Breastfeeding In the Early Weeks

Breastfeeding  your newborn can be tough in the first weeks for both new mums and experienced mothers,this is because each baby is unique and different. Most of the concerns on breastfeeding are;is baby getting enough breast milk,how often and how much should baby be nursing,how to care for breast pain/ engorgement and nipple pain amongst others.

Breastfeeding helps baby and mother to bond.You will need to guide your baby in the first few weeks of breastfeeding so he or she can locate the breasts. Interestingly, the baby’s sucking helps to trigger the hormones to start producing milk so you do not have to worry about your milk supply.From the second day of breastfeeding to about the seventh day, it is expected that your milk would have transformed from colostrum to mature milk with increase in quantity.You should start observing how often your baby will need nursing.

Since newborns have small stomachs, your baby can feed every 1-3 hours. But as baby grows in the coming weeks, he may breastfeed longer for every 2-4 hours. Also some babies sometimes feed at every hour, this is called cluster feeding.Your baby will have 8-12 feeding sessions daily and when your baby is satisfied he usually will fall asleep.Given that your baby has frequent feeding periods you  are expected to have more change of diapers, if this doesn’t happen, do not hesitate to notify your doctor.

Baby cues or signals to inform you that they will like to be feed include;crying,hands in the mouth, turning his head to something that touches his face,moving their heads back and forth etc.You should ensure to feed your baby with the each breast at a time.Many newborn babies sleep a lot,so you may need to wake her up to feed.

During the early weeks of breastfeeding you may experience fullness and hardness of breast,to help relieve your discomfort you can express milk to a clean container or use a breast pump,cold packs can also help. Similarly, your nipple may be sore in the first few weeks of breastfeeding,you should keep on breastfeeding as this will help the nipples to heal.

Hopefully this helps.....cheers!!