Early Days - Getting breastfeeding off to a good start.
Getting breastfeeding off to a good start
Getting breastfeeding off to a good start is important for building up a good milk supply that will continue to nourish your baby as long as you and baby want.
Below are a collection of links relating to the first few weeks and days with your newborn.
A newborn baby's feeding pattern
If you've ever wondered what is normal newborn behaviour in terms of feeding, sleeping & awake then these graphical charts illustrate four days in the life of a newborn - showing the changes from day 2, day 4, day 7 and day 14 and the general unpredictability!
We don't DEMAND feed, we CUE feed...
How to recognise some of baby's feeding cues.
Baby-led attachment
Baby-led attachment is the term given to the process where your baby follows a pattern of instinctive behaviours to get to the breast. This can be for the first breastfeed (or more!) or at any time when the attachment is not correct and your nipples are damaged. Babies keep these instincts for at least 6 weeks.
Biological Nurturing
Biological Nurturing is very much the same as baby led attachment. Researcher Dr Suzanne Coulson observed mums and their babies breastfeeding and watched how those mums who had never been taught breastfeeding actually did it. The result is a new understanding of how baby led attachment works, through creating an environment where baby can use his reflexes and instincts to find and suckle from their mothers breasts.
How does milk production work?
To understand how to effectively increase (or decrease) milk supply, we need to look at how milk production works...
For the most part, milk production is a "use it or lose it" process.
The more often and effectively your baby nurses, the more milk you will make.
The importance of colostrum
"Colostrum is the most valuable food that a baby will ever ingest in his lifetime. Breastfeed your baby early and often."
Foremilk/Hindmilk and a lot of confusion! Understanding how you breastmilk changes through a feed can help you to read your baby's cues and have a happier, content baby!
Foremilk and Hindmilk: In Quest of an Elusive Arbitrary Switch. See the progressive changes in fat content throughout a feed.
Frequent nursing is normal
As a new mum you may often finding yourself wondering if your baby's behavior is normal - the best option is to talk to other breastfeeding mums, and local breastfeeding support groups are a great place to meet.
NCT - What's in a Nappy?
A good guide on how to know your baby is feeding well. Welsh version available to download and print.
Breastfeeding Help Videos
This collection of videos from Dr Jack Newman show top tips such as how to recognise that your baby is feeding effectively and what you can do if they need a nit of help. Breast compression is a technique that some mothers find useful if their baby isn't feeding effectively or falls asleep at the breast.