Breastfeeding

Baby and breast are the perfect feeding team!

For the best nutrition, breastmilk is the best food to feed a baby. It is made specifically to meet the nutritional needs of babies. Human breastmilk changes as the baby grows to offer the best nutrients for the baby. It has over 1000 components - many of these have not been duplicated in infant formula.

Over the past 25 years, research has continued to show that breastmilk is better than infant formula. In fact, more studies are released each year showing that there are health risks to the baby and the mother when they do not breastfeed.

Infant formula should be seen as a `safety net` for babies who cannot breastfeed and not as an equal replacement.

Many common illnesses, such as colds, flu, skin infections or diarrhea, cannot be passed through breast milk. In fact, if a mother has an illness, her breast milk will contain antibodies to it that will help protect her baby from those same illnesses.

Baby and Breast- A Perfect Feeding Team

Knowing what to expect and how to deal with setbacks in breastfeeding can help ease the adjustment that you and your newborn will go through as you take on breastfeeding. Nursing comes naturally but it does take a while for the mom and baby to get in sync with one another.

How to breastfeed:

Get into a comfortable position. Whatever position is comfortable for you and for the baby is a good position to use.

Position your baby facing your nipple.

Support your breast with your free hand. Keep your fingers off your areola, which the baby needs to grasp.

Gently tickle the baby's lips with your nipple until the mouth is opened wide. Then, move your breast closer.

Don't stuff the nipple into an unwilling mouth. Let the baby take the initiative.

Make sure the baby latches on to the nipple and areola. Sucking on just the nipple will not compress the milk glands. It will also cause soreness and cracking.

If your breast is blocking your baby's nose, lightly depress the breast with your finger. Be careful not to loosen your baby's grasp of the areola.

If the baby has a strong steady rhythmic motion that is visible in the cheek, then most likely the baby is attached and sucking well.

When finished or repositioning the breast, don't yank your breast out of the baby's mouth. This will cause injury to the nipple.

Don't be tempted to skip or skimp on feedings because of pain. The less the baby eats, the worse the pain will be.

Brochure downloads:

Ten Steps to Support Parents` Choice to Breastfeed Their Baby (pdf)
101 reasons to Breastfeed Your Child (pdf)

Breastfeeding Basics

* Start as soon as possible after birth
* Be patient and calm
* Don't try to feed a screaming baby
* Ask for help when you need it

Breastfeeding is a learned skill that becomes easier over time. You are more likely to succeed with long-term breastfeeding by having a plan, becoming familiar with basic techniques, learning how to handle minor physical problems and getting help quickly when you need it.

How the Baby is Preparing for Breastfeeding

Before they are born, babies begin learning important skills that will help them breastfeed. Teaching mothers about these skills can increase their confidence in the baby`s ability to nurse at birth.

By the time a mother is 11 weeks (almost 3 months) pregnant, her baby has learned to swallow. Babies swallow amniotic fluid in the uterus.
By the time a mother is 24 weeks (6 months) pregnant, her baby has learned to suck. Babies spend a lot of time with their hands close to their mouth before birth. Babies are often seen sucking on their thumb, fingers or hands during an ultrasound exam.
By the time a mother is 32 weeks (8 months) pregnant, her baby has learned to root for the breast. The baby will turn its head if touched on the cheek and open its mouth if the bottom lip is tickled. By this time the baby can also suck and swallow in a coordinated way.
By the time a mother is 37 weeks (9 months) pregnant, her baby has learned to coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing so it can do all three when breastfeeding after birth. Babies practice shallow breathing before birth using amniotic fluid.

