allthingsgodlypretty posted: " It does not come as natural as it looks from afar. It requires consistent practise on how to latch you breast nipple to your baby. You realise when you thought you had a hang of breastfeeding when this one day you just cannot get your baby to latch we"
It does not come as natural as it looks from afar. It requires consistent practise on how to latch you breast nipple to your baby.
You realise when you thought you had a hang of breastfeeding when this one day you just cannot get your baby to latch well. This may frustrate your baby and send her crying so much because she is hungry and just wants to feed. In moments like these i would get teary but you just learn to encourage yourself and find a position that works for you. In the mean time calming your baby down may be quite helpful.
New moms guide to breastfeeding
You do not need to be a new mom to use this information but you may be doing this for the third time but its easy to forget the process when you have not been breastfeeding for sometime.
How do i prepare for breastfeeding before i give birth?
Read books, join a prenatal class( which we had at Mbabane clinic under magical maternity), talk to friends who have been breastfeeding and get advise from your doctor who may as well refer you to the right information concerning breastfeeding.
When do i start breastfeeding my baby?
As soon as you give birth and are able to be comfortable with your baby you are ready to breastfeed with the important milk called colostrum which is highly concentrated, full of protein and nutrient dense. It is great for baby's immune system. When we had our third baby i considered not breastfeeding because i felt like i was tired from breastfeeding from one baby to another. I had never used formula before and i was used to pumping daily but i was just tired.
I changed my mind knowing the benefits of breastfeeding a baby were so many. It gave you a peace if mind knowing you can nourish your baby without spending on milk and your baby benefits their entire life just by choosing to breastfeed them.
It may happen that your baby does not want breastmilk or due to certain health conditions your doctor advises you not to breastfeed. It is totally fine, there are quite a number of options for you.
Do not despair, look at options that will work for you and your baby. Talk to other moms , your Doctor who cam guide you on the types of milk formulas available that are the best for your baby.
Latching and why its important
I recently mentioned latching here Mother to a new born baby/ babies (post partum plan) which is also a great resource of information for mommy's to be either now or in the future. Latching is being able to insert your nipple into baby's mouth and your baby grabson with his/her mouth wide open for proper breastfeeding resting their gums beyond moms nipple.
Why it is important to get a proper latch?
A good latch will prevent nipple pain and damage. Nipple pain is the worst pain a mother can go through after giving birth. It is caused by the friction each time the baby does not latch well when the baby's gums keep grabbing on the nipple yet the skin on the nipple is not as thick.
It helps the baby to feed well and not go hungry.
The baby sleeps well because they are full for longer hours compared to a poor latch a baby is not able to feel full for longer because they get small amounts of milk.
A poor latch causes irritation to the baby and constant frustration even to the mom.
More milk is produced because the more the baby feeds the more the breast milk.
What creates more milk supply?
Consistent breastfeeding
Pumping may help too
Rest between feeds
Emotional health for mom
Consistent feeding
Consistent feeding helps increase milk supply naturally. The more the baby feeds the more milk is produced.
I recall each time my maternity leave was over, the less milk i produced. This happened because i would have a nursing hour for sometime then the nursing hour would stop. The difference in the hours while i was at work made my feedings less consistent. It affected my milk supply a lot.
I believe coming home to feed my baby consistently helped me with the few hours after work.
Pumping may help too
Pumping milk helps because it empties your breasts and when the baby feeds it signals your body to produce more milk.
My husband had always encouraged me to start pumping way before my maternity leave was over. He would challenge me to pump 1 bottle a day to save for days when i return to work. We would transfer to freezer bags so we store milk in the freezer and it can be used up to six months after pumping.
Pumping helped a lot when we just wanted to leave the baby and go by ourselves too. It gave us time to refresh from the house.
Rest between feeds
You may be wondering what resting has to do with breastfeeding. It has a major effect because when you do not rest at all it affects your ability to cope in stressful situations. Taking care of a new baby requires much of your full attention so you need to be at your best capacity.
Rest when the baby takes a nap or after each feeding because you may be waking up a lot at night yet your body is used to sleeping at night.
It is important too for a mom to be well emotionally whether they are breastfeeding or not. The baby picks on those emotions and it affects the baby's emotions too and sets the foundation how a baby feels from time to time.
Our daughter had been admitted at the clinic for not feeding well. She slept a lot due to pain killers i was taking for pain and it made her sleep a lot, so she fed less. I was so stressed that the milk supply completely went dry from my breasts. So i had to be calm so it affects how effectively you feed your baby.
Its worth noting that the food you eat directly affects the baby through breast milk. You need to be careful with the kind of food you eat and the beverages you take.
Each time i ate something too oily i noticed how the breastmilk would be oily too.
To make things simpler eat a balanced diet and supplement whenever possible so your baby gets all the nutrients they need.
Drinking water is one of the best ways to stay hydrated and allow your body to produce milk. However take your tea, fruit juice from time to time so you enjoy sipping on something other than water.
Avoid too much oranges or orange juice because it can trigger diarrhoea. Other beverages with too much caffeine have the potential of keeping your baby awake for longer hours.
Get a breast pump so you are able to pump milk for your baby they can use while you are away. Weigh your options because there are different pumps available. The electric pump and manual pump. I honestly preferred bothespecially the manual pump because i used it more. I felt i had more control with pumping with the manual pump and sometimes i would pump using my hands to squeeze in the bottle. When you start using the breast pump be patient on yourself it might be painful in the beginning but after sometime you get used to it and pain subsides. If you struggle talk to someone who will jot judge you but encourage you to keep trying.
You will need breast pads because your breasts may leak from time to time especially the first month since you will be producing a lot of milk.
Invest in V neck clothes or button tops or dresses that can easily enable you to reach for your breast each time your baby requires feeding. Yes your clothing choices are affected too!
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