Why it is best for your baby Why it is the best for you How lactation occurs The best time for feeding your baby The best techniques for feeding your baby Common problems in breast feeding Breast feeding and medications Breast feeding for working mothers Myths about breast feeding Back to About...

Why it is best for your baby

• Breast milk provides the best nutrition for your baby. It contains all the nutrients in the right proportion and its composition changes with the needs of your growing baby.
• With breast milk, especially colostrums, your baby’s immunity is strengthened. This means excellent protection against infections like diarrhea, colds, bronchitis and pneumonia.
• Breast milk also prevents various allergic disorders like asthma, eczema and infantile colic.
• Breast milk contains certain nutrients which are critical for brain development.
• It reduces the chances of contamination which can occur in other forms of feeding.
• Your milk is easily available at any time, unlike other milk. So there is no inconvenience of preparation or heating as it is always at the right temperature too.
• Provides comfort and emotional security for your baby.
• Enables mother and baby to interact more fully than other forms of feeding, resulting in a closer bond.

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Why it is the best for you

• It helps your womb return faster to its normal size and also reduces the chances of severe bleeding.
• Good news! Together with exercise, it helps you regain your figure.
• It helps delay menstruation if you fully breast feed your baby and decreases the chance of another pregnancy.
• It lowers the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
• It’s convenient anywhere, at any time.

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How lactation occurs

The baby’s sucking also stimulates the release of another hormone, called oxytocin, which causes the milk to start flowing out.However, if you lack confidence in your ability to breast feed or are anxious and suffering from stress, this simple natural process will not work.

So, the answer is to relax and think positive always!

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The best time for feeding your baby

In the first days after giving birth, only a thick yellow ‘milk’ is produced, called colostrum. But don’t worry. Colostrum is sufficient for the needs of the baby in the first few days. It is very rich in nutrients and antibodies and helps protect yoru baby against infections. So you can see how important it is.

During this time, your baby should be offered your breast whenever he or she wants to be fed.Your breasts may also feel empty in the beginning, but it’s all right, because you have enough for what your new baby needs. The milk usually comes in on the 3rd or 4th day. By now, your baby is bigger too and you will have quickly learnt to recognize the cry of hunger.

Feed your baby as long as he or she wants to. If you baby is hungry, the automatic response is to cry. If you baby is contented, he or she will fall asleep or release your nipple spontaneously. Feed your baby as often as and whenever she or he wants to be fed. This is called ‘demand feeding’.

It is important to breast feed your baby for as long as possible but for at least 6 months. Many mothers continue to breast feed even after going back to work. Weigh your baby regularly. You’ll be able to see that your baby puts on weight steadily if he or she is getting enough breast milk.

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The best techniques for feeding your baby

You need to get your positioning right. These are your posture, how you hold your baby and how your baby takes your breast.

1. Your posture
• Make yourself comfortable: Your baby needs to be well supported. You may want to consider sitting up in bed, back well supported with baby’s head resting in the crook of your arm or sitting on a chair with your back supported.
• Make sure you are not leaning back so that your breasts are not pulled away from your baby and out of his mouth while he tries to feed. Don’t hunch over either.
• Use props for support. Have as many pillows, cushions, soft or firm supports (such as folded rugs or blankets as well as whatever you may want to support your feet) as you need, to support both you and your baby.
2. How to hold your baby

In summary, the important points to remember about how you hold your baby are that your baby:

• Is held close to you
• Is well supported
• Is facing you
• Has his or her mouth just below your nipple as you prepare to feed
• Has his head, neck and back all in a straight line

Also make sure that the arms and hands do not get in the way as your baby goes to feed.

3. How your baby takes your breast

Make sure your baby takes your breast; do not try to give it to your baby or push your breast into the mouth. As your baby goes on your breast, check that he or she:

• Gapes his or her mouth wide open
• Takes as much as possible of the dark skin area around the nipple (the areola)

Once your baby is feeding well, this is what you should see:

• Your baby’s chin is against your breast
• The mouth is open wide and the lower lip is pressed down and back against the chin
• The nose lies right against your breast. Notice that the nose lies on the surface of your breast and he or she is free to breathe. You do not need to hold your breast away from the nose.

