the wait is over! i know i mentioned one of last posts that i would dedicate a blog about the how-tos of breastfeeding. it is a topic i hold near and dear to my heart and i encourage all new moms to give this amazing gift to their new little ones.
*disclaimer* i am not a professional or certified anything, these are solely based on my own experiences and the advice i have gained from seeing a lactation doctor.
~the basics~
to understand the rhythm involved in breastfeeding, its important to understand what it is your breasts produce. of course its milk -delicious and perfect for your baby..but did you know there are two forms of milk? we'll call it skim and homo (or for your scientific peeps, foremilk and hindmilk).
before your baby is born, your boobies will produce colostrum, a liquid rich in nutrients and antibodies. it is the first "milk" produced and once baby is born, this is what they will drink. it also has the properties of a laxative which encourages the elimination of meconium (the awesome tarry black poop that takes 30 baby wipes to clean..hehe). there is a small supply of that in every mom and you might be able to express some of it from the breast at around 7-8 months during pregnancy or not at all -have no fear..its there!
within 3-5 days after birth, your milk will come in. your breasts will fill up with skim milk, the thirst quenching goodness that will quickly satisfy your hungry little one. its color is like watered down cow's milk. once baby has finished drinking the skim, your breast will produce the homo milk: the thick, whiter than white, calorie rich milk that puts on the pounds. understanding that there are two types of milk will make you a better breastfeeder and you will be satisfying your baby more efficiently.
~the prep~
when breastfeeding, its important to set yourself up so that you have everything you need, when you need it. at the beginning, i recommend designating a place in your home where you will breastfeed.
1. a chair: you will require a sturdy chair or rocking chair with good back support so that you can sit upright.
do not attempt breastfeeding on your couch for the first time as you will slouch and fall into it resulting in poor posture and discomfort.
2. pillows: in my previous post, i talk about the brest friend. it is an excellent nursing pillow because it has a strap that secures the pillow around your belly (no matter what size it is!) other nursing pillows that do not have this tend to slide and your baby ends up sandwiched between the pillow and your tummy. having the baby propped up to boob level decreases stress on your back and the need to actually "hold" your baby upto the breast. smaller pillows (ie. decorative couch pillows) can be handy to prop up your nursing pillow to the right height.
3. stool: if you've got a toddler at home already, you probably have a stool kicking around in your home somewhere. if not, consider purchasing one as this will be key in successful posture while breastfeeding. place your feet flat on the stool so that your knees are raised. you can then rest your pillow on your lap and position baby to the breast.
4. water: have a glass of water by your side. you will be thirsty and its important to keep yourself hydrated when you're nursing!
~technique~
first things first. get yourself comfortable, go pee, put your hair up and have a drink by your side while your darling husband gets baby ready. at the beginning, its
very helpful if your baby is stripped down to the onesie or even diaper, and you are either topless (woot woot! hehe) or in just your nursing bra. (yes, the bottom half of you can be dressed..we're talkin breastfeeding! the childbirth part is already done thank goodness!) as they will tell you in the hospital, skin to skin contact with baby heightens your bond with baby and will help get into the groove of breastfeeding.
1. ways to hold your baby: there are two types - the cradle hold and football hold.
alternating each feed with these positions will help increase milk supply and prevent engorging. both positions allow the baby's natural sucking reflex to stimulate the areola and get the milk going.
2. how to hold the breast: position your hand underneath the breast and "cup" it. if you're cradle holding, support the breast with the hand on the same side as the breast and if football holding, support the breast with the opposite hand. pay close attention that your thumb is not anywhere near the areola so that you aren't "flattening" the breast. the breast should be projecting outwards so there is a lot of boob for the baby to latch onto.
3. the latch: position the baby uptowards the breast and "tease" their nose/mouth area with your nipple or use your free hand to rub the cheek thats closest to the breast. when baby opens wide (like a yawn) bring the baby's mouth right onto the nipple/areola. the key is to get as much of the areola in their mouth to stimulate the milk as opposed to just the nipple. remember that the nipple is just the outlet of the milk, baby needs to suck on the areola to actually get milk! an unsuccessful latch will feel painful, so use your pinky finger to break the latch. repeat this step until you do not feel pain. a good and long lasting breastfeeding experience depends on a good latch so don't make yourself suffer, try, try again!
*note the photo diagram below shows the baby's nose at nipple level, this is the perfect way to ensure baby gets a mouthful!
4. once latched: you will start to see and hear the baby swallowing the milk. a continuous "ca-ca" sound is what you will hear when they are drinking the skim milk. look at baby's ear when they are swallowing, you should be seeing their jaw open and close. towards the end of the feed the sound of swallowing will decrease as they need to suck more often to get the homo milk out. this will also be the point of the feed where they'll feel so relaxed, they'll probably fall asleep. but a good feed is essential to being satisfied so to get them awake, tickle their toes, wiggle their arms or even put a cool wash cloth under their armpit. even a little tap under the chin will get them going.
