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Table of Contents
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Although breast-feeding is natural, the technique
is a learned skill. The first time you breast-feed your baby can be quite
exciting, especially if your baby suckles and feeds properly at once. If
your baby does not, remember that successful breast-feeding is a
combination of practice, practice, and proper positioning.
Latching the baby onto the breast
Both you and your baby should be in a comfortable
position. Sitting up in bed or in a chair is comfortable for most women.
Looking down on your baby you should be able to draw a visual straight
line from your baby's ear to his/her shoulder to his/her hips.
Gently lift and support your breast, with your
fingers underneath and your thumb on top, making sure your fingers and the
thumb are placed well away from the areola (the darker part of your breast
surrounding the nipple). At times it is helpful to role your nipple
between your fingers for a few seconds to make it more erect and easier
for your baby to grasp.
Lightly tickle your baby's lower lip with your
nipple several times. This will encourage your baby to open his/her mouth.
The moment he/she opens wide, quickly pull your baby onto your breast
until his/her nose and chin are touching your breast. The areola (dark
area around the nipple) should be in his/her mouth as much as possible and
not just the nipple. If your baby's nostrils are blocked try pulling your
baby's bottom upward and closer toward you this will give your baby more
space to breath.
Cradle position
Sit in a comfortable chair and rest your baby's
head in the bend of your arm. Place a nursing pillow under your elbow to
support your baby and minimize muscle tension and fatigue. Tuck your
baby's lower arm alongside your body so it will stay out of the way. Your
baby's mouth should be even with your nipple and the stomach should face
and touch your stomach (tummy to tummy) at breast level.
Football Hold
You may find the football hold to be the most
comfortable position for you if you have latch on problems, you have large
breasts, your baby is very small or premature, or if you have had a
cesarean delivery. Sit in a comfortable chair with a nursing pillow under
your arm on the side you will be nursing your baby to support your baby
and minimize muscle fatigue. Place your baby's head in the palm of your
hand and bring the baby close to your breast and cradle your baby under
your arm, as seen in the illustration. Place the fingers of the other hand
underneath the breast behind the areola with your thumb on top of the
breast.
This is a comfortable, alternative position for
night feedings, if you are recovering from a cesarean section, or when you
are uncomfortable sitting. Lie on your side with your stomach facing your
baby's stomach (tummy to tummy). Use one pillow to support your head and
another along your back. Lay your baby opposite your nipple. Support and
lift your breast to tickle the baby's mouth, as your baby opens the mouth
wide he/she will be ready to latch on.
Here are some other helpful breast-feeding
hints:
There are no hard set rules for the first
feedings. Do not follow rigid guidelines for feeding times or frequency
because these can keep you from establishing a plentiful milk production.
Do not offer your infant a bottle when
establishing breast-feeding. Breast-feeding is an active process for your
baby while bottle-feeding is passive and requires a different type of
suck. Your baby may become nipple confused and refuse the breast the next
time you offer it.
Keep your baby in the room with you and
breast-feed every 2-3 hours or on demand-whichever comes first. Milk
production works on the principle of supply and demand. The more your baby
breast-feeds, the more milk you will produce, to totally meet your baby's
nutritional needs.
Feed the baby through the night this will ensure
and increase your milk production. Let your baby decide when to stop
breast-feeding rather than watching the clock and breaking suction
yourself to pull your baby off the breast. The length of time that a baby
nurses varies widely from baby to baby. Generally, most newborns should
feed for at least 15 minutes and they should be able to complete a feeding
in 60 minutes or less. Let your baby finish feeding on one breast before
offering the other. Keep in mind that limiting the duration of feeding
does not prevent sore nipples and may cause milk drainage problems,
decreased milk supply, inadequate infant weight gain, or infant jaundice.
Removing your baby from the breast
Occasionally, you may need to take your baby off
the breast to feed from the other breast or to end the feeding before your
baby is ready to come off by himself/herself. Using this special technique
will minimize pulling and tension on your nipple. Place one finger in the
corner of your baby's mouth between the gums, as shown in the
illustration, and release suction before pulling your baby away to remove
your nipple from his mouth.
