Well mamas I have good news for you. There are three essentials that you will not have to purchase in the store. In fact you will already have them. Today we are privileged to have a special guest post from IBCLC Emily Heldt she runs Tree of Life Childbirth Education and Breastfeeding Counseling here is Salem OR. She has broken down the top three most important things that could help lead you and your baby to a successful breastfeeding relationship. Keep reading if you want to find out.
Tree of Life
Childbirth Education and
Breastfeeding Counseling
Emily Heldt, IBCLCServing Salem, OR and surrounding areas(503)580-3535emily@salemnaturalchildbirth.com
When our drive is to normalize breastfeeding and educate in order to increase breastfeeding success what are the essentials?
1.BIRTH – Having a normal physiologic birth, which minimizes trauma to both mother and baby is truly important to getting breastfeeding off to a good start. But mothers who don't have an ideal experience and need to utilize necessary interventions that may cause side effects to breastfeeding can begin to set that foundation as soon as baby is able to be in their arms again. Doing skin to skin as much as you are able is a perfect first essential. I often say that it is my #1 tip for successful breastfeeding. It keeps baby close for easy access, they get exposed to mom's bacteria, which is important in colonizing their gut, your breasts heat up or cool down to help keep their temperature stable and it decreases incidence of severe jaundice and excessive weight loss, which can both lead to supplementation recommendations. Don't delay it and don't let anyone stand in the way of that precious time.
2. YOUR BABY – Your baby is born with reflexes that are perfectly designed to help him or her find their own way to the breast without any help beginning immediately after they are born. This is survival instinct at its finest.
In many other countries, women typically lie back either totally flat or semi reclined and nurse baby while baby is straight up and down or at an angle. These positions allow for babies to use these reflexes to find their own way to the breast, they can root around, smell (the areola contains Montgomery glands that secrete a substance that smells like amniotic fluid and helps to draw them toward the breast all the while practicing opening their mouths widely and dropping their tongues in preparation to latching on well (http://biologicalnurturing.com/). Babies can do all of these things in the first few hours after birth if they are left alone and given the time and space to explore.
3. YOUR BREASTS – In the beginning after baby is born, you have colostrum in your breasts. I like to call colostrum “yellow milk” or “first milk.” There is a common misconception that colostrum is inferior, or moms need to supplement “until my milk comes in” or that there isn't enough milk for the first several days. Colostrum is a highly specialized milk (http://www.llli.org/faq/colostrum.html) and there is plenty of it as long as baby gets frequent access to it – no “back up” formula needed! It is specially designed for the first several days to provide baby with loads of fat and protein, lots of immunities and also serves the purpose of coating their digestive tract, the benefits of which last a lifetime. Unnecessary supplementation during this time can erode that coating and interfere with baby's ability to assimilate some of the essentials in the colostrum. Colostrum is thick and comes out slowly so baby learns how to suck, swallow and breathe, which are tough to learn how to do! Baby's tummy is also very small in the beginning and they only need a small amount each feeding – in the first day, their tummy is about the size of a shooter marble, by the 3rd day it grows to be about the size of a ping pong ball and by about day 10 it is the size of an egg.
And one last tip to moms:
How your breasts feel will vary in the first several weeks, but that feeling alone isn't necessarily a good indicator of what is going on with your supply. Some moms feel some slight engorgement once the white milk comes in and then never feel any other sensations in their breasts for the rest of the time that they are breastfeeding. The biggest concern that new moms have is “am I making enough milk?” As long as baby is gaining and having plenty of wet and poopy diapers, your supply should be ample. If there is pain, baby isn't gaining well, has worrisome jaundice or is not having plenty of wet and poopy diapers, make sure to get in to see a lactation consultant ASAP. It is not as common for a mom's milk supply to be low as it is that the baby's latch is off slightly so baby is not getting full access to all of the available milk.
Thank you again to Emily for writing this super informative post. Please feel free to check out the awesome online resources she has linked in her post and also if you are in the Salem area as well as surrounding cities and need some birthing or breastfeeding guidance don't hesitate to call Emily herself.
2. YOUR BABY – Your baby is born with reflexes that are perfectly designed to help him or her find their own way to the breast without any help beginning immediately after they are born. This is survival instinct at its finest.
In many other countries, women typically lie back either totally flat or semi reclined and nurse baby while baby is straight up and down or at an angle. These positions allow for babies to use these reflexes to find their own way to the breast, they can root around, smell (the areola contains Montgomery glands that secrete a substance that smells like amniotic fluid and helps to draw them toward the breast all the while practicing opening their mouths widely and dropping their tongues in preparation to latching on well (http://biologicalnurturing.com/). Babies can do all of these things in the first few hours after birth if they are left alone and given the time and space to explore.
3. YOUR BREASTS – In the beginning after baby is born, you have colostrum in your breasts. I like to call colostrum “yellow milk” or “first milk.” There is a common misconception that colostrum is inferior, or moms need to supplement “until my milk comes in” or that there isn't enough milk for the first several days. Colostrum is a highly specialized milk (http://www.llli.org/faq/colostrum.html) and there is plenty of it as long as baby gets frequent access to it – no “back up” formula needed! It is specially designed for the first several days to provide baby with loads of fat and protein, lots of immunities and also serves the purpose of coating their digestive tract, the benefits of which last a lifetime. Unnecessary supplementation during this time can erode that coating and interfere with baby's ability to assimilate some of the essentials in the colostrum. Colostrum is thick and comes out slowly so baby learns how to suck, swallow and breathe, which are tough to learn how to do! Baby's tummy is also very small in the beginning and they only need a small amount each feeding – in the first day, their tummy is about the size of a shooter marble, by the 3rd day it grows to be about the size of a ping pong ball and by about day 10 it is the size of an egg.
And one last tip to moms:
How your breasts feel will vary in the first several weeks, but that feeling alone isn't necessarily a good indicator of what is going on with your supply. Some moms feel some slight engorgement once the white milk comes in and then never feel any other sensations in their breasts for the rest of the time that they are breastfeeding. The biggest concern that new moms have is “am I making enough milk?” As long as baby is gaining and having plenty of wet and poopy diapers, your supply should be ample. If there is pain, baby isn't gaining well, has worrisome jaundice or is not having plenty of wet and poopy diapers, make sure to get in to see a lactation consultant ASAP. It is not as common for a mom's milk supply to be low as it is that the baby's latch is off slightly so baby is not getting full access to all of the available milk.
Thank you again to Emily for writing this super informative post. Please feel free to check out the awesome online resources she has linked in her post and also if you are in the Salem area as well as surrounding cities and need some birthing or breastfeeding guidance don't hesitate to call Emily herself.
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