Breastfeeding for a new mom like you might seem overwhelming and confusing at first, but after you read through this, you’ll have absolute peace of mind when it comes to breastfeeding your newborn baby.
Your New Breastfeeding Mindset
It’s ok to be nervous, or even fearful at first because you don’t know what to expect from the whole process with a newborn baby. But this is all normal and natural. With a positive frame of mind and our easy and effective guide, you’ll become more confident in yourself and your ability to feed your baby.
If you’re pregnant, you’ll learn what to look out for and more importantly things to avoid. If you’re already breastfeeding, chances are, you’re having some sort of challenge and you just want a resolution – fast.
Most women are completely side blinded by the experience of breastfeeding because of the small technical details – BUT they are really easy fixes.
While questions like this will cross your mind, remember that you aren’t the alone:
“How can I keep going through this tiresome process?”
“How can my sensitive nipples continue to bear this pain?”
“Will this all be worth it in the end?”
The answer to all those questions is that your body will adapt like it was meant to and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much you actually enjoy nursing once you get the hang of it.
Will there be any pain? Sure. It’s the kind of pain that occurs because it’s your body getting used to a new, natural process of damage and renewal.
You’ll experience sensitivity and tenderness, but it’s all a process sort of like working out and rebuilding your muscles. A day after your workout, you may feel soreness because you’ve tore the muscle so that new stronger leaner muscle can grow. You become more efficient over time and you look forward to it. Breastfeeding is not all that different in that respect.
All I ask is that you are patient with yourself and give yourself more credit than you think you deserve. After all, you’ve made it this far.
Before we get into it, let’s see all the benefits of breastfeeding to begin with and to remind ourselves why we do it in the first place:
- You can breastfeed for up to 6 months and you’re baby will still get his nutrients
- You don’t have to feed your baby water because breastmilk hydrates better than anything else
- Breastfeeding helps develop the major organs of your baby including the brain, eyes, etc.
- Breastmilk is the best for baby when it comes to infections, helping boost the immune system, and even prevents childhood obesity.
These are just a few…
Frame of Mind – First, Decide How Long You Want Breastfeed Your Baby?
If you haven’t already, you should consider having a vision or goal in mind of how long you want to feed your baby. Your goal might be 3 months, 6 months, even up to the point they can begin to eat solids, or beyond – the choice is yours. The whole purpose is for you to make a choice and see it through. If you don’t set a goal, chances are you’ll be more willing to give up because there is no real target you want to hit.
Let’s get started, shall we?
The first time your baby drinks from your breasts, he’ll take in something called colostrum. This is not your typical breastmilk. Unlike breastmilk, it’s a thicker consistency and is more yellowish. It’s full of proteins and infection fighting antibodies for a great boost into life. Then comes in the regular breastmilk after the first couple of days.
Expose Your Entire Breasts
It’s important that your baby feels calm and safe before feedings. Exposing your breasts will do two things: calm and direct his attention. This is because babies can only see in black in white during the first few months, uncovering your breasts completely will help them to see the nipples clearly from the light and dark contrast of the nipple.
You baby will slowly relax and see where the nipple is to get a better latch and simply focus on feeding.
Listen For Your Newborn Baby’s Feeding Cues
When you pay attention to your baby for a while, you’ll begin to see a pattern in the way he behaves and coos. Aside from verbal communication, your baby’s non-verbal cues are easier to spot such as rooting, bringing his hands to his mouth and sucking, or even smacking his lips together.
Rooting is a reflex that is normal in newborn babies. You’ll see your baby automatically turn his head to the side and make sucking motions (rooting) when the lips or cheeks are touched.
When all of these first line of feeding cues are missed, your baby will start crying to get your attention. By this time, you’ll notice that your breastfeeding session may not go as smooth as you had hoped. This is why it’s important to pay attention and get your baby on your breast before the crying begins.
Placement Of Your Baby’s Head Is Critical For A Less Painful Latch
You’ll notice that when anything is placed near your baby’s mouth, his immediate reaction is to start sucking. In fact, they’ll keep sucking even after they’re full up until 4 months, so you must be careful of overfeeding. If you’re constantly dealing with spit-up getting all over your clothes, learn how to you can prevent it here.
You may think they’re eating until they’re full, but in reality they’re just eating until they’re mouth get’s tired and they want to sleep. This is usually what causes the extra spit-up and vomit.
Placing your baby so that his mouth is level to your nipple will offer the perfect latch. Whether you’re using the cradle hold, cross-cradle hold, lying on your side or the football hold, make sure that his entire body is also facing you and that he’s not lying on his back.
If you don’t correctly place your baby’s mouth level to your nipple, you’ll most likely experience painful nursing and snags of discomfort. It’s these types of painful feedings push many women to want to quit. You can prevent this feeding fatigue if you give more attention to this one specific aspect of the breastfeeding: the placement.
