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Hang ups on breastfeeding
- Nov 11, 2007 at 11:21 PM
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- Comments (7) Total Views (339) Everyone can see this journal post.
Check out this site for a latching video
www. ameda.com
On the bottom right hand corner is a video you should watch. It give you a visual about how far in the nipple should be going. Watch how the nipple rolls into the baby's mouth. It isn't the open and shove technique anymore. See how the bottom lip is pulled down and more of the bottom of the areola is in the baby's mouth compared to the top part. These are key points to nursing. You shouldn't feel any pain or biting on the nipple. Just tugging and you will be sore from just getting use to the nursing. BUT NO BLEEDDING OR CRACKING. IF this happens. Baby isn't properly attached.
What alot of breastfeeding moms get hung up on is not being able to see how much baby is getting. We are visual people. Not seeing make us unsure of what we are giving our babies.
SOOO Here is the visual aid for you guys.
The first 24 hrs of nursing your babies. Your baby is only going to get 1/2 TEASPOON of colostrum with each nursing. That is right only 1/2 teaspoon.
Your baby's tummy is no bigger then their fist when they are born.
They can only hold so much.
Nursing your babies A LOT while in the hospital will help bring in your milk faster.
When nursing your babies. Nurse them for 30-45 mins on ONE breast.
Then two hours later nurse them again on the other breast for 30-45 mins again.
If they seem hungry because they are rooting or crying. Put them back to your breast.
It is ok for baby to use you for a pacifier as long as they have GOOD LATCH. It won't hurt you or the baby. It is stimulating your breast to get your milk in.This is great.
I alway hear that my baby is sooo hungary. He may be, but that is what a newborn tendencies are. They make sucking noises and rooting. Put them back on your breast and try to feed him.
If you give a newborn baby(1-3days old) a bottle because you think he is SOOO hungary and he drinks a full ounce or more of formula and it makes you feel better because you can see that he drank that much. You are doing yourself/baby a disservice. By doing that you have just allowed your baby to eat the equivalent of a Vegas Buffet. Babies are like cows. They will eat until they are so stuffed. They don't know when to stop eating at this young of age. If the bottle holds 2 ounces and you let them,they will eat the whole thing. Then they will be too full to even want to nurse for hours because formula takes longer to digest then breastmilk. The longer you go between nursing. You are telling your body to only produce so much.Baby will learn that it is easier to get formula out of a bottle then a breast. Bottle give baby instant gratification. Breastfed babies have to learn to latch and work at getting the milk out of the breast. They are more effecient then a breast pump too and can do it.
Your breast have sensors in them that need to be stimulated to help produce breastmilk. They have to be stimulated often. After about two months. These sensors will turn off and your breast will be able to produce breastmilk with out them. NOW if you supplement here and there because you think baby isn't getting enough and you are not pumping to encourage that extra feeding you supplimented the formula for. Then you are tellig your breast to produce less because you are not stimulating your breast as often during the early stages of breastfeeding and those sensor will turn off prematurely and this is where issues with being successful at breastfeeding start.
If you want to be a successful breastfeeder. You need to nurse as much as possible for the first two weeks to get thing off to a great start. Starting off with breastfeeding, your breast will only produce so much because our bodies know that baby doesn't need that much at first. Baby will stop eating at the breast because your breast only produced so much and then will be empty. Baby will stop sucking because they are not getting anymore. BUT they are not starving.
Now if you feel you that you are not giving your baby enough. TRUST YOUR BODY. Just because you don't see colostrum on your breast when you unlatch doesn't mean that they didn't get any. Your baby is by far more efficent at sucking the milk out of your breast then a pump.
If you offer them formula, you are defeating 3 things. 1- causing nipple confusion. 2- they will learn real quick that the bottle is easier to get milk from ,where as nursing take work and they will not latch if they can get formula faster. 3-Supplementing with formula will also decrease your milk flow. The less you nurse the less milk production you will have. Breastfeeding is a supply and demand process.
The next 24 hours baby will be getting 1 teaspoon at each feeding. Their stomach will expand a little bit each day.
The next 24 hours or 3rd day of life. They will be up to 2 teaspoons and so forth.
By day 5, for a whole day of feeding baby will be consuming 500-800ML of milk. That equals to a large can of pop for the day.
As long as baby is having plenty of wet diapers and at least two poops a day. They are getting enough and no need for supplementing.
Comments:
great post!
i always managed to stay calm and trusted my body. I am strictly bf and my daughter has gotten sooo big..i have one question though..my husband wants to feed her once a day so i want to pump a little for him. when would be a good time to pump? she used to feed every two hours now its getting more like 3 to 4 hours. could i pump in between or would that mean less milk for her next feeding
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I've never had a hang up about how much my babies are getting. It's always been the non breastfeeders in my life that always asked, "Aren't you worried they won't be getting enough if you can't see it?"
This is good info to pass on to those folks.
- super_mommy4
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