On Breastfeeding and being a Heifer -
BREASTFEEDING BY THE SECOND TIME MOM/GP
Breastfeeding is one of those things that you kind of feel you have to do, but can be one of the most difficult things you ever tried to do. This article is directed at first time moms in order to try and demystify and "easify" breastfeeding.
My husband always talks about how heifers can be quite useless with their calves. For those who do not know (I did not) a heifer is a first time cow mom. I found myself a useless heifer the first time (before the feminists out there burn their bras and rant, just hear me out). First time around I stubbornly just pushed ahead doing a few wrong things not realising a few right things. Second time around it was so much easier. I would like to try and make it easy for you first time mom.
First things first: you can only breastfeed successfully and have enough milk if you are calm and NOT flustered. Hard to do when you are a first time mom. I suggest if you think you are flustered then you probably are and the answer is Esperide or Eglynol. This is medication that not only calms you but helps you produce enough milk. You can of course use any other technique to keep calm like: yoga, breathing, family support etc. but honestly even second time around the medication has been what has contributed to it all being so much easier.
Once you have taken VERY good care of yourself first the next thing you need to take very good care of is your breasts – the milk machines. Enough cannot be said about breast pads to keep the nipples dry and prevent cracking. Once they are cracked you are on the back foot and will struggle from there on. From day one in hospital you need to have them.
Now to the baby and latching. Correct latching is VITAL. There are loads of videos on you tube about this and I suggest you watch at least 3 different approaches as you will need to be a little flexible and see which of the ways to get a good latch works for you. Be that as it may the important thing about a good latch is for the nipple to be quite far back into the baby's mouth so that the nipple is on the top of the babies palate and not only shallow in its mouth (which will cause pain and cracking).
Now to the fact that breastfeeding for some women is VERY painful to start with, in my experience the first (at least 5 minutes) and for the first 3 months is a pain that I liken to sticking needles into your nipples – not pleasant, not fun to say the least. So if you want to breastfeed make peace with this, breathe very deeply through it, and use distraction techniques to get you through it. I promise it gets easier and for you it might be sooner than for me.
Devices that are helpful: nipple shields can be used to get you over a period of cracked nipples or the pain or problems like inverted nipples. There are different makes and so be open to trying a different make if the one you have is not quite doing the trick. Nipple cream can also be a life-saver. I found bepanthen to be the most amazing soothing and baby friendly stuff. It can also be used on baby's bum.
Personally I don't think that rules like 10min - 10min (i.e. only 10 min per side) and being strict about that is helpful. Every baby is different and you need to be flexible. What I do think is that if you are feeding for 40min a side (like I did first time around) this is not sustainable and perhaps there is a problem.
There are various problems that can occur: not enough milk (inconsolable baby that wants to feed all the time), lactose intolerance (very unhappy baby after a feed with lots of "colic" from early on), incorrect or difficult latch (painful sore cracked nipples – try using nipple shields, bepanthen, breast pads).
Then there is expressing by pump. For some moms this is a life-saver and works wonderfully. I do not have too much experience with pumping breast milk (just never had the extra time or milk to do it). A good pump can be absolutely indispensable for moms, especially working moms. Find a pump that is convenient and works well for you. There are loads of second hand baby shops these days so if cost is an issue find a second hand one or borrow one.
I am more than happy to answer questions and try to help with this precious and wonderful gift you can give to your baby (contact details available).
Whilst breastfeeding is a great way to bond and nourish your baby it is NOT the end of the world if it does not work out for you. Do not beat yourself up if things are not working, you have a hungry baby or a lactose intolerant baby. You can bond as well with bottle feeding and baby will still grow up to be a strapping boy or girl on formula.
So, once a heifer, not to be repeated, second time around a good cow!
Written by Dr Claudine Lee 26 Hilton avenue 033 343 2243/This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published on the 18th November 2013.