Breastfeeding Tips

Breastfeed your baby on demand rather than setting a strict schedule, especially in the first few months.
Taking care of yourself will also help you to establish your milk supply. Eat right and get rest when you are able.
Avoid bottle-feeding your baby breast milk until breastfeeding and milk supply are well-established, which is usually about 4 to 6 weeks. This helps build your milk supply. Not using bottles also helps prevent your baby from developing nipple confusion, which is a preference for an artificial nipple over the breast.
Look for signs that your baby is getting enough milk, such as eagerness to eat and feeding sessions that last at least 15 to 25 minutes. By 6 days of age, your baby should need about 6 to 8 diaper changes, settle well after feeding and usually awaken on his or her own to feed every 1 to 3 hours. Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns.
Help clear blocked milk ducts by using warm compresses and massaging your breasts before and during feedings. Also, breastfeed more frequently and in different positions. Offer your baby the affected breast first at each feeding.
You can help relieve the pain from sore or cracked nipples with drops of expressed breast milk or lanolin creams.

The color of your breastmilk

The first milk is called `colostrum.' Colostrum is a clear, yellowish fluid. It is rich in protein, nutrients and antibodies, which protect the baby from infection. By starting to nurse the baby right after birth, the baby will benefit from the colostrum and the `mature milk` will come in sooner. Colostrum changes to `mature milk` sometime in the first 1 to 7 days.

`Mature` breastmilk may look blue in color. The milk that comes out first during a feeding (foremilk) is thinner and watery. The milk toward the end of a feeding (hindmilk) looks thicker. It is richer and higher in fat. If a woman pumps her milk, the fat (or `cream`) will separate easily and rise to the top.

Comments: Breastfeeding

Comments 176 to 199 of about 5702.
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hchina - 26 days ago.
missmojo- i think you may be right, i have recently had bubs back on the boob after 3 -4 months, he is now sleeping shorter periods of tiome. B4 he slept about 6 hours straight. Even though this may sound attractive to formula feed your baby to get more sleep, i agree with miamimom2b your supply might be effected and bubs would benefit sooo much more with breast milk than formula. Hang in there hopefully he will sleep longer stints as he gets older....

MiamiMom2b - 26 days ago.
missmojo - my EBF son started sleeping about 5 hours through the night at 2 weeks, 6 or 7at 3 weeks & now at 11 weeks he sleeps 8-10. I don't think formula makes a difference - I think it depends on the baby. My friends have formula babies that don't sleep through the night. Giving formula might effect your supply too? Just a thought!

1Byfaith - 26 days ago.
missmojo-My son started sleeping thru the night at 8 weeks old. He is 14 weeks today and he goes to be @ 930pm and wakes @ 4am. At 4 am I bf and change his diaper then he goes back to sleep till around 7-8am.

PGFirstTimer - 26 days ago.
missmojo - My EBF DD started sleeping 5 hours at night at 3 weeks old and now at almost 5 months is sleeping 8-11 hours straight. She started sleeping 7 or more hours around 2 months. Of course all babies are different, but there are plenty of formula fed babies out there that don't sleep long stretches as well.

missmojo - 26 days ago.
Is it true that breast fed babies sleep shorter periods of time due to it digesting faster? I'm beginning to think formula supplement may not be a bad idea at night time so that i can get a couple more hours of sleep, but don't want to do this if it really doesn't work.

lilli1317 - 26 days ago.
dulciana - Irregular periods is definitely the norm with breastfeeding. Be careful though because you can still be fertile!

lilli1317 - 26 days ago.
suzm - Around that time my supply dropped significantly too. I just pumped through gettting whatever I could and he always got more when he nursed in the morning. Actually between 8 and 9 months he was only nursing in the morning. I did that until his 1st birthday and then cut out pumping altogether. He still got enough for a couple more weeks until we were both ready to stop. I guess its decision time. Have you tried anything to boost supply? Around 8 months is when I started experimenting with Fenugreek and stuff. Couple with pumping. I know what a drag pumping is though!!!

DulcianasMom - 26 days ago.
I have been breastfeeding my LO since birth and she is 7 months old now. We introduced solids around 5months and she is doing very well with that. I still nurse 4-5 times a day but my period return shortly after we started solids. Here's my question, for those of you still BF and you HAVE gotten your period back, has it been irregular? I had 2 'normal' cycles and then this month so far, nothing!??! I was so freaked out that i made my hubby go and buy a pregnancy test, it came back negative. Is it normal to have irregular periods while still breastfeeding?

