Fundamental advice to nursing mothers on breastfeeding

The generation of our mothers found those times when medicine actively intervened in the process of feeding the baby. The feeding system, which appeared in the post-war period, envisaged the observance of certain rules: hourly feeding, decantation, mandatory washing of the breast with soap before each application. All this is so unnatural that only a few were able to feed a child for a long time and successfully. (at the end there are a lot of videos and a block with useful links)

Stories about “Dairy” and “Not dairy” women, about lactostasis and cracks in the nipples are often confused young mothers. Breastfeeding seems complicated and uncomfortable. In fact, this process is absolutely natural and physiological, the only problem is that mothers sometimes do not know how to properly organize it. Some tips on the proper organization of breastfeeding will be very useful for a young nursing mother. It is not at all difficult to observe them, but the result will please both the mother and the baby.

15 basic tips for a nursing mom

1. The first days, and even hours after the birth of a baby, are very important for establishing good lactation. It is best if the baby immediately after childbirth is laid out on the mother’s stomach and applied to the chest. Establishing skin-to-skin contact promotes the launch of natural instincts and the mechanism of lactation in the body of a newly mummy. There was no milk in the chest at that time, but there is a much more valuable substance - colostrum. This is a thick, clear liquid called the baby’s “first shot”. The fact is that colostrum contains a lot of enzymes, vitamins, antibodies, immunoglobulins, as well as proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
2. In anticipation of the arrival of milk, you should not feed the baby with a mixture. Not much colostrum is produced, and mothers start to panic that the baby is hungry and lacks nutrition. The rich composition of colostrum fully satisfies the baby's need for nutrients. The mixture, which the baby will receive through the nipple, on the contrary, can play a bad role in establishing lactation. FirstlyHaving eaten the mixture, the child will not want to suckle, and therefore will receive less valuable colostrum. Secondly, the nipple on the bottle can “please” the baby more than the breast, because sucking milk from the chest is more difficult.
3. Do not bring hygiene to fanaticism and wash your breasts with soap before each feeding. Soap destroys the natural protective film on the skin, and the skin of the nipples and areola are already very sensitive and delicate. The lack of natural protection leads to the fact that the skin is injured and cracked. Feeding with cracks on the nipples is very painful (see article on nipple cracks)Another argument against - the detergent, even without perfumed fragrances, interrupts the natural smell of the skin. Kids are still not able to realize who is dear and close, and who is a stranger, so smells for crumbs play a big role. Without feeling the mother's smell, the newborn can be worried and even temporarily refuse to breast. It is enough to wash breasts 1-2 times a day under warm water.
4. Giving breast to the baby is according to each requirement. This wording is not always clear to mothers: how to understand that a child requires breasts? This is easy to do. There are not many ways to demand anything from a newborn, in fact, he is alone - crying. For every anxiety and crying, mother must first give a breast. If the baby refuses to breast, something else may be bothering him: he may be hot, cold, wet, uncomfortable, something hurts (see article how to understand the reasons for crying) However, in most cases with breasts, the babies calm down. Tear off the baby from the chest is also not worth it. Feeding ends when the baby releases the nipple itself. At first, babies are literally hours ready to “hang” on their chest. This does not mean that the child does not have enough milk, he does not eat up. Breast milk is absorbed very quickly, and for a child, breast sucking is also a way to stay with mom, calm down (See how much newborn eats milk / mixture).
5. Give up the dummy. The essence of natural feeding is that the baby gets breasts on demand. How much time is at the chest and how often is applied - the baby decides (see which feeding method to choose - on demand or hours) Of course, it may be convenient for mom to give her baby a dummy on the street or while sleeping, but this does not contribute to lactation at all. Lactation is directly dependent on breast sucking. If a child receives a substitute in the form of a dummy instead of a breast, the breast is not stimulated enough, milk becomes less. If lactation has not yet been established, the use of a soother can lead to the fact that mother will not feed at all for long. There are also downsides to using a dummy for a child. Breast for the baby is also important as a means of contact with the mother, the dummy displaces the possibility of this contact and the formation of a deep psychological connection between the mother and the baby.
6. The baby receiving the breast on demand does not need to be doped with water. Breast milk is 80% water, in addition, it is not uniform. Those portions of milk that the baby receives at the beginning of application - the so-called front milk - serve him as a drink, and back, heavy milk as food. Drunk fluid occupies a certain volume in the stomach, so the baby sucks less breasts, and this reduces the volume of lactation. If the child should receive a certain medicine diluted with water, it is better to give it from a spoon or from a syringe, so as to prevent confusion of the nipples.
