If you’re planning to breastfeed, it’s a great idea to start learning about it before your little one arrives. It’s not just a great idea – it’s critical.
There are some things you need to know that will help make breastfeeding a great experience right from the first latch. You may have gone to a class or read a few books about breastfeeding, but just like driving, reading about it or watching someone else do it isn’t quite the same as doing it yourself.
- Go to a breastfeeding support group during pregnancy. Do it – these women will be your tribe. You’ll avoid so many pitfalls if you go to a few of these meetings before your baby arrives and see how the “experts” do it.
- It’s normal for newborns to be a little sleepy during the first few days, so you may need to wake your baby for feeds in the beginning and strip down your baby if he or she is too cozy and nodding off at the breast.
- Your baby’s tummy is about the size of a cherry on that first day – that amounts to approximately a teaspoon of colostrum at each feed – those tiny amounts are all your baby needs. You can’t overfeed a breastfed baby.
- Watch the baby, not the clock – some babies feed really efficiently and others enjoy a more laid-back approach. As long as your baby is having plenty of wet/dirty diapers and is settling between feeds, you’re doing great. Offer the second breast, but just like adults, some days we’re in the mood for dessert and other days we’ll pass.
- Let hospital staff know you are interested in laid-back breastfeeding. After birth, lie back, get comfy and let your baby crawl to the breast instead of trying to remember all of those pretzel positions. Sitting up straight on a sore perineum several times a night is going to put you off breastfeeding very quickly. Don’t leave the hospital until someone has shown you how to feed in a laid-back position and side lying.
- Night two can be intense as your baby “wakes up” and wants lots of skin-to-skin contact. This is totally normal newborn behavior – they’re just putting in their orders for the next few days and they’ll do it again about 10 days after birth, so plan a day of nothing but Netflix as your baby is about to go through a growth spurt.
- No pumping until your milk supply is well established (if you can, avoid it until approximately six weeks). Many hospitals are keen to get mom pumping, but this confuses the brain, as it now thinks you just had twins and an oversupply can cause more problems.
- If you had IV fluids in labor, your baby’s birth weight is likely to be heavier than it would have been without the IV fluids. Be sure to mention this to staff if there are concerns about your baby’s weight.
- Consider hiring a postpartum doula or a private lactation consultant as soon as you get home, as some of the advice given by staff is conflicting and therefore confusing for new parents.
Tracy Donegan is a medically trained midwife, published author and founder of the positive birth preparation company GentleBirth. Email questions and comments to [email protected].
