by Breastfeeding is one of the greatest gifts you can give your baby. It is recommended to feed your baby only breast milk for the first six months; However, during this period, the rate of mothers who can only feed their babies with breast milk is less than 1%.
A few weeks after you start breastfeeding, while your baby is still learning, your breasts will be filled with lots of milk. You feel an intense fullness. Your nipples also become extremely sensitive and even painful. This breast swelling and fullness occurs in the first few days of breastfeeding, when your milk begins to come out fully. Milk, blood and fluids build up in your breast and make you feel full. During this period, it would be helpful to apply cold compresses to the breast to prevent any swelling. It is necessary to switch to warm compresses 20 minutes before breastfeeding. For this, you can use a container filled with lukewarm water or hot water bottles. You can suck a few teaspoons of milk before your baby suckles on your breast and feed your baby frequently.
The importance of breastfeeding position
The baby’s position for grasping and sucking the breast is extremely important. In this way, possibilities such as nipple irritation or the baby sucking a small amount of milk can be avoided. Many mothers find comfort by sitting on an armchair, sofa, rocking chair or sometimes lying on the bed. Especially in the first few days, mothers may need to raise their feet or lean on a pillow to form a flat embrace. Some mothers raise their babies to the level of their breasts and hold them there; Some people hold their baby diagonally across their body, in the most natural breastfeeding position. The most common breastfeeding positions are either crossed on the knees or with the baby’s feet stretched toward the mother’s back.
The most common causes of nipple pain are breastfeeding in an uncomfortable position and poor latching by the baby. Insufficient milk production, sore nipples, poor weight gain, and problems with the baby latching on indicate that you need to make further adjustments. The most correct and comfortable latching position is when the baby’s lips curl outward. The tip of the baby’s nose can be pressed against the mother’s breast during the entire breastfeeding period. If you lay your baby on his side, if he wraps his body around yours and opens his mouth wide enough to take your entire nipple in his mouth, he will feel safe and comfortable. The following tips may be helpful when breastfeeding:
- If your baby cries, calm him or her. Because when he calms down, his tongue will be in the right position to feed. For example, in the upper part of the lower palate.
- Support your baby by placing him on his side on your lap. Make sure it lightly touches your breast from below. Make sure his chin and lower lip are the first to settle. If your baby faces you when you breastfeed on the left breast, support his or her back with your right arm. Place your right hand in the area between his shoulders. Hold both sides of his neck with your fingers and thumb. Because he has to turn his head to reach your breast.
- Make sure your breast is in a natural position. You must lift your breast to reach your baby. If you need to support your breast, do so with your thumb on top and your fingers underneath. But it is better to keep your fingers away from the brown area of the nipple.
- It would be best for both of you if your baby’s nose was towards your nipple and his chin was about three cm from your nipple.
- Your baby throws his head back slightly when he approaches your breast. He opens his mouth wide and sticks out his tongue. He takes the whole nipple into his mouth using his tongue.
- At first it sucks quickly, then it slows down. He begins to suck your breast rhythmically and swallow the milk. When breastfeeding is very strong, the mother often wraps her left arm around her baby. He can thus rest his right arm.
- Once your baby is getting enough milk, he should be weaned from the breast. Then you pass it to the other breast and repeat the movements above.
- Check your baby’s position and latch. Your baby should cup the entire nipple by bringing his or her tongue under your nipple. Changing position can help with this. You can lay your baby down or put their feet behind you.
- First, breastfeed with the least painful breast. When the milk starts to flow well, change breasts.
How often should you breastfeed your baby?
The first milk your baby sucks right after birth is colostrum. The color of this milk varies from light lemon yellow to dark orange. This is the perfect food for your baby and this first food is extremely important. It is administered in very small quantities (37 ml on average in the first 24 hours and gradually increases as the baby breastfeeds). The stomach of newborns is the size of a marble. Therefore, an average nutrition is between 7ml and 14ml. (One teaspoon equals 5 ml). Three to five days after birth, your breast begins to fill completely with milk, during this period the baby’s belly also grows and the baby’s belly begins to enlarge, allowing him to gain 500 ml in 24 hours every day. This quantity reaches 750 ml in 24 hours in three months. It is therefore not surprising that at first your baby will need to be fed frequently during the day. You may need to feed him 8 to 12 times in twenty-four hours. Some babies feed continuously for a while, then sleep for a while, and the cycle repeats. Some babies need to be fed every 40 minutes for a few days after birth. Some babies become very sleepy after birth and should be encouraged to feed at least every three hours. As the baby grows, the intervals between feedings lengthen and the frequency of feedings decreases.
Is your baby getting enough milk?
As a bond begins to form between you and your baby, you begin to understand the meaning of the sounds he makes and the movements of his body. For example, if your baby is hungry, cues to pay attention to may include: He puts his hand to his mouth, makes sucking noises, sticks his tongue out and licks, starts turning his head as if looked. for a breast, and takes on a difficult and agitated expression. Crying is an expression of a baby who is very hungry. It is difficult to determine the exact amount of milk a baby receives from the breast; However, the baby’s constant and regular weight gain and his liveliness and activity are indicators of this. Your baby’s diapers also tell you that your baby is getting enough nutrition. Wet diapers are an indication of adequate water intake. Stool-filled diapers also indicate that your baby is getting enough calories. By the end of the fourth day, mothers and fathers should change at least three stool-filled diapers per day (the amount of stool in each is the size of 2 coins) and at least six wet diapers per day. As your baby grows, this increases to three heavy stool-filled diapers per day and six wet diapers per day. However, some babies have different body plans. Your baby’s stools change from black to very dark brown after the first few days, then greenish and finally yellowish. Mustard-yellow stools are usually soft. If you have any doubts or concerns about this, be sure to consult a healthcare professional.
What to do for the feeling of fullness in the breasts?
A few weeks after you start breastfeeding, while you and your baby are still learning, your breasts will fill with lots of milk and you will feel intensely full. Your nipples also become extremely sensitive and even painful. Swelling and fullness of this breast sometimes occurs during the first few days of breastfeeding, when your milk begins to come out completely. Milk, blood and fluids build up in your breast and make you feel full. During this period, it is useful to apply cold compresses to the breast to prevent swelling; However, it is necessary to use hot compresses twenty minutes before breastfeeding. A container filled with lukewarm water or hot water bottles can be used for this purpose. Some mothers may remove a teaspoon or two of milk before the baby goes to the breast and feed the baby frequently. Some moms find it helpful to place cabbage leaves in their bra. Research shows that this is a useful method. Nipple pain and irritation are the reasons why many mothers stop breastfeeding. The most important cause of nipple pain is that the baby is placed in the wrong position on the breast. If despite all these precautions you are unable to relieve the irritation in your nipples, using a reliably pure lanolin nipple cream will benefit you and your baby. If you are having trouble with this problem, you should definitely seek help from a medical professional.