7. You do not need to fully express the breast after each feeding. At the time of feeding, every nursing mother pumped the remnants of milk to the last drop hourly. Perhaps, with such a feeding system, this made sense, because rare attachments led to the chest overflowing, and breast stimulation was clearly not enough to maintain lactation. If the baby receives breasts on demand, it is better not to intervene in the process of breast emptying. Being at the breast and sucking out a certain amount of milk, the child, as it were, “orders” milk for future feeding: how much he has sucked, so much milk will arrive. Straining, mom increases this order disproportionately to the needs of the crumbs. A child with an increased volume cannot cope, and mother expresses it again and again. All these actions are a direct path. to lastotasis.
8. Breasts need to be changed no more than once every 2 hours. This is necessary so that the baby can get both front and back milk. With frequent breast changes, the child simply does not have time to get to the back milk, which means that it lacks nutrients. Lack of rear milk affects weight gain and leads to bowel problems.
9. Do not rush with complementary foods and introduce it before 6 months. A serving of mother's milk for a child is much more useful than a jar of squash puree. Even after 6 months of age, babies who are breast-fed naturally need complementary foods to get to know new tastes and consistencies, and not to make up for the lack of nutrients. The early introduction of complementary foods, and even the persistent increase in the volume of servings, simply displaces breastfeeding (see about the first feeding - when to enter and where to start).
10. It is important for nursing mothers to get acquainted with different postures for feeding and change them throughout the day. Being in different positions, the baby more actively sucks milk from different parts. This is an excellent prevention of milk congestion. The basic rule is: where the chin rests on the crumbs when feeding - from there the baby sucks most (see about poses for feeding) Also, for the prevention of congestion in the chest, experts recommend regular relaxing breast massage, for example, with breast oil during Weleda lactation. Sweet almond oil nourishes and moisturizes the skin, makes it supple, and the composition of essential oils of fennel and cumin warms, relieves the tension of the mammary glands and promotes the passage of milk. Oil can be used starting from the 38th week of pregnancy and throughout the entire lactation period.
11. Feeding up to a year is the minimum, the optimal duration of breastfeeding is 2-3 years. Sometimes it seems to mothers that if by the year the child is already receiving impressive portions of complementary foods, then you can end up with breasts. However, the breast for the baby is not only food. In a year, none of the babies is psychologically ready to give up breast. This is not physiological for a woman. Weaning at this age does not occur naturally, therefore it is traumatic for the child, and can have consequences in the form of breast problems for the mother.
12. During the application of the baby to the breast, the mother needs to monitor the correct capture. The child should capture not only the nipple with the mouth, but also the areola - the area around it. At the same time, his lips turn out to be turned outward. Only with such a capture, the baby can effectively suck out the milk. Improper seizure is always a problem with weight gain and ingestion of excess air, which means stomach pain. In polyclinics, they rarely pay attention to the peculiarity of breast capture, and if the baby is gaining little, they prescribe supplementary foods with a mixture that only aggravates the problem of establishing GV. If the mother feels that the baby is not being applied correctly, it is better to contact a breastfeeding consultant or try to correct the capture by pictures and training video (See the article How to properly apply to the chest).
13. Night feeding is a must, they are very important for maintaining lactation. The hormone prolactin, which is responsible for milk production, is produced in high quantities at night. Night feedings are necessary throughout the entire period of breastfeeding, and when weaned, they are removed last. It is most convenient to feed at night when the baby is sleeping with his parents. If a dream on one bed confuses mom and dad, you can put the baby in its own crib, but it should be accessible from the parent so that for every concern, the mother could wake up and give a breast (See the article on the benefits of nightly feeding.).
14. Mom’s disease is no reason to stop feeding. In almost any case, drugs compatible with breastfeeding have already been developed. If this is a seasonal cold, it is not only possible to feed, but also necessary. The milk contains antibodies to infection, so the baby receives immunity along with milk, and if infection occurs, the child tolerates the disease much easier (questions about diseases for which you can not feed are discussed below) To support mom and baby, a well-known Finnish company created a special vitamin-mineral complex “Minisan Multivitamin Mama”, which has now appeared in our pharmacies. The drug is noted by our experts for its quality and rich composition. During feeding, he will provide the body with folic acid, iodine, iron, magnesium.Moreover, many mothers, noticing the effect of taking the drug, as a rule, continue to use it even after stopping feeding (there are no contraindications to this), that is, they use it as the “main daily vitamin” to preserve youth and beauty.
15. Use the advice of specialists in HBV and child care in general.

