Breastfeeding is the best nutrition for babies because it has all the nutrients that a baby needs, plus the mother’s antibodies to help fight off disease. Also, breastfeeding helps relieve pain from engorged breasts after birth and provides mother and child with quality bonding time.
These breastfeeding tips should give you the best breastfeeding help that you need:
o Start Breastfeeding ASAP
One of the most emphasized breastfeeding tips is to start breastfeeding your baby ASAP, preferably within 24 hours after giving birth. If you’re concerned that you haven’t produced adequate milk yet or that your breasts feel swollen and tender, the only thing that would help is to start breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the only major way to initiate milk production and relieve breast engorgement and pain. So generally, the best breastfeeding help you can get is from your own baby!
o Be Patient and Continue Breastfeeding
Possess the most useful attitude all throughout the breastfeeding period-patience. The first weeks of breastfeeding will be difficult. Your baby, used to being fed 24 hours before birth, may need to be fed frequently for the first few weeks. The breastfeeding tip? Be patient and ready to feed your baby around the clock. Soon, you and your baby will adjust to a feeding schedule that works for both of you.
o Don’t Stop Breastfeeding
The most difficult breastfeeding tip is probably this, because time will come when you feel like stopping and switching to bottle-feeding instead. You may want to return to work or your baby doesn’t like to breastfeed anymore. Continue to breastfeed even when you’re working by learning how to express your milk. Sometimes, your baby stops breastfeeding when it notices something different about you or your milk, i.e. a different smell. Pinpoint and revert these changes so your baby will go back to breastfeeding.
o Avoid Changing Habits
Anything you eat or do may affect your breast milk. So, smoking or drinking can affect the contents of your breast milk and your baby will notice it. So, another breastfeeding tip to take seriously is to avoid eating or doing something that you don’t want to pass on to your baby because either your baby will get ill or will refuse to breastfeed.
o Express and Store Your Milk When You Won’t Be Around to Breastfeed
The best breastfeeding tip when you won’t be around is to express your milk into a clean container and freeze it. Label it with the date and time you stored it. Breast milk can be stored in the refrigerator for 48 hours and up to 3 months in a freezer with a separate door. When de-frosting, put it in the refrigerator for several hours or under cool running water. Never leave breast milk to thaw in room temperature and never refreeze it again. Never use your microwave to warm breast milk and throw out any remaining milk that your baby doesn’t drink.
o Never Use a Rubber Nipple to Feed Expressed Breast Milk
When feeding expressed breast milk to your baby, use a spoon or a cup and never a rubber nipple. There’s a huge difference between the nipple and a rubber nipple that your baby will get used to if you expose him/her to it. A spoon or a cup will not satisfy the baby’s need to suck, so your baby will eagerly go back to breastfeeding when you’re available. Do the same when your baby refuses to breastfeed (which happens when your baby is sick or has sensed some changes) so your baby will go back to normal breastfeeding when s/he is ready.
o Seek Instructions from Health Professionals
Most mothers will benefit greatly from the breastfeeding help they can get from health professionals, such as a doctor, public health nurse, or breastfeeding counselor. They will teach you the correct way of breastfeeding, more breastfeeding tips and other important details that you need to know.
