Through breastfeeding new mothers not only provide their infants with nutrients for their natural growth, but they also create a huge opportunity to bond with the newborn.
Before you give birth to your baby, if you know the intricacies of breastfeeding, it will be easy to don this new role of nursing the child.
First equip yourself with the gear required for breastfeeding a child: - Have your bras designed for nursing, providing support to your larger and heavier breasts.
- A bottle of Lansinoh Lonolin lotion to heal sore and cracked nipples.
- To provide support to your baby, a baby sling is necessary while you breastfeed it.
- Keep dry breasts and stop undesired leakage being visible with breast pads in the bra.
Then comes the actual position of holding your baby while breastfeeding.
Most women opt for the cradle position while they breastfeed the baby.
There are also other postures to help the baby suckle.
But let's concentrate on the most common, cradle position.
This posture can be adopted while you are sitting on a bed or chair.
You can use a nursing pillow on your lap which gives comfort both to you and the child.
Make sure you keep your back and arms straight with comfortable support.
Take your baby on to your lap, so that the tummies of the baby and yours touch one another.
Depending on which nipple you would like to begin nursing the child, adjust the baby's mouth to be right in the nipple's front.
Place one hand in such a way as to support the baby's head as well as its back, while you can use the other hand to hold the breast and direct it towards the child's mouth.
For a satisfactory experience while breastfeeding, you should have a good fastener, which will make both you and the baby comfortable.
If your baby locks on incorrectly, it will not receive the proper quantity of milk, and you will also experience pain in your nipples.
Remember breastfeeding needs to be a comfortable procedure, even if you experience some irritation when you start nursing.
With your hand holding the breast tempt the baby by rubbing your nipple to the lips of the baby, so that it opens the mouth wide, and bring the baby closer to the nipple ensuring that the whole of your areola portion goes into the baby's mouth.
You may have to remove the infant if you feel the lock is not proper, and repeat the procedure till you get a good fit.
All newborn babies require breastfeeding at intervals of two hours during day time and 3 hours during the night.
This means, a dozen feeding times each day.
Generally, a baby shouldn't go without being breastfed for more than 3 hours at a stretch.
When the baby is hungry it will give out signals like sucking activity, mouthing etc.
Make sure you breastfeed the baby for at least 10 to 15 minutes each breast, but this depends upon how quickly your baby feels full.
After the childbirth, start breastfeeding as soon as you can, and during the first six month you must provide them with a lot of breastfeeding.
Children continue to suckle till they are two years of age or more.