When breast feeding is going well, your nipple will not be damaged, because it is so far back in the baby’s mouth that there is no friction against it. It is the friction that causes both soreness and damage to the nipple. This is why breast feeding shouldn’t hurt.

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Common problems in breast feeding

1. Breast engorgement

Reasons: If you do not position you baby properly and put your baby often enough to the breast, the breast will engorge. Your breast will become swollen, hard, heavy and painful. This can happen especially during the fist week after delivery.

Solutions: Before feeding, gently express some of the milk to soften the breast. This makes it easier for your baby to grasp the nipple and areola. Also, feeding will be less painful for you. After feeding, if your breast is still hard, express the remaining milk and apply a cold compress for comfort. Wearing a supporting nursing bra is sensible.



2. Sore nipples

Reasons: If the baby sucks only the nipple and does not take the areola or does not take part of it, this may cause sore or cracked nipples.

Solutions:

• Choose a position in which you feel relaxed and comfortable. Bring the baby towards your breast and not the breast towards the baby.
• Make sure your baby takes the nipple with as much as possible of the areola into his or her mouth. The mouth should, therefore, be wide open and his chin should be touching your breast.
• It is very important to keep on feeding in the correct position.
• Let the baby suck the least affected or unaffected breast first. When the milk flows readily, change to the sore breast.
• After feeding your baby, put the tip of your finger into the corner of the baby’s mouth. Then move your baby gently away from the breast.
• Express some milk and apply it on the sore nipple to help it to heal. Avoid using soap, cream or lotion on the nipple.
• Expose your nipple to air as much as possible. Avoid using a bra until the soreness has healed.
• If the nipples are very sore, seek the advice of your doctor. In the meanwhile, keep on expressing your milk so that the milk production is maintained and your baby is continued to be fed.
3. Lack of breast milk
Reasons: Your milk flow will diminish because of lack of stimulation due to the following:
• If you do not let your baby suck as frequently as he or she wants to
• If you start giving supplementary feeding too early or if you bottle feed
• If you breast feed from only one breast

Other reasons may be that you have a lack of confidence in your ability to breast feed or that you are emotionally stressed.

Solutions:

• Feed your baby as frequently as you can and as he or she wants to.
• Try not to let more than 2 hours lapse between feeds.
• Breast feed from both breasts.
• Improve your diet. Eat more body building foods (like fish, chicken, meat, eggs, milk, nuts, peas and beans) and protective foods (like fruits and vegetables).
• Have confidence in yourself!
• Try to relax!

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Breast feeding and medications

Follow this general principle: if you do not have to take medication, don’t. if you have to take medication, make sure your doctor knows that you are breast feeding and ask him or her to explain the possible effects on the baby. Many drugs are compatible with breast feeding. For example, if you are diabetic and take insulin every day, you can certainly continue to breast feed. But make sure your doctor knows you are breast feeding and helps you adjust your insulin dose accordingly.

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Breast feeding for working mothers

When to start expressing your breast milk

• Start to practice expressing your breast milk 1 or 2 weeks before resuming your work. You can do this at any convenient time.
• After feeding, any excess milk can be expressed and stored in a clean container or bottle.
• You can also express and store milk between feeds if you find that your breasts are full or if they are leaking.
• With practice, you will get an idea of how much milk you will have to leave behind.
• It is important for you to express your milk every 3-4 hours once you are back to work. The expressed milk should be kept and brought home to be given to your baby on the next day.

By the end of the 2 weeks’ practice, you may find that you can collect about 4 bottles of expressed milk with 70-90ml of milk per bottle daily.

