Breast Feeding
Breast feeding has many benefits for both mother and baby and at the moment the bonuses of this way of feeding your baby is trying to be pushed by the health system to become more popular. At the moment bottle feeding dominates the feeding of babies and this is trying to be turned around by the government and the health care system. Breast feeding, however, is very difficult and people can experience many problems with establishing and so the aim of this review is to give you some tips and advice from what I have learnt. I didn't know anything about breast feeding before I had my baby and I didn't want to hear the 'facts' from professionals as I felt as though they were just trying to reach targets and weren't giving me the full information. I would much rather have had the information given to me by new mum's who would be more open and honest so I would know more about what to expect.
one fact which I was told at my local support group was that in our area only 30% of mums start breast feeding and then by the time the baby is 10 days old that figure drops to just 10% this just shows how difficult breast feeding is both with latching issues and as well as the fact that it is still seen as tabboo so it can be difficult to feel as though you can feed your baby in public
Before
Before I had my baby I had no idea about whether I would breast feed or not. To be honest I didn't really have an opinion on the matter. I didn't prepare for it, I just thought I would see how it went, I'd give it a go and if it worked I would do so and if it didn't then I would bottle feed instead.
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What I found was that every time I saw the midwife or other health professionals the bonuses of breast feeding was thrown at me. I felt as though if I didn't breast feed then people would look down their noses at me as though I was deliberately chosing to harm my baby or something. I grew quite fed up of hearing all the information being thrown at me as it made me feel as though I was under great pressue.
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I attended NCT antenatal classes which are all very pro breast feeding. It surprised me therefore that the 2 hour class we had dedicated to breast feeding lacked information. We were mainly told to look out for mastitis and the benefits of breast feeding. The actual techniques or challenges of breast feeding never came up or if they did they were so subtly touched upon that I never noticed! It is fair to say that I entered motherhood completely unaware of what breast feeding entailed.
Benefits
So what are the benefits of being a boob then? I was told all sorts of things by the midwife and when I was having difficulties at first when my baby wanted to feed constantly I found one way of spurring myself on was to read about the benefits of breast feeding to try to keep me motivated.
There are so many benefits of breast feeding and one main one is bonding. You are able to get so very close with your baby whilst breast feeding which isn't the same as when bottle feeding.
I found this quite a patronising benefit really, if you realy want to bond with your baby in this close way and were bottle feeding then you could still create the same closeness if you wanted to. However, when breast feeding the body releases hormones oxytocin and prolactin which relaxes both you and the baby and so it creates a very laidback, comfortable way to feed. As well as this relaxing mood the skin to skin contact also releases hormones which adds to the bonding. Breast feeding helps to give your baby protection against illnesses as the immunity you carry around with you gets passed through your milk onto the baby. These include protection against the following:
- ear infections
- gastro intestinal infectional
- chest infections
- urine infections
- childhood diabetes
- eczema
- obesity
- Eczema
Although looking at this list I have to point out that my baby does have eczema so although research shows that breast feeding can help prevent against the above items it doesn't mean it will definitely do so.Other benefits to the baby include the ability of the baby to arouse from sleep more. When you first read that you may think how is this a benefit? well it actually is, breast fed babies wake more in the night which sees a drop in sudden infant death sydrome (cot death).
Research has also shown that breast fed babies are more intellectual. Many studies in the last ten years have found significant differences in the IQs of children who have been breast fed compared to those who were formula fed. These pieces of research have been carried out in many different ways including randomised control trials, longitudinal studies, prospectibe cohort studies and more and so there is a good degree of information which supports this claim.
Benefits to the mother in breast feeding include :
- Uterus returning to it's post-pregnancy size
- less risk of breast cancer
- less rick of arthiritis
- less risk of post-partem bleeding
- reduced risk of heart disease
How to breast feed?
Breast feeding is very difficult though, you would think that it comes naturally but it is a skill that you have to learn and the more stressed you are the harder it is to do so it's important not to feel under too much pressure or more difficulties will arise. It does sometimes feel a bit like being stuck between a rock and a hard place!
One of the most important factors in establishing breast feeding is to introduce the baby to the breast as soon as possible after birth. Many hospitals encourage immediate skin to skin contact between the mother and the baby where the baby is essentially 'born onto the chest'. This increases the success rates of breast feeding. In the first half an hour after the baby is born it's sucking reflex is at it's highest which is why it is important to try to introduce the baby to the breast at this very early time.
It is hard to know whether or not the baby is 'latched on' correctly and a way you can tell is if the ears are wiggling as they appear to be suckling. If they aren't then they probably aren't doing it correctly or are just messing around and not feeding.
Try to get as much of the breast into the baby's mouth as the soft pallet of the baby's mouth should be what touches the nipple. Ensuring the baby is in the correct position can help to prevent soreness of the breast and ensure the best feeding.
To get the baby to open their mouth you can tickle the top lip with the nipple which will lead to the baby opoening their mouths then try to get as much breast in as possible. Pain whilst breast feeding suggests that the position is incorrect so try again if this is the case.
How often?
This question remains a mystery! At the moment 'demand' feeding is the common way to feed a baby where you basically feed the baby when it wants to be fed. This can be very tiring for the mother but comforting and best for the baby. It is suggested that breast feeding mother's should feed every 2 hours to ensure that the milk supply is maintained. How long that the baby needs to feed for differs greatly. One baby may just feed for five minutes every hour another baby may feed for 50 minutes every 3 hours. It realy is a case of just getting to know your own baby and adapting to it's needs.
