EASY does it!
Basic techniques for better breastfeeding can be learnt. Here’s our step-by-step approach.
While we all know that breastfeeding is the best start to your baby’s life, for many it’s not the easiest thing to get right – especially in the beginning. As a result, many of us think of breastfeeding as a looming, intimidating goal. But it needn’t be this way.
It stands to reason that you and Baby need time to get to know each other – the newborn is exploring a whole new world through his mouth.
You’re sharing an intimate part of your body, your breasts, with a little creature that shows no regard for your comfort, time schedule and inconvenience caused when he demands to be fed now!
All things considered, it’s not surprising that many of us give up in the first few days or weeks.
It’s not the shape or the size of your breasts and nipples that determines whether you will successfully breastfeed. It’s much more about having sound knowledge and confidence.
Often, the seed for successful breastfeeding has its roots in family and community – an environment where breastfeeding is the norm tends to produce mothers who take naturally to the role of nursing.
Mothers not partial to breastfeeding will subconsciously influence their daughters into believing that breastfeeding is primitive, inconvenient, difficult, painful and impractical.
If you’re serious about breastfeeding, build up a support team (ideally while you’re pregnant), watch your friends breastfeeding, ask their advice, phone a lactation consultant or join a support group.
BREASTFEEDING AND BIRTH
According to Dr Nils Bergman, a paediatric neurologist who’s studied the brain of the unborn and newborn baby through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neurogenesis or “brain wiring” begins as early as 28 weeks of pregnancy and is enhanced – particularly during the first two days of life – through the baby’s senses of touch, sound, sight, smell and taste (all of which are acutely and simultaneously stimulated during breastfeeding). Dr Bergman also stresses that during the first 24 hours, Baby will only need a total of 15ml (3t) of breast milk because during this time of getting to know you, “the purpose of breastfeeding is 90 percent brain wiring and 10 percent nutritional”. According to literature from the International Society of Breastfeeding Consultants, 5ml of colostrum is about the same in nutritional value as 30ml of mature breast milk.
During this time, your body is recovering from the birth, and any suckling stimulation from your baby’s mouth at your nipple will release the breastfeeding hormones oxytocin and prolactin. Oxytocin releases dopamine from your brain and imprints breastfeeding as a pleasurable experience. This stimulates prolactin to make milk.
This cycle of events won’t happen if there is too much interference from wellmeaning but fussing hands shoving your baby’s face into your breast, painfully squeezing your nipples and poking Baby’s cheeks and chin to make him suck! On condition that your baby had a normal birth and is not compromised in any way, if left alone, he will find his own way to your breast and nipple and will suck spontaneously – like all mammals do!