Hey guys so today I am lucky enough to have another guest post for you all, but this time it is from Veronica who writes My Parenting Journey, and she is here to talk to you all about Breastfeeding. As a long term breastfeeder myself you all know I am pretty passionate about breastfeeding, and combined feeding so when Veronica asked if I would like a breastfeeding tips post for my readers I jumped at the chance.
So enough of me over to Veronica…
Hi! My name is Veronica Mitchell. I am a mother to two adorable little girls and a handsome little boy. I spend my days caring from my children, packing lunches, reading aloud, kissing boo-boos, and working as the Chief Editor of MyParentingJourney.
Breastfeeding your baby can be one of the best experiences, but it can also be one of the hardest challenges you face during the first year. Many mothers struggle with self-doubt, lack of support, and stress while breastfeeding. It doesn’t have to be so stressful! With a few helpful tips, new moms and moms-to-be can start off on the right foot and have a great breastfeeding experience.
1. Be Prepared to Nurse Often
Breastfeeding often scares mothers away because they quickly realize that babies want to nurse often. During cluster feeding, your child might nurse every hour, but those times don’t last forever. It is frustrating when you want to take a break and get a shower.
Unlike formula feeding, breastfed babies tend to eat more often, typically every two to three hours. Breast milk digests faster and easier. The first six weeks are the hardest when babies want to breastfeed frequently. Over time, the time between sessions does stretch out. Until that time, be prepared to spend a lot of time on the couch or recliner nursing and watching Netflix.
2. Check His Latch
Your baby’s latch onto the breast can make your experience wonderful or horrible. The horror stories you hear about cracked and bleeding nipples often come from bad latches.
Before birth, make sure you do some reading! Learn about what a good latch looks like, and different nursing positions so that you feel more comfortable when the time comes to nurse your child. Make sure your baby’s lips are never sucked under; they must be flanged outwards like a duck. Also, your baby should have the area around your nipple in his mouth as well.
3. Identify Lip and Tongue Ties
More and more parents realize that their babies are born with a lip or tongue tie. Some babies have a tongue and a lip tie. Ties make breastfeeding harder for mom and baby. The baby has limited lip or tongue movement. With lip ties, babies are unable to flange out their lips, and tongue ties don’t allow babies to curl their tongues. In both situations, latching is troublesome.
Your pediatrician or lactation consultant should be able to tell you if your child has a tie. If the tie doesn’t affect your child’s ability to breastfeed properly, most doctors will leave the ties alone. However, if your baby struggles to gain weight or to latch, your doctor might recommend clipping the ties.
4. Find a Good Lactation Consultant
A good lactation consultant (LC) is gold for a new mother learning how to breastfeed. Your LC should be a wealth of information for you. You should be able to meet your LC several times to verify that your baby has a good latch. If your baby is struggling to gain weight, an LC will be able to come up with a plan to get your child back on track.
Before you have your baby, check to see if your hospital has LCs on staff. If not, you might want to arrange for an LC to visit with you in the hospital the day of or day after birth. You want to get started on the right foot with breastfeeding.
Check with your insurance as well. Many insurances cover LC visits! Even better, check to see if you can find a pediatrician locally that also is an IBCLC. They aren’t as common in the United States, but your pediatrician can double as your LC.
5. Stop Stressing about Your Supply
The biggest tip is to stop worrying about your milk supply. If you are breastfeeding on demand and feeding your baby when she shows signs of hunger, chances are your supply is fine. It can be stressful because we cannot see how much milk our baby drinks.
Instead, you have to depend on other factors. Before you freak out and decide to supplement (which can decrease your supply), think about these factors.
- Is your baby producing the correct number of wet and dirty diapers each day? Most pediatricians say 8 to 12 diapers per day.
- Is your baby gaining weight appropriately? If so, then your supply is fine!
Don’t let other things tell you otherwise. If you struggle to pump, that doesn’t mean you don’t have milk! If you don’t leak, be happy you don’t have to wear breast pads. If your breasts don’t feel engorged, be happy that you don’t have that discomfort.
Remember, growth spurts and cluster feeding is normal. Allow your baby to breastfeed as often as he wants to ensure your supply is accurate. Avoid supplementing because breastfeeding is a supply and demand system. If you supplement with formula and don’t pump, your body has no idea you need it to make more milk. It is a hard cycle to break.
Cherish this time with your baby. Breastfeeding is beautiful, and you are providing the best nourishment for your baby.
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