Suzm - 26 days ago.
Ladies- - I have a question. My LO is 8 months old… I have been on here with supply issues the past 2 months, but things have dropped continuously no matter what and I am pumping barely 1oz total from my 3 pumping sessions away from baby while at work during the day… I still feed her in the morning when she wakes up, at night when I get home, and then right before she goes to bed. In the morning when she wakes up, and when I get home, she is not always terribly interested – she turns her head away and I cannot get her to nurse about 50% of the time. Before bed 90% of the time, she nurses just perfectly. So – I am not getting as much stimulation from her, pumping does not seem to be working, so overall my guess is supply is dwindling. I am trying to go by her cues, and for the most part, she seems not to want to nurse except before bed. Pumping is a big drain on me, as I know many of you understand, and I am thinking about stopping, but am worried about drying up completely and not being able to nurse at night when she wants it. On the other hand, I feel like I am only putting out 1oz on days she doesn’t eat, to maybe 4 oz during the day when she does… Do you think if I stop pumping my milk will dry up? Last night, I tried giving her a bottle before bed to test out her attachment, and then she rolls towards me to nurse so it is obvious she still wants it then.

phatbaby57 - 27 days ago.
Have you tried mixing your breastmilk with regular/soy milk? My LO is not old enough yet but I know with dogs you start out with a large amount of the 'normal' stuff and a little of the new and every few days reduce the 'normal' and add more new until the new becomes the 'normal'. It's suppose to help with taste transition and digestive issues.

Mercer - 27 days ago.
Hello everyone! It's been ages since I've commented in here but I have some questions. I've never had problems with Breastfeeding - it's still going very well and Lola is 14 months (getting ready to be 15). So here's the deal - she STILL nurses very frequently during the day and at night. For a while we had her cut down to only like once a night but then a few weeks ago - all of a sudden she wanted to nurse all night again. I LOVE nursing and am not ready to quit just yet but I feel like she's just nursing too much for a 15 month old. Here's where the problem comes in: She refuses to drink anything but breast milk and water! She won't drink milk (i've tried a million times and tried warming it) and she won't drink soy milk either. Any suggestions? I don't have a set date for having her weaned or anything but 24 months is kind of my cut off.... so I kind of want to just get headed in the right direction. Thanks for any replies!

rangie - 27 days ago.
thank you ladies for the help on deprestion well breast feeding im going to keep breast feeding and also speek to my midwife about it in the mean time my husband is doing everything to help me feel better well feeding

campimama - 28 days ago.
wine coolers can give your supply a slight boost because they are a malted beverage. Dark beers do work the best though. Just thought I'd put that out there :)

Bri - 28 days ago.
courtenay - Anytime there is a hormone change it does effect the taste. But, many babies don't care. The biggest problem most women have when their periods come back is low supply. I'm sorry your daughter is/was sick. That sucks. My son had 9 ear infections his first year of life. He was in daycare and got sick often. Once we left work/daycare he stopped getting sick. Congrats on making it a year and continueing. My son self-weaned at 21months. I think mostly because I was pregnant. He's just now turning 2 and I'm 31weeks pregnant. Pregnancy can also have a big effect of taste and supply. I miss nursing him but with a new baby coming in just a short couple of months I'm glad that he weaned on his own. I plan on self weaning this next one. It is recommended by the WHO to breastfeed for 2yrs and I hope this next one will. I don't plan on getting pregnant again until after this next one is weaned. HAHA!

