Getting off to a good start...

Here are the tips we share with new moms at my breastffeding support group.

Breastfeeding is natural but it doesn’t always come easily to a new mother and her newborn. The first few weeks can be challenging. Breastfeeding is nature’s way of ensuring that the new mother can rest after childbirth and bond with her new baby. You may have spent the last weeks of your pregnancy rushing around getting ready for baby, so it may be hard to then switch into a lower gear to adjust to breastfeeding. It will become clear to you that it really is a learned art. Don’t worry, it will get easier. It could also be easy for you right from the start! The first weeks your milk supply is still being established, your hormones are still all over the place, you are recovering from childbirth and adjusting to life as a new mother. Resting as much as possible during the first month is one of the best things you can do to help ease your way back into your (new) normal life. Soon enough your baby will grow, feedings will be farther apart as he becomes more efficient at nursing and the two of you will be out and about.

• Your milk can take up to 5 days to come in. Until that happens you will have colostrum. This is all your baby needs until the milk comes in. Nursing early (as soon as possible after delivery) and often will help keep your baby full, move out the meconium and bring your milk in sooner.

• Colostrum Facts: Colostrum and the mature milk that follows, nourish and protect the baby much as the placenta did during pregnancy. Colostrum is low in fat and carbohydrates and high in protein, which is precisely the nutrient balance that the baby requires in the first days. Colostrum is easy to digest and contains living cells that serve to protect the newborn against bacteria, viruses, and allergens. Colostrum actually coats the intestinal lining and prevents the absorption of substances that trigger allergies. The immune factors IgG and IgA are more concentrated in colostrum than in mature milk. These factors also serve to stimulate and enhance the baby's own immune system, and research suggests the benefits may last his entire life. Furthermore, colostrum acts as an effective laxative, flushing meconium from the intestines, taking bilirubin, the substance that causes jaundice, along with it. And colostrum does not suddenly disappear when the mature milk comes in; rather, the transition to mature milk takes place over the first two weeks.

• As much as possible, keep baby close to you, in your nightgown and next to your skin. Any newborn exams can be done in your room if baby is healthy and if you pre-selected a pediatrician before delivery. Avoid procedures that are not necessary or are painful to your baby that can affect the early days of breastfeeding. Keeping the baby close will help stimulate milk production and will be soothing for both of you.

• Skin-to-skin contact actually helps to stimulate prolactin, your milk-making hormone (Hurst 1997). As recommended in the 2005 policy issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), being together is good for both of you and will allow you to begin nursing on demand as soon as possible, which is most beneficial to your milk supply.

• There are unfortunately, still medical professionals who may recommend you nurse your baby every 2 hours or less. This type of scheduling feedings is based on formula feeding. Breastmilk is very different and digests faster than formula so breastfed babies feed more often. As you know, you will need to nurse your baby as often as he is interested in feeding. At the very least, this should be every two to three hours during the day and every four to five hours at night for a total of eight to 12 feedings every 24 hours. Most feedings usually last 20 to 40 minutes, but do not watch the clock during the feeding. When your baby is a newborn, especially during the first week, nursing sessions can sometimes seem to last so long that you barely have any time to get anything done before the next session begins. Before the mature milk comes in, some babies will nurse quite voraciously because they are hungry.


• There may be times in the early days of nursing where you feel like all you do is nurse, this is normal. Some babies may miss the umbilical cord! They may be nursing partly for comfort in the beginning and that’s OK, a newborn has been through birth and needs comfort to adjust to life. Helping a baby feel safe in the world is one of the biggest responsibilities we have as mothers, and it pays off, research shows that plenty of closeness and quick response to crying in the beginning of life leads to a more secure and independent child and adult.

• Even though it can seem like it at first, you will not always spend all of your time nursing. Remember that you are recovering from giving birth at this point and you need to rest. Breastfeeding is nature's way of ensuring that you do so.

• This is a very sensitive time in your life. You are physically and emotionally vulnerable. The last thing you need as you begin breastfeeding is to be near anyone who undermines your efforts by expressing doubts or criticism. Breastfeeding may be the biological norm, but in our society there are still people who are not comfortable being around a breastfeeding mother and baby, and these people may be even more likely to be critical if there are any questions about your milk supply. This lack of ease with breastfeeding stems from a lack of understanding and sometimes a mistaken view of the breast as only sexual. You deserve to have only positive support and encouragement now. You do not need any negativity that would undermine your confidence.

• During the first weeks of breastfeeding, nurturing your child, breastfeeding, and caring for yourself will be your most important responsibilities. Other obligations do not matter nearly as much. If you have older children, you will certainly need to focus on them, too, but your new baby's needs and your own needs are paramount right now. Your partner or another caregiver can help you tend to your older children's basic needs during this time.

• Staying in bed for the first few days is actually one of the best things you can do to get breastfeeding off to a good start. You can bring books and magazines or even a television set into your room, have drinks and snacks near the bed, and get up only to go to the bathroom and bathe. Spending concentrated time snuggling and nursing your baby whenever he wants will ensure the greatest possible milk supply. Tell everyone it is "doctor's orders" if you feel you need justification; many doctors instruct their postpartum patients to do just this, because even though you may feel happy and exhilarated, your body has just been through a great deal of physical exertion and it needs time to recuperate. If you do not take the time to rest and recuperate now, the next few months will be much harder for you, which could impact your milk supply.

• To have enough energy for nursing and baby care, you need nutritious meals, sufficient fluids, and a lot of sleep. Never skip a meal. In fact, try to have several nutritious snacks throughout the day in addition to regular meals. In general, the quantity and quality of your diet is more important for you than it is for your milk supply. Your body will make good milk for your baby even if your diet is less than ideal.

• It is not necessary to drink cow's milk. Some babies are sensitive to the proteins in cow's milk that may be present in their mother's milk and it is not at all essential for adults to drink milk. Mothers have sometimes been told that they must drink milk to make milk. This is not true; milk is made from the nutrients we take in from many sources, not from drinking the milk of another species. Adult cows certainly do not drink milk and are able to lactate quite sufficiently.

• When you are in doubt as to why your baby is fussing, try offering the breast. He won’t eat if he’s not hungry and you can’t overfeed with breast milk. Building your supply in the beginning makes it important to nurse very often.

• If your nipples are sore from nursing often, try to let them air out and apply lanolin at every other feeding. Please call your local La Leche Leader for suggestions if you experience pain or have any questions in the first weeks of breastfeeding.

Source: La Leche League International