Breast feeding tips

Few tips !

Dear Nila,
To start with remember that you are expressing your anxiety in words, whereas the baby, finding it equally challenging to suckle cannot express himself !
A pleasurable experience starts as an exasperating experience, no doubt.
Never lie down & feed, even if you feel sleepy - the baby may get suffocated.
Always sit erect in a chair & keep the baby in a slanting position. You can keep a pillow below the baby, if need be, to prop him. First introduce your nipple in his mouth. The baby will stop after 5 mts - it always happens. Just tickle him on his feet to wake him up. A little gentle jolting him may be necessary as well. Definitely alternate the breasts & this is a must. Do not feel discouraged if he suckles for 5 mts & stops. May be when the initial panger of hunger subsides, the baby relaxes. It is common. I do hope your doctor has advised demand feed. In that case, do not be too " interval conscious" & feed him every one hour. I know it starts off as a " mini battle" & both end up crying !
Have a warm drink before feeding. As soon as you start, baby talk to him, gradually he will start enjoying the experience of your warmth, milk & voice.
Please do not give up ! Everybody goes through this experience as a new mother !
Take care, all the best.
Love & regards,
Chithra.

 

Hi Nila,

Our dear Ms C has given some valuable tips. Here is a website that you can go to that has more information, support group, discussion board etc.. It is very useful.They have also given various positions in which you can try to feed your baby.

http://www.lalecheleague.org<WBR>/bfinfo.html


Don't give up. Keep trying. Breast milk is the best for the baby. You will be successful i know. Good luck.

Vandhana

 

Hi nila,

Congrats for the baby!! That 5 mts thing happened with my boy also in the initial weeks.. He would suck a little and start sleeping.. Best thing worked was just nudging him under the chin. If I do on his cheek he would move his head to this side which would remove his latching position. So under the chin is the best position to keep him do his job.
Here is another website which has many useful information regarding breastfeeding...

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/index.html

Take care.

 

Dear nila,
it is very heartening to know that you are struggling to breastfed your baby, keep the spirit. It will give courage to you, my son would not even demand a feed. He was born prematurely, just 7 months completed. He will jsut swallow what falls into his mouth and sleep off. Actually, he was taught to suckle with the help of a injection syringe. The baby was so weak that it would rather not suckle. I have successfully breasfed him for 10 months.SO CAN YOU. Always have the urge to feed him only BM and you will succeed. Chithra had given you all the necessary tips, I don't want to repeat. But I posted my experience so that you will feel confident and willnot lose hope.And most important, talk to the baby when he is suckling and when he is awake. Sing to him whatever you know. This way he will bond with you very well.
HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL BREASTFEEDING.
With warm wishes,
varloo

 

Dear Nila

My son too initially refused to breastfeed,this was just within 3 days of delivery.So the nurses at the hospital used to give him formula milk for the time being.But I was also getting tensed up like you because he was not breastfeeding and my milk used to just keep flowing away.Another reason was also that the nipple was big.Doctors generally ask the mother to prepare the nipple for the baby by using breast pump.I did this for about a day in the hospital,then again tried to feed him,that helped a lot.He was atleast latching up now.

After these initial stages,you will come across another stage,breast/nipple sores.This happens when the baby does not latch on properly.The nipple along with the areola should be inside the baby's mouth.Always wash your nipples before feeding so it becomes a little soft and it will prevent sores to a large extend.

If the baby sleeps after feeding,and if the nipple is still inside the baby's mouth,or if you want to release the baby from one breast to the other,use your little finger.Push the finger into the baby's mouth around the corner and gently push(like putting a small tick mark inside the mouth with the finger).The baby will release immediately.This tip was given by my doctor when she saw me just pulling the baby away from one breast to the other(which can cause sores).

Feed on one breast for 10-15 minutes and after that shift to the other breast.

Hope I have been of some help.

 

Don't worry

Nila,

Let me address your later concerns. Many moms do not want to space the baby's feedings for a variety of reasons - to get the supply up by nursing on demand is one of them. Babies do have spit ups and gassiness becuase of this, so it can be countered by eating/drinking a lot of ajwain. This helps with the spitups.

Babies become very efficient at removing milk from the breast. In what seems "only" 10 mins to you, your baby could have consumed more than the said 2 - 2 1/2 oz. The fact that there are lesser poopy diapers after you nurse him may have only been a coincidence. Never feel guilty about breast feeding, you are doing the right thing. The question to ask is: are there enough poopy diapers?

If you are really worried, go to the lactation center in your hospital. Weigh the baby before you feed him (no diapers or clothes) then weigh him after nursing. You will be surprised to notice the increase in intake in oz. It may seem to you that your baby is not getting enough, but trust me - he will let the whole world know if that is the case.

Hang tight, it'll get better.

 

My experience

Nila,

I want to share a few points that I gathered from my breast feeding experience.

• The first thing I learnt is that there is a lot of pressure from society: People claim that it is a natural instinct and it should come to most mothers/babies instinctively. That is so far from the truth. Most babies have to be taught how to latch on correctly and most new moms have to struggle with finding the best position for breast feeding. It does not come naturally to most people and there is nothing wrong with asking a lactation consultant for help.
• If you cannot breast feed, it is not the end of the world. Never feel guilty about it. As a mother, you will want to selflessly do the best for your baby. If you cannot nurse for some reason, it is okay. Todays formulas are chock full of DHA/RHA and other goodies that babies get from mother's milk.
• It is a lot of work and is never easy - especially in the first few weeks. So is every aspect of parenting. Today we find breast feeding taking a toll on us; tomorrow it will be introduction of solids; in 18 years it will be college and after that it will be marriage, childbirth and so on. Welcome to parenting where not everything is easy! Breat feeding is a small preview of the years to come. You can accept it with joy or choose to worry over it!
• You have to work hard to keep your milk supply up. Putting the baby on a schedule or introducing too many bottles too early will bring down your supply. But stressing about an undersupply is one of the worst things you can do. Try to take each day at a time and figure out what works for you. Pumping is wonderful to increase milk supply.
• It may always seem that we are not making enough milk and we will be plagued with guilt thinking our baby may not be growing properly. Almost every mom I know has felt this way. Don't give up, even if you think your supply is low, you may be wrong most of the time. Women are genetically made in such a way that they think their children are not eating enough. What is the first thing your mother does when she comes to visit you? "You are too skinny, let me make you some more food. Eat well". Right? Check your baby's growth; if it is fine don't woory about milk supply.

I could write volumes more, but I want to stick to the most worrisome points. I hope other members will add their experiences so that all new moms will heave a sigh of relief when they read it!