It’s the most natural way to feed your baby, but it isn’t always straightforward – here’s our guide to breastfeeding...
There’s no doubt about it. Breastfeeding is the ideal way to give your new baby the very best start in life – and it’s good for you, too! It might be the most natural thing in the world but breastfeeding still takes a lot of practice and perseverance to get right. It can be difficult, exhausting and painful. So understanding the problems you might face and how to deal with them could make all the difference. And with the right advice and support, it should be an easy, and enjoyable, ride!
Benefits for you
- It’s free of charge! It could save you about £45 a month.
- There are huge health benefits. You’re less likely to get pre-menopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer or suffer hip fractures.
- It’s environmentally friendly. You won’t use an ounce of packaging.
- It’s convenient and portable. You have milk on tap, 24 hours a day so you can feed your baby any time.
- Sleep will come easier. When you breastfeed at night, the milk-making hormone, prolactin, has a calming effect, making sure you get back to sleep quickly.
- It helps bonding. Breastfeeding babies communicate with their mums, pausing while you talk and replying by sucking.
- It can help you lose weight. Breastfeeding makes your womb contract, burning fat and helping you get back into shape.
- It helps you feel good. Oxytocin, the hormone released during breastfeeding, is also released when you have an orgasm!
- It’s made to measure. Breast milk is a living fluid, changing to meet your baby’s needs – at birth, for example, it is rich in antibodies to help your baby resist infection.
- Breast milk is easily digested. Your baby is less likely to experience stomach upsets or diarrhoea.
- It’s good for your baby’s health. Breastfed babies have a lower risk of respiratory infections, eczema, diabetes and heart disease later in life.
- It could help fussy eaters! The taste of your breast milk changes according to what you’ve eaten. So breastfed babies are beginning to acquire tastes they’ll experience when they join you for dinner!
- It’s good for the brain. There is some evidence breastfed babies have increased intelligence…
- Breastfeeding can help premature babies. They have a smaller risk of complications in the early weeks.
- It aids weight issues. Breastfeeding can help to reduce the risk of obesity in later life.
Truth or myth?
- My milk will run out if I feed for too long.
Myth – The more milk your baby takes, the more milk your body will produce. - Breastfeeding can be painful in the beginning.
True – Many women’s nipples are more sensitive straight after birth, however, poor latching on is probably the most common cause of sore nipples. - Breastfed babies need extra water in hot weather.
Myth – Breastmilk contains all the water your baby needs. - You can’t mix bottle and breastfeeding.
Myth – You can combine feed but it’s best to wait until your baby is a few weeks old before introducing bottles to avoid affecting your milk supply and confusing your baby. - Only a few women in the UK breastfeed.
True – Around 78% of women start breastfeeding, but by six weeks this drops to 50% and only 26% of babies are breastfed at six months. - Breastfeeding will make my breasts sag.
Myth – Breastfeeding won’t cause your breasts to sag but the ageing process and putting on and losing weight can all have an effect.
Getting startedGetting prepared to breastfeed can be crucial to success. Being aware of what will help get it off to a good start, how to position your baby, what to expect, and who to contact if you encounter problems is priceless.
- Enjoy skin-to-skin contact straight after the birth – it’s been found to make starting breastfeeding easier.
- Get comfortable before you begin – make sure your back is well supported and you may need a pillow to bring your baby to the right height.
- Difficult as it may be, try to keep as calm as possible – your milk will flow much better if you stay relaxed
- and don’t tense up.
- Learn how to position your baby. Make sure your baby is facing you tummy to tummy with her back straight, bottom tucked in and her nose level with your nipple. Wait until her mouth is really wide open and draw her swiftly onto your breast, aiming your nipple towards the roof of her mouth.
- Check she’s feeding right. Your baby’s chin will touch your breast. Her bottom lip will be curled out and you should be able to hear her swallowing and see her ears wiggling. There should be more of your breast in her mouth below your nipple than above it. If her cheeks are hollow she hasn’t got a good mouthful. If it doesn’t feel right, break the suction by inserting your little finger into her mouth and starting again.
- Listen to your baby – it’s now commonly accepted that feeding ‘on demand’ rather than feeding to a schedule is crucial to the success of breastfeeding. So if your baby’s feeding when she’s hungry, is happy between feeds, wets several nappies a day, poos regularly and is gaining weight, she’s thriving. And that will be all down to you.
Stopping: four or six months – what's right?
Like other aspects of parenthood, the goalposts for breastfeeding are always moving. In January this year, doctors from a number of leading child health institutes questioned official guidelines (issued in 2001 by the World Health Organisation – WHO) that women should breastfeed exclusively for the first six months and suggested this could in fact put babies at risk of allergies, food aversion and even obesity. This new research says babies can be safely given solid foods at least eight weeks earlier in life – at around four months.
This has, understandably, left many mums very confused. The Department of Health still supports the WHO’s guidelines but will review the research. If you’re worried or confused, talk over any concerns you may have about breastfeeding, and when to wean your baby, with your health professional, but try not to lose sight of your all important maternal instinct, too.
Nutritionist Juliet Wilson, an expert in breastfeeding and infant nutrition, says: ‘I absolutely recommend that you try to breastfeed exclusively for the first four months. But at some point, beyond four months, you will feel that your baby has “outgrown” exclusive breastfeeding. It could be that their energy requirements are simply beyond what you are able to provide in breastmilk, or that your baby’s stomach is not large enough to take in the necessary volumes of milk. At some point they will probably seem unsatisfied and permanently hungry – that’s the cue for food! But if there was one piece of advice I could give mothers about deciding when to wean your baby, it would be not to become anxious about it. It’s basically up to you when you start to introduce foods; mostly it’s when it feels right.’
