Breastfeeding does not always look like how you see on the movies. On television you see a perfect smiling mother bring her perfect baby to the breast and start nursing without any issues. You might see the baby open nice and wide and she is probably washing her dishes at the same time. Real life is not like that. In this article, I will answer some common questions that new parents have in regards to breastfeeding.
Remember that you always can schedule a consultation with me for any concerns or questions that you have. I have years of experience and together we can achieve your breastfeeding goals.
Does breastfeeding hurt?
Breastfeeding takes practice, and it might not be all that glamorous. For starters, it might be a little uncomfortable. You might feel tugging and pulling, but you should not feel pinching or stinging. If you do feel uncomfortable after the initial latch, try to re-check the latch and positioning of the baby. The baby should have a wide mouth and be over the areola (the dark part) of the breast.
If your baby is just over the nipple you will feel that pinching and stinging. You might even have bleeding and blisters. Those are signs that the baby is not latched on correctly. If that is the case, I highly recommend a personal consultation with me so we can make your breastfeeding experience more comfortable.
How can I breastfeed without pain?
The best way to breastfeed without pain is to make sure the latch and position of your baby is correct. Positioning is ESPECIALLY important to a breastfeeding session. It allows the baby to be comfortable to latch and feed, and it allows the mother to remain comfortable for the duration of the feed. In improper position can cause the baby to get anxious and have a hard time latching on.
The first step you should always take while starting a session is to observe your child’s breastfeeding cues. A session should start in the early stages of hunger, and not in the later stages. Early signs of hunger include: REM eye movement, hand to mouth movements, sucking and lip smacking, rooting, and opening and closing the mouth. Late signs include moving the head back and forth frantically and crying.
It is so important to start a session during the early feeding cues. If you wait until the baby is at a late stage of hunger, you will first have to calm your baby down before starting your session. After you observe that your baby is ready for a feeding, CHECK THE DIAPER. You will find that it is exceedingly difficult to feed your child with a dirty or wet diaper. They will end up gnawing at your breast more than nursing at it.
After your baby is ready for the feeding, and the diaper is clean, put your baby SKIN TO SKIN. The position is particularly important, if you want to make sure your child latches on correctly. There are so many useful nursing positions, and everyone has different preferences. In addition, babies have preferences too! My first baby loved the football, also called the “clutch hold”. My second loved the cross cradle. Either way, whatever position you are using needs to follow these three keys:
Your baby needs to be tummy to tummy
The head, shoulders, and hips need to be in alignment
Your baby should feel safe, secure, and close to the breast
What are the main advantages of breastfeeding?
Breast milk truly is “liquid gold”. Even just a little bit of breast milk goes a long way. Your breast milk is easily digested and acts as a powerful antibiotic for your baby. Also, your milk is especially tailored to your baby.
When your baby is suckling, your body starts to change to provide for your child. I even noticed that when my baby was sick, my milk would change as well. Studies even show that mothers of premature babies produce milk with different fat compositions than term babies. Your milk is EXACTLY what your baby needs.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the benefits of breastfeeding for your baby include protection against:
- Bacteremia
- Diarrhea
- Respiratory tract infection
- Necrotizing enterocolitis
- Otitis media
- Urinary tract infection
- Late-onset sepsis in preterm infants
- Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
- Lymphoma, leukemia, and Hodgkins disease
- Childhood overweight and obesity
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
What are the main benefits of breastfeeding?
Believe it or not, there are also amazing benefits for mom when she decides to breastfeed! Some of these include:
- Helping mom lose weight after the baby
- Lowers risk of osteoporosis
- Reduces risk of breast, uterine, endometrial, and ovarian cancer
- Helps regulate blood sugar for diabetics
- Helps regulate blood pressure
- Less risk of postpartum depression
- Helps mom bond with her baby
- Helps keep the uterus firm to prevent hemorrhage after delivery
How can I avoid engorgement?
Honestly, engorgement is kind of a forgotten topic. People talk about low milk supply and problems latching, but people rarely talk about an over-supply. I think that is because most mother’s feel embarrassed to talk about how they have too much milk when other mothers cannot even breastfeed because they do not have enough. It is a sister mentality that I completely understand. But in the spirit of honesty, over-supply sucks!
