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Breastfeeding:  A Special Gift

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Breastmilk has just the right ingredients in just the right amounts for growing a healthy baby.

The antibodies in breastmilk protect infants from disease.  Breastfed babies have less, diarrhea, colds, ear infections, sore throats, allergies, and asthma.  These antibodies also protect infants from more serious illnesses like juvenile onset diabetes, childhood cancers and lymphomas.

Breastfed babies have a lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Because of the special way they suckle, breastfed babies have fewer speech problems than bottle-fed babies.

 A Special Gift for Mothers

Breastmilk is nature’s convenience food!  It’s always available and at the right temperature.  There is nothing to buy, mix, store or pay for!  The average cost of formula is between $1,000 and $1,500 per year.

Breastfeeding mothers have a quicker postpartum recovery

Research suggests that breastfeeding is a protective factor against breast cancer and may also reduce the risk of uterine, ovarian and endometrial cancers.

Breastfeeding mothers who return to work can still provide the best nutrition for their infants.  Because their babies are healthy, working women who breastfeed miss fewer days home with a sick child.

Breastfeeding helps to build a special bond, creating a relationship of
trust, confidence and love that lasts forever.

Fathers and Breastfeeding

Fathers not only influence the decision to breastfeed but they also play an important role in whether mothers continue to breastfeed.  In one study 83.8% of women said the infant feeding preference of their partner was the most important factor in their decision to breastfeed.  Studies also suggest fathers are one of the key people that mothers turn to for emotional support when they are breastfeeding.

Sometimes fathers who are very positive toward breastfeeding before the baby is born find themselves less positive once breastfeeding begins.  Some fathers find themselves feeling left out, like a spectator or an outsider.  They sometimes have feelings of jealousy because the baby seems to take more and more of their partner’s time.  Fathers who view the breast as mainly sexual objects may find themselves frustrated as their partners’ breasts and bodies undergo change.  The primary concern of fathers was not their own reactions but how their relationships would develop with their infants.  Fathers stated the perception that for breastfeeding to be successful they would have to delay or postpone their own relationship with their infants until weaning occurred.

Breastfeeding is really a “threesome” rather than just a “twosome”.  When parents work together to provide for their child it strengthens their relationship with each other and with the child.

 These are some of the ways fathers can help with breastfeeding….

• Get involved in the discussions about infant feeding preferences
• Provide emotional support and praise of breastfeeding throughout the nursing period
• Help your partner and infant get into comfortable positions for nursing.  This is especially important in the first weeks of breastfeeding when positioning and latch on may seem more awkward
• Do all the “extras” involved in feeding—burping, cooing, talking to, caressing, calming and changing diapers.
• Feed expressed breastmilk once breastfeeding is well established.
• Hold and rock the infant to sleep once feeding is finished.

  Ways to get involved with your baby….

• Remember babies will naturally respond to you if you respond to them.  Talk to, hold, touch, and play with your baby (make funny faces and noises)
• Have skin-to-skin contact with your baby-let the baby lay on your bare chest.
• Give your baby a body massage.
• Sing and talk to your baby.
• Take the baby for a stroller ride or a ride in your car.
• Go about your daily home activities with your baby snuggled up close to you in a baby carrier device (a sling or back-pack) This gives your baby the chance to learn your smell, your walk, your body rhythms.
• The more familiar your baby is with you in serene times, the more likely he or she will respond to your during his or her “fussy” times.
• Share some of the child-care activities (bathing, diapering, dressing)
• Start a ritual that you and your baby share.  Make it a special time together.

Most of all enjoy your baby.

Resource:  Fathers & Breastfeeding, Brenda Condusta Pavill, RN, PhD, IBCLC, AWHONN Lifelines, August/September 2002

Getting Started

Beginning breastfeeding is a learned experience.  Attend a breastfeeding class, read, and ask questions during your pregnancy.

Breastfeeding should not be a painful experience.  At first your breasts may be tender, but feeding should not be painful or result in trauma.  Ask for help, if you are having pain when feeding your baby.

Breastmilk production is a demand and supply process.  The more your baby demands the more your body will produce.  Less than 1% of women can’t produce enough milk for their babies.

