A Free Guide to Breastfeeding, the Early Days
Being informed supports you to confidently make decisions and choices. So just like you have with pregnancy and birth finding out as much as you can about breastfeeding before your baby arrives will give you confidence and get you off to a great start.
Breastfeeding may be natural but that doesn’t mean that it is easy. You are learning a new skill and this takes time. Try and be gentle with yourself and remember that what works for one mother and baby may not work for you and that’s ok. We are all different.
Skin to skin, cuddles and keeping your baby close to you will help you both become more intune with each other, supporting you to become more confident in recognising their feeding cues & meeting their needs.
Early
If you can, try and support your baby to feed within the first 1-2 hours after birth. Placing your baby on your chest immediately following their birth supports their inborn feeding reflexes. Did you know that if left alone and uninterrupted most babies can find their way to the breast and attach. (This is called the breast crawl, you can find videos of this online – it is amazing).
Responsive
Feeding responsively recognises that feeds are not just for nutrition, but also for love, comfort and reassurance between a baby and their parent. You can not overfeed a breastfed baby.
Frequent
For the first 24 hours, your baby may not be that interested in feeding. Try and keep your baby close to you, this way you can recognise early feeding cues & as soon as they are showing these cues you can offer the breast. From the second day onwards your baby will become more active and alert, this is a time where they will want to feed more frequently and may not want to be away from you.
This is normal and really important for establishing your milk supply. It is very common for new babies to feed 10-14 in 24 hours (the minimum number of feeds is at least 8 times in 24 hours).
Effective
How you hold your baby and attach them to the breast will be different for everyone. It may take time for you to find a position that you feel comfortable with. Being familiar with some basics which work no matter how you hold your baby to feed will support pain-free feeding, ensure your baby is getting the milk they need to grow and that your body is getting the messages it needs to increase and support your supply.
Hold your baby CLOSE. Aiming for no gaps between you and y our baby.
Make sure that their HEAD is free to move backwards. As they open their mouth wide their head will tilt back. So no fingers on the back of their head.
Keep their body in a straight line. IN-LINE. Their ears over their shoulders and their shoulders over their hips.
Start with your baby’s NOSE opposite your NIPPLE. Their chin should be touching the breast as this triggers their reflexes to find the breast and latch.
Make sure that the position that you are in is SUSTAINABLE. Your comfort is really important – remember you will be in this position many times a day for extended periods. So think about supporting your back, softening your shoulders, putting your feet up and leaning back. This leaning back will also take the pressure off your perineum and you can take advantage of gravity to hold your baby against you.
Remember to BRING your baby to your breast rather than your breast to your baby.
How will I know if my baby is hungry?
Recognising when your new baby asks to be fed will soon become second nature to you. Ideally, you are looking & responding to early cues. Some examples of these early cues are
Restlessness
Moving their head from side to side
Making small movements
Moving their head towards the breast when being held.
If your baby is crying then take some time to settle them before feeding.
How will you know if my baby is getting enough?
Your breast and nipples will not be sore, you will see signs of nutritive sucking & audible swallowing. Also, keep an eye on the number of wet and dirty nappies they are having and if the colour of their poo is changing. This is an important visual that will let you know if your baby is getting enough.
Be confident & trust your body. Your body that nurtured and nourished your baby throughout pregnancy will continue to do so once they are with you. This positive mindset can be so helpful in the early days.
You can download a FREE shareable PDF of this piece HERE and watch me giving some top breastfeeding tips here.
Some of my favourite books
You’ve Got It In You: A Positive Guide to Breastfeeding by Emma Pickett
The Positive Breastfeeding Book by Amy Brown
The Baby Feeding Book by Vanessa Christie
Other places to go to for information and support
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers
.........................................................................................................................................
Imogen is a Senior Neonatal Care Nurse with 18 years of experience supporting families, an IBCLC Breastfeeding Consultant and a Mum of two. She is passionate about breastfeeding, but more importantly, passionate about mothers being supported to make informed choices.
She believes that breastfeeding can be made easier with great preparation and support and offers a range of services for mothers and couples, both before and after the birth of their babies.
Imogen supports families face to face in London and virtually all around the world, you can find out more on her website and follow her on Instagram for regular information and inspiration.