Breast Is Best! Breast-feeding for Success

The New Mom's Manual : Over 800 Tips and Advice from Hundreds of Moms for Baby's First Year
by Mary Jeanne Menna

The Best Advice from the Best Experts - Other Moms!

Who better to give you the real low-down on baby's first year than hundreds of other moms who have been there, changed that. Here are more than 800 tips from experienced moms who've contributed their favorite, most effective, and inventive solutions to help you cope with diapering, feeding, nursing and bottle-feeding, bathing, traveling, sleeping, crying, teething, playing, baby-proofing, postpartum adjustment, new-parent stress, spousal issues, and more. These mom-tested tips, amusing anecdotes, money- and time-saving ideas, safety hints, and heartfelt words of encouragement - all approved by a Harvard Medical School pediatrician - give you the real-life answers to all your baby-care questions.

Here are just a few of the gems you'll find in this book:

• To soothe colic, drape a warm towel over a large gym ball, put baby tummy-down, and roll her gently back and forth.

• Revive your Crock-Pot to warm bottles by your bedside.

• Toss a piece of coal into your diaper pail to eliminate odors.

• Use a paste of Kaopectate and cornstarch to clear up diaper rash.

• To soothe swollen breasts, try bags of frozen peas, warm tea bags, or disposable diapers filled with warm water.

• Make your own nonskid socks with 3-D fabric paint.

• Schedule wellness checkups for 1 p.m. so you get the first appointment after the lunch break - less waiting!

Experts agree that breast milk is the best source of nutrition for baby, providing just the right amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, as well as critical enzymes and antibodies that promote immunities to fight disease in your baby. In fact, your milk contains over a hundred ingredients not found in formula. And, aside from the important nutritional and health benefits of breast-feeding, there are many other physical and emotional benefits for baby and mom. At a time when you may be feeling a bit anxious (or completely overwhelmed!) about caring for this new little person in your life, breast-feeding provides a quiet, relaxing time for you both-once you've gotten the hang of it.

Perhaps you've already made up your mind to nurse your baby. Now comes the tricky part: learning how to breast-feed. It's possible that you'll be one of the fortunate ones who find that breast-feeding presents no particular problem; you offer your breast, your baby latches on well and eagerly nurses. More likely, though, breast-feeding will require lots of practice and patience in order to get it right.

One challenge many new moms face is a newborn who is too sleepy in the first few days to stay awake long enough to nurse sufficiently. If this is your situation, try changing her diaper, partially undressing her, wiping her body with a wet washcloth, or tickling her feet to stimulate her enough to want to eat. Another common obstacle for the breast-feeding mom is failing to position baby on the breast properly, creating an improper latch. When your baby is latched on correctly, her nose and chin will touch your breast, she'll have positioned her mouth over your nipple and most of the areola (the darker circle surrounding the nipple), and her sucking motion will be smooth and the suction on the breast firm. If you find that your baby's mouth covers only the nipple, or that her sucking creates "dimples" on her cheeks, she is not properly latched on. You'll need to experiment with different positions and holds to see what works best for baby. The same applies if you find that nursing is especially painful, that you're experiencing persistent breast tenderness, or your nipples are sore, cracked, or bleeding; these are all indications that baby is not latched on correctly. As you'll hear from other moms, if you're having problems with breast-feeding, don't give up before you've consulted with a lactation specialist. The specialist will give you a variety of solutions to your breast-feeding problems, including optional holds and positions that will help baby latch on correctly and relieve your pain.

This chapter contains more than a hundred useful tips and words of encouragement from moms who've successfully breast-fed their babies. Nursing moms talk about the advantages of breast-feeding, what works and what doesn't, where to turn for help, solutions to the most common breast-feeding obstacles, diet tips for the nursing mom, breast-feeding after returning to work, weaning, traveling, and much more. Be sure to read the next chapter, too, which addresses bottle-feeding. It's important to be informed of all options available to you (sometimes breast-feeding just doesn't work out, even for the best-intentioned mom), and chances are, you'll give your baby a bottle sometime in the first year. Whatever choice you make, your baby will do fine.

Why Breast-feed

Benefits mom and baby. Breast-feeding is cheaper, easier, and more convenient than bottle-feeding, and the baby will get the nutrients and immunities that only colostrum and breast milk can provide at the most crucial time. It's always the perfect temperature and is easily digested by the baby, too.

Wendy R., Tooele, UT

Feeling close to you. For nine months, each of my babies lived inside my body-the physical closeness in the womb giving them a sense of security. Adjusting to the outside world must be difficult for a baby. Nursing allows us to reconnect, merging physically for hours each day . . . what a wonderful and gentle welcome to the world.

Kaleigh Donnelly, Memphis, TN

Mother Nature knows best. Why, if other animal species are born with the knowledge, ability, and initiative to feed their young in the wild, do we-the most intelligent of all animals-try to "manufacture" a substitute for mother's milk? Cow's milk is for calves, and human milk is for baby humans. It's as nature intended.

Tonya K. McCartney, Wilmington, NC

Go ahead, be selfish! If not for the health of your baby, how about breast-feeding for what I call "selfish" reasons:

1. How badly do you yearn for your shape to come back?
I gained forty pounds during my pregnancy, and fit into my old blue jeans on the day my daughter turned three months old. (Most women find the prego-pounds come off more easily if they breast-feed.-MJM)

2. Do you like having your period?
No? I don't either. You most likely won't get your period again until you begin to introduce solid foods at least twice a day. However, be sure to use birth control while you're nursing, as there is a remote chance that you may get pregnant.

