Breastfeeding

The first major hurdle you might face once baby is here is feeding. And if you decide to breastfeed this will be your main focus for the first few weeks at least (it took me around two months with my first to feel confident).

Breastfeeding feels like it should come naturally, much like birth, and when mothers struggle they give themselves such a hard time and feelings of failure come into play but you haven’t failed anything, times are so different. How often do you see other women breastfeed? I’m guessing not that much? We’re not around it enough anymore and we learn so much by observation so it is something we now need to prepare for.

If you’re reading this and you’re having a hard time breastfeeding, please don’t beat yourself up. You’re not doing anything wrong, it’s just that hard and new and you really need the right support in place to get off to a great start.

So what can you do to prepare?

I know lots of NCT courses do a breastfeeding day and they can be great but it’s only one day.

I would get familiar with your local breastfeeding drop in while you’re still pregnant. If you’re on mat leave, go and sit with these new Mums, watch them feed, pick their brains, be around breastfeeding, if you have any friends who have recently had a baby, amazing, go and see what they’re doing.

We learn so much from our environment and we’re just not around it enough so it’s not your fault it may not come easy. It’s the way it is now.

Also you could watch loads of videos, you could even practice with a doll to feel out positions and holds. Yes it is the most natural thing in the world but it also needs learning for you and for baby. You’ll both be brand new at it and it will take time to get there. Dr Jack Newman has a great video here and you can google his others on his website.

Colostrum harvesting is getting more and more popular, where Mums hand express some colostrum antenatally into little syringes and freeze it, so if baby struggles at first (which is common) you can give them a little top up and relax knowing that’s there.

It’s also great to get familiar with your boobs in this way and I’ve seen it work really well in all kinds of different post birth situations especially if baby and Mum are separated for any reason. And don’t panic if you don’t get any, just understanding how to hand express will make you feel more confident when your baby is here.

Another great way to prepare to breastfeed is to reflect on your own experiences with breastfeeding and those of your family and friends…

Who do you know who has breastfed? How did they get on? How has this affected how you feel about breastfeeding? Were you breastfed? How did your mother feel about feeding?

The stories we tell ourselves are so powerful…if you have any doubts or negative beliefs about feeding, getting informed can really help and you might find some breastfeeding affirmations useful…’I believe in my body’s ability to feed my baby’, ‘My breasts are abundant with milk’…

The first feed

So your baby is in your arms, you’re feeling a billion emotions and now it’s time to feed. It’s great to get baby to the breast within the first hour because this is when their sucking reflex from inside the womb is still strong and automatic. That’s why protecting your first hour also known as the golden hour is good to do for bonding and feeding.

Keeping things as quiet and calm and gentle as possible. Even if you’re birthing the placenta or having stitches, you can baby gaze and feed if you can.

Biological nursing is when a baby is placed on a mother’s tummy and then crawls their way to the breast. There’s some very cool vids on YouTube you can check out. This can be a great way to have a go, because you may be in a more lying down position at this time.

Or if you want to try something more traditional, tummy to mummy can be a good way to find a decent position for you both. This is when baby lies across your tummy with their tummy against yours and comes at your breast from a horizontal rather than vertical position.

Once there you can let baby lick and smell and touch and see if they find their way.

Depending on the environment you’re in post birth, whether it feels private or there is more going on, your baby might need more support to get latched.

You can shape the breast to help get enough breast into baby’s mouth and a deeper full latch. Holding your breast with a soft scissor grip and tilting your boob up towards the top of their mouth can help.

But it’s ok if it’s not happening straight away. You can hand express some colostrum and let baby lick it off, or you can get your partner or the Midwives to help you hand express some into a cup or syringe and give baby that to keep them going while you both figure it out.

You can keep trying and you can take breaks but do go gently. It can be very frustrating to find something so hard when mostly in life we’re used to having it all together. So don’t beat yourself up...relax, it will come.

Foremilk, hindmilk & ‘flutter’ sucking

So you may or may not know that your milk has layers. The fast flowing thirst quenching milk at the start is your foremilk and the creamy, thicker, slower to come milk behind is your hindmilk. They both contain pretty much the same properties but the hindmilk has more fat. It’s really important to drain your breast so that your baby can get the fattier hindmilk or they may keep snacking on foremilk and be less likely to settle because they’re not quite full. Foremilk can also cause a bit more gas and can pass through their systems quicker so sometimes if they’re having particularly explosive or fast poos, there could be a link. You’ll know your baby is reaching the hindmilk because the feed has a slower pace and when they’re at the very end, they might be flutter sucking.

