As a new mother, the first nurturing act that you’ll likely do is to feed the newborn. There are expectant mothers that will freak out about the process since it will be a totally new experience for them. As a new mother, you’re bound to make mistakes and no amount of homework will prepare you for the experience.
The best thing you can do is to relax, especially if you and the baby are in good health condition. Everything else will just come naturally once you begin the journey. There are some handy tips that will be helpful for new mothers that are breastfeeding and we’re going to highlight some of them.
Table of Contents
Anticipate
It is the role of a mother to anticipate the desires of a baby. This is a maternal instinct that is distinctive with primates. There are some obvious signs that the baby is hungry and some of them include:
- Sucking on whatever that is near
- Sticking out their tongue
- Opening and closing of the mouth
- Raising the head repeatedly
It will be time to offer the breast once you notice the baby making any of the mentioned moves. A happy baby is one that doesn’t have to go through much in order to capture your attention. Knowing when to anticipate the baby’s needs improves the level of intimacy.
Let the Baby Be in Control
You should let the baby have a say on how long and often they’d like to nurse. You shouldn’t interfere with the feeding process just because enough time has gone by and the baby is still feeding. You should also not wake up the baby because there is predetermined feeding time. The baby is the best position to know how much they need and should be in charge of the feeding process.
Get Comfortable
You should start getting comfortable with nursing as you’ll be spending a significant amount of time holding the baby while nursing is taking place. When you’re not in a natural sitting position, nursing will quickly turn out to be uncomfortable.
You shouldn’t be moving too much as that will interfere with the feeding of the baby. Ideally, you should look for a bed or a couch that has plenty of pillows to support your back. This gives you room to be flexible without interfering with the natural feeding of the baby.
Relax
In addition to ensuring that you’re always comfortable during nursing, it is important to relax. Babies are intelligent can always sense when there is tension during breastfeeding. The baby will be relaxed when you are which is important for healthy feeding.
The environment that you’re in might not make it easy for you to be relaxed. That is why it is usually recommended that you’re breastfeeding somewhere that you’re comfortable with. There are new mothers that will find it challenging to breastfeed in public because it will be impossible for them to be relaxed.
Finding the Right Position
You will need to help the baby to find the right position for breastfeeding. You can do this by paying attention to their position and making the necessary adjustments quickly enough to ensure that the baby is comfortable. The best positioning is when the mouth is level with the nipples.
It will not be such a bad idea to look for the best pacifiers for breastfed babies if you’re looking to help your baby achieve the right positioning. You should never force the positions as that will only make things worse for the baby.
Leaking is Natural
It is perfectly normal to leak when you’re breastfeeding. This usually happens in the first few weeks. This could happen even when you hear another baby cry and is nature’s way of telling you that you’re a normal mother.
The leaking with start disappearing when you continue to nurse and will be over before you know it. To mitigate the leaks, you can place a nursing pad for absorption.
Taking Care of Your Skin
The breast and nipples are part of the skin. Since you’ll be nursing, there is a high likelihood that skin will become chipped and cracked. It easy to neglect such challenges as the main focus will be on the baby. Make sure not to over wash.
When the feeding is complete, you can pat the breast with a soft cloth. Make sure to look for organic healing products so that the baby is not affected while feeding. Making sure you’re in good health all begins with you.
