Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
This page contains articles and tips that I have written related to pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Pregnancy - Nipple
Preparation
What can you do to prepare your
nipples for breastfeeding while
you're pregnant? There must be something!! Well, in all honesty,
there is!! But it has little to do with your actual nipples. The most important way that we can prepare ourselves for breastfeeding is through knowledge - of what is normal, when to seek help, and bad advice to avoid.
What is normal?
It is normal and natural for breastfeeding to feel good, right from the start, and throughout all our feedings. Unfortunately, many women do experience sore nipples while breastfeeding, and this is nature's way of telling us that something is not quite right.
It is also normal for our babies to want to nurse frequently, or not so frequently. It is normal for their nursing frequency to change daily, or weekly, or monthly, and it is also normal for the length of time that they stay at the breast to change with each feed. What is most important about the "time at the breast" is that we understand when our baby is swallowing milk versus sucking only, and that we see sufficient swallowing during a feeding. For a video that shows a baby swallowing while breastfeeding please
click here. What is sufficient swallowing? Enough swallowing of milk so that baby is satisfied after the feeding for a length of time, which as mentioned, will vary. If they come off the breast rooting for more milk - then it wasn't enough swallowing for that feeding!
When to seek help?
As a breastfeeding consultant, I feel that most (if not all!) parents would benefit from getting help before baby arrives - to learn about what is normal, to understand what they can do from the moment of baby's birth to support breastfeeding, and to put in place breastfeeding support that they can call on once baby arrives. Attend childbirth education classes, book a prenatal appointment with a breastfeeding consultant, read
breastfeeding books, watch videos about breastfeeding, attend
La Leche League meetings, and talk to and watch other breastfeeding mothers.
Once baby does arrive, most mothers find it helpful to have knowledgeable breastfeeding support to reassure them that everything is going well, and to point out strategies they may not be doing that will support breastfeeding. Learning to breastfeed is often taken in steps - first you perfect the latch, then you learn different positions to hold the baby, then you learn how to breastfeed out and about, and throughout all of this you are supporting your milk supply as necessary as well as keeping baby skin-to-skin with you as much as possible.
Certainly, if there is any nipple pain, or baby is fussy at the breast,
or any other problem comes up, this is time to seek breastfeeding
support as well!!
How to recognize bad advice
Unfortunately, many parents receive bad advice about breastfeeding in the early days, that not only does not help, but can actually get in the way of successful breastfeeding! It's like going to find out what's wrong with your teeth (there's a cavity), and being told to do things that further jeopardize your teeth (eat more candy) but you don't even know it, so your cavity turns into a rotten tooth over time. Not fun, and very frustrating for parents when they realize in hindsight they would do things very differently to avoid the problems they encountered with breastfeeding. When asked why it seems that many women just cannot make enough milk for their babies, I respond that it's rare for a woman not to be able to physically make enough milk. Many of these women were given very poor breastfeeding advice that actually interfered with their bodies ability to make enough milk, necessitating supplementation with formula (or else new advice that supports milk supply)!! One breast can exclusively breastfeed twins - so two breasts can provide ample milk for one baby!!
Here are some examples of bad breastfeeding advice to watch out for:
(I'll give a brief reason why it's bad advice - if you have more questions about any of the bad advice, please
e-mail me)
1. Feed your baby for 10 minutes on each side. (time is not important - want to see swallowing!!)
2. Breastfeeding hurts in the beginning
(pain is a sign that something is not right)
3. Soothers (or bottles) do not interfere with breastfeeding
(they can - and if they do, it can be a nightmare)
4. Swaddle your baby when they're sleeping
(swaddling decreases your baby's ability to communicate and rouse themselves from sleep - both important to breastfeeding)
5. Never sleep with your baby
(safe co-sleeping promotes breastfeeding success for many reasons)
6. Give your baby formula (or pablum) before they go to sleep at night so they'll sleep longer
(although this can work for some babies, many babies get upset tummies, as well as increased risk for allergies from early introduction of non-breast milk foods, not to mention the reduction of breastmilk supply)
Pregnancy -The milk is in!!
Pregnancy
is the final stage of maturation of the breast tissue. It's
interesting to note that your body begins producing components of
colostrum, your baby's first milk, around 16 to 18 weeks of gestation.
By mid-pregnancy mammary cells are fully capable of making colostrum.
Any milk that is made at this time is re-absorbed back into your body.
Mom's often ask: What can I do to prepare myself for breastfeeding while I'm pregnant?
In
days gone by, women were told to rub their nipples vigorously with
washcloths to harden their nipples, but this is unnecessary and
possibly harmful!! I often encourage mothers to try and express some
colostrum before their baby's birth. It's exciting to see the milk
that will support your baby once they're born! And, if you have
gestational diabetes, you can express colostrum before baby arrives to
have on hand at the birth, which may allow baby to avoid formula at
birth as medical staff can use your colostrum to help stabilize their
blood sugars. Hand expression takes some practice, but it is worth the
effort. You won't diminish the milk supply - the body always replaces
what is removed. I found a great video on the internet that shows the
Marmet technique for hand expression - watch it here.