Seek help with breastfeeding.  A Lactation Consultant and trained nursing staff are available to help you with breastfeeding.  Outpatient visits are available on request.  Planning and seeking the advice of professionals makes it easier and more successful. 

Positioning
Positioning is probably the most important skill to master in the beginning.  First position yourself comfortably.  Breastfeeding in the first weeks may take as long as 30 or 45 minutes.  If you are uncomfortable, it may become an unpleasant instead of an enjoyable experience.

Cross-Cradle Hold: Supported on pillows at breast level lay the baby on his side with his chest and abdomen against your body.  Place the baby’s head so that your hand rests between the shoulder blades and supports the back of his head and neck.  Using your other hand to support your breast about 1-1/2 inches from the tip of the nipple.  Gently compress the breast to match the shape of your baby’s open mouth.
Continue to support the breast until he is actively sucking or as long as needed to maintain the latch.

Football Hold:  Place pillows at your side to support your arm and lift the baby.  Support the baby in a semi-sitting position facing you, with her bottom at the back of the bed or chair.  Your arm closest to your baby should support her back, with your hand holding her neck and head.   Position the baby with her head just below the breast and her nose in front of the nipple. 

Side-lying position: You and your baby lie on your sides, tummy to tummy, as with the cuddle hold.  Place your fingers beneath the breast and lift upward, and then pull the baby in close after roots with a wide-open mouth. 

The side-lying position and the traditional cradle hold become much easier after four to six weeks, when the baby has better head control and can come onto the breast without much assistance.

Latch on--Touch or tickle the baby’s upper lips with your nipple, and wait until he opens his mouth wide.  With his mouth open wide, quickly bring his shoulders and head together to the breast.  His head should be tipped slightly back, so his chin reaches the breast first.  Bring the baby to you; don’t lean into the baby.  His lips will be far apart and flared, he will have more of the bottom of the areola (dark area around the nipple) in his mouth than the top, and if you are comfortable.  His suck should feel like a strong pull not a bite or a pinch.

Ending the feeding—Waiting until your baby lets go of the nipple is the ideal way to end a feeding.  If the baby does not come off the breast by himself after 20-25 minutes and you are no longer hearing swallows, you can take him off by releasing the suction.  Place your finger into the corner of his mouth; push your finger between his gums until you feel the release. 

Resource:  The Nursing Mother’s Companion, Fourth Revised Edition, Kathleen Huggins, R.N., M.S.

Other breastfeeding tips…

•  Breastfeed your baby as soon as possible after the birth.

• Take a warm shower or use a warm moist cloth on your breast to help your milk "let down".  Massaging your breast helps also.  If your breast are engorged and latch on is difficult, express some milk before feeding to soften the breast for latch on.

• Cold packs either before or after breastfeeding may also be helpful with engorgement.

• Choose a quiet, relaxing place to breastfeed if possible.  Listen to your favorite music.

• Nurse on both breast at each feeding.  Allow your baby to nurse at one breast as long as you hear swallows before changing to the other side.  Remember to watch and listen to your baby.  Let your baby be your guide.

• Drink enough water, milk, or juice to satisfy your thirst.

• Continue your prenatal vitamin while you breastfeed.

• Eat a variety of foods that includes fruits, vegetables, meat and whole grain breads.  You need about the same number of calories as you did during your pregnancy. Avoid restricting or limiting your diet.  Your baby will let you know if something upsets his stomach.  Most babies do not have problems when you eat beans or spicy foods.  Let your baby be your guide.

• If milk or other dairy products are not part of your regular diet, be sure to take a calcium supplement.

• Wash your breasts with water only when you bathe.  Don't use soaps, creams, lanolin, or lotions on your breast unless your doctor or lactation consultant recommends it to promote good skin integrity or to promote healing. 

• Choose bras that are comfortable. 

• If you wear pads to protect your clothes, choose ones with a soft cotton layer next to the skin.  Avoid ones with plastic liners (moisture barriers) that trap in wetness.  Change pads frequently.

• Let your nipples air dry after breastfeeding. 

• Call the lactation consultant if you have question or problems.

• Relax and enjoy the time you spend feeding your baby.

Breastfeeding is good for you and your baby.