Newborn babies have stomachs the size of a walnut. That tiny little organ is only capable of holding a few ounces per feeding. Plus, one of the most wonderful components of breastmilk is how its composition is tailor-made for your baby’s needs, and because of that, it is far more easily digestible than man-made formulas. Human milk is about 87% water, similar to that of a goat, which is why you can see kids following their mother around all day long, suckling at the teet. Similarly, to maximize milk production, breastfeeding mothers should have their babies close to them as much as possible to nurse on cue.
Nursing on cue is the optimum way to increase milk production and keep you and your baby healthy. This basically means that you feed your baby whenever he/she shows hunger signs. I truly believe that many of the problems that women have with feeding their babies (and I’m as guilty of this as anyone) are with a mother’s inability to understand her baby’s feeding cues, and not with the baby’s ability to communicate. Now, I am not blaming you mothers. You have done a remarkable thing bringing this new little person into the world and your decision to breastfeed is as heroic as it is beneficial. But I do believe that it is sometimes very difficult, particularly in the early months, to really understand when your baby is beginning to become hungry versus when he/she is already ravenous.
Signs to look for in an infant (this is the BEST time to put the baby to the breast):
1) REM sleep (BEST TIME)-watch your baby’s eyes move behind his/her lids. This is a great time to put the baby to the breast because he/she is changing sleep cycles and will most likely awaken very soon.
2) Mouth movements-smacking lips, moving tongue around in mouth.
3) Hand movements-opening/closing fists, bringing hands to face.
One thing that I think all mothers should know is that when you wait until your baby is crying to feed them, the baby has been hungry for awhile by this point and will most likely be more difficult to latch. Now, I know that there are circumstances where this just happens, such as the baby being in another room for a nap or someone else holding him/her and not knowing the cues, but I would encourage all of you wonderful mamas out there to keep your baby as close to you as possible for the first few months so that you can really identify these feeding cues. When you wait until the baby is crying, he/she is now burning much-needed calories, and some babies will then shut down and fall asleep after a few minutes to conserve energy. This is frustrating for a new mother and for the baby and can be avoided by bringing the baby to the breast during REM sleep.
You may be saying to yourself, “I was told to never wake a sleeping baby!”, and you’re not wrong. This is a topic of much debate, and I am personally of the mindset to let your baby sleep as long as they like, however, there is a difference between deep sleep and light sleep. REM sleep is light sleep, and a time where your baby is more susceptible to being awakened. Have you ever painstakingly rocked your baby for what feels like eternity, until that little face is soft and quiet, so you lay your little bundle down, only to have him/her immediately awaken with a loud cry? This happens because the baby was not in deep sleep, but in light sleep. For more info on light sleep versus deep sleep, check out www.askdrsears.com.
There also seems to be a lot of environmental influences on women feeling that they have inadequate milk supplies, say, from a friend or Mother-in-Law telling you something like, “your supply is down because you’re too stressed out”, or, “you’re not eating enough”. The truth is, stress can lead to a low milk supply, but indirectly, not directly. What can happen is that a mother who is overly stressed (and what’s not stressful about taking care of a new baby?!) can become fatigued and feel incompetent, which causes her to feed her baby less frequently, slowing down production. The more you nurse, the more milk you make. It’s chemical. Stimulation to the nipple is what creates milk, and there is no better stimulation than a baby’s suck. None. So if you’re overly stressed and feeling like you just cannot do it anymore, instead of putting off feedings, try to take care of yourself by joining a mothers’ group, talking to friends or your partner, or finding some time everyday for yourself, even if it’s 5 minutes. You deserve it, mom! When you take care of yourself, you can take care of your little one, and in the early months, there’s no better way to take care of your baby than by nursing him/her on cue.
The only way that a mother can eat or drink insufficiently to the point where it negatively affects her milk supply is if she is starving herself. And then the problems are far worse than a drop in milk, it is the mother’s health that is at risk. Just like when you are stressed, if you are undernourished, you can become fatigued, which affects every aspect of your life, including your energy to nurse your baby. But missing a meal here or there is not going to cause you to stop producing, though it is not recommended!
If you need more inspiration that you can produce enough for your baby, check out this AMAZING story!
Mother Diamond Harris Breastfed All Six Babies
Mother of the first surviving African American sextuplets, Diamond breastfed all six of her babies until they were six months old. She said that when she was pumping exclusively she pumped between 50-60 bottles per day! That accomplishment is even more amazing when you consider the fact that the babies were born at 26.5 weeks gestation and weighed between 12 ounces and 1.4 pounds. They were so tiny they could fit in the palm of their father's hand, and his wedding ring could be pushed up over each of the babies' thighs!
http://www.squidoo.com/harrissextuplets
I would say that the primary reason for a low transfer of milk from breast to baby is not a low supply, but an incorrect latch. If a feeling of low supply is a mother’s number 1 reason to stop breastfeeding, then fixing your latch is the number 1 remedy. There are lactation specialists in most communities, operating out of the hospital you delivered in or privately. I cannot stress enough the benefit of GETTING HELP when you need it. When Jacob was a week old, he had a poor suck. Being a first time mother and breastfeeder, I thought his latch looked good, at least it looked like the pictures I saw in my prenatal breastfeeding class. But he fell off after only a few sucks and fell asleep almost instantly. I was driving myself insane with trying to get him to nurse “correctly”, but it wasn’t until I met my friend and lactation consultant, Judy, that we really discovered that his latch was wrong. Having someone else watch me put him to the breast and tell me ways to fix the latch was priceless. Having someone check his weight and tell me that, despite my fears, he was gaining well and definitely getting enough milk was advantageous. Having someone tell me that I was doing a good job, and that someday Jacob would nurse like a pro was miraculous. And, guess what? Jacob is now 9 months old and nurses like a champ, I feel confident that he is a healthy baby, and I’ve made a new friend in the process. I may be tooting my own horn here, but lactation specialists are an invaluable resource to the breastfeeding mother, and something that I highly recommend.
Keep up the wonderful work, mamas! Stay tuned for blogs on nipple pain, skin-to-skin, and the medical benefits of breastfeeding! Let me know if there are any specific topics you’d like for me to cover, and thanks so much for reading!!
~Suzi
http://askdrsears.com/faq/sl6.asp
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