5 things I wish EVERYONE knew about breastfeeding!
Did you know the fastest dropoff for quitting breastfeeding is in the 10 days following leaving the hospital?
Here are 5 things to know for the first week to help you better prepare!
How important the “golden hour” is
Uninterrupted skin to skin with baby their first hour of life can positively impact breastfeeding success! This may not always be possible, but if both mom and baby are stable you can advocate for baby to remain skin to skin for the first hour!
How important skin to skin is
Skin to skin promotes bonding, temperature regulation, blood sugar regulation, and releases hormones responsible for milk production and is overall very beneficial to breastfeeding. If you’re awake and eager, doing as much skin to skin as possible the first few days postpartum can help with milk supply! Having baby this close to you also gives a wonderful opportunity to watch closely for feeding cues (hands to mouth, opening mouth, turning head side to side flexing arms and legs, sucking on a fist or finger, mouthing motions of the lips and tongue)
How important it is to feed 10-12 times in 24 hours
Studies have shown that feeding 10-12 times in 24 hours is correlated with better milk supply and better weight gain than feeding less than 10 times in 24 hours! At first you will be told to feed baby every 2-3 hours. This typically only applies to the first hour of life when baby is sleepy and you have to wake them to feed every 2-3 hours. Once baby is over 24 hours and more alert, you should be feeding on demand, watching for hunger cues. I see a lot of people get stuck with this 2-3 hour mindset and miss opportunities to feed their baby. It if normal for some feedings to be an hour apart, an hour and a half apart, then maybe 2 hours apart. It is most important to follow baby’s cues, keeping in mind that they should be eating 10-12 times in 24 hours.
What engorgement is and how to get through it
This often happens as milk comes in, 3-5 days postpartum. Feelings of heaviness and hard, sore breasts are common. Recommendations: ice ice ice, reverse pressure softening if baby is having a hard time latching, pumping ONLY to relieve pressure, not to empty! (this applies to moms that are exclusively breastfeeding and NOT pumping - adding in pumping to “empty” after breastfeeding baby if not already part of your feeding plan can very easily lead to more engorgement and oversupply!) I have seen some recommendations to use heat and hard massage during this time and this is NOT what current evidence supports! This can actually lead to more pain, swelling and engorgement.
Pain is common at the beginning but should get better NOT worse after the first couple days.
If pain is not getting better this is a sign of a latching issue what should be addressed as soon as possible! I often see postpartum patient’s experiencing pain at the beginning of their breastfeeding journeys because they are still learning how to latch baby properly. Even one bad latch in the first few days has the potential to cause damage. This damage, even if followed by correct latching techniques, can still cause pain in those subsequent latches. This pain should gradually get better as baby is correctly latched. Worsening pain signals that the latch is not improving and needs to be adjusted. Please do not suffer in silence. If pain is getting worse I highly suggest getting lactation support to help you adjust the latch and resolve the pain!
