How to breastfeed

getting started | technique | how often to feed | problems

Getting started

The most important period in establishing breastfeeding is the first week. In the early days, both the mother and baby are learning how to breastfeed.

The earliest days are the hardest, but with a little knowledge you can do it successfully!

The earlier you put the baby to the breast, the earlier the breastmilk should come. Don't wait for the milk to come before starting. The breasts work by "supply and demand".

The early hours and days are also important due to the substance your breasts produce at this time. This thin, cloudy, yellow substance is called colostrum and is of enormous value to your baby.

There is absolutely no substitute for colostrum in doing good for your baby. It gives him or her protection against disease that will last for several months. Don't let it go to waste!

It's important to give new babies nothing other than breastmilk. Honey, water, coconut water, paps and so on should not be fed to new born babies. Apart from making breastfeeding harder, giving water to a new born baby can also be dangerous because the water may have invisible dirt.

If you start feeding a baby other things, you can easily move closer and closer to bottlefeeding even if you don't really want to and your breasts will produce less milk. Once that happens it is usually very hard to get back to breastfeeding again.

Technique

During the early days the nipple is getting used to being taken into baby's mouth and baby is learning how to feed from the nipple. It's important for both of you to be relaxed and comfortable, you may be feeding for an hour or so.

A baby may not yet know how to open his or her mouth widely enough. If this happens, you can squeeze out a little milk from your breast, open baby's mouth with your clean finger, and put a little milk in to start baby off.

Wait for the baby's mouth to open, then guides the breast in - not just the nipple. To suck properly, the baby squeezes the area behind the nipple with his or her whole mouth.

When the baby finishes sucking the first breast, put your finger into the baby's mouth to release the sucking, and offer the other breast. And next feed, start the other way round. When the baby has had enough, he or she will just fall asleep.

Give as much skin contact as possible and stroke baby's cheek. Let the baby's hand stroke your breast in return.Looking into the babies eyes and talking to the baby are all part of breastfeeding.

It's baby's sucking which stimulates the breast to store milk in the first place. That's why sometimes we feel that we have a "lazy" breast, one that doesn't seem to produce as much milk as the other one. Often, it's because it has received less sucking. It's important that, as time goes on, you use both breasts.

Each time you feed, you should stay on one breast until it feels empty - at least ten to fifteen minutes. This is because the milk that comes at the end of a feed is much richer and more satisfying.

What exactly is the sign that baby is hungry? Unfortunately, many mothers think that a baby is only hungry when it cries. But crying is a baby's last resort! Other signs include putting a finger in the mouth, and turning the head from side to side looking for the breast.

Breastfeeding whenever the baby is hungry may be tiring but it's the best thing. It's not 'spoiling' a baby - a baby who has had to wait to feed will only be in a bad mood - and frequent feeding helps to keep the milk flow strong.

Sometimes, particularly in the early weeks, a mother can feel like she is breastfeeding all the time. Many mothers want to be more than just "breasts on legs" for our babies. Many mothers have to go out to work to have work to do in the house. But it's perfectly possible to breastfeed and go out to work. Knowing how to "express" (squeeze out) breastmilk, and storing a day's feeds in sterilised bottles in a fridge, can help busy mothers.

It can be easy to get discouraged when you are trying to breastfeed. For example, the baby can be crying or your family can be worried that the baby is hungry or not getting enough to eat.

Probably the most important thing about breastfeeding is what's going on in the mother's head. Breastmilk flow is controlled by the brain. Anything that affects the brain affects breastmilk production; so things like worry, pain, or stress of any form can hinder breastmilk flow.

Many women worry because they think they are not breastfeeding properly. In fact, worry and stress can be the cause of breastfeeding problems. Therefore i's very important to try to be relaxed.

And here, the family have a role to play. People around a nursing mother should be careful about what they say. Saying things like, for example, 'How can you breastfeed, you have such small breasts' can really hinder the ability to breastfeed.

Breast size has absolutely nothing to do with how much milk breasts can produce. However, what realtions say and do around a nursing mother does.

Having painful nipples can be very distressing, but it usually is not serious or longlasting. Perhaps the baby is only sucking on the nipple and not the dark area behind.

Often problems with your nipples will go if you ensure cleanliness and go on breastfeeding, but getting the help of someone who you trust and who knows a lot about breastfeeding is always a good idea.

A time when you should be worried and look for medical help immediately is if you have a tender lump which lasts more than one day, especially if you feel ill too.

About four days after birth, a mother's breasts can become big, hard and painful. This is called "engorgement".

This can make it hard for a baby to "latch on" or get his or her mouth around the important dark bit around the nipple. Any engorgement should only last about two days, so try and carry on breastfeeding. Perseverence is so important when breastfeeding. Just offer the breast when baby wants to suckle, stay confident, and let the baby suck when it wants to.

Communicating with a Baby
Feeding a Baby
How to Breastfeed
How to Bottlefeed
Feelings after having a Baby
Postnatal Depression
Families with New Babies
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