing sodium, reading the labels before purchasing food items and the list goes longer than this for taking better dietary care of your child. Get more information on this, and about the children’s heart foundation at: https://www.genesis-foundation.net/
(2) https://littlemoppetheartfoundation.org/diet-for-child-with-congenital-heart-disease/
