A Guide to Breastfeeding for New Mothers

Why Breastfeeding?

From the moment your baby is born, until the first year of life, milk will be the most nutritious food that will help your baby grow healthy. In the following paragraphs you will read a thorough introduction to breastfeeding.

How to breastfeed?

Even though it may be challenging at the start, once you master a position, breastfeeding should be pleasant and not hurt. Just be patient and practice!

If there is a lactation consultant in the maternity unit where you are having your baby, make sure you have a comprehensive chat and maybe book her in for one-on-one time. You can even get some breastfeeding classes!

Before you start nursing, it is important to find a comfortable space to be with your baby.

A comfy chair with foot stool or even a breastfeeding chair, can be ideal. Alternatively, you can sit in a comfortable armchair and use a step to lift your feet slightly.

Some moms also like to use breastfeeding pillows while breastfeeding, to aid with baby’s weight.

A Good Breastfeeding Latch

There are 2 reasons why mastering the latch is important:

  1. If your baby is not latched properly to your breast, it may hurt
  2. Your baby may not get all the milk he/ she needs if the latch is not well done

Some things to look for in a good latch are:

  1. Baby’s mouth needs to be widely open, that is as big as when he/ she yawns.
  2. One technique is: If your areola was a clock, 12pm would be at the very top. Support your breast with one hand and position your thumb at 2pm and press. Align baby’s nose with nipple and chin with areola at 6pm
  3. Another technique is to press the nipple and areola as if it was a sandwich, so that baby takes as much breast as possible
  4. When baby opens his/ her mouth very wide bring baby to breast (not breast to baby’s mouth)
  5. Your baby should be taking as much areola as possible, but more the top than the bottom part
  6. Ensure baby’s lips are turned out, not flanged
  7. Ensure baby’s nose is not pressed against the breast. The nose should be almost or only touching the breast
  8. At first it may hurt, so wait 30 to 40 seconds until the pain slowly stops.
  9. If the pain stops, that means you have latched your baby properly, if it doesn’t you should start over. Keep reading…

Breaking the latch

Babies instinctively know how to break the latch after a feed. However, if the latch is not good you can break it by using a finger.

Just slip your finger in the side of your baby’s mouth, between the gums and let some air break the suction. Then twist your finger slightly and your baby will let go.

Never pull your breast apart from your baby to break a latch as you can get hurt.

Find all the information and products for you and baby…

Baby Cribs

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Baby Essentials

Baby Car seat, convertible car seats, car accessories for babies, baby high chairs, baby bottles, bottle sterilizers, bottle warmers and more!

Nursing Positions

Laid back breastfeeding

In this position baby needs to have tummy to tummy contact with mom. This will give baby stability during the feed.

Baby will reach the nipple and latch chin first leaving approximately 2 fingers between chin and mom’s chest.

This position is good for mothers who had a cesarean section.

It is also a great position to have some skin-to-skin time with baby.

 

The Cross-Cradle or Crossover Hold

This position gives mom more control over your baby’s head movements, which can help get the correct latch.

Baby needs to be facing you (belly to belly). Bring your arm up through baby’s bottom to support the head and neck. Your other hand is to support your breast.

Your baby’s head needs to be supported by your index and thumb fingers (in a “c” shape) just the ear level. You can always use a breastfeeding pillow if you need aid to lift your baby to the breast.

If you get the latch right with this position, you can then rest your baby’s head on your arm and nurse in the cradle hold position.

The Cradle Hold

You will need to cradle your baby resting his/ her head in your forearm and use your hand to support your baby’s back and bottom. Your baby needs to be facing you, belly to belly (not belly up).

Support your breast with your other hand whilst you raise your baby to the breast with the other arm.

 

The Clutch or Football Hold

This pose is recommended for mothers nursing twins, mother’s with large breasts and small babies, or mothers who had a cesarean section.

Baby goes under your arm and facing you. Use a pillow to support baby’s back. In simultaneous, use your hand to support baby’s neck and head and bring baby as close to your body as possible. Use your armpits to support baby’s legs and feet. Finally, lift baby slightly to latch.

