Getting started with breastfeeding – my top tips!
Tags: breastfeeding, breastfeeding buddies, Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt 2012.
Tina over at MotherGeek recently posted asking for breastfeeding tips as she is having her second child shortly and wants to try breastfeeding again after having trouble with her son. Instead of writing a lengthly comment on her blog I thought I would wait & do a post as part of the scavenger hunt on the topic instead!
One of Georgie's more interesting breastfeeding positions!
I already posted about the importance of breastfeeding your child last week on my blog, even if it is just for the first few weeks. Managing to breastfeed for even a week is something to take real pride in – I don’t want to sugarcoat the topic to try to get more people breastfeeding by suggesting that it is really easy to breastfeed, because for many Mums it isn’t! Here are a few (ok, a lot!) of my favourite breastfeeding tips to help you on your way:
- Although breastfeeding can be a little uncomfortable for the first few days, it shouldn’t be really painful – if it hurts the best thing you can do is de-latch your baby and reposition them – don’t be afraid to try a few times to get it right. A bad latch will cause problems like sore nipples and your baby won’t be feeding efficiently. It really is worth the trouble to get it right - and once you’ve got the hang of it, it will become second nature to both of you!
- If you need to use nipple shields for one reason or other, remember that they should only be a temporary measure as they can mess with your supply.
- A newborn baby seems to want to feed ALL the time… chill out, this is perfectly normal. It’s just their way of putting their order in and letting your body know that it should be producing more milk. Things will get better once your supply meets the demand.
- Skin to skin contact is always great, especially in the first few days – it will help your supply get going, calm your baby and improve your mood.
- Don’t be tempted to clock watch or time feeds. Try to rest when your baby sleeps and go with the flow as much as possible. Housework is really not that important – your body needs to be ok to produce the milk your baby needs so go lie down instead!
- Try not to panic about your baby’s weight. Some fluctuation is normal and your health visitor will let you know if there is something to worry about!
- Before a feed, make sure you get comfortable. You need a position you can hold for a few hours if necessary, snacks & drinks, your phone, the remote, a book… and most importantly remember to go for a wee before you get settled!
- Do as many night feeds lying down in bed as you can! We couldn’t co-sleep right away due to my husband’s epilepsy but sharing a bed with your baby makes it super easy to do night feeds when you’re breastfeeding, and you & the baby will most likely drop off together at the end of a feed. If you don’t want to share the bed all night just transfer your little one into their crib as they start to drop off.
- When the mothers whose babies are formula fed start talking about how much milk their babies drink, and how often, don’t panic because you don’t have the same information… You might not be able to see what goes in but you can see if your baby is healthy and you definitely get to see what comes out! After the first few days you can expect about 6 wet nappies and 2 poops a day – if you’re worried your baby isn’t “performing as expected”, have a chat with your health visitor.
- Try not to supplement with formula feeds as it can have a negative effect on your supply. If your baby seems especially hungry let them continue to suckle as much as they want as it will let your body know they want more and your supply with increase to meet their demand after a day or so – growth spurts are common and this probably will happen!
Most importantly, try to relax and enjoy the experience. Take your cues from your baby, make sure your latching is good and hopefully you will love your breastfeeding journey as much as I have loved mine.
Although I have now stopped feeding Georgie (we are now on day 4 with no Mummy milk!), something I posted about earlier this week, we did manage to get to 6 months exclusively and to 13 months total so I am really proud of myself and pleased that we managed to take this journey to its natural end!
Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt 2012
This post is part of the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt 2012. You will be able to view more great articles about breastfeeding at the following participating blogs:
I am working with Babybeads-UK for the duration of the scavenger hunt, and will be hosting a special giveaway of one of their products on the last week of the hunt! Established in 2006, Babybeads-UK manufacture and sell breastfeeding necklaces and reminder bracelets. All of their products are hand-crafted in the UK by specially trained staff and can be useful for fun and educational purposes well after the breastfeeding stages are over. Even better, they are always happy to make a bespoke necklace for no extra charge and you can even have them personalised with your baby’s name! They have also donated a breastfeeding necklace and reminder bracelet to the grand prize.
Thank you for reading! Please complete the following Rafflecopter form to enter the competition for the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Grand Prize. Want to take part and try to win loads of prizes? Read the instructions here.
28 Comments
MotherGeek
Thank you so much for this post!!
I particularly loved the "go for a wee before feeding" tip – I was forever sitting there desperate for a pee when feeding Sam lol.
Feel free to add a comment linking to this over on my blog post. xx
Zoe Corkhill
Hehe glad you liked my post – hopefully you will find it helpful!
