Breastfeeding - Tips to Help You and Your Baby

By Sandra B Wilson


Breastfeeding is the best nutrition for babies because it has all the nutrients that a baby needs, plus the mother's antibodies to help fight off disease. Also, breastfeeding helps relieve pain from engorged breasts after birth and provides mother and child with quality bonding time.

These breastfeeding tips should give you the best breastfeeding help that you need:

o Start Breastfeeding ASAP

One of the most emphasized breastfeeding tips is to start breastfeeding your baby ASAP, preferably within 24 hours after giving birth. If you're concerned that you haven't produced adequate milk yet or that your breasts feel swollen and tender, the only thing that would help is to start breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the only major way to initiate milk production and relieve breast engorgement and pain. So generally, the best breastfeeding help you can get is from your own baby!

o Be Patient and Continue Breastfeeding

Possess the most useful attitude all throughout the breastfeeding period-patience. The first weeks of breastfeeding will be difficult. Your baby, used to being fed 24 hours before birth, may need to be fed frequently for the first few weeks. The breastfeeding tip? Be patient and ready to feed your baby around the clock. Soon, you and your baby will adjust to a feeding schedule that works for both of you.

o Don't Stop Breastfeeding

The most difficult breastfeeding tip is probably this, because time will come when you feel like stopping and switching to bottle-feeding instead. You may want to return to work or your baby doesn't like to breastfeed anymore. Continue to breastfeed even when you're working by learning how to express your milk. Sometimes, your baby stops breastfeeding when it notices something different about you or your milk, i.e. a different smell. Pinpoint and revert these changes so your baby will go back to breastfeeding.

o Avoid Changing Habits

Anything you eat or do may affect your breast milk. So, smoking or drinking can affect the contents of your breast milk and your baby will notice it. So, another breastfeeding tip to take seriously is to avoid eating or doing something that you don't want to pass on to your baby because either your baby will get ill or will refuse to breastfeed.

o Express and Store Your Milk When You Won't Be Around to Breastfeed

The best breastfeeding tip when you won't be around is to express your milk into a clean container and freeze it. Label it with the date and time you stored it. Breast milk can be stored in the refrigerator for 48 hours and up to 3 months in a freezer with a separate door. When de-frosting, put it in the refrigerator for several hours or under cool running water. Never leave breast milk to thaw in room temperature and never refreeze it again. Never use your microwave to warm breast milk and throw out any remaining milk that your baby doesn't drink.

Breaking The Breastfeeding Barrier

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Taneshia_N_Franklin] Taneshia N Franklin


With so many myths surrounding breastfeeding, it can be easy to see why so many women shy away from it.

And although almost every doctor will tell you that breast is best when it comes to feeding and nurturing your child, some women have let the so called "breast stigmata" send them all but running for the infant formula hills, when it is time to give their baby a taste of first milk.

So just what are the true benefits that come along with breastfeeding, and how can you be sure that breastfeeding is best for you? let us investigate and see shall we.

According to The American Academy of Pediatrics breastmilk should be offered for at least the first six months of an infants life and would recommend that mothers breastfeed for the child's first twelve months if not more.

Breast milk has been found to be the best source of nutrition your baby could ever need and for numerous reasons.

Human milk contains two types of proteins specifically targeted for human consumption Whey and Casein.

Most infant formula's find it very hard to perfectly balance the two proteins equally, making it difficult for some babies to digest.

Some new mothers say they choose formula over breastmilk, because they feared their milk supply would never be enough to nourish their baby.

And although a few women have experienced a slow let down, in the beginning of their breastfeeding journey, the average lactating mother can produce up to 32 ounces of milk in a twenty-four hour setting.

I had a pregnant woman tell me, she feared breastfeeding because she heard it was extremely painful.

And while some women do experience tenderness in the breast after delivery, that can make breastfeeding quite uncomfortable, most breastfeeding pain will come from your baby latching on to you improperly.

Other new mothers are worried that, their breast will sag and never look the same if they breastfeed.

But the reality is, gravity, mother nature, and age will do way more damage to your lady humps, than breastfeeding ever will.

In fact your breast become very full, a few days after delivery and most women go up a few bra sizes. and although some breast may be left a bit less perky after breastfeeding, most women report they have experienced no major breast changes once they have weaned their babies.

What about the fear of springing a leak in a public place, who wants that attention drawn to them one expectant mother asked me during one of my surveys regarding breast versus formula.

And for her question, I point out that although it is common to leak from the breast getting to full close to your babies feeding time, the breastfeeding market offers a wide variety of comfortable, durable breast pads that will ensure your most leakiest moments will go unnoticed to the general public's eye.

And the biggest breastfeeding stigma of all, goes to the fear of embarrassment. Many new mothers simply can not phantom the idea of breastfeeding in public.
some women feel they could never breastfeed their baby in a crowded setting such as a mall, for fear of complete strangers gawking at them.

However, with the many covers and shields on the market today breastfeeding in public places, has never been more discreet.

With a healthy approach, a positive attitude. and plenty of loving patience breastfeeding can not only be a great source of nutrition for your baby, but also become a way for you to snuggle close to your child and bond as nature intended.

I am a successful exclusive breastfeeding parent of, a very happy and healthy 2 year old, and although I have introduced a solid diet into her world, she still breastfeeds and is self weaning.

I can be seen, spilling my knowledge of all things domestic at http://brickhousebodyentertainment.weebly.com/blog.html

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Breaking-The-Breastfeeding-Barrier&id=7420552] Breaking The Breastfeeding Barrier