It is recommended that women who don't have any health problems should try to give their babies breast milk
for at least the first six months of life. Breast feeding offers many benefits to the baby; breast milk contains the right
balance of nutrients to help your infant grow into a strong and healthy toddler. Some of the nutrients in breast milk also
help protect your infant against some common childhood illnesses and infections. Also it is said that breast feeding helps
you to loose that pregnancy wobbly belly, a good enough reason to try for us, even if there were no health benifits for the
baby.
The most important period in establishing breastfeeding is the first week. The earliest days are the hardest,
but with a little knowledge you can do it! The earlier you put the baby to the breast, the earlier the breast milk should
come. The breasts work by "supply and demand". In the first few hours and days your breasts produce a thin, cloudy, yellow
substance called colostrum and it is of enormous value to your baby. There is absolutely no substitute for colostrum in doing
good for your baby. It gives him or her protection against disease that will last for several months. Don't let it go to waste!
Technique
During the early days the nipple is getting used to being taken into baby's mouth and baby is learning how
to feed from the nipple. It's important for both of you to be relaxed and comfortable; you may be feeding for an hour or so.
A baby may not yet know how to open his or her mouth widely enough. If this happens, you can squeeze out a little milk from
your breast, open baby's mouth with your clean finger, and put a little milk in to start baby off. Wait for the baby's mouth
to open, then guides the breast in - not just the nipple. To suck properly, the baby squeezes the area behind the nipple with
his or her whole mouth. When the baby finishes sucking the first breast, put your finger into the baby's mouth to release
the sucking, and offer the other breast. And next feed, start the other way round. When the baby has had enough, he or she
will just usually fall asleep.
It is important to use both breast equally as the child’s sucking stimulate the
milk production. Each time you feed, you should stay on one breast until it feels empty that is usually at least ten to fifteen
minutes. This is because the milk that comes at the end of a feed is much richer and more satisfying.
How often to feed
There are varying schools of thought on how often to feed, on demand or at a set time usually evey four hoursthe
choice is yours, if you choose to feed on demand there are sign to pick up on before they cry with hunger. Look out for them
putting a finger in the mouth, and turning the head from side to side looking for the breast. You will soon see the signs
and avoid the tears. It can be very tiring to feed on demand many women say they now know how a cow feels but some people
feel it is beneficial as it keeps milk supplies strong. But expressing milk and storing it in the fridge for some one else
to feed can help to alleviate this feeling and allow you the freedom to get on with other things in you life. Expressing the
milk will allow you to leave the baby either to go out or to go back to work. If you experience problems whilst feeding try
reading problems in breast feeding it may help.
It is best to avoid too much alcohol when you are brest feeding as it may affect the babies feeding,sleeping
or digestion
Note: It is quite common for breastfeeding mothers to experience vaginal dryness, resulting in a difficulty
having sexual intercourse. It may be almost impossible for some mothers if the dryness is extreme. The dryness is related
to the increase in the breastfeeding hormone prolactin, and it is not a permanent problem. It is argued by some that it is
nature contraceptive but in this day and age we have other ways of doing that so it is easy to buy product from the chemist
to alleviate the symptoms if you feel ready to resume sexual contact.
