6 top breastfeeding tips
By Jada Shapiro, boober founder, and Lactation Counselor.
Breastfeeding: As a parent-to-be, youāre looking forward to the experience of connecting with your newborn this way. But youāve also heard itās going to hurt. Youāve been told that cracked, bleeding nipples, soreness, and anxiety about milk supply are all in your near future. Maybe you already experienced those things the first time around. But the truth is, pain and suffering do not have to be part of the breastfeeding equation. In fact, cracked, bleeding nipples and soreness are all signs that you need to tweak something in order to make the breastfeeding experience betterāmuch betterāfor both you and your baby. Pain and damaged nipples should not be considered the norm.
Arming yourself with a few key concepts ahead of time can help you get breastfeeding off to the best start possible, minimizing pain and increasing the likelihood of a good supply. In the spirit of getting you and your baby off to a great start, here are six top breastfeeding strategies for new parents!
1) Learn the basics of breastfeeding before you have the baby:
Take a prenatal breastfeeding class or read a breastfeeding book. Anything you can do to learn the very basics will help you feel more confident when you have your baby.
2) Understand how breastmilk production works:
Breastmilk production is linked to how often your baby suckles. Let your baby suckle 8-15 times per 24 hours in the first three days. It seems crazy, but itās trueānewborns will suckle up to 15 times per day. Your first milk is called colostrum, and it comes in tiny amounts. Nothing produces more concern in the new mom than worrying that she doesnāt have enough milkāand who can blame her?
Letās rename colostrum ānewborn milk.ā Those tiny amounts are all your baby needs. Newborn milk is thick, sticky, and yellowishāitās rich with antibodies, and very laxative in order to help the newborn pass its first stool (called meconium). Your baby will only consume 1-2 tablespoons in the first 24 hours! Newborn Milk becomes Mature Milk by Day 3, or in 72 hours, in most cases. This milk is the whitish, flowing, liquid substance you are more familiar with.
A good latch ensures a good milk supply. Pain is a sign of a poor latchāand a poor latch means you are likely to produce less milk. With a good latch, the babyās mouth is wide open, the baby takes a big amount of breast tissue in the mouth, the lips are flanged, and the nipple is not compressed. A lactation professional can help you with your latch.
3) Give breastfeeding/chestfeeding some time early on:
Ask your care provider ahead of timeāand your nurse in the momentāif you can have your baby placed on your chest immediately after giving birth for skin-to-skin (if all is medically well), and ask if you can delay newborn procedures so they donāt interfere with initial breastfeeding.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends that babies be placed in direct skin-to-skin contact right after the birth to help with breastfeeding. The AAP also recommends that newborn medical procedures (such as eye ointment, weigh-in, and a Vitamin K shot) should not interfere with motherās breastfeeding.
4) Ask for a visit from the hospital or birth center Lactation Consultant:
There is no substitute for live, in-person help when it comes to the sometimes complex dance that is breastfeeding. Hire a private lactation support professional if your hospital isnāt equipped to offer you one-on-one help or if you are feeling pain or uncertainty. These visits are often covered by insurance.
5) Avoid bottles and pacifiers in the early days of breastfeeding unless medically indicated:
Remember, although it may feel like you donāt have enough milk in the first 24-72 hours, your colostrum is typically all the baby needs, unless you have been told otherwise by your doctor. Bottles are much easier for babies to suck from than breasts. Once your baby knows how to breastfeed, going to a bottle is no problem. But moving the other way around is much more difficult! Bottles donāt make babies open their mouths as wide as they need to for breastfeeding. Bottle-learned mouth positioning can cause pain for the mother as well as poor milk transfer.
As soon as breastfeeding is well-established, the baby can easily go from breast to bottle. Early supplementation with a bottle can lead to the birthing parent to making less milk, simply because the breasts are not being stimulated enough. In most cases, breastfeeding just works right off the batāand thatās a beautiful thing.
But if you are experiencing pain and nipple irritation early on, my last tip is to place a call to a professional lactation support person. Iāve seen firsthand how quickly a one-hour consultation can turn a freaked-out mom into a breastfeeding pro. āNo pain, no gainā is a truism that definitely does not apply to breastfeeding, as pain is very likely a sign that something isnāt right.
6) Donāt judge yourself:
The most important thing is that you feed your baby, one way or another. Every parent has to decide for themselves what is the best way to feed, parent, and nurture their child. Be gentle with yourself as you work on breastfeeding. And if it hurts, get help!
Jada Shapiro is a mother and the founder of boober and Birth Day Presence. This piece on breastfeeding was written for the LA Baby Show.