Your body is very clever. It is making breast milk in the form of colostrum towards the later stages of pregnancy – that’s before your baby is even born.
Your baby can drink this concentrated form of milk from the moment they are born. Full breast milk however does not ‘come in’ until roughly day 3-7.
When your milk comes in is dependent on the type of birth you had, how much you are stimulating your breasts by feeding or expressing that colostrum, and other physiological factors including yours and your babies health.
Unfortunately for some women, breastfeeding and breast milk production it not possible for a range of reasons. These could be the inability to produce breastmilk, breast surgery, certain medications, or the inability of the baby to breastfeed. Fo some women, they just simply do not like or enjoy breastfeeding.
Either way it is your choice and you are not a failure as a mother if you cannot breast feed.
Learning to breastfeed can be difficult for many mothers and babies. It’s a learned skill, which needs practice. The more you feed your baby, the easier it will get.
Whilst you are in hospital, take advantage of the midwives expertise. You are only in hospital for a short time so you need to learn as much as you can. There are many ways to breastfeed and no one way is more correct.
Think of breastfeeding like a restaurant menu. You aren’t going to pick all the items and when a midwife offers you assistance, you may not like that way. You need to find ways to best suit you and your baby.
It is also best to get attachment and positioning right at the beginning to prevent damage to your nipple causing pain when breastfeeding.
It is not recommended to supplement with formula unless you speak to a medical professional (midwife, pediatrician, health nurse, GP). If you baby is losing weight a suggestion to use formula may be advised however, if you are planning to use formula to ‘get your baby to sleep longer’ this is a myth and is not a proven method.
How do you know your baby is getting enough?
- They will settle after a feeding for 2-3 hours.
- They need 8-12 feeds per day.
- Their poo’s are a good indictor. After the first few poo’s, their colour will start to change from a black to green then yellow. The yellow poo’s should be a seeded mustard consistency and a bit pasty to liquid form. Some breastfed baby’s can go up to a week without pooing.
- Baby’s should have 5-7 wet nappies per day
- You baby consistently sucks and swallows in a rhythmic way at the breast. They will have pauses to catch their breath but you will hear milk being swallowed.
- If you feel your breast milk supply is down you can use a breast pump after a breastfeed to increase supply. Expressing for 10 minutes on each side will help stimulate production.
- Make sure you are not dehydrated and are keeping up your water intake too.
- Allow your baby to demand feed. They cannot read the time to know a scheduled feed is due. They may wake earlier for a feed and this is normal.
- Offer both breasts, but make sure the first breast is emptied first then offer the second. Start on the second side first when the next feed comes around.
- Some women will feel a let down when the breast milk is changing to the hind more fatty milk during a feed. It is often described as a tingly feeling.
If you feel you need more support with your breastfeeding speak to
- A local lactation consultant
- Midwives
- Maternal Child Health Nurse/ 24 hour Maternal Health Hotline 13 22 29 (Victoria)
- Australian Breastfeeding Association
- Other friends and family who have breastfed, parent groups
- Books, internet
- Raising Children’s Network
If you’re a breastfeeding mother who is keen to lose baby weight, we’ve got you covered. At Lose Baby Weight we believe that breastfeeding and weight loss can go hand in hand, which is why we have created the 28 Day Breastfeeding Friendly Diet & Exercise Plan and have ensured that our weight loss plans are safe for breastfeeding mums.
If you’d love to recipe our FREE MILK BOOSTING recipe ebook, then just pop your details in below and it will be in your inbox within minutes.
Our Healthy Mummy Smoothies are also safe for breastfeeding mums, 96% sugar free, fructose free and actually contain natural galactogogues. You can see the full ingredient list here .