Koala Position

Baby sits over mom’s leg (belly to belly).

This position can help moms that have a fast flow. After you achieve the latch you can lean back slightly to support your back in a cushion.

The Side-Lying Position

This is good position for mothers who have had a c-section (cesarean) as it releases baby weight from the abdominal area.

However, if you fall asleep, it may be dangerous for baby’s well-being. Make sure you put baby back to sleep on his/ her cot before taking a nap.

Make sure that baby is facing you, same as the other positions.

Then align your baby’s nose with your nipple and use your lower arm to support baby (like in a cradle) and support your breast with the other hand. You can use a pillow or blanket to help you support baby’s back as well.

Make sure you are in a comfortable position before latching baby.

The videos were brought to you by SantaBarbaraLactation.com with Jessica Barton. As you can see lactation is very well explained and recorded for best results.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

Many mothers experience difficulties at the start of their breastfeeding journey, which can be overwhelming when they are breastfeeding at least 8 hours a day. Nonetheless, practice makes perfect and you should give yourself time to learn this new technique.

Benefits of breastfeeding for baby

✓Breast milk is a natural super-food
✓Breast milk contains antibodies and healthy enzymes that boost your baby’s immune system.
✓Reduces the risk of baby catching viruses
✓Protects baby from eczema and allergies
✓Lowers the risk of Asthma, ear infections and lower respiratory infections
✓Breast milk is easier to digest than formula, causing less stomach pain and diarrhea or constipation
✓Reduces the risk of SIDS. It’s been studied that breastfeed babies have less chances of suffering SIDS than formula fed ones.
✓Reduces the risk of leukemia and obesity during childhood and type 2 diabetes
✓Promotes Mom and baby bonding
✓It may help prevent obesity
✓It may make your baby smarter!

Benefits of breastfeeding for mom

✓It lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
✓Reduces risk of ovarian and breast cancer (certain types)

What is Colostrum?

Also known as liquid gold, colostrum is the first milk. Its color is deep yellow, close to orange and it is thicker than breast milk. Mothers’ breasts start making colostrum during pregnancy and just after baby’s birth.

Even though colostrum may come in small amounts it is extremely important and nutritious for your baby. Every drop counts.

After the first 48 or 72 hours after giving birth, your body may already start making mother’s milk. Colostrum changes naturally from that thick yellowy texture to a more liquid like clearer milk.

It is natural for your milk to change as your baby grows.

Colostrum milk breast milk

Image by Amada44 (CCBY3.0)

How to produce more breast milk?

There are times when baby requires more milk than the body is able to make. If you feel your baby is hungry after a feed and/ or he/she is not getting all the milk required for healthy growth, the first protocol is to call your physician or lactation consultant for advice.

Having said that, here are some tips that can help you boost your milk supply:

✓Nurse skin to skin
✓Nurse baby as much as possible
✓Avoid pacifiers and bottles if possible
✓Feed baby only breast milk for as long as you can
✓Consider using a breast pump
✓Start a milk booster diet
✓Make lactation cookies
✓Drink Premama Mix
✓Have some rest

Read the full article here.

Some mothers are recommended to complement breastfeeding with baby formula, if there are concerns that baby is not growing as it should.

Nurse Accessories

There are many articles on the marketplace to help you breastfeed your baby comfortably. Choose the breastfeeding essentials that work best for you

Breastfeeding chairs

Also called nursing chairs, these are armchairs designed to give moms a comfortable seat to nurse their babies. Some models may include a foot rest.

breastfeeding chair with foot rest

Breastfeeding stools

If you are using a sofa or a regular chair a nursing stool comes handy to lift up your knees and make you feel more comfortable while nursing baby with or without a nursing pillow.

breastfeeding stool

Breastfeeding pillows

Nursing pillows can help you carry the baby’s weight and release some tension from your back and arms. Just make sure you use a nursing pillow cover to protect it from any fluids.

nursing pillow

Breastfeeding bras

You should try to get the best nursing bra you can afford. Regular bras will not work wile breastfeeding as your breasts are more engorged than normal. Besides, these bras have clips to help you access your breast easier than a regular bra. Check out our article con nursing bras for larger breasts here.

nursing bras

Breastfeeding tops

Feeding tops are great for breastfeeding in public, and more comfortable. Nursing tops make it easy for you to access the breast without showing your belly.

breastfeeding shirt

Breastfeeding gowns 

A nursing gown is a great maternity nightwear item, great for night feeds. Plus, they are very comfortable to wear.

