Breast Feeding: How to succeed

Breastfeeding can be really hard. 

It's a skill that many of us in the modern world have had no exposure to before doing it and yet as new Mums we find ourselves with this hungry little person in our arms and a building pressure to get it right.

I am passionate about helping Mums who want to breastfeed do so successfully and while the best time to start learning about breastfeeding is while you are still pregnant, it's never too late to get support.

There are 3 main reasons why we want to get breastfeeding 'right'

1. To promote milk transfer: vital for regulation of milk supply, infant weight gain and infant hunger
2. To help our babies dial down for settling and sleep
3. To save our breasts and nipples from damage and pain

The way we do this is by optimising the way we come together for feeds, known as fit and hold or latch and positioning.

Each Mother and Baby pair are anatomically unique, so it makes sense that we find a way that suits you rather than being stuck on a particular method.

The first thing to understand the biomechanics of how a baby feeds.

What happens during a great breast feed is that baby's lips and lower face bury deeply into the breast and create a seal (the lips don’t have to do anything special like flange outwards). 

As the baby's jaw moves downward it carries the tongue with it and an intra-oral vacuum is created and this is what drives the milk transfer from the breast to baby.

So once we understand what we are trying to achieve, we then we want to find a position that is comfortable, stable and avoids breast tissue drag which is largely what causes compromised milk transfer and nipple damage.

Taking notice of where your breast and nipple fall and bringing you baby there rather than trying to shape your breast to where you are holding baby is part of this.

So if you are struggling, please don't blame yourself.

And if you are thinking of giving up breastfeeding, could you consider one more chance?

I provide antenatal and postnatal consultations related to breastfeeding or I can put you in touch with an amazing lactation consultant.