How to store expressed breast milk

• Immediately after expressing breast milk into a clean container, store it in a refrigerator or ice box. This milk should be used within 24-48 hours.
• If no refrigerator is available, you can store your expressed milk in a cool place for up to 8 hours.
• Never add freshly expressed milk to previously stored milk.

How to use stored breast milk

• Before use, let the breast milk return to room temperature. If necessary, place the container with the breast milk in a bowl of warm water.
• Never boil breast milk.
• In case your work takes you away from home for a few days, you can freeze your expressed milk in small quantities. To thaw this milk, hold the container under running water. Then, gradually warm the milk in a bowl of hot water until it reaches room temperature. Never refreeze or refrigerate thawed milk.
• Allow the person who will be looking after your baby to practice feeding your baby your expressed breast milk.

Remember! In order to maintain your milk supply, you must either breast feed or express milk at least every 3 hours. Therefore, continue to breast feed your baby after office, at night and the days that you are not working and remember to express milk when you are at the office.

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Myths about breast feeding

• Myth: If your breasts don’t become larger during pregnancy or if you have small breasts you will not be able to breast feed.

  Truth: Many women will not notice any change in their breasts but will breast feed successfully. Breast size has nothing to do with success in breast feeding.

• Myth: If you don’t express colostrums during pregnancy, your milk ducts will get blocked.

  Truth: The milk will usually flow even if colostrums has not been expressed. But it may be necessary to express milk for storage after birth, so it is useful to learn how it is done.

• Myth: If your baby has to go to the Special Care Unit in the hospital you cannot breast feed your baby.

  Truth: You can definitely breast feed your baby. In fact, a baby in ‘Special Care’ needs breast milk more than ever. Inform the Special Care staff that you wish to breast feed. If your baby cannot suck, they will show you how to express milk so that it can be given to him or her.

• Myth: You have to avoid certain types of foods.

  Truth: It is usually safe to eat your normal foods.

• Myth: Your baby milk could be too weak for your baby.

  Truth: Your milk is fine for your baby. Once the milk has ‘come in’, it may sometimes change in appearance, varying from creamy to watery. This is perfectly normal.

• Myth: Your milk may dry up.

  Truth: This can happen, but it is less likely if you allow the baby to suck when he or she wants to, if you can remain relaxed, eat a healthy and balanced diet and get plenty of rest.

• Myth: I don’t have to involve my husband in the care for the baby.

  Truth: It is very important to involve the father in decisions about the care for the baby. He will feel more involved. Discuss together how you will feed your baby.

• Myth: Breast feeding will spoil my breasts.

  Truth: If women lose their bustline after giving birth it is almost always because they have let the muscles, which support the breasts, become overstretched. If you want to keep your figure, it is important to wear a good supporting bra. It is also very good to regularly exercise your chest muscles.

• Myth: You can’t breast feed after a caesarian section.

  Truth: You can cuddle and feed your baby soon after delivery, but you will need some help. You will have to lie in bed for the first few hours, but will be encouraged to get up and move around soon after, to promote the healing.

• Myth: You shouldn’t feed your baby at night.

  Truth: It is important to also feed your baby at night as long as he or she wants. The easiest way is to let the baby sleep with you so he or she can breast feed without disturbing you. Breast feeding at night gives your baby extra time for sucking. This helps to keep up the milk supply and if you are away for a part of the day, your baby can get much of the milk he or she needs at night.

• Myth: You should also give your baby water, sugar water or fruit juice.

  Truth: For the first 4-6 months your baby does not need any other feed or fluid except breast milk. Even after delivery, before your milk ‘comes in’, your baby does not need extra water as a normal baby is born with a store of water, which keeps him or her hydrated until the milk comes in.

• Myth: You cannot breast feed with an inverted nipple.

  Truth: Remember: babies do not nipple feed; they breast feed! From the beginning, encourage your baby to take a large mouthful of breast. As your baby feeds, he or she will draw the nipple out by sucking.

Source: The Ministry of Health Malaysia

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