*note: falling asleep does NOT necessarily mean they are full! if all of those things fail, put them down in their bassinette or crib. guaranteed they'll be waking up from la-la land wondering where their meal just went!
5. how often how long: good rule of thumb: every 2-1/2 hours and 10 minutes on each breast. as long as your latch is good and you are seeing baby drinking, you don't need to kill yourself sitting in one place thinking they haven't had enough. always offer both breasts and if they show signs of being hungry even after offering both, go back to the first breast again. 2-1/2 hours begins from the time you START feeding, not after and knowing this will put your baby's needs into perpective (instead of thinking WHAT?! i just fed him/her! waaaah!)
6. last breast first: this is where the whole rhythm thing comes in. in order to properly empty each breast, you need to make sure baby is not just getting the skim milk but the homo as well. so to make sure this happens, at the next feeding, offer baby the same breast they fed from last at the previous feeding, then offer the other breast. a tip in helping remember this (as if there isn't anything else!) is wearing an elastic band on the wrist of the breast you just fed from so that you know which side to start on. keeping with the rhythm, you should also alternate baby's position, so for instance if you started feeding using the cradle position on both sides, your next feeding should be the football hold. once breastfeeding is well established and your body knows how much milk to produce you can just do the cradle hold, or whichever one is most comfortable for you!
7. pumping: for some mums, their boobs are milk machines and they get engorged quickly if they don't release it, while others have a hard time getting the milk supply where it should be. at the beginning, if you're going to pump i suggest only pumping during a replaced feed (ie. dropper feeding baby with expressed milk) as your body is just starting to understand what it is it needs to do. then to bump up the milk supply, you can pump inbetween feeds, but don't push it. if your nipples are getting really tender, just focus on the breastfeeding and hand express some milk.
*note: remember baby's tummy is the size of a chickpea at birth so they literally need 2 tablespoons worth of milk!!
8. boosting your supply: usually getting the rhythm of breastfeeding will be all that you need when it comes to producing the right amount of milk for your baby, but sometimes our bodies need a little help. your doctor can prescribe a prescription-only medication
domperidone whose side effects stimulates lactation. i have never been on this but i have heard from countless mothers who say it was very helpful. the only downside to this therapy is that your milk supply decreases once you've stopped taking it. another milk stimulant is ground fenugreek seed in capsule form. it does come in tea form but is not concentrated enough to receive the desired effects. it is available at whole foods or capers and big vitamin/health food stores at 500mg per capsule. you want to be taking 3 capsules 3 times a day for 2 weeks and then stop. your milk supply will not decrease after stopping! the major side effect of taking fenugreek is smelling like maple syrup (well, musky maple syrup lol!) as your sweat, skin and urine will smell like it. baby will probably smell like it as it does pass through the milk but maybe it'll make you crave pancakes more often!! hehe. the other more important thing to note is you will produce more skim milk and as a result of that baby's poop will be more green -but not to worry, this will go away once you've stopped taking the fenugreek capsules.
*note: if you are getting stomach upset from taking this please discontinue taking it and see you doctor for another milk stimulating solution. as much as baby needs milk, you need to be well in order to give it so listen to your body if it is not agreeing with you!
9. engorgement: this will happen at some point in your breastfeeding career (didn't you know you're a 24 hour breastaurant now?!) and its important to know the difference between being simply engorged or having mastitis. engorgement occurs when the milk ducts are too full of milk which then causes them to swell up. a quick and easy trick is to apply a hot wash cloth to the engorged breast(s) and massage in a circular motion from as high as the armpit down to the areola. continue to do this during each feed and then apply a cold washcloth in between feeds. a tip i've heard but never tried is using
cold cabbage leaves and sitting them in your bra. they're shaped like cups so mold to your breasts nicely and contain healing properties to prevent infection. which brings me to mastitis - inflamed milk ducts caused by bacteria entering through the nipple. it feels like you're engorged but is followed by fever and chills and a red blotchy mark on the breast. this requires antibiotics to get rid of so see your doctor right away.
*it is also important to wash your baby's tongue and gums as part of your daily cleaning routine to prevent the growth of thrush. the last thing you want is to be passing a fungus from your breast to baby! if you notice any white bumps or lesions, see your doctor to get an anti-fungal and start this asap as well!
well that's it folks! i hope i have helped someone in their breastfeeding journey by posting this, again these tips totally worked for me and i've successfully breastfed 2 babies (still am!) keeping these in mind. i highly recommend taking advantage of the services available to you as a mum and ask to see a lactation consultant at the hospital during your stay or talk to your public health nurse when you get home.
happy breastfeeding! :)