Tips
People often ask at my local support group should you feed from one side per feed or from both? Again this is entirely up to you. If you chose to feed from one side then the breast that remains full may be painful. I found that I would feed from one for 15 minutes and if my baby was still hungry then switch to the other. One tip I was given was not to just do five minutes on one then five minute on the other as it was the 'hind'milk (the milk at the back of the breast, so the milk that would come through a good 10 minutes into feeding) which is the most filling and nurtitional.
Over night is when your body creates the most milk and so over night you may feel uncomfortable with your breasts being so full but this just means that in the morning your milk supply is at it's best so the morning feed may be more satifying to your baby.
Ensure you buy a nursing bra and get it fitted, you should not wear under wired bras as this can lead to problems with the blood supply to the breast.
Be careful when you take medication. There are very few drugs you can take whilst breast feeding. paracetamol is one but it is important that if you do need a prescription that you always mention to your GP that you are breast feeding so you can ensure that you are not harming your baby.
Watch what you're eating too! When I first started breast feeding I noticed if i ate spicy food it would upset my baby and she woul dhave bad colic sessions. I gradually introduced flavours into my diet and once she was 4 months old I was back to eating anything and everything and she never had any problems.
Expressing
When breast feeding it can seem very lonely in a way. That you are the only one who can feed your baby and this can be extremely tiring. If you express milk then you can share the job of feeding. Expressing is easiest done with a machine, hand expressing is more difficult!
Breast pumps can be bought from your local mothercare, Boots and other stores and they vary in price depending upon what type you go for. A manual pump is much cheaper but they are less efficient, they are more difficult to use and take up more time. Electronic pumps cost double the amount, sometimes even triple but they are much more efficient. They do not take much time and tend to be less uncomfortable to use too.
You may be able to hire/borrow a breast pump from your local clinic or children's centre so you may want to look into doing so before you go and spend a lot of money.
Sometimes the baby may find it hard to adjust to a bottle straight from the breast so you may want to try different teats until you find the right one which your baby will latch on to. I found that introducing the bottle very early on in Baby Hope's life meant that she had no problems adjusting to it at all.
It is important to store breast milk properly. Follow the instructions that come with your steriliser which will have the latest information about how to store it.
Weaning
When weaning your baby off the breast it is important- if possible- to not just stop breast feeding all at once. Gradually reducing feeds is the best way to do so as this will gradually decrease your milk supply. If you stop suddenly this can cause mastitis which can make you very ill. It is up to you when you start to wean your baby and the most important thing to remember to do is to do it slowly so it is not a shock to your body or the baby. Feeding is a sign of comfort too for the baby so you may think about introducing a comfort blanket with feeds too to try to provide comfort to the baby in a different way.
A note on mastitis
When writing about mastitis above I realised i haven't mentioned it on here and it is important that you are aware what it is if you are breast feeding so that if you do develop it you recognise it straight away.Mastitis means that the breast is inflamed and there may be an infection. Symptoms of mastitis include:
- Part of the breast is hot, tender, red, enflamed.
- you feel tired, achy, run down like when you have flu
- you have chills and a fever.
- you may have cracked/bleeding nipples and/or a lump in the breast
The best way to prevent mastitis is to feed frequently. If you feel your breasts are very full then feed your baby. Mastitis can be treated by:
- Resting- ensure that you rest as mastitis is an illness
- Alternate warm and cold compresses on your breast
- Massage your area of tenderness gently
- Breast feed frequently on the infected side
- Take pain killers- check with your GP first which are okay
- Sleep without a bra
- Drink plenty
- Visit your doctor you may need antibiotics.
Support
There are many local breast feeding support groups which you may attend to help ghive you advice but also to share your experiences with others. Check out your local Sure Start Centre to see if they run a breast feeding service.
National breast feeding network support line phone number: 0300 100 0212
Contact your local NCT to find out the phone number of your local breast feeding counsellor who can offer you support/advice over the phone.
Useful websites include:
www.breastfeeding-support.co.uk
www.laleche.org.uk
www.breastfeeding.com
www.bounty.com
My experience
My baby is 9 months old and is being weaned off the breast now. At first I found breast feeding extremely demanding and tiring. I would feed for hours in a row. My baby was tiny so was constantly wanting to feed as she needed to put weight on. I would feed from 5pm-8pm without a break which was due to her colic as well. It was extremely tiring at the time but now it feels like a lifetime ago. Now that she is being weaned off the breast I miss it! I love the closeness it creates and the fact that I felt good that only I could comfort her.
I did find breast feeding in public a very large obstacle to get through and now I don't care, I will feed Baby Hope anywhere and if other people don't like it then I see it as their problem. At first though I found it very difficult even when with my friends. Some of my friends would physically tense when I had to feed her and it would make me feel awkward but now I am much more confident with it.
I found that the pressure upon me to do all the feeding was great and I expressed and then mixed fed to help relieve this pressure. Once my husband was able to do a few feeds it made me feel much happier and more relaxed and I enjoyed feeding more and more.
I would definitely recommend breast feeding but I wouldn't want to put people under pressure. I think that the pressure put upon the new mum is immense which can then just lead to further problems with feeding. The more relaxed youa re the easier it is. There is no point in making people feel so pressurised that they can't and if breast feeding is not possible and hard to establish then the mother shouldn't be made to feel guilty.
Remember that every baby is different, just because your friends baby is feeding more than yours doesn't mean that you are doing anything wrong. So long as your baby is putting on 4-5oz a week in it's first few weeks it is doing well.
What is great about breast feeding is that it is on tap! You don't have to mess around with sterilising bottles and waiting for them to cool so you can instantly satisfy your baby, this was a definite benefit and one which is never mentioned at the antenatal classes but is the one which will effect you the most! You may not be able to relate to benefits like reducing your chances of breast cancer but you definitely notice that it is easier than messing around with bottles!
The bonus of being a boob 
