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Breast Feeding

Breastfeeding should begin within the first few hours of delivery, if possible, by allowing the baby to rest skin-to-skin, on the mother’s chest. During this time, most infants are alert and interested in nursing.

In the first few days after delivery, the woman produces a small amount of a yellowish milk called colostrum. Colostrum is rich in nutrients and provides all the calories a baby needs for the first few days.

Many women worry that their infant is not getting enough milk immediately after delivery, when only small amounts of colostrum are normally produced. Infants are born with an excess of fluid and sugar stores that they are able to use as the woman’s milk supply increases.

It is normal to produce small amounts of milk in the beginning. With continued frequent breastfeeding, a larger amount of mature milk will be produced within two or three days. Infants normally lose weight during the first few days of life and gradually regain this weight by two weeks after delivery.

Human milk is widely recognized as the optimal source of nutrition for all infants. Breast milk promotes development of the infant’s immune system and meets the nutritional needs of a full term infant until approximately six months of age, when complementary foods and fluids are usually added to the diet.

Women are encouraged to attempt breastfeeding as soon as the infant begins to show signs of hunger.In the first one to two weeks, most infants will breastfeed 8 to 12 times per day. Some infants will want to nurse frequently, as often as every 30 to 60 minutes, while others will have to be awakened and encouraged to nurse.

It is not necessary to give formula milk to a full term infant who gains weight appropriately and who has an adequate number of urine wetting. Providing formula can potentially reduce a woman’s supply of breast milk, especially if formula is given in place of breastfeeding (eg, before bedtime or during the night).

Even in hot climates, parents do not need to give water or fruit juice to a breastfed infant until he or she is approximately six months old.

Cradle hold
The cradle hold can be done while the mother sits in a chair. To feed from the left breast, the infant’s head and body are supported by the mother’s left forearm. The mother’s left hand usually supports the baby’s buttocks or upper thighs. Some women use a pillow to support this arm. The baby’s stomach should be flat against the mother’s chest and the baby’s head should be in line with the body (not turned). The mother’s free hand (the right hand in this example) supports and guides the breast to the infant’s wide-open mouth. The thumb on the free hand may be placed on top of the areola and the breast supported with the cupped fingers. Care should be taken to position the hand away from the nipple so that the thumb and fingers do not interfere with latching.

Cross Cradle Hold
The cross-cradle hold can also be done while the mother sits in a chair. To feed from the left breast, the infant’s head and body are supported by the mother’s right hand and forearm. Some women use a pillow to support this arm. The baby’s stomach should be flat against the mother’s chest and the baby’s head should be in line with the body (not turned). The mother’s free hand (the left hand in this example) supports and guides the breast to the infant’s wide-open mouth. The thumb on the free hand may be placed on top of the areola and the breast supported with the cupped fingers. Care should be taken to position the hand away from the nipple so that the thumb and fingers do not interfere with latching.

Football Hold
The football position allows a woman to easily see the baby at her breast. It is often preferred by women who have an abdominal incision, after a Cesarean section, or by women with large breasts or a small or premature baby. The baby is supported by a pillow as the mother sits, which should allow the baby’s head to be at the level of the mother’s breast.

To feed from the left breast, the baby’s body and legs are under the left arm, with the head supported by the mother’s left hand. The mother’s free hand (the right hand in this example) supports and guides the breast to the infant’s wide-open mouth.

Side Lying Hold
The side-lying hold allows the mother to nurse while lying down. When using this position, there should be no excess bedding around the infant. The side-lying hold should not be used on a waterbed, a couch, or a recliner because this poses a suffocation hazard to the infant.

To nurse from the left breast, the woman lies on her left side. The baby’s head and body lie parallel to the woman’s body, with the baby’s mouth close to and facing the woman’s left breast. The woman may prefer to have a pillow under her head, with her left hand between her head and the pillow. The mother’s free hand (the right hand in this example) supports and guides the breast to the infant’s wide-open mouth. The thumb on the free hand may be placed on top of the areola and the breast supported with the cupped fingers. Care should be taken to position the hand away from the nipple so that the thumb and fingers do not interfere with latching.