Breastfeeding 101
The following is a summary of advice from professional consultants, breastfeeding support groups, best selling books and, of course, the internet.
When to feed
Babies are amazing! They can’t speak but they can let you know when they want food. So watch for your baby’s cues and be sure to get them on the breast before they get too hungry. Feeding cues include yawning, looking from side to side, grunting, moving arms, moving legs, licking lips, opening the eyes, closing the eyes, inhaling and exhaling.
You’ll know your baby is getting enough by the number of dirty nappies. A good rule of thumb is: if you can’t fit anything else in your day other than feeding and nappy changing, you’re feeding enough.
It’s impossible to overfeed a breastfed baby. Just when you think they couldn’t possibly be hungry again, they are. Just when you think you might pass the child to you husband while you pour yourself a healthy glass of wine, you’ll hear the whimper, that fateful snort and then “Honey… I think she wants to feed.” You may be tempted to tell your husband to Please God Just Try And Distract Her For Five Minutes — but don’t withhold food from your precious baby! That would be cruel.
That said, take care to avoid creating a “snacking” habit in which your baby feeds for only a few minutes at a time. This can prevent your baby from getting enough milk at each “meal” and makes it difficult for the breasts to properly drain — which can lead to blocked ducts and mastitis (more on that in a minute!).
Where to feed
Skin to skin contact is the best way to bond with your baby while feeding. Also, wearing a bra could cause mastitis. So spend the money you might have spent on fancy nursing clothes on privacy blinds for all the windows in your house (and plan to just stay at home for the time being). Embrace the topless lifestyle! Just don’t forget to drape something over your non-active nipple when feeding to protect it from getting clawed by your baby’s surprisingly sharp fingernails.
It’s important to relax when you’re feeding. Don’t lean forward or use your arms or you will strain your muscles. Create a cocoon of pillows and blankets to support the baby’s head and neck, as well as your arms and feet. If you were planning on getting off the sofa, you may want to postpone.
Breastfeeding should be comfortable. If your not comfortable having tiny gums vigorously suck and micro-bite your nipple, you’re probably doing something wrong. But it’s ok! You’re learning. After 6–12 weeks, the pain will subside. Until then, feed your baby as often as possible.
How much to feed
The female body is miraculous! The breast-feeding mother and her infant operate as a symbiotic unit, in which the breasts provide exactly what the baby needs — unless there is too little or too much.
If you think you have too little, you probably don’t! Just feed more!
If you think you have too much, you definitely do. Engorgement is a painful and common condition when the breasts swell with an oversupply of milk. If left unresolved, this can cause mastitis. The best remedy is to feed more! However, engorged breasts are usually too swollen for baby to latch onto, so you can also try wearing hot and cold compresses before and after each feed and/or smashed cabbage leaves. (If you planned on eating, showering or sleeping, you may want to reschedule for a later date.) You can also pump to relieve the pressure, but this can create a vicious cycle where your body thinks it needs to produce even more milk to meet the demand of the pump so… your call.
If you have too much milk, you will likely also have what is known as a “fast let down” which will lead to your baby experiencing what is known as “fire-hosing.” When this happens, after a few minutes of a gulping feed that will prepare them for boat racing* in university, they will spit up a fire hose of their own — which will also prepare them for boat racing in university. (*Boat racing in the pub that is, as opposed to racing actual boats, just to be clear.)
An oversupply can also result in blocked milk ducts which feel like passing a kidney stone through the blood vessels of your boob (and also can lead to mastitis). To unclog yourself, lean over your baby while feeding so gravity can help the milk flow consistently. You should also aggressively press on the area that is the most sore. Lastly, of course, feed your baby as often as possible.
You can do it!
Trust your instincts. Don’t listen to other people’s advice (other than this article). Women have been feeding their babies since the dawn of time and no one knows your baby better than you. So just shove your boob into that little mouth in the way that feels most natural. Your heart will guide you through the rest.
FAQs
HOW CAN I GET A “GOOD LATCH”?
The most reliable way to achieve a Five Star Premium Latch is to feed immediately after birth in the “golden hour” and, subsequently, as often as possible in the first few days. Although you may be a bit knackered after Lord knows how many hours of labour and delivery, these early feeds are critical — not only for the baby to get the hang of the whole latching business, but also to establish the all important Milk Supply — which musn’t be f*ed with (lest you end up with too little or too much >> mastitis etc).
WHY IS MY BABY PUNCHING MY BOOB AND TRYING TO TEAR MY NIPPLE OFF?
Ha! As a matter of fact, “kneading” and tugging” are very natural and your baby’s way of telling the breast to “Pump out more juice pronto!” To help your baby, try squeezing the boob to give the flow a wee boost (think SqueezIts).
SHOULD I FEED MY BABY TO SLEEP?
Feeding your baby to sleep is controversial. Some say it’s the best way to form a loving and trusting relationship with your child. Others believe it will inevitably lead to your child living at home well into their 30s. You will likely find that, other than codeine or zero-stopping car journeys, it is the only way to get the creature to sleep — codependency be damned.
SHOULD I BURP MY BABY?
The wonderful thing about breastfeeding is that breastfed babies don’t need to be burped. Unlike with a manmade bottle, babies can instinctively control the flow of milk from the nipple (except in the case of Fire Hosing). However, they will often scream bloody murder after feeding until they burp so… maybe actually they would like to be burped. To help them, gently pat their back while holding them with a muslin cloth over your shoulder. This will guarantee that they spit up on anything and everything but the muslin. (No baby has ever successfully spit up on a muslin.)
HOW CAN I SOOTHE SORE NIPPLES?
Again, embrace the topless lifestyle. If the need to be topless all the time makes you feel cooped up at home, consider joining a nudist colony. You can also try nipple shields which are little silicone sombreros for your areola. Put them on by getting them slightly wet, turning them slightly inside out and suctioning them to your skin. This requires a similar level of dexterity to putting a condom on someone else (including working under the pressure of someone eagerly waiting for you to complete the task so you both can proceed with the main event). So if you’ve previously struggled in that department, don’t waste your money on nipple shields.
In summary
- Feed as often as possible, but beware of creating a snacking habit.
- Lean back, unless you’re dealing with reflux or blocked ducts — in which case sit up or lean forward.
- Trust your gut, but BEWARE OF MASTITIS.
And when it all feels too painful/frustrating/impossible, take cold comfort in the knowledge that — much like the joys of pregnancy and labour — millions of women past and present have gone through the same thing.
Seriously — how fucking incredible are women?
