Things to Think About When Breastfeeding

     Now that you have made the choice to breastfeed, you need to know a few things in regards to what you should and should not do while breastfeeding your baby. Such topics will include nutrition, positions to hold the baby at, and possible complications among many other topics. You’ve already made a great decision in deciding to breastfeed your baby. Keep it up with making good decisions while breastfeeding to make the process more effective and comfortable for yourself and your baby.

     One of the first subjects to touch upon would include nutrition. Remember, everything you put into your body has the possibility of transferring to your baby through your breast milk. The best advice is to follow the food pyramid when planning your meals. Base most if not all of your meals with carbohydrates while adding lean proteins and calcium such as peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, and other meats. Next, make sure to add plenty of fruits and vegetables to your diet. These can be cooked or raw or even in the form of juices. Some foods that you may want to avoid would be spicy or gassy food because these have a tendency to make your baby fussy. As your baby develops they may be able to handle more types of food but it should be handled on a trial and error basis. Another good idea would be to supplement your diet with a prenatal vitamin to ensure you and your baby gets all of the necessary vitamins.

     Another thing to consider is alcohol consumption. While the occasional glass of wine may not be bad for you, you need to remember that it will be passed along to your baby as long as it is in your system. Your baby’s body is not developed enough to handle that, so, please be mindful while you are still breastfeeding of any type of alcoholic intake.

     Taking birth control is another issue many breastfeeding mothers have questions about. It is perfectly fine to take a form of birth control while you are breastfeeding but I would suggest taking something like the “mini” pill which is progesterone only. The reason for this is that regular birth control pills which contain estrogen and progesterone can affect your milk supply and your baby’s growth.

     The positions at which you hold your baby during breastfeeding is another thing you must consider. There are a couple of options and it is a smart option to alternate these from time to time to prevent too much pressure on certain ducts. The first would be the cradle hold in which you place the baby’s head in the crook of your arm and support the baby’s back with your forearm while holding onto the buttocks or legs with your hand. Hold the baby with its head in line with the rest of its body facing you. Next is the cross cradle hold. This is similar to the cradle hold just facing the opposite way using the opposite arm. There is also the side lying hold where you and your baby lie on your sides tummy to tummy using your free hand to position the breast for the baby. Finally, there is the clutch hold. Here you will need to place a pillow under the baby to bring it level with your breast. From there position the baby’s legs under your arm while supporting the head with your hand. Position you breast to the baby and nurse.

     Some issues to be aware of while breastfeeding would include thrush and blocked ducts. Thrush is a yeast infection inside of the baby’s mouth that appears as white patches on the gums, tongue or on the inside of the cheeks. It can also appear as diaper rash that peels or looks like red dots. Thrush is generally caused by antibiotics that are taken by the mother or baby.  Thrush can then pass to the mother’s nipples and cause them to become red and sore. Thrush is generally treated with nystatin oil drops.

     A blocked duct can occur for several reasons. Not emptying your breasts for reasons such as but not limited to, not nursing often due to a busy schedule or the baby sleeping throughout the night, too tight bras, stress, or poor nutrition. To prevent or alleviate a blocked duct get plenty of sleep and nurse often. Massage the breast before feeding or apply warm, moist heat to the breast. Also, changing the baby’s position when you breastfeed should help alleviate pressure on any one duct.

     Overall, you have made a wonderful decision in deciding to breastfeed your baby. Just try to remember to take care of yourself and your baby. If you have any questions or concerns you can find plenty of information from the professionals at www.breastfeeding.com, which is where I found all of the information found here, or contact a La Leche Legue representative. You can find  your local representative at www.llli.org.

Bump, The. (2009, October 19). Breastfeeding: everything for the new mom. Retrieved from http://www.breastfeeding.com.