Top Breastfeeding Tips and Tricks Every New Mother Needs To Know

Breastfeeding is one of the earliest bonding experiences created between a mother and her infant. It’s more than just a feeding process; it’s the beginning of the many nurturing actions that will eventually take place to start a relationship that’s meant to last forever. Normally, you’ll be questioning your baby’s nutrition needs. Many questions pop into the minds of mothers, and among the most common is how much is enough? What is the ideal time between meals? If your baby is not still aware of the process, what can you do to help? In general, breastfeeding has the most positive impact on both the mother and the baby, however, it doesn’t come naturally and easily in all cases. Here are some of the top breastfeeding tips and tricks every new mother needs to know.

Breastfeeding Benefits

First, every mother has to be aware of the benefits of breastfeeding their babies. This will encourage mothers to hold on to the process and make it a wonderful experience. Breast milk is a booster of the immune system of infants. It has natural antibodies and huge nutritional values that are hardly replaced by other alternatives. What works for some mothers doesn’t have to work for you and your baby. Experiences vary, therefore, advice from your healthcare provider or lactation consultant can be useful to overcome some challenges that might occur.

How to Predict a Baby’s Needs

You don’t have to wait for your infant to cry to know he’s hungry, babies tend to cry for many reasons, and the need for food is one of them. There are a few signs to anticipate their need for food. Some babies raise their heads in a repeated action, others keep opening and closing their mouths, sticking out their tongues, or trying to suck whatever comes near to their mouth, including their thumb. If your baby does any of these actions, you can offer your breast immediately. Anticipating your baby’s desires will strengthen your bond, deepen your relationship, and create intimacy. 

The Importance of Nursing Supplies

To make your breastfeeding experience a simple and comfortable one, consider the use of some of the available nursing supplies. Nursing bras, breast pumps, nursing pillows, and nursery gliders are all nursing equipment recommended by medical suppliers; the team behind saveritemedical highly believes that any nursing product that aims to ease your breastfeeding process is a great addition. These items are essential to help both you and your baby feel comfortable and less irritated, improving the experience for both.

Let Your Baby Decide

At this moment, your baby knows best. Allow your baby to determine its nursing needs. Setting fixed intervals between nursing might not work. There’s no need to keep your baby waiting until it’s time for the next feed if they decided otherwise, or wake them up intentionally because it’s time to eat. It’s better to keep the struggles and tension at their lowest in this particular phase, building intimacy and bonding is what really counts. You don’t have to worry if the nursing time is too quick or too slow, babies feed at a different pace, and you need to trust that they know what fits their needs best.

Breastfeeding Positions

Your breastfeeding position helps your baby latch on or be properly attached to your breast for better nursing. The position of breastfeeding is also important to help empty your breasts. The most common position to breastfeed your baby is cradle hold, where the head of your infant is resting on your elbow towards your breast. The football hold is another position suitable for mothers with larger breasts, c-sections, or feeding twins at the same time. For babies who wake up several times at night to feed, the side-lying position is very effective, but make sure you place your baby back on the cradle.

How To Ease Engorgement 

When your baby doesn’t feed equally from both breasts or doesn’t nurse efficiently, your breast becomes swollen due to excessive milk. The best tip to avoid engorgement is to feed your baby whenever they need it, this helps regularly drain your breast, and prevent swelling and pain. Swollen breasts make it hard for the baby to latch on; if this happens, you can release some of the milk manually or by using a breast pump.

During breastfeeding, a lot of mothers lose confidence in the process, especially if their baby’s weight doesn’t meet the charts. While opting for formula is perfectly healthy for your child, it is highly recommended you completely rule out breastfeeding first. Check if your baby’s overall development is on the right track. Breast milk is different from formula milk, so you can’t compare the amounts a baby needs. One of the best nursing tips is to leave your baby to determine how often they need feedings, remember they know better.