Breastfeeding Do’s and Don’ts

by Confinement Care Malaysia | May 19, 2020

Doctors and physicians recommend that mothers should breastfeed their children for at least a period of six months. However, most women find it difficult to reach that mark. Therefore, it is beneficial to know the exact set of steps and guidelines that you must follow for training your own self and your baby for breastfeeding. A confinement nanny can help you in instructing you as to what is right for you and what is not. In order to help you with breastfeeding, here are a few points for you to consider. These points are as follows –

• The commonest mistake people make while breastfeeding is that they believe that breastfeeding will hurt them as a norm. They usually associate breastfeeding with sore nipples and believe that breastfeeding needs a lot of courage and tolerance. On the other hand, if the baby is able to latch onto the nipple properly, there is no reason why breastfeeding should hurt you.
• The primary reason breastfeeding hurts women is because their babies do not know how to breastfeed. In fact, they nipple feed. In order to teach your child, you must hold your breast in a firm manner creating a pointing shape. You must then bring the baby closer to you and put your nipple into the mouth of the baby deep enough to ensure that you are not hurt as a result.
• You baby will be able to breastfeed properly only if he or she is well supported. Therefore, it is best to hold the body of the baby along the spine and put a hand at the head’s base to get the baby’s body in a stable position.
• You can also use the rapid arm movement technique to make breastfeeding comfortable for both your baby and you. The movement helps the baby to take the breast nicely into his or her mouth and should cause minimal discomfort to you.
• You may feel uncomfortable the first couple of times that the baby latches onto the breast. It is normal for that to happen. However, with time, the baby shall learn the process and you will also get used to the activity. Therefore, with time breastfeeding will hurt you less.
• It is commonly observed that mothers start feeling thirsty before and after breastfeeding sessions. Therefore, keep a bottle of water handy while you are getting into a breastfeeding session. You will need water before and after the session. You can expect to need more water than usual. Therefore, ensure that you keep enough water with you.
  It is important for you to realize that your diet must include healthy foods and enough nutrients to keep up with the needs of your body. Some good foods to include in your diet are seeds, nuts, sugar-free breakfast cereals, fresh fruits, yogurt, cheese and snacks like biscuits and veggies.
• Junk food is detrimental to your health, and it is all the worse for your system when you are attempting to recover from the challenges of pregnancy. Sweet biscuits, pastries, chips, lollies, and cakes can be very bad for your health and will not do anything good for your system. Try to incorporate high-sugar treats and high-fat snacks in between meals.
• One nutrient that pregnancy depletes the most is your body’s iron reserve. However, iron is essential for the daily and normal functioning of the body. In order to replenish the reserves, you can incorporate leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, lentils, legumes, cereals, and wholegrain bread. Besides, chicken, meat, and fish are also good components to incorporate.
• Alcohol is instantly absorbed in your system. However, it takes close to or more than two hours to get out of the system completely. Therefore, it is best to avoid alcohol altogether. However, if that is not possible for you, you must ensure that you do not consume alcohol immediately before breastfeeding. An occasional beer or wine is fine.
• Like alcohol, caffeine is also absorbed into your breast milk and passed onto the baby. Moreover, caffeine is bad for the baby, and the only way you can avoid the situation is by ensuring that you take in limited amounts of caffeine. This does not mean that caffeine usage is banned for you if you are breastfeeding. However, it sure must be limited to a bare minimum.

Breastfeeding is meant to be a satisfying and fulfilling experience and should not hurt you in any way. A confinement nanny can help you identify issues and address them in the best possible manner. Besides, if there are issues that require medical attention, the confinement nanny can help you identify emergencies. Regardless of whether you are an Indian, a Chinese or Malay (Muslim), you can use the information provided in the article to ensure that your breastfeeding sessions are smooth.