Preparing for Baby: Breastfeeding

One of my closest friends just had a beautiful little baby!

Isn’t he precious!?

Of course I’ve been launched into baby fever again. So today I figured I’d share more advice for newly expecting parents, particularly moms. Here’s some of my advice for breastfeeding.

You already know that I don’t judge if you choose to breastfeed or formula feed, each situation is different. But a lot of moms WANT to breastfeed and fail. Sometimes they fail because it is a medical issue, sometimes it is a time commitment, sometimes it is improper technique that causes larger problems. Did you know that 77% of US babies are exclusively breastfed at birth, but only 38% are exclusively breastfed just three months later? I’m hoping my advice will encourage moms not to give up and help moms get off to the right start so they can successfully breastfeed their babies as long as they want to. I struggled with breastfeeding my first born and then had wild success with my second in part because I learned these tips.

1. Educate

Educate yourself about breastfeeding as much as you can before having a baby. I was so naive when I had my first kid. I felt breastfeeding would come naturally to me, it wouldn’t be a problem. But it was a big problem. My daughter didn’t latch well and I was stubborn when the nurses in the hospital tried to correct the latch. Then came the cracked and sore nipples. Then my child developed jaundice (partially due to not breastfeeding enough) and she was so sleepy she never wanted to nurse. Before I knew it, I was up all night crying, trying to force my newborn to nurse on my painful breasts, and blaming myself for her BiliBed. It is really important to understand HOW to breastfeed your baby so they suck in enough milk and don’t make your nipples hurt.

2. Latch on

The moment your baby is born, you’ll hopefully have some immediate skin to skin contact.  You will be encouraged to try breast feeding for the first time and let me tell you, this is important. The first time breastfeeding is a REALLY important time. Your newborn has practiced sucking and naturally understands most of what to do. But they have never connected with your breast before, and the latch, their first latch, is the one that they will mimic over and over. This is why my advice would be to unlatch your newborn repeatedly until you get a perfect latch. It’s okay if it takes you seven times, that newborn will be hungry after going through labor. I can tell you it’s easier for your baby to continue trying to latch the first time than it is on day 3 when you realize the latch is wrong and needs correction. Day 3 baby will give up and cry and wail and get frustrated after being unlatched seven times. This is what a correct latch looks like:

source

Read about proper latch and positioning here. The most important thing I would say is that both of baby’s lips are out and not tucked in. You also want their suck to be strong enough it moves baby’s ear as they gulp.

3. Seek Help

Most hospitals will have a lactation consultant visit you during your hospital stay to facilitate breastfeeding. Unfortunately, sometimes it is not until day 2 and some bad habits could have already formed. By my daughter’s 2nd day alive she was already pretty jaundice and only willing to eat every 4-5 hours (not good). The sooner you have a professional checking on your breastfeeding technique, the better. We are talking about preventing problems that could arise months from when you leave the hospital. Talk with the lactation consultant about how to deal with engorgement (DO NOT PUMP IT ALL OUT LIKE I DID), talk about how to increase your supply when need be, talk about how to prevent mastitis. The more you know, the more you’ll be able to overcome hurdles that hit you when trying to successfully breastfeed your child.

4. Always feed from both breasts

Each feeding you want your infant to suck from both of your breasts. Read this from breastmilkcounts.com:

“Your milk changes as your baby feeds. When your baby first begins a nursing session, he gets foremilk. Foremilk is lower in fat and higher in lactose, a milk sugar that is important for development. The foremilk quenches your baby’s thirst. As the feeding progresses, your milk transitions to hindmilk. Hindmilk is higher in fat, so it helps your baby feel full longer. During a feeding, it’s important not to switch breasts until your baby has had a chance to get the hindmilk from the first breast.”

I read this and assumed it meant I should not unlatch my baby off the breast until baby decided to. What inevitably happened is that my baby ate off just one breast until they were full because I had enough supply. Then one of my boobs hurt so bad until the next feeding and I had a lopsided chest. With my second baby, I learned to unlatch after a certain time and latch them onto the other breast. I usually give baby about 10-15 minutes per breast when they are just born. If you unlatch and then they seem disinterested in latching to the other one, try again in ten minutes. Make a note that next time you should shorten the length of time you let them feed on the first breast. Your boobs might not be empty, but pretty soon your supply will even out to what the baby eats. If you don’t start this routine from the beginning and you let your baby suck on one breast until they are full and content, unlatching will start signaling to them they are done feeding. Oh and another thing – be sure to alternate which breast you start the feeding on each time. I use a paper clip on my bra strap so I can remember.

That’s all for now. What are some of your favorite tips for successful breastfeeding? How did breastfeeding go for you? Did you breastfeed your baby as long as you wanted to or were there obstacles in your way? I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!