How to Breastfeed a Newborn

As a young pregnant woman enters the latter stages of her pregnancy, she becomes conscious about the changes that occur in her body and life. It is not easy to raise a child, but it certainly is rewarding.
A pregnant woman often try to know as more as she can about raising a healthy child. She looks for every book in her local library to know everything that may help her in caring a baby, changing diapers and breastfeeding.

Importance of breast feeding

Breast milk is naturally formulated for a newborn’s digestive system. It is rich in antibodies which help the child to fight against viruses and bacteria and hence, breast milk is not only the most nutritious food for a newly born child, it actually is a life-giving medicine for the child. A mother’s breast milk is so naturally adjusted with the child that in the course of child development, the composition of her milk changes to adapt with the nutritional necessities of the developing baby.

If it is the first time for the woman to be a mother, breastfeeding techniques will be the vital new skills she will have to learn. However, breastfeeding is not something that one can learn by reading some book or guidelines. Breast feeding is a natural act that a mother and her baby need to learn together just after the infant takes birth.

According to doctors and experts, breast feeding should commence within the two hours of a baby’s birth. A newly born child may take 80 percent or 4/5th of the feed within the first ten minutes of breast feeding and then the baby may suckle mother’s breast for another few minutes. Babies need to be fed whenever they demand. A newly born baby may require to be fed after every two or three hours and during every feed period, a mother may need to invest 10 to 40 minutes. Every expert and pediatrician will recommend breast feeding till a baby is at least six months old, however, it will add to good health of the baby if a mother keep breast feeding him or her for longer periods. There are no specific technical steps that you need to learn before you may ably breast feed your infant.

According to gynecologist Dr. Suman Bijlani, a woman is not required to do anything special to get herself ready for breast feeding. Dr Bijlani says, "No massaging of breast or nipple stretching exercises are needed during pregnancy. Be ready with breastfeeding accessories like nursing bras, breast pads and breast pumps. It is a good idea to get adequate and correct information regarding breastfeeding from your doctor or even attend antenatal lactation sessions. This gives you confidence, which is the best preparation a mother can have."

Benefits of breast feeding

The simplest, most healthy and natural way to feed your infant is breast feeding. Breast milk contains the appropriate mix of nutrients like proteins with perfect equilibrium of amino acids, sugars, fats, water, vitamins, minerals, antibodies and enzymes for your newly born child.

Breast milk boosts a baby’s immunity and offer protection for your infant against diarrhea, respiratory infections, ear infections and many more illnesses. A baby enjoying breast feed will show lower chances of diabetes, allergic conditions and obesity while he will also enjoy better cognitive and physical development.
Breast feeding is a natural and effective birth control method. If a woman hasn’t got her period in a time less than six months post her delivery and if she is solely breastfeeding her child, then she is 98 percent protected from another pregnancy.

Breast feeding produces such situations close to her womb that comforts the baby and makes them feel safe and protected. Breastfeeding is also beneficial for mothers because it decreases the amount of blood loss after delivery to a significant degree.

The following breast feeding tips may help a young mother and her child

• Both mother and baby should be in a comfortable position. While breastfeeding, keep the body and neck of the baby in a straight line.
• The body of baby should be held close to her own body by the mother at right angles. The right way is to bring the baby towards your breast rather than bringing your breasts towards the infant.
• Proper positioning will help you latch the baby easily. A mother should encourage the infant to suckle on the surrounding breast tissues along with the nipples.
• As the skin of a baby comes in contact with the skin of his/her mother after delivery, the baby gets stimulated with natural instincts to search for the breasts.
• Feed your infant frequently with breast milk because it will ensure ample breast stimulation to continue good milk production and flow.
• A mother should try to keep her breasts empty either by feeding her child frequently or by pumping out the milk. This helps the mother to maintain milk flow and it also helps her in preventing health problems like painful lumps in the breasts.