Get started on Breastfeeding your baby
Mothers who decide to breastfeed their baby are sure to give their baby the best start in life. However, it can be difficult for first time mothers to breastfeed their baby, as it will be something new for you and also for your baby. It is during the first few weeks after child birth that you and your baby will learn to be together and learn to be a nursing couple. This article discusses some of the problems which mothers face when they decide to breastfeed their baby, and gives tips on getting started on breastfeeding your baby.
Breastfeeding should be as trouble free for mothers as it can get. When you decide to breastfeed your baby, you should make sure that you keep the baby exclusively on breastfeeding during the first 4 to 6 months after birth. By breastfeeding your baby right after birth, your breasts are able to produce more milk to meet the baby’s daily needs. However, if you start using pacifiers or nipples, that can disrupt the babys natural need for milk and breast feeding. It can also alter the way the baby sucks the nipple or pacifier, making breastfeeding a problem for you. So, no matter what other people say, you should make sure that you breastfeed your baby without using bottles or formula milk unless advised by the doctor. As your baby grows old, you may want to use Pump Style Advanced breast pumps by Medela Style to feed your milk to the baby, especially if you are a working mom.
When should you start breastfeeding your baby?
Mothers can start breastfeeding the baby right after birth. Newly born babies normally require being breast fed every 1 to 3 hours in the beginning, which changes to every 2 to 4 hours after a few days. New born babies will breastfeed for about 15 to 20 minutes in the first 24 to 48 hours after birth. This pattern changes to breastfeeding for 20 minutes on each breast after a few days. By breastfeeding for 20 minutes on each breast after every 2 to 3 hours allows your body to make as much milk as your baby needs. Your baby will feel filled and content after each feeding, and will be able to sleep peacefully between feedings. Feeding your baby regularly during the day also ensures that your baby will require less feeds during the night.
When will my milk come in?
Mothers breasts start producing colostrum in the last few weeks of pregnancy. It is also called pre-milk and is of a thick yellow color which is different from natural milk. Colostrum contains antibodies which are needed by the baby during the first weeks after birth for protection against illnesses. In 3 to 4 days after nursing, your breasts should start feeling more firm as the milk changes from colostrum to mature milk. The amount of milk produced by the body increases according to the baby’s response with time.
How to start breastfeeding
One of the most difficult things for new moms is to start breastfeeding their baby. If you do not feed your baby properly, chances are that the baby can be left feeling hungry, or if your positioning is incorrect while feeding, you may feel pain in the back, or experience nipple pain if the baby does not get enough milk. Therefore you have to make sure that you and the baby are both comfortable when you start nursing.
You should start by washing your hands and sitting in a comfortable position. You may want to use a pillow to allow the baby to reach your breast. Make sure that the baby is in a position to reach the breast rather than you taking the nipple to the baby. Do not lean over the baby as it can make the baby choke. Mothers can start by gently massaging the breasts before breastfeeding.
Use one arm to hold the baby with the babys head in your hand, and your arm under the babys shoulder and back. This will allow you to control your baby’s head and neck, allowing you to lift the baby to your breast. With the other hand, support your breast, keeping your fingers and thumbs in a “C” behind the areola, the dark area around the nipple. To start breastfeeding, you may want to tickle the babys lips with your nipple and wait for the baby’s mouth to open, before you bring the baby to your breast. Make sure you support the babys head at all times, and allow the baby to take as much of the areola in its mouth as possible.
Babies need to be fed 8 to 10 times in a 24 hours period in the first 3 months after child birth. You should remember that breast feeding is very important in the early days of life for your baby. As your baby grows older, breastfeeding becomes easier for both you and the baby. Breastmilk is digested easily by babies as compared to formula milk, which means you can give your baby a next feed if you feel the baby is feeling hungry. You do not necessarily need to wait for a “scheduled session” to feed your baby, as mothers using formula milk often have to do.
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