Common problemsBreastfeeding doesn’t come without its problems, but arming yourself with all the information can give you a head start.
Sore nipples
This usually happens because your baby is not latched on correctly and can make feeding difficult. Squeeze out a little breast milk after each feed and rub it over the nipple – your breast milk has excellent anti-infection properties.
‘I used to soak cotton wool in cold water and lie with them on my nipples – bliss!’
Kim Bashford, 34, mum to Molly, three, and Frankie, six months.
Thrush
Thrush (a fungal infection) is a less common cause of sore nipples, which can trigger sharp stabbing pains. Your baby may have white patches on her tongue or in her mouth, too. You will both need to be treated by your GP or pharmacist.
Engorgement
‘Two to five days after birth, your “milk comes in”,’ explains Caroline Deacon, NCT breastfeeding counsellor and author of NCT: Breastfeeding for Beginners (Thorsons, £7.99) and Babymoon Experience (Piatkus, £10.99). ‘Your breasts become hot, swollen and uncomfortable and it can be hard for your baby to latch on. This usually passes within 24 hours but feeding your baby frequently helps; as does feeding on alternate breasts so that each are stimulated to produce milk equally.
‘I had balloons for breasts. I placed hot flannels over them just before each feed. It softened my nipples, helped the milk flow and made each feed easier.’
Kate Crofts, 26, mum to Charlie, seven months.
Blocked ducts
You may feel a lump or notice a hard red patch towards the outside of your breast. Keep feeding your baby from the affected breast and try to massage the lump towards your nipple as you feed.
Mastitis
If you’re unlucky enough to develop mastitis, you will suffer flu-like symptoms, may have a temperature and your breasts will feel sore. Try to rest as much as possible and drink plenty of fluids. ‘It’s important to keep feeding your baby as stopping breastfeeding will make the problem worse,’ advises Caroline. Mastitis usually results from insufficient drainage of the breast. If you are experiencing these symptoms, consult your GP as you may need a course of antibiotics.
Changing from breast to bottle
It’s crucial to stop breastfeeding gradually to avoid problems occurring, such as mastitis. Ideally you should aim to drop one daily feed a week. Each time you miss a feed, you should express off just enough milk to feel comfortable. Once your breast no longer fills, you can move on to dropping the next feed. Try to avoid giving the first bottle feed when your baby is tired. It may also help if someone else feeds her so she doesn’t smell and expect breast milk! Although some babies may still prefer the reassurance and sounds of their mother.
Breastfeeding in public
This most natural process elicits a mixed response from the British public...
Women are in fact free to breastfeed in public. And yet we still hear horror stories, like the recent mum who was shown to a hospital cupboard to feed her young twins or the Exeter mother who was asked to stop feeding her three-month old son in a doctor’s reception as she was in breach of their health and safety rules.
You shouldn’t ever be made to feel unwelcome or uncomfortable about breastfeeding in public. And knowing your rights will help. The Equality Act 2010 has made it illegal for anyone to ask a breastfeeding woman to leave a public place.
‘When women are brave enough to feed in public,’ says Glee Huntsman, a leader for La Leche League, a mother-to-mother breastfeeding support network, ‘it then gives other women courage to do the same. In fact, plenty of women in this country do breastfeed in public everyday and it’s generally received positively.’
A mum's breastfeeding journey
Carolyn Kimpton, 31, is married to Mike, 32. They live in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, with their six-month old son, Jasper.
‘I always knew I wanted to breastfeed because it felt like the best start I could give my baby – it was also convenient, free and promised to help me lose a few pounds, too! After an exhausting 16-hour labour, Jasper was born and we shared a wonderful skin-to-skin cuddle and first breastfeed. But I was far too tired and overwhelmed to see whether I was doing it right. For the first few days I felt I was feeding Jasper on and off all day and I found it so difficult to tell if he was really sucking.
‘The midwives offered me tips – tummy to mummy and using pillows for support – but it was hard to remember everything at once. The midwife even tried to hand express some milk to reassure me I had something to give Jasper and told me to watch for his jaw moving and listen for the gulping noise – all easier said than done! I knew if I relaxed it would make the whole process easier but I still felt apprehensive and was worried Jasper wasn’t getting enough food.
‘Once I arrived home and my milk came in, I was in agony with Jordan-like breasts and blisters on my left nipple. I left my breasts to the air (when possible), used chilled cabbage leaves, took lots of hot showers and massaged any lumps in my breasts, too. More importantly the health visitor showed me how to firmly bring Jasper’s head to my breast and shove him on as soon as his mouth opened – and for the first time it felt right.
‘I felt like a milk machine but I was determined to stick it out. After two weeks the blisters had all but healed and feeding was no longer painful. Jasper settled into a good feeding pattern and put on weight. I set out to feed Jasper for six months. I’ve made it and I’m proud of myself. It was tough but I was determined to do it. I’ve had some lovely moments with my son and as he’s thrived, I know it’s been down to me.’
Help for you
Help is out there for new mums – you just have to ask.
- Call the NCT breastfeeding helpline on 0870 444 8708, any day from 8am to 10pm; www.nct.org.uk
- Contact the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers counselling line on 0207 813 1481, every day from 9.30am to 10.30pm.
- La Leche League on 0845 120 2918; www.laleche.org.uk
Jo says... ‘I definitely support breastfeeding but not to the extent of making bottle-feeding parents feel they should be banished off the face of the earth. Breastfeeding has many health benefits and other advantages, too, but whether you choose to breastfeed or not, the decision you make is fine.’
The above feature was
published in at home's
'Parenting with Jo Frost'
July 2011.
Click here for more
Jo Frost.
Images: Getty
