Balancing breast & bottle feeding

[caption id="attachment_2544" align="alignleft" width="150"] balancing breast and bottle feeding[/caption]

When breastfeeding just doesn’t go to plan, it can be really frustrating for the mother and the family. So many times I hear women say I had to give up because I didn’t have enough milk.

 

 

There seems to be this belief that their baby either does breast or bottle feeding.  This is not the case- you can do both.  Just because you have a low supply doesn’t mean you have to choose one or the other. You can do both.

 

 

When this is the case, we do talk about thinking about breastfeeding differently. It does involve some mindset adjustments to change the way you think about giving your best for your baby.

 

Usually we talk about satisfying your baby with formula (or donor breastmilk if you have that luxury) and then breastfeeding is for topups, soothing, comforting, a drink, dessert,  or an entree, an in between or overnight snack. So instead of relying on breastfeeding to satisfy your baby, your baby still gets whatever you can give but also receives calories to sustain his or her growth and development as well.

 

This can take a little work and a little perseverance as with all things worthwhile.

 

 

This is of course your choice and for some women their home life demands make this difficult to sustain. However I have helped so many women do just this thing.

 

So instead of feeling like a failure as a mother because their supply was low( for any number of different reasons) these women felt fantastic because they were giving their baby as much breastmilk as they could  for as long as they could while ensuring they received enough calories for growth and development.

Giselle Bundchen breastfeeding

[caption id="attachment_2338" align="alignleft" width="150"] Giselle Bundchen breastfeeding her one year old[/caption]

 

I came across this image of Giselle Bundchen breastfeeding her 1 yr old. The article (link below) goes on about the usual argument of reality. Of course she has the luxury of having lots of people to help her. And good on her.
I like that she is a celebrity breastfeeding. We all know that celebrities have influence on huge on trends and choices people make- rightly or wrongly, but it's a fact.
I am hopeful that there will be more of this in the public eye to normalise breastfeeding and make assistance and support more readily available and acceptable. Any breastfeeding is good. As we educate not only women, but men too, about breastfeeding and how it works, we will achieve more women feeling like they have successfully breastfed their child or children for as long as it works for them. With understanding and knowledge we can achieve better experiences with breastfeeding for more individuals.


 

http://startwithmom.com/article-gisele-bundchen-rebrands-breastfeeding

Little known Breastfeeding Facts for success

[caption id="attachment_2306" align="alignleft" width="150"] Breastfeeding secrets of lactation consultants[/caption]

 

Most babies will feed very soon after birth and it goes very well.
Probably the most confusing thing for parents particularly, is that after the first feed sometimes it can seem like your baby doesn’t know what to do and can’t find the nipple again. Your baby may cry, get on the nipple, come off, cry again, move his or head mouth over, on, around the nipple, come off , cry and repeat a number of times.
For us looking on, it can be a bit frustrating. We think “ just get on, you are on it, just close your mouth and suck”.

This is all normal behaviour and is just your baby imprinting on the nipple, finding his or her way to the nipple, co –ordinating the suck and generally just imprinting into his or her brain abut feeding. The important thing is to be patient and let your baby go through this. He or she will get it again. If you try to force it by pushing your baby’s head onto the nipple it won’t work. Your baby will push back against what ever is touching the back of his or her head. Support the head if you need to but never force them.
Most babies don’t like the back of their head being touched . In fact most people don’t like the back of their head being push so it is easy to understand .
Often during this time a lot of babies will move their head back and just look at their mother, at the world around them and generally take it in. This is another time when I see a lot of parents be impatient and think something is wrong. It is not wrong, just your baby getting a handle on thing around him or her. Let your baby look around, do their thing and within a few minutes they will usually look for a feed again.
Sometimes, your baby will try to feed, get frustrated, have a little sleep and then wake up after 30-120 seconds and look for the nipple again. All this is normal. Sometimes they may have a little sleep a couple of times and then wake up and have a try. In normal circumstances this is normal and will pass. Sometimes it may take up to 20 minutes of on and off , looking around to get on, this is all normal especially if your baby was crying and distressed for quite some time before the feed.
Allow baby to bob his head around on your nipple. It may take him a little while to get there, but if he can do it himself , he will achieve a much better latch usually. Everyone needs to be patient at this time and allow your baby time to do his or her thing. If we take the pressure off around feeding for your baby, it usually helps it go much smoother.

Patience is key for breaastfeeding success.

Breastfeeding Benefits And Tips For Successful Breastfeeding

Despite being a natural progression of life, there still appears to be an enormous lack of awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding today.  Often with the combined negativity towards breastfeeding and lack of support, it is common for first time mothers to be dissuaded from persisting with this beneficial practice.

Unfortunately, breastfeeding is not necessarily as instinctive as one would expect it to be. However, the common fallacy that seems to persist that a mother might not have sufficient milk supply is unfounded.  Although possibly, it is a very rare occurrence.  For such a condition to be a rampant problem would have been evolutionary suicide back in the days where baby formulas did not exist.  In most cases, it is usually a lack of support and understanding that prevents a mother from breastfeeding.

Breast milk is produced on demand and the best way to increase milk production is to allow the baby to suckle directly from the breast. It is the baby's suckling action that encourages further milk production. No suckling, no milk.  Often, because of the "apparent" lack of milk in the early days of nursing, well-intentioned relatives encourage the new mother to supplement the feeds with formula - just until the milk comes.

