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.

Tongue tie and newborn feeding care

Tongue tie

 

Tongue tie is a relatively common occurrence in babies and adults.  It is often a family thing with either mum or dad having a tongue tie also.

 

After a long time where health practitioners didn’t really give much thought or credence to tongue tie and some of the challenges it can provide, we are thankfully knowing more about it and also taking action to help those for whom it causes discomfort.

 

Very broadly there are 2 types of tongue tie-

Anterior tie-  can see tight frenulum ( bit of skin in the centre underneath the tongue ) under tongue – often has a heart shaped tip.

Posterior tie- not so easy to identify – back of tongue is bunched or elevated.  When baby cries  tongue tip is up. Usually baby can’t extend tongue over bottom lip.

What to do with a tongue tie??

Anterior tie- can get it snipped by someone skilled in this . It is a simple procedure that takes a few seconds. In some cases the frenulum is embedded in the tongue making it difficult to snip.  This makes it a much more complicated intervention than a simple snip.
Posterior tie- there is nothing to snip.

 
We don’t always automatically snip a tongue tie.  We generally only snip a tongue tie in the case of breastfeeding when it causes poor latch for the baby and pain and damage to the nipple for the mother.  When a baby is bottle fed, there is not usually a problem with feeding and certainly no discomfort, so usually it does not become an issue.  Sometimes even with breastfeeding, the tie may look significant however if there is no discomfort and the baby is satisfied, there is no indication for snipping the tie.

 
Typically what happens is that the mother will breastfeed reasonably comfortably for the first 3-7 days. After this time as the baby’s feeding requirements increase and the baby also gets more co-ordinated and strong with their feeding, we see mothers in extreme discomfort -pain, with very damaged nipples.  It is at this point that many women stop breastfeeding – understandably.  Some women  at this point find help from a lactation consultant to work out what to do and why this is happening.

[caption id="attachment_2270" align="alignleft" width="150"] tongue _tie_in Newborn_baby[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2271" align="alignleft" width="150"] frenulum_under_tongue_in_newborn[/caption]

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Why some moms give up on breastfeeding - common breastfeeding problems

Common breastfeeding problems

Moms think they can’t breastfeed. Many moms feel inadequate. So many moms out there think that they are not capable of breastfeeding; most of them assume that they have a low milk supply.

Moms are not educated about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is natural, but the process of breastfeeding doesn’t always come naturally. You need to educate yourself before you breastfeed…read and read some more! It will really be worth it.

Lack of support. You need to surround yourself with individuals who are like minded and that support breastfeeding. Also it is always nice to have someone around who can help with a few things around the house.

Moms supplement with formula. The first few weeks are crucial for developing a good milk supply. When you supplement with formula you taking away that stimulation on the breast that is needed for milk production since milk supply works on a supply demand basis.

Mom thinks she can pump her breast milk instead of breastfeed. Some moms might think they are producing too little and try pumping to see how much is coming out. A breast pump can never extract milk like your baby and should never be used to estimate how much milk you are producing. Also a breast pump can never stimulate your breast like baby and therefore your milk supply will decrease if you replace normal breastfeeding with pumping.

Moms feel uncomfortable. Breastfeeding is a learnt skill, as time goes by it becomes easier and easier so don’t expect it to be comfy the first few times. Try all the different breastfeeding positions like holding baby on your side (football hold breastfeeding position)  or keep baby in an upright position on your knee (Australian breastfeeding hold)Baby has some sucking breastfeeding problems that go undetected.

Your baby might not be latching on properly and this can cause allot of frustration. You should get your baby checked out for things like tongue tie, tongue thrust etc.

Mom has terrible nipple pain. In the beginning some nipple sensitivity is normal but if it continues it can sometimes cause mom to stop breastfeeding. Nipple pain is usually connected to a bad latch. Mom should try get her nipple and part of her areola into baby’s mouth so that your nipple is against his soft pallet. A shallow latch is when baby has your nipple on he’s hard pallet which will definitely cause pain during breastfeeding.

By: Tracy Ann Behr  -   About the Author :
  More information on latching on, nipple pain, oversupply and any other breastfeeding problems