Breast is Best?
10 - 16th May 2009 is National Breastfeeding Awareness Week. For new mums, breastfeeding can be a big issue.
We are often hearing that ‘breast is best’, and that there are positive health benefits for babies and mothers alike. The pressure on new mums to be able to breastfeed straight away can often be a bit overwhelming, and for many mums it can be quite a tricky thing to get to grips with. So, to help out, we’ve put together some great tips to help you and your baby achieve happy feeding.
1. Are you sitting comfortably?
Breastfeeding can take any amount of time from 10 minutes to 40 minutes, so get comfy, use cushions to support you and the baby if necessary and don’t be afraid to change your position if you need to.
2. What is the best position?
There are lots of ways you can position yourself and your baby. The important thing is to check that your baby’s head and body are in a straight line so that baby can easily swallow. Keep your baby close to you so that he/she doesn’t need to reach out or stretch to feed, and make sure that your baby’s nose / top lip is in line with your nipple.
3. Attaching baby
If your baby isn’t ‘attached’ properly, breastfeeding might feel uncomfortable or even painful. To improve this, you can try the following: Wait until baby’s mouth is really wide (you can encourage this by gently stroking the lips). Bring your baby to your breast, rather than move your breast to your baby. Aim the top of your nipple to the roof of your baby’s mouth so that your baby’s chin is resting against your breast.
4. Feeding time.
You can tell if your baby is attached properly when the sucking pattern changes from short sucks to long, rhythmic sucks with swallows. Remember that is normal for your baby to take short pauses when feeding. Don’t restrict the time your baby needs to feed, as they will naturally pull away from the breast (or fall asleep!) when they’ve had enough. If you need to remove your baby from your breast gently insert your finger into the mouth to release the suction.
5. Some final tips…
Your baby can feed more quickly if you are relaxed as this helps to improve your milk supply. The more you breastfeed your baby, the more milk you will produce (think supply and demand). Once you start feeding your baby other foods, your milk supply will start to decrease, so make sure that you keep feeding regularly if you want to continue breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding can take a while to get used to, so do persevere if you can as once you and your baby get the hang of it, it can become quite easy and straightforward. However if you are finding that you just can’t breastfeed (and lots of mums do struggle) don’t beat yourself up, there are places you can go to for help and support. If you would like to speak to someone about any aspect of breastfeeding, you can call the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212 or go to www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk
Written by Lindsey Sisk.
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