Gentle First Year: The Essential Guide to Mother and Baby Wellbeing in the First Twelve Months. Karen MacLeod Swan
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needs. There are so many health benefits to breastfeeding that they alone are most women’s incentives to carry on:
benefits of breastfeeding
Reduced incidence/severity of eczema and asthma, childhood diabetes, gastric, urinary and respiratory tract infections and ear infections
Higher IQ
Less likelihood of cardiovascular disease or obesity in later life
Long-term breastfeeding (at least a year) can reduce the risk of several cancers, such as ovarian and pre-menopausal breast cancer
La Leche League has reported that breastfeeding can protect from osteoporosis in later life.
the father’s role in breastfeeding
Yes, fathers actually play a very important role in breastfeeding. Studies have shown that the father’s attitude to breastfeeding can determine whether or not the mother begins and continues to breastfeed. If he is against it, it is usually a direct response in which he sees his partner’s breasts as sexual organs and is reclaiming them for himself, especially if his partner didn’t want her breasts to be touched during pregnancy. The father might also feel that the side-effects of breastfeeding – such as tiredness or low libido – puts too much pressure on the parents’ relationship and ask for breastfeeding to be abandoned. If this is the case, try to negotiate a time frame you are both happy with, up to which you will feed. Stress to your partner that this is only a temporary stage and your hormones will return to normal after you have stopped feeding.
Even if your partner is fully supportive of you breastfeeding, it is still worth encouraging him to feed the baby as much as possible. You can easily express your breast milk so that the father can feed the baby and feel more involved in this aspect of nourishing and nurturing his baby.
The Different Stages
THE FIRST FEW DAYS
Breastfeeding changes with different stages. The first stage occurs in the first few minutes after birth until three to five days later, and is the real ‘feed on demand’ stage – the more sucking the baby can do in these early days, the more bountiful the milk supply. Some babies (particularly those born by Caesarean section), however, may be exhausted and sleepy after the birth, and the appetite centre in their brain may not switch on for as long as 48 hours after the birth. In this acute period, the baby feeds on colostrum – a thick, creamy-yellow first milk that is absolutely jam-packed with goodness. It is the most optimal food of a baby’s entire life, quenching their thirst, filling their tummies for the first time (and so helping pass the meconium from their bowels) and equipping them with a hit of vitamins, minerals and antibodies which will last for up to six months. In the UK, 69 per cent of mothers begin to breastfeed after birth.
correct latch technique and tips
Tummy to mummy: lay the baby across your lap, with the baby’s tummy lying next to your tummy. The baby should be supported high enough so that her face is at breast height. A C-shaped breastfeeding pillow is ideal as it is long enough to curl around you, support the full weight of your baby and bring her up to the right height for you. This will help you to sit comfortably without having to bend over, preventing neck and upper back strain.
Nose to nipple: Move the baby towards the breast and stimulate your baby’s rooting reflex by brushing your nipple on your baby’s upper lip. This will encourage the baby to open her mouth. (Never move your breast to the baby – it must always be the other way round.)
When the baby’s mouth is open very wide, place the baby on the breast so that her bottom lip is curled back and her chin is pressed into the lower breast area (her chin should touch the breast first). In ratio terms, her mouth should cover the areola above the nipple one part to three parts below the nipple.
The nipple should be directed at the back of the mouth, as far away as possible from the baby’s tongue, as the baby doesn’t actually suck the nipple itself, but stimulates the wider areola for milk release (the NCT says pertinently: it’s breastfeeding, not nipple-feeding).
Sit centrally. This is vital for back care.
If your baby is particularly windy, modify this technique by sitting the baby into a more upright position. Each time the baby naturally breaks off, wind gently.
To break the latch, never just pull the baby off, as they get a powerful suction going! Put your little finger into the corner of her mouth first to break the suction.
Breast and Nipple Protection
In the early weeks, your breasts and nipples are naturally going to feel sensitive, even sore, until they adjust to breastfeeding. The most important preventative measure is to make sure the baby is latching on properly (see above). Some mothers like to use a barrier cream such as Lansinoh (which is pure lanolin) or Kamillosan after every feed for the first few weeks until you adjust. It is not strictly necessary to wash it off before the next feed, but I do advise it, as the commercial varieties do contain some preservatives.
An alternative way to treat sore nipples is to express and rub a little of your milk onto them and allow them to air dry. Equally, if the nipples are very bad, or bleeding, some midwives recommend applying Vaseline before putting on the lanolin barrier creams. I have had mothers swear by it. If your nipples are too sore to feed, latex or plastic nipple guards are available at most pharmacies and can tide you over for a few days whilst the nipple heals. But if it is getting to this stage, please see a breastfeeding counsellor or lactation consultant for advice. They may also recommend that you express your milk for a couple of days and feed from a bottle (remember to express 30–45 minutes before the feed is due, so that the baby is fed on time).
If your breasts feel hot and tender when engorged in the early days, savoy cabbage leaves from the fridge naturally cup the breast and provide an instant cooling balm, or just drape over a cold wet flannel. Equally, you can buy gel-pads that you leave in the freezer. They are breast-shaped and can be placed reasonably discreetly inside the bra.
Although it is normal to feel a slight sharpness in the early days, breastfeeding should be comfortable. If you experience any sharp ‘cut glass’ shooting pains (indicative of thrush, see homeopathy for third-degree tears) or redness of the breast tissue, lumps or feverishness (indicative of mastitis, see mastitis) see your breastfeeding specialist or health visitor immediately. Mastitis can be treated with Bowen treatments and massage (see massage technique for blocked milk ducts) or in some cases antibiotics. Thrush can be treated with antifungal creams/tablets.
massage technique for blocked milk ducts
The following light massage technique clears the breast lymphatics and reduces the incidence of blocked milk ducts and mastitis. Using the middle three fingers, gently massage in ever-increasing clockwise circles from the edge of the areola to the upper breast and armpit area. Perform eight to ten times, twice a day.
bowen technique for all grades of mastitis
Bowen moves can be performed around the breast in an elliptical pattern, and I can vouch for the fact that mothers experience almost immediate relief. You can treat yourself whenever you feel your breasts are becoming sore or engorged.
THE SECOND STAGE
After three to five days (usually five days for Caesarean mothers), when most of the placental hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) have left the mother’s body, prolactin is produced and the main milk ‘comes in’.
Most textbooks on breastfeeding explain that the breast milk flows in two stages: the fore milk and hind milk. Whilst I respect this viewpoint, I reject the concept that there are two types of milk. I am also sceptical of rigid feeding times in the first two weeks. Some babies are better than others at breastfeeding, and their skill can make a big difference to how long a feed takes. Another important factor is how quickly the mother ‘lets down’ her milk. Again, some are faster than others, which determines how long the baby is on the breast. I therefore advise my mothers to relax if their baby stays on an individual breast for just 20