There’s nothing more natural and more nutritious for your new baby than to breastfeed, but a lot of new mothers believe that it’s far too difficult to keep up with and ultimately opt for formula. Here are some great tips you can use to ensure that your breastfeeding is successful.
Right after your child is born, the hospital may want to get the baby on formula. You should make it clear that you want to breastfeed from birth. Doctors won’t push otherwise unless something is wrong, so you can begin breastfeeding right away.
For mothers who need to pump to get the milk out, you should really pay the extra charge for a pump that’s high quality. You want something that’s long lasting with good suction and that has different speeds and attachments. After you’re finished with it, you can resell it, donate it, or keep it for another baby.
Breast compressions will help you move more of your milk to the appropriate place in the breast. Check out sites like YouTube and you will find an abundance of videos showing you how to correctly do this.
If your baby doesn’t correctly latch onto the breast, he or she may not be getting the proper amount of milk. You might not be able to tell, as the sensation may be the same either way, so you should take extra care to ensure that the baby latches on correctly.
By checking out your baby’s diaper, you can tell if he or she has been getting enough breast milk. If they’re only feeding off of you, then the tell-tale sign is the size of the stool. Nothing comes out that doesn’t go in. So keep an eye on your baby’s diaper.
You have to feed your baby consistently. You cannot wait until the crying starts. Babies cry for any one of an infinite number of reasons, so you should be on a feeding schedule every couple of hours. Make sure they’re being fed frequently.
Holding your baby in the same position every time is going to do a couple of negative things. First and foremost, your baby may stop feeding too early or become irritated if not enough milk is coming out. You will also grow tired from the same position constantly and could start cramping up or becoming overly fatigued.
There are different professionals you can speak to when breastfeeding, such as a lactation consultant. Even if you feel you don’t need to speak to anyone, you should still try it out to see what someone else has to say about your feeding. You can always improve as a mother.
Although drinking water will not directly and instantly increase the amount of milk produced, drinking enough water throughout the day will definitely help aide in the production of milk. Staying properly hydrated helps your body do what it naturally does in milk production.
Different complications can set in during breastfeeding, like mastitis or thrush, so you should be well aware of how to handle these potential complications. This is where speaking to an expert can help, but at the very least you should be reading some literature on the subject.
Naturally feeding your baby has a long list of benefits, but only if you’re doing things the right way. Use the right information to breastfeed correctly.
