Breastfeeding tips to help you through the early days

Breastfeeding is a very natural and easy thing for most new mothers, but for some, it is an incredibly stressful and traumatic part of mothering.

If breastfeeding doesn’t come naturally to you, and you are starting to feel rather desperate, remember that it takes up to six weeks to establish a feeding routine and corresponding milk supply.

Have realistic expectations around breastfeeding and realise that you will have both good and bad days. Sometimes the bad days seem to be worse than the good days, but follow these simple tips and hopefully breast feeding will work for you.

1. Feed your baby in a quiet, calm environment
2. Take an extra minute or two to get yourself organised before feeding your baby
3. Find the most comfortable position in which to feed
4. Make sure that your baby is latched onto the breast correctly, with both top and bottom lip in a snug seal around your nipple
5. To release the suction on your beast so that you can take your nipple out of his mouth, insert your finger into the corner of his mouth and gently withdraw your nipple from his mouth
6. Allow a maximum of 40 minutes per feed
7. Breastfed babies often need a minute or two in between sucks to catch their breath
8. Breastfeeding works on a supply and demand basis – the quantity of breast milk produced is directly related to how much your baby sucks.

However, if your struggle with breastfeeding starts to affect your mood and bonding with your baby or relationship with your partner, stress you out or cause depression, it may be time to reconsider your options.

If you have made the decision to start feeding your baby formula, or have been forced to do so because of medication you are taking or a return to work, rest assured that with today’s wide choice of milk formulas… you can ensure that your baby will be well fed.

Infant formulas today are highly advanced and are available as hypo-allergenic, lactose-free, cow’s milk protein-free, anti-reflux, soya bean protein feeds and pre-acidified – among others! Ask your paediatrician or clinic sister to help you choose.

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Ann Richardson

Qualified nurse and midwife Ann Richardson, co-author of Baby Sense, Sleep Sense and author of Toddler Sense, all bestsellers, has worked in the midwifery and paediatric fields for over 30 years. Ann has been in private practice for the past 22 years, and introduced the first private well-baby clinics, now a well-known phenomenon at Doctors’ rooms and pharmacies across the country.Passionate about her work and dedicated to ensuring that parents have the necessary knowledge to enjoy and rejoice in their children, she regularly lectures to both professionals and parents on various baby and childcare issues, in particular the effects of the sensory system on infant behaviour, and the management of sleeping disorders. Her specialisation is the treatment of “difficult babies and toddlers”, in particular those with feeding and sleeping disorders.She is a regular contributor to childcare publications, TV and radio. Ann is married with two daughters, and lives and practices in Johannesburg.

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