Breastfeeding Tips
By: Joanne Aubrey, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
For some mums and babies, breastfeeding happens easily and naturally - your baby is born and latches to the breast straight away, the milk flows and everyone is happy...but often it's not as straightforward, breastfeeding is a skill and requires time and practice to perfect. Having some breastfeeding knowledge before the baby arrives can help to avoid common pitfalls and reduce anxiety. The following five tips will help you get breastfeeding off to the best possible start:
Skin-to-Skin Contact straight after birth
Skin-to-skin contact is when your baby lies on your exposed chest or tummy with no clothes and just a diaper. It is so beneficial for your baby to be placed in Skin-to-Skin immediately after birth. It regulates your babies temperature, breathing and heart rate and increases the release of the hormone oxytocin which helps mum and baby bond. This time is also important as it signals your body to start producing lots of milk.
2. Breastfeed within the first hour of birth
When your baby is first born, they are primed with lots of natural instincts to look for the breast. Allow for an undisturbed hour after delivery where your baby will go through different stages towards self-attachment at the breast. Resist the urge to hurry your baby by holding their head or putting the nipple in their mouth, just allow time and nature to do its work and your baby will find the nipple on their own.
3. Comfortable breastfeeding positions and attachment
Positioning and attachment is the key to comfortable breastfeeding. You can find many excellent resources online showing you how to get a comfortable latch. This video demonstrates some great suggestions for attachment.
First, keep the baby really close to your body and then when their nose is opposite your nipple and they open their mouth with a wide gape, you can bring them quickly to your breast. You want them to have lots of breast tissue in their mouth. If they don’t have enough breast tissue then you will find that your nipples get sore.
4. Keep the baby with you and breastfeed frequently
The body makes milk on demand: the more milk that is removed from the breast, the body will receive a signal to make more milk. Your baby should be feeding between 8-12 times in 24hours for between 5-40 minutes. Babies have tiny tummies at birth, so they don’t need large volumes and breastmilk is quickly digested, so it's important that they are allowed to feed frequently. Within the first 2-6 weeks while breastfeeding is still being well established, try to avoid any artificial teats or pacifiers as this can interfere with their ability to find the breast and suck.
5. Watch your baby and get to know their special cues
It’s an incredibly special time when you become a new mum, this tiny human that you have created and grown has now arrived in the world and is totally dependent on you. It can also be a scary and overwhelming time, but trust your instincts as a mother. Try to allow yourself time to get to know your baby, they are able to communicate their needs and wants at a very young age so watch your baby for cues and get to know their signals. You will always have many people giving you advice and telling you what you should or shouldn’t be doing, but you will know your baby best and as you grow in confidence, you can drown out all the background noise of the many ‘experts’.