Breastfeeding: getting off to a good start
I don’t have a recipe to ensure a perfect breastfeeding experience, but I do think there are certain things that help prepare you for the event. Try and relax, be patient with yourself and baby, maintain a sense of humour.
Antenatally, find a Breastfeeding Class, Leleche League group, or mum to mum breastfeeding group, at a Children’s Centre, try several sessions, watch babies of different ages, breastfeeding. We have lost that ‘learning from observing’ experience in our Nuclear Society. Find women that have had positive breastfeeding outcomes, even when they had a bumpy start.
Breastfeeding shouldn’t be painful or cause damage to breast tissue. Get help right away if you are finding this is your experience. Seek the help of an experienced breastfeeding counsellor or Lactation Consultant. No matter what it looks like, from the outside, if it hurts an adjustment needs to be made. A breastfeeding expert can help. Lactation Consultants are qualified Allied Health Professionals trained in the management of human lactation.
Healthy babies are most alert the first one to two hours immediately following birth. After this initial alert period they fall into a deep sleep up to six hours. Keep the baby with you, skin to skin, undisturbed, during the alert phase. The less medication during labour, the less handling by health professionals, or someone other than the mother, immediately following birth helps encourage feeding behaviours.
Feeding is a multi-sensory experience. One of the ways babies recognize their mothers is by scent so you may want to delay that shower and allow babe to be in arms, skin to skin, undisturbed as he/she transitions to the outside world. Skin to skin promotes stable heart rate and breathing patterns and helps clear mucous. Babies are often able to find their own way to breast when left draped across mum’s body. The areola darkens during pregnancy probably to help babies identify it. Babies will bob and roll their heads in an attempt to zero in on their target, the breast, and the reward of food.
Babies have small tummies. They are only about the size of a walnut. They are meant to eat little and often in the early days. Full term, well grown, babies have a special fat stored under their shoulder blades called brown fat these reserves help carry them through the early days.
Blood sugars do not need to be done on full term, healthy, uncompromised babies. Low blood sugar is a symptom not a disease. Blood sugars alone in isolation do not provide useful clinical information and may lead to unnecessary formula supplementation. Risk factors that may cause low blood sugar are: difficult delivery, diabetes, infection in the baby.
In the first twenty four hours expect one wee and one sticky black poo. Wees and poos usually match the baby’s age up to day mustard in colour) and 4-6 wees( light in colour and odourless). 4-6, when you should expect at least two poos daily.The more milk the baby drinks the more he/she will poo and the faster the colour will change from black to yellow. Lots of yellow poo (a palm full in 24hrs) is one way to tell your baby is taking in lots of milk. If you wonder how wet a nappy should be, take a clean disposable nappy, pour one ounce (30ml) of water in it, and feel the weight compared to a clean nappy.
Hand expression of milk can be a useful skill. Breastfeeding support groups, clinics and Drop in Centres can teach you this skill at the end of your pregnancy. Babies that have been through a long labour, difficult or medicated delivery may, need help getting started with feeding. These babies are said to be “less organized” with their feeding behaviours. If a mum is able to hand express even a drop or two to get the baby to smell, lick, and approach the breast it all helps to play into the natural reflexes of the baby and initiate feedings. Some babies need this help every 2-3 hours at first to help them “learn the behaviour of feeding”. Keeping a baby close in arms until feeding becomes more regular also helps the baby learn the behaviour, maintains the baby’s temperature and has them burn less calories, as well as help increase mum’s milk supply.
- Lyn
