First-time breast-feeding
Breast-feeding your baby is a loving, nurturing experience that strengthens the bond between you. It carries on the physiological relationship that began when your baby was developing in your womb. Your baby knows your milk will be there when he needs it and trusts it to be pure and good. Because of this, some people say that breast-feeding is the first way to tell the truth to a baby and to keep a promise.
Latching onto your breast
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The key to happy, trouble-free breast-feeding is knowing how to get your baby's mouth correctly fixed or latched on to your breast. If your baby's latched on properly he'll get enough milk and you'll avoid breast and lactation problems. When your baby is feeding properly, his jaws will be clamped on your breast tissue rather than just on to your nipple, which will be completely inside his mouth.
To encourage your baby to latch on as easily as possible, give yourself plenty of time to feed and make sure you're comfortable and relaxed. Hold your baby high enough so he can reach your nipple without effort. Cradle his head in the crook of your arm, and support his back and bottom with your lower arm and hand. Express a little milk to soften the areola and ensure that his mouth contains the entire nipple.
Correct latching on is important to both you and your baby for two reasons. First, it prevents your baby from sucking on the nipple itself, which can cause soreness and cracking. Second, it allows him to stimulate a good flow of milk and makes sure that he gets the rich hindmilk as well as the less nourishing but thirst-quenching foremilk. A good flow of milk also prevents your breast from becoming engorged because it hasn't been emptied.
Preparing your nipples for breast-feeding
When you first start breast-feeding your nipples will feel delicate. They need time to toughen up, so increase the length of time on each breast gradually. Two minutes on each breast will give your baby sufficient colostrum at first. Build up the time on each breast to ten minutes each side by the time the milk has come in on about the third or fourth day.
All babies suck most strongly in the first five minutes, and during this time they take about 80 per cent of the feed. When she's had enough she'll lose interest and play with your breast or fall asleep. Alternate the breast you begin feeding with each time.
Taking care of your breasts
Your breasts need special care when you start breast-feeding. Buy at least two maternity bras and be very careful about the daily hygiene of your breasts. Bathe them every day with water; don't use soap because it defats the skin and can encourage a sore or cracked nipple to develop. Always handle your breasts with care. Never rub them dry; always pat them.
If you can, leave your nipples open to the air for a short time when you've finished feeding. Wear pads inside your bra to soak up any milk that may leak, and change these pads often. To avoid cracked nipples, apply a drop of olive oil or hypericum and calendula cream to the pad.
Supply and demand during first-time breast-feeding
Milk is produced in glands that are deeply buried in the breast, not in the fatty tissue, so breast size is no indication of how much milk you can produce; even small breasts are perfectly adequate milk producers.
Milk is produced according to demand - you supply what your baby needs, so don't worry that you'll run out of milk if your baby feeds very often. Your breasts are stimulated to produce milk by your baby's sucking, so the more eagerly he feeds, the more milk they will produce, and vice versa. Feeding makes you thirsty so keep a bottle of water by you.
Breastfeeding tips
- Establishing breastfeeding is always easier if you're able to put your baby to your breast within a few minutes of delivery. Once you've achieved successful suckling in the celebratory atmosphere that surrounds birth, you'll feel more confident about future feeding.
- If your nipple is soft and small and your baby has trouble finding it, put a cold, wet cloth on it for a moment - your nipple will firm up and protrude.
- Milk flows in both breasts at every nursing and it's better to use both at each feed. Start with the heavier breast.
- Once feeding is going well and your nipples have toughened up, let your baby suck for as long as she likes on the first side so she gets both the foremilk and the hindmilk. (Foremilk is the dilute, thirst-quenching part; the hindmilk is the richer, creamier part.) Then switch to the other breast and let your baby stay there as long as she likes, too.
Posted 16.11.2010
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