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How To Get The Best Latch Without Pain
Much of the pain that you’ll experience will come from a poor shallow latch. That’s the bottom line. Even if your baby seems to be getting milk, a shallow latch is not a good latch and will cause you unnecessary pain in an endless cycle.
Take a good look at your baby’s mouth. Is it wide or narrow? Every baby has a different shape mouth and your job is to create a custom shape nipple for your baby’s mouth. Figure out the shape once then repeat over and over so you can both get used to it. Also, remember that you’re bringing your baby’s mouth to your nipple and not your nipple to your baby’s mouth.
Here are some ways to customize your latch:
- Let your baby smell your breasts and nipples. Usually they can tell that a feeding is about to begin just by the smell and they will react by opening their mouth wide. You can even massage your breasts to get some milk out on the tip of your breasts to help open their mouth even more for a great latch. You can even touch your baby’s nose, upper lips and chin to get them to open up.
- Pinch your breasts near the areola so that your nipples appear longer. All nipples vary in size, but the optimal shape is a long nipple that can go deeper where it almost touches the roof of his mouth. Follow along with the picture below to get more of your nipple into the mouth by grabbing your areola with your index finger (under the nipple) and thumb (above the nipple). Place the nipple near your baby’s upper lip, pull back on your breast with your thumb so your nipple starts to point upward as you draw your breast down his lips and into his mouth. The lips sucking action will draw the milk out from around the areola and not the nipple itself, making it less painful on you.
- Check his tongue and make sure it’s where it should be: resting on the top of his lower gums. You can always check to see if it’s correct by pulling down on his lower lip and seeing the tongue resting there. If not, you’ll have to latch again. This will significantly help with nipple soreness. This technique is often overlooked but makes a huge difference in delivering more milk to your baby and less pain for you.
- Folded or pursed lips on the nipple is a big reason for your sore nipples. While latched, if your baby’s lips are not completely open and resting on your breasts, adjustments need to be made. You’ll have to pull on your baby’s lips and get them to lay flat for a more comfortable feeding.
Of course as you begin your breastfeeding journey, it will not be 100% pain free. Nothing worthwhile is. You will experience tenderness and skin sensitivity until your body adapts to the process. You will notice that the pain will slowly go away with time and you getting better and better with practice. Can you imagine breastfeeding for long periods of time without a hint of pain? Well, it’s possible.
If you regularly experience pain after 30 – 40 days of breastfeeding, it is most likely due to overlooking a technical detail we just went over. You can even trying to find a better position that works for you. You can even use breastmilk itself to help heal dry, chapped, and sore nipples.
Signs Of A Good Latch:
- Your baby’s mouth should be wide open with his chin nestled against your breast and the bottom lip curled outward laying flat.
- Make sure that your baby’s nose isn’t smooshed against making it hard for him to breath while feeding.
- While your baby is nursing, you should only see a bit of the areola on the top and almost all of the bottom of it should be in your baby’s mouth.
- You should not be able to hear your baby gulping or clicking while breastfeeding. You’ll think he’s chowing down, but he’s in fact taking in a lot of air while eating that will lead to uncomfortable gas.
- You shouldn’t feel much nipple pain. Instead, it should be more of a pulling sensation while your baby is nursing.
How To De-Latch The Right Way For Less Pain
Some of the most pain is endured while pulling him off of your nipple when the baby has a shallow latch and you have to repeatedly try for another. Instead of just pulling him off, you can insert your clean pinky finger into the side of your baby’s mouth and wedge it between his gums and take the nipple out without the pressure and pain. And don’t worry, you’re baby won’t feel pain or get hurt by doing this.
Keep Going, You Can Do It!
With our guide and some practice, you’ll look forward to breastfeeding and seeing your baby’s face and feel a stronger connection just after the first 30 days or sooner. You’ll feel like you’re getting something out of it – more than just being a feeding machine for a change.
You may over time become overwhelmed by the trouble and frustration of breastfeeding. At times you feel like the stress outweighs any momentary bonding time you get. But the truth is the more you accept the time commitment of breastfeeding for the first 30 days, you’ll begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and begin a positive relationship with the entire experience.
And give your baby some credit, too. He’s experiencing this world for the first time and learning how to work his own body and learning yours!
If you enjoyed this article, check out these below to help you find your perfect bib or unique product that’s a must have for any new parent:
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– How To Breastfeed Without Constantly Changing Your Clothes is an easy way to keep you and your baby’s clothes clean while breastfeeding.
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– 5 Best Baby Bibs That Solve Your Drool And Spit-Up Problems is an easy guide to help you find solutions to your baby’s drooling and spit-ups troubles.
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– 10 Scary But Normal Things To Know About Your Newborn will increase your confidence as parents by helping you discover unique products for your newborn baby.
As always, we’re here to help you relax and enjoy spending time with your baby instead of stressing out!