Breastfeeding has to be learned, and it’s a good idea to seek support and advice from your family, from friends with babies, and from your midwife or health visitor. Above all you’ll learn from your baby, by understanding her signals and discovering how to respond to them. No special action is required to prepare the breasts for feeding unless you have an inverted nipple. If you do, use a breast shell to make your nipple protrude so that your baby will be able to latch on to it. If you are having your baby in hospital, make sure the nursing staff know that you intend to breastfeed, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Suckle your baby as soon as she is born – in the delivery room, if you are in hospital – to form a bond with her as early as possible and let her get used to suckling.
Colostrum and breast milk
During the 72 hours after delivery, the breasts produce a thin, yellow fluid called colostrum, made up of water, protein, and minerals. Colostrum contains antibodies that protect the baby against a range of intestinal and respiratory infections. In the first few days, your baby should be put regularly to the breast, both to feed on the colostrum and to get used to latching on to the breast. Once your breasts start to produce milk, you may be surprised by its watery appearance. When your baby sucks, the first milk that she gets – the foremilk – is thin, watery, and thirst-quenching. Then comes the hindmilk, which is richer in fat and protein. Breastfeeding positions
Lying down is ideal for night feeds; when your baby is very small you may need to lay her on a pillow so that she can reach your nipple. You may find a lying position the most suitable if you have had an episiotomy and sitting is uncomfortable. If you’ve had a Caesarean section and your stomach is still tender, try lying with your baby’s feet tucked under your arm.
Nursing bras
You should always wear a supportive nursing bra when you are breastfeeding. Try it on in the store before you buy, and look for one with front fastenings and wide straps that won’t cut into your shoulders. Drop-front or zip-fastening bras are easy to undo with one hand while you hold your baby. A good bra will minimize discomfort if your breasts become sore.
Breastfeeding Positions
Lying position Breastfeeding positions that allow you to lie down are a restful alternative and can keep a wriggling baby off a tender Caesarean incision. Sitting position Make sure that your arms and back are supported and you are relaxed.
Ensuring a good milk supply
Looking after yourself properly is the key to a good milk supply. If you stay relaxed, eat well, and drink enough fluids, you will have plenty of milk for your baby.
- Rest as much as you can, particularly during the first weeks, and try to get plenty of sleep.
- You produce most milk in the morning when you are rested. If you become tense during the day, your supply could be poor by evening. Go through your antenatal relaxation routines and have a lie-down every day.
- Let the housework go; do only what is absolutely necessary.
- Try to give yourself a few treats; relax with a glass of wine at the end of the day.
- Eat a well-balanced diet that is fairly rich in protein. Avoid highly refined carbohydrates (cakes, biscuits, sweets, and so on).
- Ask your doctor about iron and possibly vitamin supplements.
- Drink about 3 litres (5 pints) of fluid a day; some women even find that they need to keep a drink by them while they are feeding.
- Express any milk your baby doesn’t take in the early feeds of the day to encourage your breasts to keep producing milk.
- The combined contraceptive pill can decrease your milk supply, so avoid while breastfeeding. The progesteroneonly pill may be prescribed instead, but discuss methods of contraception with your doctor. Supply and demand
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 she feeds, the more milk they will produce, and vice versa. During the time that you breastfeed, the amount of milk available will fluctuate according to your baby’s needs, and once she becomes established on solids, the breasts will produce less milk. I’m against babies being fed by the clock so I’m loath to show any kind of chart, but the following will give you an idea of what to expect. The Let-down Reflex
Hormone messages Your baby’s sucking sends messages to the hypothalamus, which stimulates your pituitary gland to release two hormones: prolactin, responsible for making milk in the milk glands, and oxytocin, which causes milk to pass from the glands to the milk reservoirs behind the areola.
This is an excerpt from Complete Baby and Child Care: Everything you Need to Know for the First Five Years by Dr. Miriam Stoppard, DK Publishing.
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