Tips for successful breastfeeding
This column is written by experts in the medical field and provides health-care insights to help educate consumers.
One of the many decisions an expectant mother makes is whether to breastfeed her baby. Breastfeeding has many health benefits for mother and child but whether it is right for you is a very personal decision.
Talking to your doctor and the baby’s pediatrician before the birth may help. See if your birth hospital has classes for expectant and new parents that include breastfeeding information.
Medical experts including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend breastfeeding your baby exclusively for the first six months (no water, juice or formula) and then continuing to breastfeed while introducing foods for at least a year.
Breast milk is easier to digest than formula and contains the ideal nutrients for babies, while also providing antibodies to boost the immune system. Breastfed babies have a lower risk of asthma, allergies, ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory illnesses, and obesity, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Women who breastfeed for a year have a lower risk later for Type 2 diabetes, and breast and ovarian cancer. Postpartum depression also is less likely, the NIH says.
If you decide to breastfeed, get advice from supportive experts. While breastfeeding is natural, it is a skill that mother and infant develop together. Many hospitals offer breastfeeding support groups led by lactation specialists. These groups are a great way for new mothers to gain confidence and get tips from other women.
Some other organizations that offer guidance include La Leche League and the Birth Education Center of San Diego. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publishes an informative online booklet, “Your Guide to Breastfeeding.”
The path to successful breastfeeding starts at birth. Your newborn instinctively will want to breastfeed within the first hour, so ask a nurse for help in getting comfortable and encouraging baby to find your breast and open her mouth wide enough to latch onto the entire nipple. This may take practice, but soon you will hear and feel your baby nursing steadily.
While in the hospital, ask questions and take advantage of the lactation consultant many hospitals have on staff.
Your baby probably will nurse every hour or two for the first week and then every two to three hours for several weeks. Because your milk supply develops in response to your baby’s demands, breastfeeding whenever she wants is important during these early months.
Many women returning to work will want to continue breastfeeding. If so, start using a breast pump beforehand to begin storing a milk supply. Breast milk can be refrigerated for five days and frozen for four months.
Your milk supply will be highest in the morning and extra milk may be pumped for storage 30-60 minutes after breastfeeding without affecting your baby’s next meal. At work, try to pump every two to three hours.
Introduce bottle feedings with breast milk once or twice a day before returning to work. Ideally, start this at four to six weeks of age when your baby is comfortable with breastfeeding, but less likely to reject the bottle.
Breastfeeding is natural, but be patient and relax at the start. Take it one feeding at a time. You and your baby soon will become pros, while creating a special bond.
Jennifer Shaw, M.D. specializes in obstetrics and gynecology with Scripps Health.