Breastfeeding is a process that is very important for mom and baby in many aspects. It is important for modern mothers to pre-tune to feeding, prepare for it. The more information you have on hand, the more simple and natural breastfeeding is. Even if mom makes some mistakes - up to a certain point they are fixable. The most important thing is to seek help in time, get the right advice and act. This article has collected what is a kind of basis for breastfeeding: tips and rules, compliance with which is the key to successful establishment and maintenance of lactation.

We also read: TOP 100 useful tips for nursing mother

Questions on the organization of GV

By demand or by regime?

First question: “feed the baby on demand or by the hour?” - We recommend feeding newborns on demand. As soon as you “see” that the baby is asking for breasts - give him breasts! Put the baby on your chest and let him suck it when he wants and as much as he wants. Firstly, while sucking the baby eats up; secondly, it feels calm and comfortable. We read a detailed article where all the advantages of feeding on demand are painted -https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/kormlenie-grudyu/kakoy-sposob-kormleniya-grudyu-vyibrat-po-rezhimu-chasam-ili-po-pervomu-trebovaniyu.html

Choking during GV

Choking is not always a sign of a baby’s “greed”, this may indicate a “leaking” breast, when when feeding milk simply pours out of the breast without the efforts of the baby, and it is not able to swallow such a volume.

If the newborn is choking, you can advise mom to change position. As it is not difficult and not tiring, but you have to feed sitting with a straight back, supporting the baby’s head higher. If choking occurs due to excess milk, you can try to slightly milk before feeding, and then start feeding.

Refusal of breastfeeding and breastfeeding

Often you can observe the baby's refusal to feed. This is usually associated with the growth of the baby and a change in diet. You can advise mom to reduce the frequency of feedings. Another cause of failure is the general condition of the child (nasal congestion, ear diseases, thrush, teething).

Restless behavior

When feeding, children often bite their mother's chest, injuring her. Do not try to empty your breasts during a bite.

Restless behavior of the newborn near the chest, greedy sucking, arching, nervous tugging of the nipple, indicates discomfort (hunger, colic, the initial stage of the disease).

If mom is sick

A difficult period during the feeding of newborns is a mother’s disease, in which sometimes it is necessary to refuse (completely or partially) from breastfeeding. There is a list of diseases in which breast milk is contraindicated in a baby:

• open form of tuberculosis;
• acute mental and infectious diseases;
• HIV

Bad habits of a nursing mother

It’s clear that you should not smoke while breastfeeding. Nicotine reduces prolactin levels, which reduces the lactation period, reduces the volume of milk produced, and significantly reduces vitamin C. Smokers who are nursing should be constantly motivated to quit smoking or to significantly reduce the number of cigarettes smoked. If there is no strength to refuse a cigarette, it is better to smoke a cigarette after feeding than before it - this will reduce the content of harmful substances in milk.

Breastfeeding is strictly prohibited for women who use alcohol and drugs.

IMPORTANT!!!

