By, about, and for breastfeeding mums
Establishing Your Milk Supply
In today’s society, many women have never seen anyone nurse a baby. If possible, attend a prenatal breastfeeding class. Just seeing other mothers happily nursing their babies in a relaxed environment can help boost your confidence level to establishing your milk supply. To establishing your milk supply there are good basic reference books: The Complete Book of Breastfeeding, Nursing Your Baby, The Nursing Mother’s Companion, and Nursing Mother, Working Mother. Each baby is unique, and so each nursing experience will be different. Put your baby to the breast as soon as possible after birth, while his sucking instincts are strongest to establishing your milk supply. Nurse often to establishing your milk supply. Newborns usually need to nurse 10-12 times or more in 24 hours. The more he nurses, the sooner your milk will come in, and the more milk your body will produce. If you are separated from your baby after birth, or if he doesn’t nurse well, use a hospital or professional grade pump (015 Classic, 016 Lactina Select, or Pump In Style) to stimulate and maintain your milk supply.
Nurse for comfort as well as nourishment to establishing your milk supply. Plan to spend most of your time nursing in the early weeks to establishing your milk supply. Babies nurse for lots of reasons, and they are all valid. Don’t be afraid to use the breast as a pacifier to establishing your milk supply – it works, makes your baby happier, builds your milk supply, and forces you to stop and rest. If friends and family members want to help, let them take care of you while you take care of the baby to establishing your milk supply.
Offer both breasts at a feeding to establishing your milk supply. Many babies will only take one breast at a feeding once your milk supply is well established, especially if you have a plentiful milk supply, but in the beginning, you need to stimulate both breasts.
Don’t be surprised if your baby ‘cluster feeds’. For most babies, this means nursing at least 8 times in 24 hours. However, if your baby has regained his birth weight by day 3, there is no reason to set your alarm and wake him up every 2 hours to nurse. Remember that the mythical “average” baby doesn’t really exist.
Avoid artificial nipples and supplemental feeding during the early weeks of nursing. While some babies switch back and forth from breast to bottle easily from the first day, many babies will become nipple confused if you introduce artificial nipples before they have mastered the art of breastfeeding.
Most babies will lose some weight in the first couple of days after birth – the average seven and a half pound baby will lose about 7% of his birth weight, or around 8 ounces.
Babies don’t need water, even when it is hot outside. Human milk contains plenty of water.
Formula takes longer to digest than breastmilk, so your baby stays full longer and is less likely to nurse as often as he needs to stimulate your supply. See the article on “Introducing Bottles and Pacifiers to the Breastfed Baby” for detailed information on alternate feeding methods such as cup, syringe, tube, or finger feeding.
Make sure that your baby is latched on correctly and is nursing effectively. Learn signs of effective, nutritive nursing. Some babies will stay on the breast for long periods of time, but will ‘flutter suck’ ineffectively in their sleep, and won’t get the milk they need or supply you with the stimulation to produce more.
Learn how to tell if your baby is getting enough milk. Once your milk comes in, you will produce transitional milk – a mixture of colostrum and mature milk, which may be yellowish and creamy looking. During the next week or so, less and less colostrum is produced, and by the time your baby is two weeks old, mature milk has replaced the transitional milk and no more colostrum is produced. Even if you only nurse your baby for a few days or a couple of weeks, you are still providing him with important immune factors.
During your 48-hour hospital stay, your baby will alternate between sleeping and nursing. Babies even suck their fingers in utero. The most important thing is that you make sure your baby gets enough to eat while lowering your stress level, enjoying your baby, getting your strength back, and continuing nursing. If you have been feeding every 1-2 hours around the clock, and your baby doesn’t go any longer stretches than that in 24 hours, consult a Lactation Consultant if this pattern continues longer than a few days.
Know When to Ask for Help
· Your baby is not latching on well, or nursing just doesn’t “feel right”.
· Your baby is sleepy and hard to wake up for feedings. He is nursing less than 8 times in 24 hours.
Remember that nearly all breastfeeding problems can be solved if you are strongly committed to nursing your baby, and you receive advice and encourage from a knowledgeable breastfeeding professional.
Menu:
design by nita kusuma dewi