Although well-intended, this flawed recommendation often sabotages the new mother's milk supply because it reduces the frequency with which the baby takes the breast.  Since breast milk is produced on demand, the reduced suckling means less milk is produced.  This then lends itself to the fallacy that the new mother "doesn't have milk".

In the first two days after delivery, the breast does not produce milk. It produces a substance called colostrum. Colostrum is rich in all the necessary nutrients required by a newborn and is very easy to digest. It offers protective antibodies for the newborn and also helps prevent jaundice.

A common concern among parents during this early stage is that the baby may not have enough to eat. However, we should be mindful that the size of a newborn's stomach is about the size of a grape. It is important for the baby to have frequent feeds during the early days as it sets the stage for normal milk production. Generally, the more often you feed, the better your milk production. By about the third to fifth day (there is a variation among mothers), colostrum will be replaced with regular breast milk.

To encourage breast feeding, it is advisable not to offer the baby any artificial pacifiers for the first six weeks (there is some variation to the timing between sources), therefore, no bottle feeding of any sort. At this time, the baby is also learning how to breast feed. The introduction of pacifiers can cause confusion because the suckling action is different from that of the breast.

There are additional issues with the introduction of a bottle too early. Babies are intelligent and they soon discover that it is far easier to retrieve milk from a bottle than it is to suckle from a breast. This is the fastest way to destroy a mother's milk supply. Although there are cases where babies happily interchange between bottles and the breast, this is not always the case, especially when the baby is very young. Where bottles are concerned, it is best to proceed cautiously, especially if continue to breastfeed is what you desire.

A baby that is exclusively breastfeeding has no need for water, because breast milk provides all the necessary fluids. The initial part of the feed is called the foremilk which is good for quenching thirst. If the baby is hungry, it will stay on the breast for longer to get the hind milk which is fatty and more filling. On the other hand, a baby that is consuming formula requires water to prevent constipation.

Most of the information on breastfeeding encourages mothers to breastfeed exclusively for at least the first six months - that means that the baby takes no other forms of nutrition except for breast milk.  Beyond six months, solids may be introduced, but it is still advisable to continue breastfeeding as there is a lot of evidence pointing to continued benefits for babies who breastfeed up to one or two years of age and beyond.

Here is a summary of the benefits of breastfeeding:

It's nutritional - with the right constituents for human development

The babies have fewer illnesses because of the mother's antibodies being passed through the milk

Breast fed babies are less likely to develop allergies later in life

Breast fed babies have less risk of developing obesity later in life

More research is demonstrating that breast fed babies have more optimal brain development

Breast feeding lowers the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)

Breast milk contains lots of good bacteria

Breast milk straight from the breast is sterile

Breast milk contains at least a hundred additional ingredients that formula does not

No baby is allergic to their mother's milk (although they may be allergic to some of the foods she eats, but this is easily rectified if the mother eliminates that food)

The suckling action allows the baby to develop strong jaw muscles that encourage the growth of straight and healthy teeth

Breast fed babies are also less likely to develop tooth decay compared to bottle fed babies

Babies who are premature or born with medical problems have also been shown to benefit from breast feeding

Babies who are breast fed have a stronger bond with their mothers. Some studies have shown that breast fed babies grow up to be socially more independent than their formula fed counterparts

Babies who are breast fed tend are generally held more closely than bottle fed babies. The skin to skin contact between mother and baby provides comfort for the baby that has just been removed from the protective environment of the womb.

Although breastfeeding is not without it own difficulties (mostly in the initial stages as it gets easier with time), I would think that given the overwhelming benefits, it's worth any inconvenience.

Additionally, we should not neglect the fact that breastfeeding is also beneficial to the mother - even more reasons to breastfeed:

The suckling action of the baby indirectly results in the contraction of the uterus, protecting the mother from post-partum bleeding

Exclusive breast feeding is 99% effective in preventing a second pregnancy the first six months post delivery

Decreases the risk of developing iron-deficient anemia

More rapid and sustained weight loss (milk production uses 200-500 calories a day)

Decrease the risk of developing breast, ovarian and uterine cancers

Current literature suggest that breast feeding may help protect against osteoporosis

It is also found that breastfeeding helps strengthen the maternal instinct.  From the scientific perspective, the psychosocial benefits are a little more difficult to analyse, however one particular study found that mothers with a history of abandonment are less likely to abandon their babies if they breastfeed the baby.

The recommended duration for breastfeeding

Currently, the general recommendation is to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months, and to continue breastfeeding with other sources of nutrition up to 1 year.  However, more and more research shows that it may be worthwhile to extend breastfeeding beyond the first year and that the benefits of breastfeeding continue even before the first year.

Breastfeeding.com stated that: "in comparing humans to other primates, research showed that humans' natural age of weaning is a minimum of two and a half years and a maximum of between six and seven years."

Current guidelines:

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first four to six months of life and continued breastfeeding until at least two years.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for a minimum of one year, but offers no upper limit.

By: Shen-Li Lee  -   About the Author :
  Shen-Li is a stay-at-home-mum dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in parenting. She has a formal educational background and former work experience in healthcare. If you enjoyed this article, visit her blog Babylicious and follow her as she learns how to raise a happy, confident and successful person.