With Rebecca Buffum Taylor and Katie Cameron
(Continued from the last article. See Older Posts)
Some Things Can Help You Prepare For Breastfeeding:
- Get regular prenatal care to
help you avoid preterm birth.
- Tell your doctor you plan to breastfeed
and ask what support the facility you plan to deliver in offers to help
you breastfeed after birth.
- Take a breastfeeding class.
- Ask your doctor to connect you with a
lactation consultant, who can teach you breastfeeding basics and also give
you some
important information on general well being if you have issues.
- Talk to your doctor about any health
conditions you have or medications you take that could interfere with
breastfeeding.
- Tell your doctor and hospital health care
providers that you want to breastfeed as soon as possible after delivery.
- Talk to friends who breastfeed or join a
support group for breastfeeding.
- Stock up on the
supplies you need for breastfeeding, such as nursing bras and other items.
The following tips, known as the ABCs of breastfeeding, will help
you and your baby get comfortable with the process:
- Awareness. Watch for your baby's signs of hunger,
and breastfeed whenever your baby is hungry. This is called “on-demand” feeding. In the first few
weeks, you may be nursing 8-12 times every 24 hours. Hungry infants move their
hands toward their mouths, make sucking noises or mouth movements, or move
toward your breast. Don't wait for your baby to cry. That's a sign they
are too hungry.
- Be patient. Breastfeed as long as your baby wants to
nurse each time. Don't hurry your infant through feedings. Infants typically breastfeed
for 10-20 minutes on each breast.
- Comfort. This is key. Relax
while breastfeeding, and your milk is more likely to “let down” and
flow. Get yourself comfortable with pillows as needed to support your
arms, head, and neck, and a footrest to support your feet and legs before
you begin to breastfeed.
Are
There Medical Considerations With Breastfeeding?
In a few situations, nursing could cause a baby
harm. You should not breastfeed if:
- You are HIV-positive. You could pass the HIV to your infant through breast milk.
- You have active, untreated tuberculosis.
- You're receiving chemotherapy for cancer.
- You're using an illegal drug, such
as cocaine or marijuana.
- Your baby has a rare condition
called galactosemia and cannot tolerate the natural sugar,
called galactose, in breast milk.
- You're taking certain prescription
medications, such as some drugs for migraine headaches, Parkinson's disease, or arthritis.
Talk with your doctor before starting to
breastfeed if you're taking prescription
drugs of any kind. Your doctor can help you make an informed
decision based on your particular medication.
Having a cold or flu should not prevent you from breastfeeding. Breast milk
won't give your baby the illness and may even give
antibodies to your baby to help fight off the illness.
Also, experts suggest that infants should be
exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and infants who are partially
breastfed and receive more than half of their daily feedings as human milk,
should be supplemented
with oral iron. This should continue until foods with iron, such as
iron-fortified cereals, are introduced into the diet. They recommend checking
iron levels in all children at age 1.
Discuss supplementation of both iron and vitamin D with your pediatrician.
Your doctor can guide
you on recommendations about the proper amounts for both you and your baby,
when to start, and how often the supplements should
be taken.
Common
Breastfeeding Challenges
There are some common concerns or challenges
that you could face when breastfeeding. They include:
- Sore
nipples. You can expect some soreness in the
first weeks of breastfeeding. Make sure your baby latches on correctly,
and use one finger to break the suction of your baby's mouth after each
feeding. That will help prevent sore nipples. If you still get sore, be
sure you nurse with each breast fully enough to empty the milk ducts. If
you don't, your breasts can become engorged, swollen, and painful. Holding
ice or a bag of frozen peas against sore nipples can temporarily ease
discomfort. Keeping your nipples dry and letting them “air dry” between
feedings helps, too. Your baby tends to suck more actively at the start.
So begin feedings with the less-sore nipple.
- Dry, cracked
nipples. Avoid soaps, perfumed creams, or
lotions with alcohol in them, which can make nipples even more dry and
cracked. You can use natural
products to rectify this and boost your overall fertility. Changing
your bra pads often will help your nipples stay dry. If possible, only use
cotton bra pads.
