One of your first nurturing acts as a new mother will likely be feeding your baby. For many women, that will mean breastfeeding 🤱. As natural as breastfeeding is, you may still worry and stress about providing the proper nutrients for your baby. And you probably have a million questions about how it all works and how to do it correctly.
👉Anticipate Your Baby’s Desires
Rather than waiting for your baby to cry, you can anticipate their needs by watching for a few tell-tale signs. When your baby is hungry, they may:
- Turn or raise their head repeatedly.
- Open and close their mouth.
- Stick out their tongue.
- Suck on whatever is near.
👉Let Your Baby Determine How Often And How Long To Nurse
Your baby knows their needs 🧑🍼better than you do right now. Let them determine how often to nurse. Don’t set a predetermined interval between feedings and then deny your baby food just because not enough time hasn’t gone by.
👉Get Comfortable While Nursing
You’re going to be spending a significant amount of time holding your 👶baby to your breast while they feed. Recommended one of two positions for comfortable breastfeeding:
- Lie on your side with your baby facing you.
- Sit in a reclined position with your baby lying in your arms.
👉Relax
Examine your environment as well. If you’re in a stressful environment or an environment that makes you uncomfortable, opt for a change of scenery. Maybe spend a few minutes before nursing to give yourself a pep talk.
👉Help Your Baby Find The Right Position
Through the course of breastfeeding, your baby will likely find the position that’s best for them. Pay attention to this position so that you can make it easier to get into quickly.
👉Don’t Be Alarmed, Leaking Is Natural
In the first few weeks of breastfeeding, it’s common for milk to leak from your breasts. Don’t be alarmed, this is completely natural
👉Take Care Of Your Skin
The skin of your breasts is very delicate. With regular nursing, your skin can become dry, chapped, irritated, and even cracked over time.
👉Don’t Worry, You’ll Have Enough Milk
Milk production depends primarily on your baby’s needs. Your little one’s 😍 sucking stimulates the release of the hormones prolactin and oxytocin which further stimulate milk production.
👉Look For Signs That Breastfeeding Is Going Well
Your baby’s behavior and health will tell you if nursing is going well or not. Don’t worry if you don’t see these signs all the time. Even just one is an indication that your baby is well-fed.
👉Avoid Engorgement
Engorgement is a painful swelling and hardening of your breasts that occurs when you produce more milk than your baby consumes. Engorgement is most frequent when your milk first comes in right after your baby is born.
👉Ask For Help
Reading and taking a class about breastfeeding is one thing — actually breastfeeding on your own is a different story. So ask for help within that first hour after birth when you’ll want to start breastfeeding your little one.
👉Stay Hydrated
Last, but certainly not least, stay hydrated. We can’t stress enough how important this tip is for you and your baby. After all, you’re still eating and drinking for two ❤️ ❤️!
