All About Breastfeeding

>>Hi there, my name is Francesca Barrett. I'm a mom who chose to breastfeed my baby for a variety of reasons. Along with other benefits, breastmilk offers a perfect nutritional balance of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and other nutrients in forms a baby's digestive system can easily break down and process. That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics and other authorities recommend breastmilk as the ideal food for your baby. [Three Phases of Breastmilk] >>Your breastmilk comes in three phases. Colostrum, a thick, yellowish fluid, is available before giving birth and will supply your baby's first nutrition. Your baby benefits right away from its easy-to-digest proteins, vitamins, and mineralsóas well as from the protective antibodies it has. That's why it's referred to as ìliquid gold.î It has more protein and less fat than the breastmilk that will come later. >>Transitional milk usually appears two to five days after birth. It's whiter and creamier than colostrum >>Mature milk typically appears 10 to 14 days after birth. It's thinner than transitional milk and can have a bluish tint to it. Despite its appearance, mature milk has all the nutrients needed to support your baby's growth and development. During each feeding, your *** will have periodic ìmilk ejection reflexes,î also known as the let-down reflex, where the volume of milk released increases. You will also notice at the end of each feeding that your breastmilk gets thicker and creamier looking. This milk, sometimes called hind milk, is especially rich in good fat, which helps your baby feel full, satisfied, and sleepy. , , And who doesn't love a content, sleeping baby? >>When I first started breastfeeding, it didn't go as smoothly as I would have hoped. Now I tell my friends it's a new learned skill for both mom and baby. Learning how to breastfeed comfortably is the result of patience, practice, and correct latch-on and positioning techniques. But once you learn the basics, it can become easier and more natural than everóand it's a wonderful way to bond with your baby >>In addition to bonding, breastfeeding also offers you some important health benefits. [Health Benefits of Breastfeeding for You] >>Because breastfeeding burns calories, it may help us lose pregnancy weight more rapidly. Women who have breastfed also tend to have lower rates of ovarian and breast cancer. And some studies even suggest that breastfeeding may ultimately help increase bone mineral density, which could protect us against osteoporosis later in life. [The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that breastfeeding is the optimal source of nutrition through the first year of life.] >>In fact, breastfeeding is so beneficial for moms and our babies that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends continuing to breastfeed until at least baby's first birthday, and beyond, as long as mom and baby wish to continue. >>Join me now as I share some breastfeeding tips with my friend Suzy and her newborn baby. You know, even though breastfeeding is a natural thing, positioning and latch-on techniques are learned skills. Remember, it takes many women patience and practice, so give it time. >>Before you begin breastfeeding, take some time to get comfortable. Have some pillows handyóyou can place a bed pillow in your lap or use a nursing pillow that will help you support your baby's head and weight to bring her up to breast level as you breastfeed. You'll also want to minimize distractions like ringing phones and televisions. And one more thing: staying well-hydrated is essential for adequate milk production. I recommend having a glass of water to sip each time you sit down to breastfeed. , Think about establishing a ìnursing stationî that includes a comfortable chair with good back support, pillows, and a glass of water right within your reach. >>Good advice. >>You know, with practice, breastfeeding will become more and more natural for you and your baby. As time goes on, you will become more comfortable with breastfeeding almost anywhere, anytime. Shall we review latch-on and positioning? >>Yes. >>There are several holds that you can use. Whatever hold is easier for you and your baby, Kelsey, is what matters. So let's start with cradle-hold. [Cradle Hold] >>Before we begin, let's place a bed pillow on your lapóor you can use a nursing pillow. Either one is fine. This will help support the weight of your baby and keep her close to you at breast level. >>Position your baby tummy-to-tummy with the head and neck in the crook of your arm, like this. >>Yeah. >>Then, with the other hand, you're gonna hold your breast in a c-hold. So the thumb is gonna be on and then the four fingers are underneath in like the c-shape. >>Be sure to keep your fingers away from the areola, the darker skin around your ***. Your baby will latch on about an inch from the tip of your *** so your fingers should be out of the way. This ensures your baby is far enough onto the breast and able to ìmilkî the breast correctly. Proper latch-on and positioning are important to help prevent nipples from getting sore. >>Okay, now let's have your baby latch on. >>Sounds good. >>With the tip of your ***, stroke her face. This will make your baby turn toward your breast. It's called the rooting reflex. Once she is turned toward you, tickle her lips with your ***. This will cause Kelsey to open her mouth wide to help with latch-on. Keep