Breastfeeding is certainly a beautiful opportunity that many women are able to share with their newborn babies. It creates a special bond and love between a mother and a baby, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to do. A lot of women struggle when it comes to figuring out how to breastfeed. There are so many components and aspects to it and can be very overwhelming to a new mom when they are caring for a newborn. There are so many tips and tricks to breastfeeding a newborn but we’ve found 8 of them that are extremely important for having success the first few weeks after birth. If you’re about to have a baby, or are struggling with nursing your newborn, remember these tips so both you and baby can be more successful at it.
1. Take Care Of Yourself
One of the most important things about breastfeeding is taking care of your own body so you can properly take care of your baby and provide enough, healthy milk for your new baby. Be sure to drink plenty of water and eat healthy foods. Breastfeeding burns a lot of calories which will make you hungrier and thirstier than you normally are. That means you’ll need to drink and eat more than you normally do so that you have enough energy for yourself and your baby.
2. Look For Hunger Cues
It’s incredibly important to pay attention to your baby’s hunger cues. The last hunger cue is crying, so if your baby is crying for food, this is their last attempt at getting your attention and may be harder to get them to latch on and calm down when they’re crying. Your baby’s first signs of hunger will be turning their heads side to side, puckering their lips, and putting their fingers or hands in their mouths. If you see these, feed your baby as soon as possible. You don’t want them to escalate to crying because it’ll be harder for them to calm down to eat.
3. Avoid Pacifiers If You Can Until You’ve Mastered Breastfeeding
During the first few days of a newborns life and until they are really good at breastfeeding, you’ll want to avoid using pacifiers, if you can. Pacifiers can sometimes confuse a newborn because the nipple feels different from the mother’s nipple. They may get used to the pacifier nipple and may begin to like it and start to reject the mother’s breast. Though this will not happen to every baby that’s given a pacifier, it is a possibility, so just use caution.
Source: Mahalie Stackpole via Flickr
4. Breastfeed As Often As Possible The First Few Days
The first few days after a baby is born is crucial for a mother’s milk supply. There needs to be enough demand from a suckling baby in order for a mother’s milk to come in. The more your baby sucks at your breast the more milk your body will produce. It’s a classic supply and demand rule: the greater the demand, the greater the supply.
5. Correct The Latch If Needed
Breastfeeding works best and feels best for both mom and baby if the baby is latched correctly on the nipple. It’s important for you to bring your baby’s mouth to your breast, instead of the other way around. Make sure your baby’s mouth is open wide enough to get around your whole areola. If they only latch on the tip of your nipple, you’ll want to break the latch and start over. In order to break the latch, take your pinky finger and insert it between the side of your baby’s mouth and your nipple. If your baby doesn’t have a correct latch on your nipple, it will really be painful while your baby nurses.
6. Try To Relax
Baby’s feed off of our energy. They can sense our emotions like when we are stressed, anxious, or worried which will then cause them to feel the same. Just try to relax as much as possible, even if you’re having a hard time. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and try again. Don’t worry if you struggle with breastfeeding. You and your baby are getting to know each other and will soon understand how to work together to nurse correctly.
7. Hold Your Baby Near Your Chest As Much As Possible
For the first few weeks of your baby’s life you’ll want to hold them near your chest as much as possible. As you do this it will encourage your baby to nurse because they’ll be able to smell your hormones. If you can, do this bare chested so your baby has easy access to your breasts if they want. This comes back to the supply and demand principle. The more your baby nurses, the better your supply of milk will be.
Source: U.S. Department Of Agriculture via Flickr
8. Get Support And Help
Breastfeeding can be very confusing and very stressful. If you or your baby are struggling with how to do it, find a support group, read some books, or ask other mom’s for advice. The more you learn will help you to do it properly. Remember that nurses and doctors aren’t always experts on breastfeeding and if you’ve done everything they’ve told you to do and you’re still not having success, try contacting a lactation consultant or specialist. They may be able to give you a little more information or tips and tricks that will help you and your baby be successful at breastfeeding.
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Mary Mulroney
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