Mother and Baby Getting breastfeeding off to a good start

Getting breastfeeding off to a good start

• Get help with positioning and latch-on
  Getting skilled help is critical for a mother with inverted or flat nipples. It is important for the baby to learn how to open his mouth wide and bypass the nipple, allowing his gums to close further back on the breast. Experimenting with different positions is a good way to find what is most comfortable for the mother and helps baby latch most effectively. Some mothers find that the football (clutch) hold or cross-cradle hold gives them the most control, which also makes it easier for baby to latch on well.

• Breastfeed early and often
  Plan to breastfeed as soon after birth as possible and at least every 2-3 hours thereafter. This will help you avoid engorgement, and will allow baby to practice at breastfeeding before the milk becomes more plentiful or "comes in". Lots of practice at breastfeeding while mother's breasts are still soft often helps baby to continue to nurse well, even as the breasts become more firm (which can make a flat nipple more difficult to grasp).*****[ because that is when the sucking Instinct is the strongest and baby will learn correctly how to suck with less problems, waiting longer they lose some of that know how and have problems to work through in learning/ or wanting to suck ]

• Achieve a deep latch
  When latching your baby on, hold him in close against your body, with his ear, shoulder, and hip in a straight line. Align baby's nose with your nipple. Pull back on your breast tissue to make it easier for him to latch on. Tickle baby's lips with nipple and wait for baby to open wide (like a yawn). Then latch him on, assuring that baby has bypassed the nipple and is far back on the areola. The resulting latch should be off-center -- deeper on the bottom (more breast taken in on the chin side than the nose side). Baby's nose should be touching (but not buried in) the breast, and his lips should be flared out like "fish lips".

• Use calming techniques if baby becomes upset
  Baby should not associate breastfeeding with unpleasantness. If baby becomes upset, immediately take a break and calm him. Offer a finger for him to suck on, walk, swaddle, rock, or sing to him. Wait until he is calm before trying again.

• http://www.llli.org/FAQ/flat.html

“Full-term normal babies are not nearly as helpless at birth as has been thought and they can organise their own meals to suit themselves and their mother’s bodies, if only other people will let them do it,” writes Gabrielle Palmer in The Politics of Breastfeeding. The guiding principle is that of supply and demand—when your baby demands food (usually by crying), you supply. Initially, demands will come every two or three hours. You should allow your baby to nurse at both breasts each time he nurses. Most babies take from 20 to 40 minutes to complete a feeding, though some babies like to dine at their leisure, with pauses. Such slowpokes may take up to 60 minutes to finish their meal. Generally, your baby is getting enough to eat if he nurses at least eight times in 24 hours, if you can hear him swallowing, and if he has eight or more wet diapers a day after the fifth day.

A most important skill you need to master in breast-feeding is how to hold your baby correctly at the breast. Bad positioning can result in your baby’s not getting enough milk. Some babies even refuse to feed.

Bad positioning can result in another common problem: cracked or sore nipples. Breastfeeding Source Book states: “Sore nipples are caused by a number of factors, but an important one is how well the baby ‘latches on,’ and that in turn depends to a considerable extent on what position his head is in in relationship to the breast. For correct positioning, your baby should be in close, with his head neutral (not looking up, down or to the side), and coming straight at the nipple so he doesn’t pull it to one side.”

Ideally, the infant’s lips should form a seal on the breast, at least an inch [3 cm] behind the nipple. You will know that the position is correct if your baby’s whole body is turned toward you, if he takes long sucks, if he is relaxed and happy, and if you do not feel nipple pain.