tickling until her mouth is open really wide. >>Once her mouth is open, lift her to your breast with your cradle arm. [Listen for swallowing to know when your baby is nursing correctly.] >>There, that's perfect. See how far she is on your breast? Once Kelsey starts nursing, after a few seconds, you will hear her start swallowing. And after a few minutes, a change in her suck-swallow rhythm, from fast sucks to long, slow sucks with ìgulpingî will happen. This is when the milk-ejection reflex or let-down reflex is occurring. You may have several milk-ejection reflexes during a feeding. Some moms may feel the reflex, which can be kind of a tingling sensation or a short dart of pain in the ***. But itís also normal not to feel anything at all. At the end of each feeding Kelsey will get that creamy milk that's rich in fatósometimes called hind milkóthat will help her feel full and satisfied. [To release suction, insert finger in the corner of baby's mouth. Be sure that your hands are clean and your nails are clipped and on the short side.] >>Now, let's practice taking her off the breast. To protect your *** from being pulled, take your index or pinky finger, slide it into the corner of her mouth between her gums, and then slowly pull off the breast. As always, make sure your hands are clean and your nail is clipped relatively short. >>Now let's try the cross-cradle hold. It's easy, as it is similar to cradle. [Cross-Cradle Hold] >>Basically, it's the position that you're in nowósame positioning as cradle except one hand is holding Kelsey's head while this hand is holding your breast like this. >>To remember which breast you last nursed on, use a safety pin attached to your bra strap or fold a portion of your nursing pad as a reminder. [Nurse 8 to 12 times in a 24-hour period] >>You should feed your baby between 8 and 12 times in a 24-hour period, about every two or three hours. Also, it's normal for babies to nurse more often, especially in these early days. You may notice that your newborn is more wakeful and feeds more frequently during the night. >>And many babies do what is called ìcluster nursingîóspacing their feedings closer together at certain times of day and going longer between feedings at other times. >>Should I wake her in the middle of the night to feed her, or should I let her sleep a little bit longer? >>You can let her sleep a little while longer at night, but in the first few weeks, experts recommend waking your baby at least every four hours. If you ever wake her up and she doesn't want to feed, lay her back down and give it another try about half an hour later. >>How do I know when she's hungry, and when she's full? [Your Babyís Hunger Cues] >>Watch for things like lip smacking, sucking fingers, and rootingóturning her head toward your breast. These are signs that your baby is hungry. >>She'll also give you cues that she is finished with the first breast or full and done eating. If your baby falls asleep or releases your *** and turns her head away, burp her and then offer the other breast. If she doesn't take the other breast, it may be a sign that she's satisfied. [Your Baby's Fullness Cues] >>Got it. [Football Hold] >>Let's try another position called the football hold. >>Okay. >>This position gives you free use of one hand and allows you to have better head control, facilitating latch-on. So the football hold is a good position to use if you're having some difficulty with latch-on at first. This is a good hold for moms who have had a cesarean birth because the baby is positioned on mom's sideólike holding a football. To start, use a pillow on your lap and a pillow on your side, like this. Now, let's place baby on your side. >>Angle her in toward your breast with your hand holding the base of her head and neck. >>Now let's take your other hand and hold your breast in a c-hold, like we did in cradle hold. Bring her head up to you, tickle her lips, wait until she opens her mouth, and swooshólatch her on. Great! She's latched on well. Good job Kelsey. >>Notice how her mouth is moving and her lips are curled out. >>Yes, I'm so glad to see it, and I'll look for that going forward. >>So how do I know when she's done eating? >>Her hunger and fullness cues will tell you when she's had enough at each feeding, but it's also important to keep track of her wet and dirty diapers, as they are good indicators of whether she's eating enough throughout the day. [Look for 6 to 8 wet diapers and at least 3 bowel movements in a 24-hour period.] >>In the early weeks, you'll want to see six or more wet diapers every 24 hours, and at least three bowel movements. Her bowel movements the first two or three days will be meconium, which is a sticky, tarry stool. And then they'll change to a mustard yellow color, and then theyíll be kind of seedy looking, which is normal. >>Shall we go ahead and try the last position, which we call side-lying? >>I didn't know I had so many options. [Side-Lying Position] >>The side-lying position works well at night, especially when you and baby are tired. You'll be lying down in a bed, on your side. >>Your arm just comes up underneath your head, or around from the back cradling her head like you have it. And you're going to lay your baby next to you, tummy-to-tummy. Breastfeeding in this position takes some practice. You'll find your own comfort level. >>Thank you so much for all your help, Iíve learned so much. >>You're welcome. Looks like you both are off to a great start.