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BREASTFEEDING
TIPS
- Nurse as long as you can. Best thing for baby and you! Try
to make sure Baby is getting a full feeding each time they nurse or you could
find yourself feeding every hour or two. Don't let them just nibble..make then
eat. And keep them awake afterwards for awake time. The first 4 weeks are very
hard...even 5 minutes is a challenge...but keep it up. It will gradually
increase and you will be thankful you stuck with it...see my
Babywise page for more details.
- When
burping a baby, always cup your hand so that you aren't slapping your flat palm
against their body but you are using the air pressure from your cupped hand to
burp them.
- Keep journal beside you so you can keep track of what side
you first started, the time, and how many wet/dirty diapers baby goes through
- Always start with whatever side you ended on last time
-
Lanolin Crème is a must for soreness and cracked nipples
- BURP,
BURP, and BURP again. They will not feed anymore & feel full if they have a
gas bubble inside of them. Burp in between sides to make sure they're nursing
well.
- Cloth diapers make the best burp rags
- Change diapers
in between sides to help keep awake. - Other ways to help keep awake are
icecubes on feet, nakedness, wet washcloth on face, & tickling.
-
Pump in between feedings & freeze to keep lots of milk on supply for
emergencies, babysitters, and so Daddy can feed him. - Try a bottle 6-8 weeks
after birth, and then try to continue with it at least once a week to keep baby
use to it. It gives you a break, lets Daddy feed him, and gets baby use to
others. (Grandparents, babysitters) - Let someone else give the baby a bottle
for the first time and leave the room when baby is getting it. If he smells or
sees you standing there, he won't take the bottle and will wait for your breast
instead.
- You will have a very hearty appetite breastfeeding. Nursing
is NOT the time to diet or try to loose weight. And drink plenty of juice and
water to help with the letdown. The recommendtion is a half of gallon of water
a day. - The letdown can be a tingling feeling or a stinging feeling at first
until your body gets use to it.
- Be extremely careful with what you
eat because it goes directly to baby. Avoid medicine, alcohol, spices, OJ &
citrus, any kind of nuts, peanut butter, dairy, broccoli, cauliflower,
strawberries, beans, garlic, onions, tacos, chili, etc. Anything that will make
you gassy is a bad thing until baby's digestive system matures. Experiment as
it's different with every mother & baby. Keep track of what you eat. If
after a couple hours of nursing baby is fussy, it's probably what you ate.
- Keep hot packs/cold packs in the house for blocked ducts. They are a
bitch and can hurt like hell. Express/pump/nurse immediately and more often.
Take warm showers followed by cold packs. Advil and lots of sleep to cure it.
- Always wear a bra & pad to bed. You will leak during the night.
Get the Ultra-thin Gerber nursing pads that are disposable and not lines with
plastic.
- You have the right to nurse anywhere at anytime. Target has
a great product that looks like an adult over-sized bib that goes around your
neck & shoulders. It completely covers the baby nursing. People can never
tell when you're doing it. They think the baby is sleeping underneath there.
- Since nursing is your special time with the baby and it's something
Daddy can't experience, have him pick something special with Baby that's just
HIS time. For instance, Eric always gives Paige her bath. That's his special
Daddy/Daughter time that he loves to do. And he reads to her every night when
he comes home from work. It's time alone that they share that I'm not always a
part of so he gets his special bonding with her.
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