How to breastfeed, a beginners guide. So today I am going to begin the journey of baring my breastfeeding woes and wonders! I have so many of your questions to answer. But don’t panic! All I will do in good time within my various breastfeeding blogs!. Alternatively, if you have a question, just ask! Yes, I’m happy to help if I can. But first off, how to breastfeed. A beginners guide. Soon you will be learning new skills, like weaning, potty training… And oh how the list goes on!
Is breastfeeding hard?
The most common question when it comes to breastfeeding is how hard is it? In truth, I found it very easy with not getting up to heat bottles during the night. Quick weight-loss post-baby. And it’s FREE! From my discussions with other mothers, the difficulty seems to come from the lack of support to get started. And for me the lack of knowledge on how to stop!
When does breast milk start?
Well, me in my infinite lack of wisdom! I believed my baby would arrive and instantly I would begin gushing fountains of glorious milk from my nipples. However, the milkman clearly missed his round why my baby was born! And, nobody thought to tell me it would take 3 days for the stuff to arrive!
So, there we were, for the first 3 days, my husband and I learning to milk me like a cow. My boobs weren’t playing ball. What’s more, the overworked, miserable post-delivery maternity ward midwives really didn’t help matters. If it wasn’t for my stubborn determination, I would have quickly thrown in the bottle. Excuse the pun!
Breastfeeding problems
I was (unhelpfully) pushed around, my baby removed from me and repositioned by grumpy nurses. A diagrammatical book thrown at me. It wasn’t later that evening, we closed the curtains. We shewed the midwives away and finally began to make progress. How romantic!?… as my husband sat milking me. And low and behold, my superman managed to squeeze out a millilitre of golden ore!
Yes, it was a man, my husband who worked out how to get the first precious drops of colostrum. From then on we Googled and taught ourselves. I systematically encouraged my baby to feed every couple of hours to help us both get to grips with it. Shutting my cubicle curtain, away from the interfering midwives.
Breastfeeding tip 1: Milk yourself!
I was terrified my baby wasn’t getting enough milk. So we asked for a little cup and tiny syringes and every two hours, we milked 5 to 7mls of colostrum into the cup then syringed them to my babies mouth. A newborn babies stomach is the size of a cherry so 5mls is all it needs in the first few days. After each syringe, we would then allow her to practice latching and taking milk for herself.
Breastfeeding tip 2: Position matters
We were lucky to also meet a breastfeeding nurse (albeit on the 24 hours after she was born). She showed me many different positions to hold my baby to help her find a better latch. Some you can find on the Woman’s Health Website under “What are some typical breastfeeding holds?”. For my baby, the laid back hold was the only way she could properly latch her the first week in the world. However, she quickly gained new skills and could latch in many positions.
Top breastfeeding starter tips:
- Don’t let midwives knock your confidence: whilst feeding my baby in my successful laid back hold, a midwife came into my cubicle and tried to rearrange her. I had to be strong and say no. It’s your baby. Do what is right for you both. And allow others to overwhelm you.
- Express your colostrum: in 3 to 4 days when your milk comes in, you’ll be laughing! But for the 1st few days, learn to squeeze milk from your nipples into a sterile dish and syringe feed your baby. Your baby will be getting more milk than you think from trying to latch.
- Concerns baby isn’t getting enough: you will know quickly if your baby isn’t getting enough milk. It’s very common for babies learning to latch to get what’s known as “brick dust” or “urate crystals” in nappies. A red powder in the nappy. This quickly disappears with complimenting feeds with your syringes.
- Skin to skin: this is the prime time to keep bonding with your babe and practice feeding.
- Try many different positions: just because one way isn’t working, doesn’t mean you can’t breastfeed. You can. What did women do in prehistoric days before bottles for goodness sake? You can do it, just have patience and try to relax.
- Enjoy the learning: relax. It’s only normal to feel overwhelmed. Try to relax and let nature do its thing.
Whatever feeding route you take. Just remember, no matter what, you’ll be a great mum! Enjoy it!