Breastfeeding is a beautiful part of motherhood. However, it might be different for each mother. Few mothers complain that their child doesn’t drink enough milk, whereas few mothers cannot make their child feel satiated. It varies from child to child and mother to mother. Many women complain about not having the “ideal breasts.” They say that they have inverted or flat nipples, leading to painful breastfeeding, making the process difficult.
This blog highlights the five breastfeeding techniques. It will help you breastfeed your child without any pain and establish a secure relationship with them, but before that, let us understand flat nipples and how to handle them for adequate breastfeeding.
What Are Flat Nipples?
Flat nipples certainly don’t indicate a flat chest. Flat nipples mean inverted nipples or nipples that are not outward for the baby to latch on and feed. Flat nipple breastfeeding can leave the baby hungry and put in more effort to suck the milk. Although a woman’s body prepares so that it can fully provide all the nutrition to the child, flat or inverted nipples can be a problem.
Below are the techniques and tips that you can follow to make the breastfeeding experience easy and beautiful.
- Allow Baby To Use Their Innate Reflexes To Avoid Painful Breastfeeding:
Feeding the baby instantly after they are born lets the baby tap into their innate reflexes. Also, the skin to skin contact with the baby can help with the breastfeeding process.
Skin-to-skin contact helps the baby to explore their innate reflexes and self-attach to the breast. It stimulates the mother’s body and prepares the nipples for feeding. If the baby cannot do so, then the mother can gently pull the area around the Areola, which helps with the suction and is easier for the baby to feed.
- Pinch Your Nipples Before Feeding:
If the baby cannot latch on the breast and feed, then the mother can gently pull the area around the Areola, which helps with the suction and is easier for the baby to feed. She can keep pressing the nipple gently while the baby is feeding to allow a sufficient milk flow for the baby. This practice allows the child to latch on the flat nipple successfully.
- Use a Breast Pump:
Breast pumps are a lifesaver for flat or inverted nipples. They help pull the nipples out before breastfeeding begins. It provides suction to the breasts and allows the nipples to be pulled outwards. A mother can also gently rub her breasts and compress her fingers by placing them behind the nipples forming a “V” or a “C” shape. This helps the nipple to be erect and pulled outwards and helps the baby to latch on deeply.
- Try Nipple Shield:
Nipple shields are created for the sole purpose of helping moms with the flat nipple breastfeeding process. It is placed on the areola and the nipple to give the baby a wider area to latch on. New mothers mostly use it as the baby is still learning to latch on. You must consult your healthcare specialist before trying the nipple shield.
- Consult A Breastfeeding Specialist:
Consulting a specialist should always be your priority task. As a specialist, explicit knowledge about your case-your problems, issues while delivering, or any medical reason that may affect you or the child.
Tackling Painful Breastfeeding
Sometimes, excessive worry about doing everything right for your child leads to chaos. So, be okay with the problems you have, like a flat nipple problem we just discussed, and find solutions for it. If followed, the above tips can help you easily avoid painful breastfeeding.
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