How To Breastfeed
Breastfeeding is the best food for newborn. It provides benefits for both mother and baby. For mother, it allows losing her pregnancy weight faster and easily. For baby, it's easily digestible, healthier, improves IQ and provides immunity against infections and illnesses.
For a good start, breastfeeding should be established in early days of giving birth that might be crucial for some mothers. According to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation, you should breastfeed your baby within the first thirty minutes of life. Because the baby knows what he/she is doing? Also early days of pregnancy are very important as breasts secrete thin cloudy yellow substance called colostrum. This colostrum is of enormous value as it gives protection against diseases that lasts for few months.
How you allow the baby to latch on is the most important thing in instructions on how to breastfeed your baby. To many lactation consultants, it’s the only thing.
Sit so that your back has support and is straight. Your lap is flat and you can use a pillow to support your baby. Baby should be preferably held somewhat upright. Baby should be almost at 45 degree angle when breastfeeding in lying position. Try to keep the baby facing toward you and its great time to do little talking with him/her as all babies love that.
Keep the fingers off the areola while holding your breast. To support heavier breasts, use four fingers under the breast and thumb on top. Make the lower part of areola touch baby’s lips and baby opens mouth automatically. When baby opens mouth widely move him/her closer quickly to your body. Baby’s chin and lower lip should touch the nipple first and with this the proper latching on is achieved. If the baby doesn’t latch on properly, he might be hurting mothers’ nipple and this often results in soreness of nipples and other breastfeeding problems. View our page Breastfeeding Problems for more details.
How long to breastfeed baby? Usually 15 minutes for each feeding are required but baby comes off by themselves when they have already enough. After feeding is finished, your baby should be relaxed and so are you. The breasts work under “demand and supply” mechanism. If your baby wants more, your breasts produce more but if you still feel that your baby is not getting enough, consult the lactation pediatrician for help.
When and How to stop breastfeeding is the question that every mother needs answer to. It’s a tricky process too. As the baby grows older the bond between you and baby grows older too and your effort to discontinue breast feed can upset him/her. Stop breast feeding only if the baby is in good health. Baby should be at least six months old to stop breastfeeding. Switch over to solid foods reducing breast feeding gradually.
If you have plans to adopt a baby, you must first learn how to breast feed an adopted baby. This is much different from natural breastfeeding as your breasts are not producing milk in case of adopted baby. If you know in advance which time you get the baby you can always start the consultant to start your treatment for breast milk production. Treatment is combination of estrogen and progesterone plus domperidone which allow milk production. Pumping the breast milk stimulates breasts and increase milk production.
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