courtenay - 28 days ago.
well, i swear the world hates me right now, i must have a big black cloud raining on my parade lol. it has been one thing after the other for us. starting with my daughters double ear infection which she had her first antibiotics which made her have a sick tummy and diarrhea, moving to her having her first cold, moving to me getting a cold, moving to me having a double ear infection, blown ear drum and massive sinus infection, and my antibiotics making us both sick to our stomachs (thankfully dne with those now). the antibiotics gave me a yeast infection (yay!) and now, i just got my period back :( i guess i cant complain, i am 1 year PP but boy oh boy is it awful. shes not nursing as well the last few days, i read that your period can affect the taste of BM??? i really think that NOW we have to be good on everything for a little while right?? lol. byt yeah, does anyone know if its true that your period affects the taste of BM? and, hooray to us for still BF we have made it to a year with no signs of stopping anytime soon (still very attached to boob here)

beccasue - 28 days ago.
i don't know if this helps but i was told to drink a dark beer before bed to help with supply right after i feed my dd. another thing i found to help alot is carnation instant breakfast with malt hope this helps and good luck :)

gladek - 28 days ago.
ladygaddis-A little bit of beer is often recommened because of the hops, so a wine cooler is not the same, i believe....

emmalouliz - 28 days ago.
just to clarify on the pumping and dumping thing...from what I've read if you're going to have an alcoholic drink pumping and dumping doesn't actually do any good. The alcohol doesn't stay in the milk, once your blood alcohol level regulates so does your milk alcohol level. Milk alcohol level peaks 1-1.5 hrs after your finished with your drink. So you should not nurse again until it goes back down. I find lots of great info at kellysmom.com. I have waaay too much time to google :)

ladygaddis - 28 days ago.
kickboxer, if you dont want a beer, try a wine cooler, less alcohol. but the alcohol really only hurts the baby when your a habitual drinker. if you have one or two a week your ok. if your getting drunk and feeding him, thats a problem that could lead to retardation in his motor skills. so pump and dump if you have more than two drinks, and dont drink often. and keep your head up your trying to the right thing and thats the best thing!! good luck!!

ladygaddis - 28 days ago.
rangie- with my first child i stoped breastfeeding because i got this sick to my stomach feeling everytime i nursed her. with my second child i realised as long as i was eating foods with nutritional value i didnt get the feeling or it didnt last long. if i eat fast food or frozen quick fix foods i get the sick feeling very strongly so its a great diet. try eating alot more veggies and dairy. that helps me not get that feeling. dont feel bad about it. alot of use go through it. have a good cry if you need too, get it out. pent up negative feelings are what are going to be detrimental. iv been told that having these intense feelings more than 6 weeks after you give birth are more likly to need more management than just getting it out. dont worry about drugs though, most post pardon is treated with therapy.

SunshineMaria - 28 days ago.
rangie, I felt extremely sleepy every time I nursed for the first couple of weeks. I'd visit my doc if I were you--they can really help if you might be having some kind of post partum depression. I am not saying that is what it is...I don't know, but they may be able to help. Good luck!

Bri - 28 days ago.
rangie - I don't know if it's normal. I always got a calm feeling. It was like elation washing over me. I felt at ease and pleased with life in general when nursing. If you really feel bad then talk to your doctor about it. It may just be your hormones settling into place but any sort of depression that is lasting should be checked out.

rangie - 28 days ago.
hey girls i was wondering is it normal durring brest feeding to get a really depressed feeling that takes about 20 min after to go away its really bothering me i thought i should feel happy well feeding her but as soon as she latches on i get really depressed

campimama - 28 days ago.
Malted milk, Malt-o-Meal (cereal), Brewer's Yeast Tablets....all will boost your supply. And NURSE, NURSE, NURSE. Try and relax too. The more stressed you are the worse it is for your supply. Also, make sure you are eating plenty and drinking plenty of water. Best of luck ladies! You are doing great :)

phatbaby57 - 29 days ago.
I think I read somewhere...maybe on here...malted milk is good for supply as well if you're not wanting a beer. Get some ovaltine and drink that. The other ladies are right though nothing gets your supply up like a baby nonstop nursing.