Breastfeeding is natural, yes, but natural doesn’t mean easy. Here are 10 practical Breastfeeding Tips for new moms.
1. Prepare and build confidence for breastfeeding before your baby arrives. Have a credible resource to learn. Confidence and a mindset reset toward breastfeeding go a long way toward its success.
2. Learn at least 3 breastfeeding positions before getting discharged from the hospital. There is no single correct position that works for all moms. While Cradle hold gets the spotlight, cross-cradle can support smaller babies better, side-lying can save a 3 am feed or a mom who has perineal sutures, and the football hold is often kinder after a caesarean or with twins! Try a few and stick to what your body and baby like.
3. Every baby has a mind of their own; watch and understand your baby – not the clock. Understand feeding cues like rooting, fingers in the mouth, and that restless turning toward you; this is the real schedule. A printed feeding chart looks reassuring on paper. Newborns rarely read and follow it.
4. Building a strong support system is extremely important. A knowledgeable lactation counsellor and paediatrician, family members and friends who can offer practical and emotional help. Redistributing roles and prioritising responsibilities can make breastfeeding feel more supported.
5. Working mothers, talk to your HR before returning to work. Pumping breaks, privacy and time for pumping, a refrigerator for storage, and a cooler bag as a substitute are things you can plan for ahead of joining work in order to beat the stress of transitioning back to work and support breastfeeding.
6. Keep a few tools within reach. A nursing pillow. Breast pads. A chair that supports your back. A foot stool to stretch your legs and positive, non-judgemental people who build your confidence.
7. Learn the skill of hand expression early, before you even touch a pump. This works wonders for you, especially on days when you are engorged or that one-off day when you want to sleep and give the baby your expressed milk; it teaches your hands what your body already knows.
8. The best type of pump to choose is the pump that fits your life and your needs. Not the one loaded with settings you will never touch. Comfort, easy cleaning, and understanding your goals for expressing milk will make the choice easier.
9. Know the storage rules. Room temperature for about 3-4 hours, the fridge for up to 2-3 days, the freezer for 3 months. Label the bag with the date and time. Feed the old milk first before new milk; stick to morning milk fed in the morning and night milk at night. Don’t forget to do the smell and taste test before offering the stored milk to your baby-no foul smell and no sour milk.
10. No two mothers get here the same way. Be patient with yourself and your baby and trust your body. Enjoy loads of skin-to-skin and feed the baby often.
By Dr Latha Balasundaram, Head, Department of Physiotherapy, BPNI-certified Lactation Counsellor, Fernandez Hospital