If you ever want some help with Robyn and breastfeeding just let me know, I've done the breastfeeding buddy training so I can help you out with any questions and just give you some support or someone to talk to if you need it!
Jennie
Although you can see in your photo with Georgie that you are using a pillow to raise her to a comfortable height, I just thought it might be worth mentioning
Also I used a V shaped pillow a lot when feeding Izzy as she like to swap sides and lie sort of down my body rather than across and the bottom of the V was really useful for this.
Zoe Corkhill
I used a widgey pillow a lot to raise Georgie to the a good height as well, although when she was in a sprawling mood a normal pillow was sometimes easier!
mixed bag of all sorts » Mum-to-Mum sharing: at-breast supplementation
[...] Mama Geek – Getting Started with Breastfeeding – My Top Tips [...]
ruthcumming
Great tips! With baby number 2 on the way I'm looking back at the early days with my son and learning from what we did wrong (and right!) and hoping it will be a smoother start to breastfeeding than it was with him. 13 months is definitely something to be proud of – well done you!
Zoe Corkhill
Thank you! I was sad to finish but we took our cues from Georgie and she was ready to stop. I think I have definitely learnt lessons that will help with any future kids we have
Kristal Jenks
Lovely post. My favourite tip was to make sure there were drinks and snacks (and good books/TV remote!) stashed around the house near my favourite seats so if I got 'trapped' on the sofa for ages I could relax and enjoy the experience
Zoe Corkhill
Thanks
I had a stash of cereal bars by the chair I used to nurse her upstairs in the night too – and a big pnt glass of water
esthermate
Attend a breastfeeding support group, when the going gets tough they can really help! Love the photo!
Zoe Corkhill
Thank you, I love it too! Breast feeding support is really important – my post next week will be all about where you can find support when you need it.
Gillian Holmes
Is breast best?
Zoe Corkhill
I believe so, yes
@Mamigz
El niño fed exclusively to six months & we are still going now he’s hit the big 2
We’ve had very few problems with breastfeeding but I wish someone had told me about the nappies being a good judgement of intake. One to remember to pass on to new mum friends.
xx
Zoe Corkhill
Yea it's definitely something to remember – especially when you are worried about not knowing how much they're actually getting!
Donna McP
Love to "go for a wee" first tip how many times was I caught out by that early on!
My top tip would be to find your local support/peer supporters/breastfeeding group before baby is born so you can get to know them, this makes it much easier to contact them after baby is born; faces to names and voices. It good to know you have support from people who you know and are familiar with and that you trust.
Zoe Corkhill
Thanks for the great comment – I am planning to talk about support groups and things next week & love you idea of getting in touch beforehand instead of just afterwards when you're all baby brain and nervous!
Hannah Moody
Fab tips! This is one of the best posts I've read so far throughout The Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt! So thank you! The best tip I can share when it comes to Breastfeeding is to PERSEVERE! Things never seem to go as planned and I certainly found Breastfeeding harder than I'd imagined… However, if you keep at it and don't give up it almost always come together!
Zoe Corkhill
Thank you for such a lovely comment – I thought I may have rambled a bit but I kept thinking of things! I completely agree with you – I think mums who expect it to be super easy will give up too easily but if you are prepared to really work at it if need be and have a realistic view ahead of time you are more likely to succeed
Zoe
Another reply
Mummygadgetgeek
Bubby D and Georgie have obviously been talking – Bubby D has just recently started doing that pose a lot!
claire willmer
My top tip would be set yourself up somewere nice and comfy with everything you are likely to need at hand as you never know how long you are going to be there especialy in the early days. With my little girl i used to always have a muslin, drink and snack next to me and i will be doing the same when bump decides to arrive
Candise Moore
My top tip would be get comfy – lots of plump pillows to prop baby up helps to keep a good feeding position.
@cornishblonde1
Agreed with the tip about nipple shields. my little one got hooked on them and yes, it did mess with my supply. Tough times but we got through it x
Zoe Corkhill
Yea, it’s worrying because I hear of midiwives and health visitors recommending them without making sure that it’s understood to be a temporary measure only. It can really mess things up!
Breastfeeding Support – Why it’s important and where to find it! | Mama Geek
[...] you to ask your health visitor or at your sure start centre if there is a local support system. A great tip a commenter made on an earlier post was to get in touch while you’re still pregnant, so you have a connection [...]
Loz
My top tip is just to trust yourself. You ARE making enough milk, you CAN do it
If boobs had ounce marks on them it would be easier…
Attachment Mummy
My top tip is to get everything arranged within reaching distnace before you sit down for a feed: snacks, water, remote, phone, book, etc.