Breastfeeding is a skill both you and your baby need to learn – the benefits can be enormous. An analysis of multiple studies in The Lancet found it to be the most effective single intervention to optimise the health and development of your baby across their lifetime. It also helps protect nursing moms against breast cancer, and possibly ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes.
No matter how motivated you may be, however, breastfeeding can be challenging. “Practical support in the first few weeks is key,” says Sister Francoise van der Westhuizen, a registered nurse and certified lactation consultant at Melkbekkies Breastfeeding Clinic, East Rand.
Steps to successful breastfeeding
• Establish a bond immediately after birth with skin-to-skin contact, she advises. Baby should be placed on your chest for at least an hour. This ‘golden hour’ is now standard hospital practice. It encourages early feeding reflexes and helps regulate baby’s temperature and blood sugar.
• Keep baby in your room. It allows for 24-hour contact, helping you to learn baby’s feeding cues, increasing your confidence, and establishing your milk supply.
• If in hospital, ask one of the trained nurses to help with comfortable positioning and proper latching, especially after a Caesarean section. If at home, arranging an early visit from a lactation consultant can make a significant difference, reducing nipple pain, reassuring you that baby is feeding adequately, and preventing you giving up and stopping breastfeeding early. Alternatively, visit your nearest Clicks Clinic offering Lactation support and Consultation. Find out more and book an appointment.
• The first two or three days after birth are ideal for establishing breastfeeding, while your breasts are soft. “This allows baby to practise latching before your breasts become engorged with the mature milk that replaces the nutrient-dense colostrum they initially produce,” says Sister Van der Westhuizen.
• Forget feeding schedules; feed on demand, whenever baby shows signs of hunger – rooting, licking their lips, putting their hands to their mouth, or turning and opening their mouth in search of food if you touch their cheek or lips.
• Give baby nothing but breastmilk for the first six months, not even water, unless medically indicated – the more milk they drink, the more your body produces. “It works on a demand-supply method,” she says. “Also avoid dummies, they can confuse a baby still learning to suckle.”
• Do not be discouraged if baby loses a little weight in the first few days, this is not a reflection on the quality of your milk. Healthy newborns typically lose 7% to 10% of their birth weight but regain it by two weeks old. “This happens because they are born with excess fluid, which they shed via urine, meconium, and respiration,” she explains.
• Do not be put off either if baby feeds and cries frequently, it does not mean they are not getting enough milk – babies often want to feed for security or during growth spurts, which boosts production.
• Breastfeeding successfully takes time, so above all, be patient with yourself and your baby. “If you grow frustrated and your baby is distressed, ask someone to take them while you have a short break, then try again,” she says.
New Clicks Clinic Service: Lactation support and Consultation
Selected Clicks Clinics now offer Lactation support and Consultation. Find out more and book an appointment.