Breastfeeding Tips

?Your newborn baby is ready to start breastfeeding right after birth. Successful breastfeeding requires patience and a lot of practice, so don’t get discouraged if you have a little trouble in the beginning and remember that you can always ask the medical staff to show you what to do while you're still in the hospital. In the beginning, the mother will only produce a small amount of thick milk called colostrum that helps protect a baby from early infections. Don’t worry about the quantity at first, as babies only need very small amounts of colostrum to fill them up. As you progress with breastfeeding, the milk will thin out and your body will produce more of it.
 
You can increase your odds of breastfeeding success by watching someone else learn how to do it, so don’t hesitate to ask your doctor to allow you to watch as a lactation consultant shows a new mother how to breastfeed her baby. Nursing should not be painful and when the baby latches on, their mouth should cover a large part of the areola below the nipple and the nipple should be far back in the baby's mouth.
 
Breast Feeding Tips –
 
A crying baby is a sign that they are hungry and you should attempt to start feeding your baby before they start crying.
 
Nursing 10 to 12 times every 24 hours is fairly common and the more a mother nurses, the more milk she will be able to produce.
 
If you are worried that your baby is not eating often enough, wake them up for another feeding every four hours after the last nursing.
 
Because newborn babies can take up to 40 minutes to nurse, you’ll want to hold your baby in a position that supports the back of their head at all times.
 
A mother needs a normal healthy diet while they are nursing and they need to drink plenty of fluids every day to ensure they are always well hydrated.
 
Eating small meals with a few snacks in between is a good way for nursing mothers to keep their energy levels high. Women who are breastfeeding need about 500 calories per day more than women who are not.
 
Keep your caffeine and alcohol consumption to a minimum while you're breastfeeding, because both can be passed on to the baby in breast milk.
 
You don't have to watch the clock all the time when nursing, just go with your instincts and feed your baby whenever they are restless and crying, even if you just fed them.
 
If pain or physical discomfort is impeding your attempts at nursing, don’t hesitate to call your healthcare provider or lactation consultant immediately.