If you’ve never breastfed a baby before, sorting through all of the information available can be mystifying. Any given question might be met with different answers depending on who you ask.
And for good reason…! So much of breastfeeding is situational, and when I’m wearing my lactation consultant hat, I find myself answering questions with, “It depends,” pretty regularly. Every mom and baby are different!
With that in mind, there are a few things that are (almost) universal, and I’d love to share them with you. New parents and their sweet babies are my passion, and I love equipping people with all they need to make the most out of those early weeks and months.
1. Breastfeed early, and breastfeed often. Research shows that frequent feeding during the early hours and days after delivery has a positive impact on long-term milk supply. If baby has made their appearance, and the nursing staff has given you the all-clear - put that baby to breast! You might even let them try the breast crawl (this video shows it in action around the 6 minute mark) and see what happens.
2. Hand expression is your friend. Every mom should practice and refine their hand expression skills - you never know when you might need it! Some women even get more milk through hand expression than they do using a breast pump. Especially during the first 24 hours, baby might be sleepy and difficult to wake to nurse. Hand expression is a great way to protect your supply for missed (or less than stellar) feedings. If you’ve never heard of it before, check out this video for a detailed guide!
3. Do what works for you. As discussed above, you’ll receive so much conflicting advice. It’s the nature of the territory. Your nurse or lactation consultant may have you try all of the ‘textbook’ holds that are supposed to be great for the newborn stage. If they aren’t working, don’t be afraid to try the biological nurturing position - scroll to the end of this video for a great illustration. The same goes with most other areas of lactation - and parenthood! You know yourself and your baby best. At the end of the day, the most important thing you can do is to trust your own instincts.
I hope this has been helpful! Thanks for taking the time to read, and if you’d like more helpful parenting information straight to your inbox, please drop your contact info in the box to your top right. I’d love to share this journey of parenthood with you. As always, if I can help with your newborn photography needs, reach out today!
Warmly,
Lindsay