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The Basics to Breastfeeding Your Baby
Brian Gardner
Throughout the 9 months of your pregnancy, nature ensures that
your body will be prepared to breast feed your baby.
Breastfeeding will give your baby the best source of nutrients,
and result in a good healthy start for your baby.
Breastfeeding and nursing your baby is an acquired skill. For
both mom and baby, this will require time and patience on both
parts. Breastfeeding comes more natural for some mothers and
babies, but don't feel pressure to perform.
If you happen to experience some difficulties in breastfeeding
your baby, you can contact your local La Leche League and they
will be happy to supply a local lactation consultant. They
specialize in helping a new mother to breastfeed her baby, and
have a lot of resources to ensure your breastfeeding success!
The First Two Days After Giving Birth
Most healthcare providers will encourage a mother to begin
breastfeeding her baby as soon as possible. Some instances when
breastfeeding a baby isn't encouraged is when there was a
difficulty in delivery such as a cesarean section. You will find
that many babies immediately take to the breast, and find
themselves breastfeeding with little to no effort. However, there
are some cases such as a premature birth of a baby where the
mother has a problem while trying to breastfeed her baby. If this
is the case a mother can still stroke her baby, and encourage the
baby to begin breastfeeding when it is ready.
Having Success in Breastfeeding
The best way to start breastfeeding your baby is to create an
environment that is as calm as possible, as it will help provide
both you and baby a soothing atmosphere to breastfeed. Keeping a
drink nearby is a helpful tip to breastfeeding, as it will keep
up your fluid intake.
One key to a successful breastfeeding is being in a comfortable
nursing position. In general, most new mothers nurse and
breastfeed their baby while sitting upright on a chair. Some
women breastfeed with their feet raised and a pillow (or boppy
pillow) on their lap, as that creates a natural, comfortable
position for the breastfeeding of baby to take place. If you find
that you are tired when you need to breastfeed, lay down on your
side. Some women who are experiencing fatigue after their
pregnancy find this to be the most relaxing way for them to begin
breastfeeding.
An important thing to remember while breastfeeding your baby is
to ensure that the baby is held close to your whole body, facing
your breast. The baby's chest should be next to your chest, and
you should be able to bring your baby close to your breast
easily, to allow an simple position for breastfeeding.
Positioning Your Baby Before Breastfeeding
Before you begin breastfeeding your baby, make sure both you and
baby are comfortable. If the position you choose to breastfeed
your baby is upright, make sure that baby's head is supported by
either your forearm or hold her head and shoulders with the hand
that you have free. While your baby is breastfeeding, their head
should be at the same level as your nipple, as this will allow
the proper angle for you baby to suck and breastfeed
successfully.
Another thing that might assist you in breastfeeding is to cup
your breast with your hand. By supporting your breast with your
fingers against your ribs, you provide your baby the most
opportune ability to breastfeed. One thing to avoid is to pinch
your nipple between two fingers, as it can prevent your baby from
breastfeeding successfully. Some babies have the natural
breastfeeding instinct, where the automatically begin to suck on
your nipple as soon as they feel your breast on their cheek.
Ensure that Your Baby Has Latched On
Although it may feel unnatural, make sure your baby is
breastfeeding with as much of your breast in their mouth as
possible. Your baby is properly positioned if they are
breastfeeding with a "mouthful" of breast, including your nipple
and perhaps most of the areola.
While breastfeeding, your baby's bottom lip should be curled
back, as their jaw muscles will work almost rhythmically. If you
notice that your baby's cheeks are caving in while breastfeeding,
then they aren't suckling properly, and might make the breastfeed
unsuccessful. If this is the case, to ensure proper breastfeeding
you should reposition yourself or your baby and try again.
Changing Breasts if Necessary
Most babies breastfeed with various sucking patterns - from short
sucks to longer bursts of sucking and sometimes with pauses in
between. Your baby will let you know if your breast is empty by
falling asleep or letting your nipple fall out of their mouth.
This means that it's time to breastfeed with the other breast.
If you feel that you need to stop your baby from breastfeeding,
the easiest and most effective way is to break the breastfeed
with your fingers. If your baby refuses to breastfeed with your
other breast, let some time pass and the try breastfeeding again
with the other nipple.
Engorgement
You may notice that a few days after you deliver your baby, your
breast might begin to feel swollen. This is called engorgement of
the breasts, and might even feel painful with accumulations of
blood and milk. Breastfeeding as much as eight times within a 24
hour period might help alleviate this pain. One thing you can do
is to make engorgement of the breast feel better, is to express a
little bit of breast milk before you baby begins breastfeeding.
The Combination of Breast Milk and Bottle
At some point it might be necessary to give yourself a break from
breastfeeding by pumping breast milk into a bottle. If you find
yourself out on the run, or are returning to work, then pumping
your breast milk will provide your baby with the same nutrients
that they receive when the breastfeed. Breastfeeding is the best
way to ensure your baby is getting what it needs - after all, the
saying "mother's milk is best" is definitely the case. At some
point, you will need to stop breastfeeding altogether - but do
this gradually, to provide proper transition.
Brian Gardner is the Founder of PregnancyEtc.com - An Online
Pregnancy Resource For 9 Months & Beyond. Having recently
experienced pregnancy firsthand with his wife Shelly, Brian has
dedicated his efforts towards pregnancy research. The development
of http://www.pregnancyetc.com
was to ensure that expecting
parents had a place to find information on pregnancy and babies.
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