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Baby’s first meal and beyond
The first few days after birth, a new mum produces an ideal “first milk.” It’s called colostrum. Colostrum is a thick, yellowish and scant liquid, but there’s plenty to meet your baby’s nutritional needs. Colostrum helps a newborn’s digestive tract develop and prepare to digest the following breast milk.
Your breasts responds to your baby’s needs by making milk as needed, a natural mechanism which works best if you breastfeed exclusively and do not supplement with water, formula, juice, etc. You can begin to offer solid food at six months but you can still continue to breastfeed.
Comfortable Breastfeeding Positions
Before you begin nursing, ensure that both your baby and you are comfortable and relaxed. You should not be straining any part of your body. Here are some of the most comfy positions for breastfeeding your baby:
Cradle position.
Rest the side of your baby’s head in the crook of your elbow with his whole body facing you. Position your baby’s belly against your body so he feels fully supported. Your other, “free” arm can wrap around to support your baby’s head and neck — or reach through your baby’s legs to support the lower back.
Football position.
Line your baby’s back along your forearm to hold your baby like a football, supporting his head and neck in your palm. This works best with newborns and small babies. It’s also a good position if you’re recovering from a cesarean birth and need to protect your belly from the pressure or weight of your baby.
Side-lying position.
This position is great for night feedings in bed and also if you’re recovering from an episiotomy. Use pillows under your head to get comfortable and snuggle close to your baby. Use your free hand to lift your breast and nipple into your baby’s mouth. Once your baby is correctly “latched on,” support your baby’s head and neck with your free hand so there’s no twisting or straining while nursing.
Latching on correctly
- A comfortable infant will feed easier and is less likely to give you problems. Latching on properly will also help you avoid sore nipples.
- Position your baby facing you so he will not have to crane his neck. With one hand, cup your breast and gently stroke your baby’s lower lip with your nipple. Your baby’s instinctive reflex will be to open the mouth wide. With your hand supporting your baby’s neck, bring your baby’s mouth closer around your nipple, trying to center your nipple in the baby’s mouth above the tongue.
- You’ll know your baby is “latched on” correctly when both lips are pursed outward around your nipple. Your infant should have all of your nipple and most of the areola, which is the darker skin around your nipple, in his mouth.
- A slight tingling or tugging is normal but on the whole, breastfeeding should not be painful. If your baby isn’t latched on correctly and nursing with a smooth, comfortable rhythm, gently nudge your pinky between your baby’s gums to break the suction, remove your nipple, and try again.
Dealing with Breastfeeding problems
Engorgement
Right after you give birth, your hormones undergo a major shift and introduces prolactin, the milk-producing hormone into your system. This change causes your postpartum breasts to grow even bigger and fuller, giving way to engorgement. The conditions begins around two to five days after delivery whether you’re planning to nurse or not. As a result, your breast will feel rock-hard, swollen and uncomfortable. Engorgement is a sign that your breasts are filling up with the milk your baby needs.
Fortunately, engorgement is temporary, and assuming you get started on breastfeeding right away (the earlier the better for relief), the pain should subside within a few days. By the time your baby and your breasts devise a good supply-and-demand relationship, the engorgement will have diminished completely. If you’re not nursing, it’ll decrease within a few days.
The following tips will help minimize discomfort:
- Feed your baby frequently
- Place warm compresses on your breasts
- After feedings, use cold compresses
- Express a little milk with a pump or by hand to relieve pressure
- Massage your breasts gently while nursing to help keep the milk flowing.
- Change your baby’s position
Blocked ducts
A single sore spot on your breast, which may be red and feel hot, can signal a plugged milk duct. This can often be relieved by warm compresses and gentle massages over the area to release the blockage. Carry on nursing for it will also help.
Breast infection (mastitis)
There may be incidents where bacteria enters the breast, often through a cracked nipple after breastfeeding. If you have a sore area on your breast along with flu-like symptoms, fever, and fatigue, call your doctor for it may signal an infection called mastitis. Antibiotics are usually needed to clear up a breast infection.
Stress
Being overly anxious or stressed can interfere with your let-down reflex. That’s your body’s natural release of milk into the milk ducts. It’s triggered by hormones released when your baby nurses. It can also be triggered just by hearing your baby cry or thinking about your baby. Stay as relaxed and calm as possible before and during nursing — it can help your milk let down and flow more easily. That, in turn, can help calm and relax your infant.
Inverted nipples
An inverted nipple doesn’t poke forward when you pinch the areola. This may pose a problem when a baby is trying to latch on for nursing. A lactation consultant — a specialist in breastfeeding education — can give simple tips that have allowed women with inverted nipples to breastfeed successfully.
Dry, sore nipples
Avoid soaps, perfumed creams, or lotions with alcohol in them, which can make nipples even more dry and cracked. You can apply pure lanolin to your nipples after a feeding, but be sure to wash it off before breastfeeding again. Changing your bra pads often will help your nipples stay dry. It would be best to use only cotton bra pads.
You need not go through it alone
Posters with images of mothers breastfeeding their babies make it look simple but many new mums find themselves unable to adjust and cope with breastfeeding by themselves. This is a natural situation and some women do need help and guidance. It can come from a nurse, doctor, family member, or friend, and it helps mothers get over possible bumps in the road. Reach out to friends, family, and your doctor with any questions you may have. Most likely, the women in your life have had those same questions. You can also check out online forums and pages such as:
