I recently discussed how I found my breastfeeding journey very difficult. (link to the post here). It made me realize that we know very little about breastfeeding even as Physicians and that if you get the basics right, a lot of suffering and guilt can be avoided.
I recently Interviewed Dr. Zahra Kamal who is a board-certified Lactation Consultant. A lactation consultant is someone who has done the work to train as a specialist dealing with issues related to breastfeeding. I learned about them during my experience and can’t say enough good things about them. If there is someone whose advice you should trust, it would be a lactation consultant.
Here is the podcast episode if you want to listen here.
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In this post I will be discussing some common issues that we talked about in the podcast episode. We plan on doing a few more episodes on specific issues in the coming weeks so I would love to hear about topics that you may be interested in as well.
What is exclusive breastfeeding?
Exclusive breastfeeding means that you are feeding the baby the milk that you are producing. It is not being supplemented with formula.
there is almost nothing you can do for your child in his whole life that will affect him both emotionally and physically as profoundly as breastfeeding.
-The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (link)
How breastfeeding helps the baby
The process of birth results in bringing your newborn baby from a sterile (germ-free) environment to a world filled with all kinds of bugs that can attack your baby’s immune system. A normal vaginal birth helps expose your baby to many gut bacteria (guess where those come from ?) that are important to form our microbiome. (link here)
Microbiome is all the bacteria and microorganisms that live in out body and help with many vital immune functions, among other benefits.
The milk that comes in during the first 2-3 days is the dark yellow creamy kind called Colostrum. It has antibodies from the mother that are passed on to the baby to give additional protection. Your breasts may feel like they are no different and you may not notice any noticeable engorgement till the regular milk comes in. At that time, you may suddenly feel like your breasts have become hard or engorged and after feeding, you would notice they would become soft.
There are several other benefits for the baby as well. (Link here)
How does it help the mother
Nature made sure that after the sleepless nights and frequent feedings, mothers have just as much to gain from this trying process.
Breastfeeding helps mothers in so many ways. It may not be dramatic so it takes time to see the effects. I experienced it personally when I supplemented with my first one and when I exclusively breastfed the second one. My recovery was totally different. I will list some of these here (backed by research of course)
Effects on mother’s physical health
There is a shift in the metabolism during pregnancy that resembles metabolic syndrome. It is needed during pregnancy because your body needs it for gestation. But afterward, it needs to be turned off. If it continues, it leads to a higher risk of Diabetes and Heart disease. Breastfeeding resets your metabolism to turn off the metabolic syndrome components. (link here)
In fact, in this study, those who breastfed for at least 12 months were seen to have low less likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, high lipid levels, or heart disease compared to those who never breastfed.
Breastfeeding also helps protect mothers from stress response which leads to high risk of heart disease. (Link here)
Effects on her mental health
Breastfeeding encourages the production of Oxytocin, commonly known as the social-feel-good hormone. It induces the feeling of developing a connection with the baby. It is important for bonding between mother and her baby.
Effects on sleep
It may surprise you but breastfeeding is associated with more hours of sleep compared to not exclusively breastfeeding. (link here) and hence feeling more energetic during the day.
Avoid the difficulties that new mothers face
We all want the best for our baby and we try to do our best. But there are some technical things that we need to learn to get better at it.
Skin to skin: The most important thing is to get your baby on your skin for skin-to-skin contact in the first hour after birth. This means putting the baby on your body, in contact with your skin. An attempt at breastfeeding is also important at this time.
Latch successfully: At the time of breastfeeding, you have to make sure that the baby latches (means the nipple is in the baby’s mouth and there is a motion that the baby is suckling). If the latch is not good, your body is not getting an adequate signal to make milk. Plus, it can be very painful and uncomfortable to try to breastfeed if the latch is not good.
Bring baby to your level: You need to get comfortable. Do not bend over to breastfeed. You should bring the baby up to your level to feed. Breastfeeding pillows or regular ones help to bring the baby to your level.
Treat nipples with care: Dry and cracked nipples can make it painful during feeding. They can also result in mastitis if you are not careful. You can get nipple creams that have lanolin in them. If you don’t have them, try using cold-pressed virgin olive oil after each feeding to massage the nipple area. You need a very tiny amount and it is safe for the baby.
Follow the baby: Breastmilk is custom-made for your baby. Breastfeeding gives that signal to your body. The fat and water content of breastmilk changes a lot during the day. Breastmilk also gets digested within about 90 minutes so do not wait too long to feed your baby. Follow your baby’s cues, not the clock!
Feeding position variations
One top thing that no one tells you about is the importance of positioning the baby. It can make the difference between latching successfully or failing and getting frustrated.
After a C-section, it is recommended to try a football hold position to avoid putting too much pressure on the incision.
I used the football hold position with my second one and it helped her latch right away.
You can read more about the different types in this link.
Here is a video showing the four positions so you can get an idea.
Urdu information sheet on breastfeeding
I came across a document by UNICEF (in Urdu!) that has a summary of information on breastfeeding. It has some pictures as well.
You can download it from the link below
There can be times when the mother needs to express (take out) the milk. We will be doing a podcast on that separately. But you can watch the video mentioned about hand expressing by clicking below.
A handy resource book for you to print or read
I came across this wonderful concise and humor filled guide by La Leche league. It has so many useful tips there for your life as a mother of newborn.
You can download it by clicking on the button
Continuing the journey
There is still so much to talk about. What questions do you have? What were the things that you wish you knew?
Leave them below and we can address them in a future post as well.
