1. Be sure you get the right latch
This is KEY. It’s about getting the lower part of the breast and areola into baby’s mouth so that the nipple hits their high palette which stimulates sucking. And don’t attempt to give baby the nipple if her or his mouth is not fully open. Use your finger to press down on the chin as this will immediately get the baby to open his or her mouth nicely.
2. Don’t watch the clock
Don’t keep timing your baby, to see how often or how long your baby is nursing. Instead, go with your instincts. If your baby is rooting around or crying, then feed him or her — even if you just did. That way when a growth spurt comes, you will be prepared!
3. Breastfeeding in the wee hours of the morning
Let’s face it, not all babies are angels who sleep thru the night. Mine certainly does not! I quickly found a comfortable position to feed her at night. So, do yourselves a favor and learn to breastfeed lying down as soon as you can! Method – Lie on your side, with a pillow or two to support your head. A pillow between your knees may help you feel comfortable. Position the baby, lying on his side, so his nose is level with your nipple. (If your breasts are on the smaller side, you may need a firm pillow under the baby to bring him up level with your nipple.) With one hand, bring the baby in close to you so that his chin is touching your breast and his head is tipped back a bit – make sure his or her nose is not blocked. I also find that they drift off to sleep and don’t need to be disturbed or woken to be burped this way. Feeding at night is also less frantic, so they take in less air – no need to burp.
4. Keep the lights off
When your baby wakes to nurse, keep the room as dark and quiet as possible, to encourage him to go right back to sleep. If you need to see what you’re doing to get a good latch, a nightlight or flashlight might be better options than turning on the bedside or room light. We’ve accidentally turned on the lights, and that was it – the baby was starry-eyed and awake! Same goes for burping, not really necessary at night – but that’s just our baby, you need to figure out what works for you.
5. Feed and Pump, Feed and pump
If you’re planning on going back to work, then you need to build your store of BM for the hubby to feed baby whilst you are gone. Your breast milk can be stored in the refrigerator (3 days) or frozen (about 6 months). I find pumping after i feed the baby the best way to do it. Also, do not miss the 5am or 6am pump – wee hours of the morning are when the milk ducts are producing the most milk… here’s the time to maximize milk extraction.
Oooo.. and final tip! (my +1 tip LOL) All breasts are not created equal!
I cannot stress this enough. There is even an old Malay proverbs that tell of how, each breast milk tastes different! Some babies can tell, some cannot. Anyway, for me I found that one boob’s let down was much slower. So the best way is to feed on the high flowing boob first, and then as the slower boob let’s down it’s milk, you can swap to that boob, then back to fast flowing. Some people also pump to extract the milk from the slower boob – whatever works for you. But do not give up on that boob (it’s not that you don’t have milk – more likely an impatient infant!) unless u want lop-sided sized boobs! haha
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