How to Prepare Yourself for Breastfeeding?
If you are pregnant for the first time, you need to learn successful breastfeeding techniques. Breastfeeding can actually be much more challenging than you think. If you have never breastfed a baby, you must not be aware of the problems like sore nipples and breast engorgement, among others.
However, nursing can become a comfortable and easy experience if a would-be-mom prepares her body and mind for the new experience before the arrival of her baby.
#Consider joining prenatal breastfeeding classes
Prenatal breastfeeding classes can really help you to get familiar with all the aspects of breastfeeding. By joining such a class at the local hospital or a clinic, you can learn everything from nipple care to proper latching of the baby. You can join a breastfeeding class in the final trimester of pregnancy to enhance your knowledge about the process, which will definitely increase your chances of success.
#Purchase nursing essentials
If you have always ignored the nursing accessories lying at the maternity section of your favorite shopping place, it is the right time for you to familiarize yourself with them. While you must avoid purchasing unnecessary items, there are some things that you will really need.
Lightweight and breathable feeding dresses, nipple creams, nursing pads, and nursing bras are the four most important things every nursing mom must-have. You may also purchase supportive feeding pillows, nipple shields, and a breast pump as per your requirement. While a pillow will help you feed the baby more comfortably, you may require a breast pump for expressing milk. Nipple shields are helpful to relieve the pain if nipples are too sore.
#Prepare your nipples
If you start caring for your nipples during the third trimester of pregnancy, you can prevent common breastfeeding problems like nipple soreness and pain. You can start using a nipple ointment with lanolin to moisturize the nipples, which will help avoid soreness in the future. Massaging the breast and exposing them to air will also help prepare your nipples for breastfeeding.
How to Get Breastfeeding Off to a Good Start?
If you are going to be a first-time mother, you must have many unanswered questions on breastfeeding. Doctors always recommend feeding your baby breast milk from the first hour of her birth, and this is because only breast milk helps build up your baby’s immunity system to make her healthy and strong. No other way of feeding can provide as much strength, immunity, and energy as breast milk can. So, you should be mentally prepared for this before you move to your final trimester.
#Start breastfeeding as soon as you can after delivery
After you give birth to your baby, she will be properly cleaned and wrapped comfortably, and then you can start feeding her. Do not expect that you will generate enough milk to feed your baby from the very first day.
The generation of milk takes a couple of days. Till then, you should feed your baby the thick and yellowish secretion, which comes out of your breast. This liquid is known as colostrum, and it plays an important role in boosting up your child’s immune system. Since the flow of colostrum is pretty slow, you might think that your baby is going to remain hungry. But at these initial hours of her life, she would only prefer to sleep for hours and hours than anything else.
#Learn getting a good latch
Another important thing you should teach your newborn these days is to latch on properly. She should learn to take the nipple in her whole mouth so that she can start sucking. Unless she starts sucking, your milk will not get generated, and you will not have a normal flow of milk. Take the first few days to help your baby in this learning process of sucking, swallowing, and breathing.
Your body will be completely ready to generate milk in these few days, which will be a little lighter and look like skimmed milk. In another few weeks, your body will start to grow more mature milk, having all the nutrients for your baby.
Generation of matured breast milk also depends on your lifestyle after you bring your baby home. You should strictly be on a healthy diet and take adequate rest so that you and your baby can stay healthy and happy.
Top 3 Health Care Tips For Breastfeeding Mothers
When a lady gives birth to a baby, she should make sure to take care of her health properly. The health of the mother is as important as the baby’s health, and mothers should not neglect their health at all as they have to breastfeed their babies. Breastfeeding mothers should consider the following three health care tips so that they can maintain proper health.
#Eat Healthily
Breastfeeding mothers ought to take care of their eating habits, and they should eat nutritious foods so that their babies get all the vital nutrients for sound health.
Also, eating healthy foods would assist in keeping the health of mothers in a good state. All green vegetables and fresh fruits should be made a part of the diet of breastfeeding mothers, as these foods contain all vital nutrients for a healthy and fit lifestyle. Also, breastfeeding mothers should make water an essential component of their diet plan, and a lot of water should be drunk daily to maintain proper digestive health.
#Sleep Adequately
Breastfeeding mothers should not ignore their sleep and rest. A lot of energy is depleted while breastfeeding the baby. So, mothers should make it a point to take enough rest and sleep as much as they can to remain healthy. It may be impossible for women to take out enough time for rest after the baby’s delivery.
They remain very busy with their child throughout the day and involve themselves in pending household chores. The solution to this problem is to sleep when the child sleeps and work when the child is awake. Working and taking care of the child can go simultaneously. So, sleep when the child sleeps so that you do not get stressed out, thus remaining healthy.
#Feed your baby frequently
Many breastfeeding mothers face the problem of engrossed breasts, and this problem may make the lady ill and may make her suffer from other health problems. So, it is imperative for breastfeeding mothers to feed their babies regularly throughout the day so that the milk is not accumulated and health-related issues can be avoided.
