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Surviving
the First Week of Breastfeeding
First-time breastfeeding mothers may find
themselves - in spite of all the prior reading up and mental preparation
- suddenly at a loss when confronted with the tiny one just nestling
in the arms awaiting his meal. Mummies share some tips:
| Start
breastfeeding right after delivery; don't miss out the
first 3 days (you can sleep later). Avoid letting everybody
hang around in your room while you are in hospital - the
first days are very important for the little family to
bond. Don't let daddy be pushed away by mothers, mothers-in-law,
aunites and grandma's. Drink lots of water, sleep a lot.
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Bettina Scraudolph with 1 year old Leopard |
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- Kay Ho, represented by one-day-old
Dani. Nurses in the hospital place a sign near the baby to
remind them of the baby's feeding needs.
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| The
most important tip I have is this: never leave
the hospital until you have learnt the proper way of latching
your baby on. I was very blessed with nurses who were
extremely professional and advocates of breastfeeding.
Each time a different nurse came in to help me latch my
baby on, I leant a new thing from them - a new way to
carry the baby, a new tip on how to massage the breasts,
and even a new kind of food to prepare to encourage milk
supply. By the time I left the hospital I was confident
enough to continue nursing my baby. Don't feel shy to
ask as many questions as you need. |
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| Have
a group of friends or support group who can encourage
you though those tough early days. I would have given
up if not for my close friends who were also breastfeeding
- they were always a phone call away. |
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Joan Yang with 10-mth-old Shayna.
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- Wong San San with exclusively-breastfed
Sebastian.
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Drink
at least 2-3L of fluid a day. Relax with soft music
while feeding. Co-bed with baby, day and night, so that
you can attend to baby to reduce the period of crying.
Sleep on the bed and feed baby, the best position for
you to rest and also easy for baby to latch on.
Feed baby a little bit earlier than the feeding time,
so that baby won't cry for too long before you get ready.
Hold baby close to mother's body. If possible, feed
with naked body as baby will feel more secure when he
can sense his mother's body temparature.
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