Breastfeeding Basics: Getting Breastfeeding off to a Good Start!
To provide the very best food for a newborn, mothers should seriously consider breastfeeding as an option. A record number of new moms are breastfeeding their babies. Research indicates that breastfeeding in the United States has reached an all-time high, finding 70% of new moms nursing their newborns. That is great news! The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding as the sole source of nutrition for infants for about the first six months, and breastfeeding in combination with solid foods through at least twelve months.
Breast milk is the ideal food for a baby’s digestive system; even a newborn can easily digest all of breast milk’s components: lactose, protein, and fat. Unlike formula, breast milk contains live cells and antibodies. Breast milk contains the vitamins and minerals that a newborn needs. There are a myriad of benefits that come only from mother’s milk. Did you know that breastfeeding can reduce the number of visits to the doctor’s office due to illness and reduce the chance of developing juvenile diabetes and digestive disorders?
To get off to a good start, ask your nurse to assist you with breastfeeding shortly after delivering your baby. After delivery, your breasts produce a substance called colostrum, a yellowish fluid that gives your newborn all the critical nutrition and antibodies for the first few days until your milk comes in.
The way your baby latches on is one of the most important parts of successful breastfeeding. While staying in the hospital, have a lactation consultant observe your nursing technique to make sure your baby is latching on properly. A lactation consultant can also show you a variety of breastfeeding positions such as the popular cradle hold or even the football or cross-cradle hold. When your baby is latched on properly, he will have a wide mouth opened to take as much of the areola as possible, sucking rhythmically and swallowing regularly once your milk has let down.
Nurse your baby frequently, usually every 2 to 3 hours in the first few weeks, encouraging proper milk production and making sure your baby is getting enough milk. Let your baby finish on the first breast before switching to the second one. The milk at the end is called the hind milk, containing more fat and calories than the initial milk. Let your baby, not the clock, determine the length of feeding. At the beginning, your baby may seem satisfied after the first breast and will not latch onto the second breast. Don’t worry, just begin nursing with your other breast at the next feeding. Some women attach a safety pin to their bra on the side they should start nursing on next time, in order to remember.
Learning to breastfeed takes a great deal of time and practice for both mommy and baby. Don’t be discouraged if, at first, breastfeeding seems challenging. It is just like riding a bike, once you learn you will be off and running. Nursing is worth it!