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Getting a Good Start

 

The three basics of breastfeeding include:

  1. Early Feeding

  2. Often Feeding

  3. Effective Feeding

 

 

 

 

Early Feeding

  • It is important to put your infant on your bare chest after birth; this is referred to as 'skin-to-skin'

  • Skin-to-skin contact encourages you to produce higher levels of prolactin, which is required to produce milk

  • The infant will show readiness to feed within the first 30-60 minutes after birth

  • *Skin-to-Skin should be practiced as frequently as possible, and is NOT just to occur after birth only

  • In situations where moms may need to be separated from their baby at birth, partners may do skin-to-skin with the baby

     

Often Feeding

  • As shown by the BestStart chart, your baby’s stomach is very small; only about the size of a cherry for the first few days.

  • Frequent feeds, every 1 to 3 hours, is required to keep the baby satisfied and to continue to produce milk

  • Your baby should be feeding 8 or more times per day

FACT:  In the first 3-4 days after birth, your baby may lose some weight (7-10% of his/her birth weight). This is NORMAL, as long as they are meeting the solied diaper requirements as outlined in the BestStart chart. Your baby will be back up to his/her birth weight by about 10-14 days, and subsequently will gain about 4-8 oz. per week. He/She will double their birth weight by about 4-6 months.

Effective Feeding

  • The appropriate latch is key for breastfeeding success. A poor latch can cause maternal discomfort, a hungry baby, and decreased milk supply.

  • Breastfeeding should NOT ever be painful; if you experience pain when feeding, gently break the infants suction from your breast by gently placing a finger in the corner of the baby’s mouth; the reposition.

 

  • For the first 24 hours, your breasts will feel soft

  • After 2-5 days, your breasts will feel full at the start of a feeding and soft after a feeding

  • After a few weeks, it is normal to have soft breasts and still have lots of milk.

'Breaking the Seal'

Feeding Cues

EARLY Feeding Cues:

  • Bringing his/her hands to mouth

  • Rooting (moving head back and forth as if he/she is looking for your nipple)

  • Mouth opening

  • Lip licking

  • Sucking

  • Clenching fingers and fists over chest and tummy

  • Fussiness

LATE Feeding Cue:

  • Crying

FACT:  Depending on how much milk you are producing, your baby may feed for 10-15 minutes on one breast. If your baby is displaying a lack of interest, burp your baby, and then offer him/her the second breast. It is okay if he/she does not take it! Just remember to start with the breast that is the most full the next time you feed.

Getting a Good Latch

  1. Unwrap your baby; blankets make it hard for the baby to be close enough to you

  2. Turn your baby's whole body to face you (tummy-to-tummy)

  3. Support your breast, but keep your fingers back from the areola (the brown part of the breast)

  4. Aim your nipple high in the baby's mouth

  5. Stroke the babys lips with your breast to help him/her open his/her mouth wide

  6. WAIT until your baby opens his/her mouth wide, like a yawn, BEFORE you bring the baby to breast

  7. The infants lips should be flared outward

  8. Support the infant with your hand on his/her shoulders, NOT his/her head

Latching on Correctly

Your baby should be: 

  • Tummy-to-tummy

  • Have thier nose to your nipple

  • Have their bottom tucked right in

  • Have support at their shoulders

A good latch means that:

  • Your baby’s chin is touching your breast, and her nose is slightly away from your breast

  • When your baby will begin to suck, his/her cheeks will be full and rounded

    • *dimples in the cheek may indicate a poor latch

  • While sucking, your baby may suck quickly, then more slowly, with short rest pauses. You may be able to hear the baby swallowing. Listen for a ‘ca’ sound. You will hear this more easily when your milk increases

  • Sometimes you may hear your baby gulping, especially if you have a lot of milk

  • Your baby should be relaxed, with hands unclenched

  • There is evidence if milk in and around baby’s mouth

  • Baby is satisfied after the feed

Indications of a poor latch include:

  • Breast pain while breastfeeding

  • Clicking or smacking sounds while your baby is feeding

  • A flattened nipple when your baby comes off the breast

  • A nipple that is cracked, blistered, or bleeding

  • An infant that easily slides off your breast

 

 

Notice that the infant is being suffocated by the breast because its head is not tilted back far enough.

Soothers

 

  • Also called pacifiers or dummies

  • Sometimes soothers are given to babies to help them satisfy their need to suck, beyond their need for nutrition

  • Breastfed babies rarely need soothers because their need to suck for comfort, stress relief, and pleasure can easily be met by breastfeeding

  • If you choose to use a soother, it is recommended that you wait until breastfeeding is going well (about 4-6 weeks after birth).

  • If your baby has any problem with feeding or if you have low milk production, using a soother may encourage him/her to feed less often at the breast, which will decrease milk production.

  • Pacifiers do have their place in situations where the infant and the mother may need to be separated because of complex medical challenges (i.e. baby is in NICU)

FACT:  Early pacifer use is 4 times more likely to STOP breastfeeding between 1 and 6 months.

Health Nexus. (2013). Breastfeeding Matters: BestStart Guide. Retrieved from http://www.beststart.org/cgi- bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=B04-E

 

Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport. (2010). Baby’s Best Chance: Parents Handbook of Pregnancy and Baby Care.

            Crown Publications Services: Victoria, BC.

 

Venter, Kathy. (2014). ‘Making a Difference: A Breastfeeding Course for Health Professionals. 

 

 

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