Advice on breastfeeding for new mums
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
New mums get bombarded with advice and it is never easy to know what to do. It can be stressful; particularly when it comes to breastfeeding. Some of the best advice comes from recent mums and forums such as ‘mumsnet' are often invaluable sources of frank and honest advice. New mums can often get some very prescriptive advice from well intentioned and busy midwives. However, it is often best to take such advice with a pinch of salt and not get too stressed about it. The best advice is often to just let baby take the lead. You'll be able to judge from your own baby what seems right and soon learn to take a more relaxed approach.
‘Latching on' is one of those much debated issues and is often a problem for new mums in the early stages who are obviously concerned that the baby is getting enough milk. It is best if you can get this established while you are still in hospital and can get advice from the midwife - don't be afraid to ask for help and get another opinion if necessary. The Doctor Jack Newman website is a great source of advice on this.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that babies are individuals and therefore have varying appetites and feeding patterns. Comparing against other babies is not necessarily useful. The fact that they seem to feed all night for the first few weeks is not necessarily a bad thing. Hormone levels are higher at night and this helps to get the breastfeeding established. It's a good idea to wear a sleeping bra too although make sure it is not too tight or you could cause mastitis.
Of course, if you are breastfeeding, then sooner or later you will have the issue of breastfeeding in public; whether it is in the local café or down at the doctor's surgery. It can be an additional source of stress and many mums give up breastfeeding because of this.
You can't control your babies feed times and so it is impossible to organize your life around them. The best solution is to be prepared and try and be a little more relaxed about it. There are many products available that can assist mums (and their babies) to gain confidence in the early days of breastfeeding in public. The breastfeeding cover (or apron) is one such product. The breastfeeding cover works well through both the early stages of breastfeeding in public but also when the baby gets older and is more easily distracted. The cocooned and secure environment provided by the cover allows mum to maintain eye contact and the baby to be shielded from distractions. Some mums use cloths to cover up in public but it is harder to keep an eye on how well baby is feeding.
Advice comes from all directions when you are a new mum, and much of it seems contradictory. It can be a great strain when you are worried about doing the right thing. Probably the best advice is to listen but in the end, judge what seems to be right for your baby.
Dawn Callery