I was hospitalized twice because of my over-supply. Once was because of mastitis, and another because of de-hydration. I am like most moms, I feed and take care of the baby, then I take care of myself. I would breastfeed, pump, feed the expressed milk, and then rinse and repeat. But I forgot one crucial detail: I am losing a lot of water with all that pumping! I ended up with severe dehydration postpartum. I also would get large lumps that was so painful it would make me cry.
Here are my tips to help prevent you from going down the same road:
- Please drink water: you cannot take care of your baby if you cannot take care of yourself
- Pump just enough to relieve the pressure: pumping too much will tell your body to create more milk
- If your baby has a hard time latching on because your breasts are too hard, use a hand pump for a few minutes to make it softer
- Massage your breasts and try different breastfeeding positions to make sure you empty all parts of the breasts while nursing.
- Call your doctor immediately if you have fever or hard hot lumps that do not go away after a few days. These can be signs of mastitis.
- You can relieve pressure of engorgement by using anti-inflammatories such as Motrin. Just make sure you are not allergic first.
How do I know whether I have enough milk for my baby?
One great way that you can tell that your baby has eaten well is just by being observant and responsive. In the beginning of a feeding, your baby will have clenched fists, and an overall constricted look. As the feeding progresses, your baby should feel satisfied and start relaxing the hands. Your will see the posture of your baby completely change.
This is a great way to tell that your baby is content after a feeding. You can also tell by breast changes that you feel. As your baby latches, you will feel tugging (not pinching) and after the feeding your breasts should feel emptier and softer. If you are still full after the feeding and think you might be engorged, check out my article about engorgement.
There are also many signs that will tell you that your baby is feeding well. One great way that you can check is with the diaper changes and weight.
Monitor diapers: One great sign of hydration is diaper changes. Your baby should have at least one dirty diaper and one wet diaper the first day. You should have two of each the second day, and the third day you should have three pees and at least 2 dirty diapers. Some babies have much more, and that is great! But you want to at least have the minimum.
Weight changes: Your baby is expected to lose up to 10% of their weight after delivery. This is because all that water weight is leaving their system. Once a baby reaches about 7% weight loss, we like to assess the feeding pattern to make sure the baby has enough intake.
What is the best way to store breast milk?
For breast milk, I like to use the 4-4-4 rule. Basically, you can store freshly pumped breast milk at room temperature for 4 hours, in the fridge for 4 days, and the freezer for 4 months. This is an easy way to remember it, that you can share with your family, friends, and caregivers. Keep in mind that once thawed, your breastmilk will need to be used within one day. NEVER REFREEZE HUMAN MILK! This is a huge contamination risk.
Here are a few tips to keep your breast milk fresh
- Wash your hands before preparing, pumping, or feeding any milk
- Keep milk stored as far back in fridge as you can- This allows the milk to stay as cool as possible
- Keep cans of powdered formula in a cabinet that you do not open as much – This helps to prevent spread of contaminants.
- Remind others to wash their hands when preparing your child’s milk or feeding your baby
- Double check expiration dates on formula, and educate caregivers to do the same
- Might sound funny but take an ounce of your pumped milk and let it sit out to spoil. Smell it and make a mental note of what it smells like. Before offering any feedings to your child, make sure to do the “smell test”
- If your child is refusing a feeding, do not force it. He might be rejecting the spoiled milk taste
- Do not freak out if you find that your child had spoiled milk, it happens! Wash out their mouth, and keep an eye out for fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. If symptoms continue, call your pediatrician.
Conclusion
Congratulations on your new baby! It is such a blessing, and I am so happy that you are educating yourself on what to expect. Preparation brings a level of confidence that is so important to new parents. Remember that you can always check out our BABY ACADEMY for all of our prenatal resources for new parents. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help!
Free Prenatal Class
Enjoy a free prenatal class from the comfort of your own home! This is a course that I wrote based on a decade of professional and personal experiences regarding everything from childbirth to newborn care. This is a self-paced course that you can watch anytime and anywhere you want! You can sign up HERE. I look forward to connecting with you! – Rachel
Exciting News!!
Did you know that many insurance plans include FREE prenatal and postnatal consultations? See if you qualify by filling out this form: INSURANCE AUTHORIZATION FORM. Consultations can be virtual, in home, or in office with no out of pocket costs.