• Smoking while breastfeeding
• Alcohol while breastfeeding

Breast problems when feeding

Nipple Cracks and Leaking Breasts

Avoid cracks in the nipples during breastfeeding. They cause pain and worry mom. The reason may be:

• Incorrect attachment to the chest;
• Wrong weaning;
• Breast care with the use of alcohol solutions, leading to drying of the delicate skin and the removal of natural moisturizing lubricant;
• Inadequacy of the nipples.

The elimination of the above causes will lead to the healing of the breast in 7-12 days. Ointments containing vitamins A, B, E are allowed to be used, which increase the skin's resistance to external factors.

“Leaking” breasts are found in most young nursing mothers, which is associated with the unpreparedness or weakness of the nipples. With the growth of the child and the exhaustion of a larger volume of milk, this usually stops. To smooth discomfort for moms, special absorbent pads have been developed.

Lactostasis, mastitis

Lactostasis occurs when a milk lobule ceases to be released from milk. There is a tightening in the chest, temperature, pain, redness of the skin. A good outflow of milk will help to correct the situation. Usually they resort to frequent attachment of the baby to the chest and selection of the correct position when feeding. The bottom line is that the baby sucks the milk out of the stagnant lobes, and for this the baby has a chin and a nose to the seal. To reduce milk flow, relieve pain and remove puffiness from the chest, you can attach a cool napkin after feeding.

Mastitis is a continuation of the improper treatment of lactostasis, with more serious consequences. To correct this situation, resorting to the help of the baby, is unlikely to succeed. Therefore, do not start the situation, but consult a specialist. Breastfeeding with mastitis can continue, even if mom is prescribed antibiotics.

Read about breast problems:

• Why is it painful to breastfeed? Various reasons, treatment;
• Nipple cracks (how to care for breasts and how to feed with cracks);
• Lactostasis (symptoms and treatment);
• Mastitis (symptoms and treatment);
• Nipple linings (useful for hepatitis B)

“7” video tips and advice on the topic of GW

Recommended for viewing. A complete step-by-step video gallery on breastfeeding is available at this page (there you will find the email address and skype of the GV consultant and if you have questions, you can ask them)

Block of useful links to detailed articles on the topic of GW:

Links to additional tips on breastfeeding (be sure to read):

• Basic and main rules for breastfeeding
• Nursing mother nutrition
• What can a nursing mother eat (grocery list)
• Breast massage for HS
• Baby spits up after breastfeeding
• The child does not eat up breast milk
• How to increase lactation
• How to restore lactation (10 recommendations)
• How to breastfeed on the street and in public places - tips and tricks

How to properly feed / apply to the chest

• A useful article describing the different poses for feeding a baby - Basic postures for feeding
• How to apply / breastfeed (important rules)
• What to do if a baby bites while breastfeeding?

About expressing

• Strain the chest with your hands
• We pump by a breast pump (choose the right breast pump)

Weaning the baby from the chest:

• How to wean a baby from the chest?
• When to stop night breastfeeding?
• How to stop lactation

Checklist: WHO recommendations (total)

Check out the official WHO guidelines, this is the result of this whole big article:WHO recommendations

1. It is important to attach to the chest during the first hour after birth!
2. Exclusion of feeding a newborn from a bottle or in another way before the mother puts it on her breast.
3. Joint custody of mother and child in the hospital in one ward.
4. Proper attachment to the chest.
5. Feeding on demand. Put the baby on the chest for any reason, provide the opportunity to suckle the breast when he wants and how much he wants.
6. Night feeding is important.
7. Do not drink the child with water.
8. No nipples, pacifiers and bottle feeding.
9. Give the child a second only after he sucks the first.
10. Breast hygiene without fanaticism. Enough 1 soul per day.
11. Weighing a child does not lead to fanaticism.
12. Do not express milk unnecessarily.
13. The beginning of complementary foods after half a year.
14. Follow the advice of more experienced moms.
15. Use the advice of specialists in HBV and child care in general.
16. Breastfeeding up to 1.5-2 years.