- Worries about
producing enough milk. A general rule of
thumb is that a baby who's wetting six to eight diapers a day is most
likely getting enough milk. Never give your infant plain water. Your body
needs the frequent, regular demand of your baby's nursing to keep
producing milk. Some women mistakenly think they can't breastfeed or
produce enough
milk if they have small breasts. But small-breasted women can make
milk just as well as large-breasted women. Good nutrition, plenty of rest, and
staying well-hydrated all help, too.
- Pumping and
storing milk. You can get breast milk by hand or
pump it with a breast pump. It may take a few days or weeks for your baby
to get used to breast milk in a bottle, so begin practicing early if
you're going back to work. Breast milk can be safely used within 2 days if
it's stored in a refrigerator. You can freeze breast milk for up to 6
months. Don't warm up or thaw frozen breast milk in a microwave. That will
destroy some of its immune-boosting qualities, and it can cause fatty
portions of the breast milk to become super hot. Thaw breast milk in the
refrigerator or a bowl of warm water instead.
- Inverted
nipples. An inverted nipple doesn't poke
forward when you pinch the areola, which is the dark skin around the
nipple. A lactation consultant can give you tips that allow women with
inverted nipples to breastfeed successfully.
- Breast
engorgement. Breast fullness is
natural and healthy. It happens as your breasts become full of milk,
staying soft and pliable. But breast engorgement means the blood vessels in your breast
have become congested. This traps fluid in your breasts and makes them
feel hard, painful, and swollen. Alternate heat and cold, for instance,
use ice packs and hot showers, to relieve mild symptoms. It can also help
to release your milk by hand or use a breast pump.
- Blocked ducts. A single sore spot on your breast,
which may be red and hot, can signal a plugged milk duct. This can often
be relieved by warm compresses and gentle massage over the area to release the blockage. More
frequent nursing can also help.
- Breast infection
(mastitis). This occasionally happens when
bacteria enter the breast, often through a cracked nipple after
breastfeeding. If you have a sore area on your breast along with flu-like symptoms, fever,
and fatigue, call your
doctor. To relieve breast tenderness, apply moist heat to the sore area
four times a day for 15-20 minutes each time.
- Stress. Being overly anxious or stressed can
interfere with your let-down
reflex. That's your body's natural release of milk into the milk
ducts. It's triggered by hormones released when your baby nurses. It can
also be triggered just by hearing your baby cry or thinking about your
baby. Stay as relaxed and calm as possible before and during nursing. It
can help your milk let down and flow more easily. That, in turn, can help
calm and relax your infant.
- Premature babies may not be able to breastfeed right
away. In some cases, parents can release breast milk and feed it through a
bottle or feeding tube.
- Warning signs. Breastfeeding is a natural, healthy
process. But call your doctor if:
- Your breasts become unusually red,
swollen, hard, or sore.
- You have an unusual discharge
or bleeding from your nipples.
- You're concerned your baby isn't gaining
weight or getting enough milk.
Where Can I Get Help With Breastfeeding?
Images of parents breastfeeding their babies
make it look simple, but many people need some help and coaching. It can come
from a nurse, doctor, family member, or friend, and it helps new parents get
over possible bumps in the road.
Reach out to friends, family, and your doctor
with any questions you may have. Most likely, others in your life have had
those same questions.
When To Stop Breastfeeding
Deciding when to stop breastfeeding is a
personal decision. Experts recommend feeding your baby only breastmilk for the
first 6 months. Once you begin to introduce solid foods, the AAP advises
continuing to nurse for the next year and a half, if this is desirable for both
you and your baby.
But some new parents may want to stop nursing
earlier. You may choose to stop breastfeeding if you're returning to work,
pregnant with another baby, or seeking more independence. Whatever your reason,
deciding to stop breastfeeding is always your choice.
It can be easier to stop breastfeeding if your
child initiates the weaning process. Some parents begin by transitioning their
baby to bottle-feeding first. Once you begin to introduce other foods to your
baby, they may naturally turn away from breastfeeding around their first
birthday. If your baby is eating three solid meals a day, they're likely
getting the nutritional content they need from solid foods alone.
Weaning can be an emotional process for both
you and your baby. Take extra time to cuddle your baby to make sure you still
have all the skin-to-skin contact you had while nursing.
Talk with your health care provider if you have
questions about when you can stop nursing.
(Concluded.)
Rebecca Buffum Taylor and Katie Cameron
work with WebMD
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