Breastfeeding in the first 14 days
Most Australians want to breastfeed their babies – the majority are doing so when they leave hospital. Yet these early weeks can be a huge challenge for many and around 30% of babies receive some formula in the first month. It can be hard to stay positive if you have needed to give formula as well as breastfeeds. You might feel like you have failed or let your baby down.
Nearly all breastfeeding problems can be fixed. But you need to find the right help when you need it and that can be hard. . It can feel like your calendar is filled with appointments with your child health nurse, local doctor, IBCLC lactation consultant and breastfeeding counsellor. Each will have different opinions and strategies for you to try. And then there are friends and family members whose own experience of breastfeeding might be limited. They might be more comfortable talking to you about formula feeding and seem unsupportive.
The reality is, most breastfeeding problems come down to the basics of getting babies to attach well so they feed well and establish a good milk supply. More complex issues are less likely.
So lets look at all those basics:
Releasing Your Breastmilk
The Let-down Reflex is not something mothers do, it is something which happens.
Your Baby is the main stimulus for the release of oxytocin into your bloodstream, which in turn begins to eject milk out of the glands and into the ducts. Find out more
How much milk do breastfed babies drink?
Don't be fooled by the measurements on baby bottles or recommended quantities on formula cans: they have nothing to do with breastfed babies! Find out more
Are they getting enough?
Many parents are anxious because they cannot see how much milk their baby gets when fed directly at their breast. They worry their baby might be hungry and that is why they cry or don’t sleep for very long. Find out more.
To Effectively Remove Milk, the Baby Must Be Attached Well
It seems so simple: mouth + nipple = breastfeed. Yet almost every breastfeeding challenge in the early months can be traced back to the baby not effectively feeding at the breast because they don’t have the breast tissue in their mouth well. Find out more
Feed frequently to make milk
There are times when it's just not worth moving the boob away from the baby. Periods of increased breastfeeding signal to the breast to increase production because the infant has some big stuff going on. You literally need to go with the flow. Find out more
Could your baby have a tongue tie?
If you have worked on getting your baby well-positioned at the breast and they still can’t seem to attach well, then ruling out any physical issue is the next step. Some babies are born with a tongue tie, which makes it hard to open their mouth wide and attach effectively. This is common and something which can be fixed.