Breastfeeding pajamas

Maternity pajamas or nursing pajamas are a great alternative for moms who prefer PJs rather than gowns. They are like every day pajamas, featuring shorts and breastfeeding loose shirt.

Breastfeeding cover

Will you be breastfeeding in public? Some moms feel uncomfortable wearing just a breastfeeding top. If that is your case, you may want to consider a nursing cover. For the first 3 to 6 months they are an ideal option. Once baby learns how to grab things, they are a bit hard to use.

nursing cover

Nursing pads

Breastfeeding pads are used in between the breast and the bra. If you leak milk, you choose from washable breast pads (recommended if you do not leak too much), or disposable breast pads (for mothers who leak a lot).

breastfeeding pads maternity pads

Nipple Shields

Breast shields are used temporarily during feeds within the first day after birth under the following circumstances: to protect sore nipples, for babies who have trouble latching, or for babies who fed with a bottle and are learning to feed at the breast.

nipple shields

Nipple Cream

Breastfeeding cream can help sore nipples heal. Always choose a 100% natural nipple cream, hypoallergenic, free of parabens and preservatives to be safe.

nipple cream for sore nipples

Nursing gel pads

Gel pads are great to relief pain from sore nipples. These can be used in conjunction with a nipple cream.

gel pads to relief sore nipples

Breastfeeding books

There are many breastfeeding books that will show you the techniques to learn how to breastfeed your baby.

Breastfeeding apps

Download a breastfeeding app to keep track of your baby’s feeds. An app can help you monitor for how long your baby is feeding as well as the time of each feed and which was the last breast taken.

Breast pumps

A breast pump is a device used to express mother’s milk. There are manual an electric breast pumps, but basically there are four types:

  1. single electric breast pumps
  2. double electric breast pumps
  3. manual single breast pumps
  4. hospital grade breast pumps

Before making your purchase, you may want to read about some criteria to help you choose the best breast pump.

There are plenty of breast pump brands and models. If you are looking to buy a breast pump, check out our article on the best ones available here.

In fact, we have a review especially for the Medela Swing Breast Pump Spectra S1 and Spectra S2, which are very popular models.

Who needs a breast pump?

It is common for mothers of premature babies to express milk, as they are too weak to breast milk.

Specially at the beginning, if your baby is not feeding well, a breast pump can help you maintain or even boost your milk supply

Mother’s returning to work part or full-time may need to express milk during the day to keep up their supply.

For emergencies or if you need to attend any appointments without your baby. It can be relieving to know that your baby can take a baby bottle with your milk. It is also important to train your baby to do so, as not all babies take the bottle straight away.

How to store breast milk?

If you are expressing milk to feed your baby later, you will need to store it. There are a few breast milk storage containers:

Baby bottles and glass or plastic BPA-Free containers are a good option. Make sure you sterilize any container where you will store your breast milk.

You can also buy disposable breast milk storage bags. These are great because there is no need to be sterilized and they take less freezer space than bigger containers.

Make sure you label your containers with the date you expressed your milk and the amount. This will be helpful at the time to organize your milk supply. If you are taking the milk to a day care facility, make sure you write your baby’s name as well.

Consider storing milk in small amounts, so that there is little to no waste. As your baby grows, you can store more milk in one bag.

How long can you store breast milk?

This will depend on where you wish to store your milk. Take a look at the safety guidelines below:

Room temperature: expressed breast milk can be kept at room temperature for up to 6 hours. Nonetheless, it is recommended that the milk is consumed within 4 hours of being expressed for optimal quality. If the room is hot, limit the time to 4 hours tops.

Refrigerator or Fridge: Expressed milk can last up to 5 days in the fridge. It is optimal to either freeze or feed the milk to baby after 3 days.

