Not all new mothers can breastfeed, but if capable, remember that nursing a newborn at least for few weeks is important. Breastfeeding would provide an important set of antibodies to the baby via early milk called colostrum. Not just this, breast milk and breastfeeding holds benefits to the newborn baby and mother. So, how to proceed with the process?

As a nurse, new mothers may ask you some tips for breastfeeding. Although it’s a natural method, several women find it difficult to go about it. Here are some useful tips for breastfeeding.

Attend a breastfeeding class:

Most hospitals and maternity care centers are offering a class on breastfeeding these days. Be sure to attend it. It would give you a lot of information about the fundamentals, as well as the motivation. A piece of encouragement would be needed, especially when you didn’t feel it easy at first. Above all, these breastfeeding classes would help get the rhythm between you and your baby.

Get the right help at the earliest:

If you can afford one or if it’s covered by insurance, we would strongly recommend you to hire a “Lactation Consultant”. We would suggest getting the help of a lactation consultant even if everything is going fine between you and your baby. After all, this is a worthwhile investment. This is because your lactation consultants are the experts in this particular area, and they would advise you on the palette, positions, latching, as well as milk volume. As it is really important to have your baby latched right at the start, have your consultation as early as possible.

Try out breastfeeding tools:

This is another tip that might involve some investment. But, again they would help you a lot. You can try getting a nesting pillow that could mold you and your baby. You can even try getting some nipple cream. It’s not uncommon for breastfeeding moms to have sore nipples because of breastfeeding, and your nipple creams could heal them between feedings. They are also safe for your baby to ingest. Finally, you can try using nursing pads. During the initial days, it’s natural for mothers to leak while trying to establish milk supply. These pads would prevent the wet ring around your nipples.

Drink a lot:

Remember, it would take a lot of water to produce milk. Until the woman’s body regulates and understands what exactly it’s doing, the new moter will require a lot of water intake. Therefore, we would suggest you add a good reusable water bottle in your registry. And, keep your partner informed that you would need a lot of water during breastfeeding before going to sleep.

Expect pain in your breasts:

If you are planning to breastfeed your baby, remember that breastfeeding would hurt in the initial days. This is because your nipples are cracked now and they are raw. Your breasts are sore and hence, the letdowns can be more painful. In this, remember that the first weeks will be the toughest. As the weeks pass by, the pain will gradually decrease.

Try the best position:

Although several positions are considered safe for breastfeeding, try the best position at least once. The best posture will be to have your baby’s stomach touch yours and his/her nose near to your nipple. This way, your baby will not have to turn his/her head to latch. Why we ask you to point your nipple to his/her nose is because he/she would lift the head up and open her/his mouth broadly to latch completely.

Nurse your baby frequently:

This is important to understand. All newborns will experience frequent hunger and it’s perfectly normal. Whenever your baby is hungry, remember that breast milk is the perfect food and it will get digested quite quickly. Your newborn will have a stomach the size of an egg, and hence, you need to refuel the stomach very frequently. In addition to this main purpose, frequent nursing serves another purpose, too. All the women’s breasts would work on demand and hence, if the demand is more, the supply will also be higher.

Breastfeed right after the birth:

Experts claim that breastfeeding right after your child’s birth is really important. The sooner you start, the sooner you could tap into your newborn’s abilities to latch. Thus, the whole breastfeeding process would become much easier. This action would also keep your milk supply stronger. The best way to start off is to cuddle your kid on your chest so as to welcome him or her to the new world. When your skin comes into contact with your baby’s, your milk production will be triggered and your baby’s feeding reflexes will be stimulated. Thus, he or she would look for the breast and would latch on. This way, your early breastfeeding would lead to your breastfeeding success story.