Advantages of Breast-feeding:
- Human milk is a unique combination of fats,
proteins, sugars, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, custom-made for
your baby to promote brain and body growth.
- Breast-fed babies test higher on standard IQ
tests.
- Breast-fed babies have straighter teeth and
fewer cavities.
- Colostrum the first milk and mature breast
milk are rich in antibodies. This is why breast-fed babies need less
sick visits to the pediatrician.
- Breast-fed babies have fewer upper respiratory
infections, gastrointestinal infection, ear infections, and diaper
rashes.
- Breast-fed babies have a lower incidence of
allergies.
- Human milk promotes the growth of good
bacteria in the baby's gut, this is why breast-fed baby's stools don't
smell offensive.
Why you may need to express your milk for your
baby
There are many reasons. Any situation that
requires you to be away from your baby for more than a couple of hours may
make it necessary for you to express your milk. You may need the use of a
good breast pump to relieve engorgement or pumping can help with pulling
out flat or inverted nipples when your baby is having difficulty latching
on. Or your baby was born early or is sick, and is not yet ready to go to
the breast. A good breast pump will allow you to receive the stimulation
needed to bring in and maintain you milk production so you can provide
your baby with mother's milk.
Storing Breast Milk
- You may store breast milk in a clean, hard
plastic or glass bottle or in our mother's milk storage bags.
- Your pumped milk should berefigerated and used
within 48 hours. If you plan to keep milk for longer then 48 hours, it
should be frozen.
- Put only enough milk for one feeding in each
storage bag or bottle. Do not overfill! Allow some room for expansion,
especially when freezing the milk.
- Lable the container with date and amount of
milk collected and always use the oldest milk first.
- Frozen milk may be stored in your
refigerator's freezer for up to four months, or in a deep freeze (-20
C) for up to 12 months.
- To thaw frozen milk, warm it in a container of
warm water until the milk is room temperature, or place in the
refrigerator until thawed.
- Never defrost breastmilk in a microwave or on
the stove top. These methods will destroy nutrients, and can cause
serious burns.
- Throw away any milk the baby doesn't eat. Do
not save it for later! Breast-milk should never be refrozen!!
During pregnancy your body is changing rapidly
and you may need several diffrent bra sizes to wear at diffrent times
during your pregnancy and nursing experience. We want you to be
comfortable and happy with your purchase and would like to help you get
the very best fit the first time ; however, if the first bra was not the
perfect fit we allow for promt exchanges of unworn bras.
Early pregnacy /1st and 2nd Trimester:
If your Bra is getting too small either in band
size or in the cup size, get one size larger in the cup and in the the
band size. This will give you room for your expanding rip cage and your
breast size. For example, if you are now wearing a 34B, buy a 36C. If you
wear a 36 D, buy a 38 E. At this time of pregnancy, your bra should fit on
the tightest fitting hooks rather than the loosest fitting hooks. As your
baby grows and your rips expands you can adjust the bra by using the hooks
further towards the end, thus the bra can grow with you through your
pregnancy.
Third Trimester:
To ensure you will have the extra room you may
need for engorgement and bra pads, slip your right hand in the left cup of
your bra (and left hand in the right cup),this should give the extra room
in your bra after baby is born. When the pregnancy is near the end, you
want your bra to fit you so that you are hooked at the end (loosest
fitting) hooks rather than the first (tightest fitting) hooks. If you are
near the end of your pregnancy and your bra cup fits well (with "hand
width" space) but the bra is a bit snug around your chest, a bra
extender will be able to give you the extra width you need. These are just
general guidelines, to assist you in estimating your bra size.
After the Baby
If the Bra you are currently wearing, fits well
without big wrinkles or lumbs and bumps in front or at the side, order
that size. However, after the baby is born you will lose some girth and
need to be able make your bra tighter.
Bra Fittind Chart
- Measure high under your arms and above the
breast to determine the bra
- Round your messurment up to the nearest even
number (your bra band size in inches)
- Measure the fullest point of your bust.
- Subtract the first measurement (under the
arm) from the second mesurement (the bust) and look at the following
chart to determine your cup size.
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