Flutter sucking is a shuddery kind of sucking which is signalling they are falling asleep and nearly finished. Sometimes it is still active feeding, so it’s important not to rush this bit and if they are comfort sucking, that’s ok too. Breastfeeding is a nutritious and a comforting experience for them, both are important to your baby’s development. Some babies will naturally delatch when they are totally done but it’s ok if they’ve been flutter sucking for a while to delatch them. It’s important to let them feed well on one side before changing to the other breast, changing too soon could increase your foremilk. It is a complex dance which you’ll learn over time, what works well for you and your baby. Some women offer both breasts at a feed and some offer one. A good sign is always how settled your baby is and how many nappies they’re doing, and as always if you sense something isn’t quite right, seek support.

How do I know it’s working?

If feeding is going well, you will feel like baby has a great latch and they’ll be settled because they’re fed, and they’re having lots of wet and dirty nappies. You’ll also be feeling no pain, maybe a little soreness from your nipples being used so much but there shouldn’t be any ouch kind of pain.

New Mums can be very dismissive of their needs to put their new baby first. With feeding it’s so important to get help quickly. I always think 24 hours with a new baby is more like a week in terms of how much changes and develops in this time.

If you do have any pain, in a twenty four hour period you could have easily fed 12-15 times at least and that’s a lot of nipple damage. So if something doesn’t feel right and Mums always know, trust your instinct and call someone.

So who can you call?

There are some amazing breastfeeding helplines which run into the evening and can be amazing for troubleshooting. They’re run by breastfeeding counsellors who have breastfed themselves. I can remember phoning them up about 10pm one night when my first was on and off the boob all evening and I started thinking I didn’t have enough milk. Suddenly I was learning about baby’s small tummies, fore milk, hind milk, cluster feeding and I could relax knowing that this was normal newborn behaviour.

Association of Breastfeeding Mothers Helpline

0300 330 5453

9.30am - 10.30pm

La Leche League Helpline

0345 120 2918

8am - 11pm

National Breastfeeding helpline

0300 100 0212

9.30am - 9.30pm

kellymom.com has to have a mention because it’s the number one go to breastfeeding site for birth workers with so many helpful resources which really help when you’re up feeding in the night and stressing about something. there’s usually an article that can give you peace of mind at least until the morning when you can seek more support if needed.

breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk is another amazing site with really useful resources for issues such as thrush and drugs in breastmilk.

Breastfeeding drop ins - an amazing and local free resource where you can go and see breastfeeding counsellors and get some support. Useful if there’s no major issues, as they can be busy and you might not get enough one on one if there’s more going on. Usually run through your hospital, ask them for details during your pregnancy or ask your midwives post birth.

Lactation consultants

I would honestly say if you can afford it, budget this in and book a session with a recommended lactation consultant in your first week. Like I said before, time matters. I often see women put it off and keep trying but more damage can then be done and it can be harder to get back to normal especially if there is nipple damage or baby’s weight has been affected.

https://www.lcgb.org/find-an-ibclc/

Tongue tie

Tongue tie needs a special mention because it is prominent and often missed. Anterior tongue tie, where the tongue is literally tied at the front like a piece of string is obvious to the eye but posterior tongue tie and lip ties are harder to spot. This video will explain a little more about how you can self assess and seek support if needed. Having a tongue or lip tie doesn’t necessarily mean it needs snipping, sometimes it can be worked on with the latch and positions but if there is an issue it can then be supported quickly so you and your baby can enjoy feeding again. Tongue tie is very stressful for both of you.

There is a great facebook group called Infant Tongue Tie UK

If you are feeding with painful breasts there are lots of useful products out there to help. A good nipple cream is always good to have on hand but again overuse can make the infected area very moist which has its own problems so it’s important to listen to your body and seek professional help when needed. There are also cooling gel breast pads and silver nipple shields and all kinds of ways to soothe your breasts. The best remedy for engorgement is cold cabbage leaves out of the fridge and popped into your bra. As with everything it’s so individual, so you might have to try a few things to see what works for you. There is lots of trial and error in new motherhood and that’s perfectly ok.

Breastfeeding is a huge topic and this section is here to give you an introduction to it to hopefully get you off to a good start, there is so much I could discuss so please use the links and resources for further reading and I have discussed cluster feeding and evening times in my sleep section.

The beauty of breastfeeding when you’re through the early weeks and out the other side is the ease! Truly, it won’t feel easy at first but then you’ve got this incredible food for your baby at the perfect temperature and ready at any given moment it’s huge. And those moments get more and more special. It also delivers buckets of mood boosting oxytocin so can really help you feel better during the sleep deprived and harder days.

QUICK TROUBLESHOOTING LINKS from kellymom.com

I’m engorged

Nipple or breast pain

Is my latch ok?

Do I have enough milk?

My baby is very gassy

Does my baby have reflux?