My Favorite Breastfeeding Tips

I thought I would spend some time focusing on breastfeeding thoughts since it is obviously so connected to birth work.  I have successfully breastfed all 13 of our children, including our last child, Benjamin, who was born with multiple medical issues requiring 6 weeks of hospitalization, multiple surgeries, ventilator support, and a stint on a heart and lung bypass machine. During his NICU stay I pumped faithfully, which I can emphatically say is for the birds, but I was able to nurse once he was allowed at 5 weeks.

Although my nursing career has evolved from a mom who felt it burdensome to one who truly enjoyed nursing and providing nourishment and comfort to my baby,  I always knew it to be the best for my little ones.  My older ones were weaned much earlier than my younger ones, which was in keeping with my “burdensome” mentality.  Benjamin recently ended his nursing career at age 2 which comes with quite a few bittersweet thoughts on my part but such is the lot of the nursing mom, and I wouldn’t change anything we’ve done.  I’ve so enjoyed nursing him and have found it to be a blessing, especially in light of his medical issues.

Here are a few breastfeeding tips that I have put together for you to consider:

1~ Initiate breastfeeding as soon as possible after delivery.

2~ Don’t offer pacifiers for the first few months of nursing.

3~ Don’t offer supplemental liquids (formula, water, or juice) unless medically indicated.  This, along with #2, can cause baby to be disinterested in nursing or lead to nipple confusion/refusal.

4~ Breastfeed on demand.  This will help establish your milk supply and encourage your body to form a complete milk component.

5~ For the first few days after delivery, offer the breast immediately upon baby’s  feeding cues (rooting, smacking lips, tongue thrusting, bringing fists to cheeks, etc.).   This will also help to establish a good milk supply.

6~ DON’T, I repeat, DON’T encourage/allow baby to sleep for extensive periods of time during the overnight hours.  This type of feeding schedule will cause your body to produce less milk as it assumes baby is old enough to sleep through the night.

7~ Consider allowing baby to sleep in the same room as mom to encourage better nursing responsiveness.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of possible nursing tips but it’s intended to get you thinking about how you can better foster a positive nursing relationship between mom and baby.  Even though nursing can be an consuming and exhausting, it is also an amazingly rewarding journey not to be compared with any other.