Freezer: Breast milk can last up to 12 months if it is stored in the back of a deep freezer. Nonetheless, try to use the milk within 6 months.

Insulated cooler bag: Freshly expressed milk can last one day in the cooler bag if ice packs are in use.

How to defrost breast milk?

It is recommended to take out frozen breast milk from the freezer and put it inside the fridge the night before. To warm it up, simply leave the container inside another one with warm water.

Note that water does not need to be boiling hot, as you only need to warm the milk to room temperature.

Using a microwave oven is not recommended, as some antibodies and nutrients can be lost.

Remember, if you haven’t used thawed milk after 24 hours, you should through it away.

What is the smell and appearance of thawed milk?

Your breast milk colour may vary according to your diet, but it should always stay in the white or creamy-yellow range.

Always smell stored breast milk before feeding baby, just in case you notice something funny. Breast milk should not smell (same as cow’s milk). If it does, your milk could be off or there could be excess enzymes in your body that generate that smell in your milk. You can read more about lipase in milk, here.

Baby Bottles

Types of baby bottles

There are different types of baby bottles available, mainly:

  • Plastic BPA-Fee baby bottles
  • Glass baby bottles
  • Stainless Steel baby bottles

Check out our comprehensive guide on how to choose the best bottles for breastfed babies, here.

We also recommend some of the best bottles for breastfed babies.

Baby bottle Nipples

Baby bottle nipples vary in shape and flow. Young babies drink breast milk using a slow flow nipple, whereas older babies (6 months+) use a faster flow nipple.

Depending on the brand you choose, you will find different nipple sizes: nipples for newborns, for 1-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months and lastly 12-18 months.

Baby bottle nipples also vary in materials, there is latex nipples and silicone nipples. Now the question is, which one to choose?

Depending on your baby, it will be trial and error. Some babies take the first baby bottle that it is offered to them, whereas others reject the baby bottle. This may be because they prefer the breast, or they don’t like the nipple or don’t know how to use it.

You can always train your baby to take the bottle. After lactation is properly established at around 4 weeks. You can check out our guide here for more info.

How to warm a baby bottle?

There are many ways you can warm up your baby’s milk.

On the stove: warm some water in the stove and place your baby’s bottle inside, until it reaches room temperature.

Under the faucet: turn on the hot water under the faucet and place the baby bottle underneath. Wait until the milk reaches room temperature

In a bowl with hot water: pour some hot water into a bowl and place your baby bottle there for a few minutes. If the milk was frozen, it will take you longer to warm up the milk using this method. Plus, you will need to change the in the bowl a few times as the frozen milk may cool it down rapidly.

In a bottle warmer: Bottle warmers have a timer and a temperature set, so some parents prefer this method over the other ones for consistency. Check out our guide to read a few reviews.

To know if your baby’s milk is warm enough, pour a few drops in the inner side of your wrist. It shouldn’t feel neither cold nor hot.

baby bottle warmer

Baby Bottle Sterilizer

A bottle sterilizer will be useful if you happen to use pacifiers, baby bottles, breast pumps and breast shields; especially during the first weeks of life.

How to sterilize a baby bottle?

You can use either of the following methods. Click here for a full explanation for each, including advantages and disadvantages:

  • Electric sterilizers (steam)
  • Microwave sterilizers (steam)
  • UV light sterilizer (UV light)
  • Boiling water
  • Chemical sterilizers (in water)

Baby bottle Drying Rack

These are used to dry your baby’s freshly sterilized pacifiers, baby bottles, nipples and breast shields. Unless you are using a UV sterilizer, which has the ability to dry your baby items.

baby bottle drying rack

How to stop breastfeeding?

Sooner or later your baby will stop taking the breast. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding babies until the 2 years of age.

However, sometimes this is not possible to do… and that’s ok! Just breastfeed your baby for as long as you feel or can.

To stop breastfeeding, do it gradually. For example, pick one feed a week and replace it with a bottle. You can start with the night feeds, if you are still breastfeeding during the night and then move on from there.

Check out our articles below to keep reading about anything to do with breastfeeding for new mothers.

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