3. Are you lazy?
Well, then, I'm sure you would rather feed your baby the easy way than have to clean bottles and nipples, buy and mix formula, not to mention waking up to heat the bottles at two a.m.

4. Are you cheap?
It's free!

5. Want to spend less time in the pediatrician's office?
Studies show that breast-fed babies spend less time in the doctor's office: They experience fewer ear infections, allergies, rashes, digestive problems, diarrhea, and respiratory illnesses.

6. Want to decrease your chances of developing breast cancer?
Studies show that breast-feeding actually helps prevent breast cancer as we age.

Alicia Beth Klein, Pittsburgh, PA

Just try it. Even if you're a little unsure about breast-feeding, at least try it-you can always quit and go to a bottle. But if you start with a bottle, it is difficult to change to breast-feeding.

Sheryl McCarthy, North Stonington, CT

Preparing Before the Birth

Get prepared before the birth. My advice to new moms is to hook up with a breast-feeding advocate or organization before the baby is born. I chose La Leche League and became educated about breast-feeding in advance. After the birth, whenever I felt like giving up, they were there to give me helpful advice and cheer me on.

Daphne Castor, Mililani, HI

Take a class. Call your local university or hospital to find out if they offer breast-feeding classes. I took a breast-feeding class at the local college prior to my baby's arrival, and I was glad I did. The instructor went over all of the various holds and thoroughly discussed the whole process-it helped me to feel more confident about breast-feeding.

Angela

Read a book. There are several good breast-feeding books on the market that you can read prior to the baby's arrival. Two that I would recommend are: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, by La Leche League International, and The Complete Book of Breastfeeding, by Marvin S. Eiger, M.D. and Sally Wendkos Olds.

Sonya Kasen, Jenison, MI

It's easier with illustrations. I highly recommend The Nursing Mother's Companion, by Kathleen Huggins. The author, a nurse, provides step-by-step instructions on the techniques of breast-feeding and includes many photos and illustrations to make it easy to understand. There's also a section on safe medications for nursing moms.

Wendy L. Blumberg, Plano, TX

Get your nipples checked during pregnancy. Have your nipples checked while pregnant to determine if they are flat or inverted, so that you can correct the problem before your baby's birth. At the time my first son was born, I didn't know that my nipples were considered to be flat, and he had the hardest time latching on. I tried wearing breast shields after his birth, but they didn't correct the problem. While pregnant with my second child, a friend, who also happened to be a La Leche League leader, recommended that I begin wearing nipple shields for several hours a day, starting from about my seventh month of pregnancy. It worked! After he was born, he latched on great and I didn't have to wear the nipple shields anymore.

Nancy R., Ballwin, MO

At the Hospital

Ask for help before going home. Put aside your modesty and embarrassment and ask the nurses to show you how to latch your baby properly before you go home from the hospital. Don't wait until you get home to find that you're having problems-you may become frustrated and give up.

Angela

Request a lactation consultant or nurse. Ask specifically for a lactation consultant or lactation nurse at the hospital. My baby was premature and was kept in the NICU (newborn intensive-care unit); it would take her more than half an hour to latch on-I was in tears at every feeding. Finally, the NICU nurses called in a lactation consultant who was able to get my baby latched on in a minute. She even stayed with me for a couple of hours after her shift to make sure I had no more problems and gave me a wonderful pep talk . . . she deserves to be sainted!

Wendy R., Tooele, UT

Why didn't anyone warn me? My milk came in two days after my son was born. I had no idea it would be so painful. Suddenly I looked like Anna Nicole Smith, and my breasts were so hard you could've bounced quarters off them. It took two days for the swelling to go down (I lived in a hot shower) and it was hard for my son to latch on because my nipples were swollen almost flat. Ask your doctor to okay Tylenol.

Betsy, White Plains, NY

Speak up and stand firm. I made a big mistake in the hospital by not speaking up and letting the nursing staff know that I wanted to breast-feed exclusively. I delivered my son at nine forty-five p.m., and he was immediately taken away and not returned to me for six hours; the nurses offered no other reason than that the nursery was extremely busy that night. He was given a bottle of formula and a pacifier. Later that night the same procedure was repeated! My son never did latch on after that and I was, sadly, unable to breast-feed.

Dawn M. Oliveri, Saunderstown, RI

It's okay to supplement. You can do both-breast-feed and bottle-feed with formula-it doesn't have to be all or nothing. I had quadruplets and my daughters were extremely premature, requiring a lengthy stay in the NICU. Due to their size, they were unable to breast-feed, so I pumped my breast milk and froze it until I was able to feed them. As the babies grew, I was able to breast-feed for three of their daily feedings, then supplemented with formula for the balance of the feedings.

Gabriella Marshall, Houston, TX

At Home

"Things were great . . . until we got home!" My son nursed great in the hospital; in fact, the lactation consultant joked that she was going to wheel us around the floor to use as a model for other mother-baby nursing teams. Then we went home. The next week and a half were miserable!-I was in pain everywhere, especially in the nipples. I employed the breathing exercises I had totally forgotten about in labor and found that they helped a little. I kept telling myself, week after week, "It's best for the baby, it's best for the baby . . ." Then all of a sudden, things were really wonderful: The baby was gaining weight and I found that nursing did not hurt-in fact, it felt great! The bonding was so intense that as six months approached, it did not seem long enough, so I decided to nurse for nine months, then as nine months approached, I set a new goal of one year and beyond. My son is now eleven months old and we're still nursing strong!

Jennifer Metz, Tampa, FL

Keep a good attitude. Just relax and keep these thoughts in mind: Breast-feeding is the most natural and motherly thing you can do. You are helping another human being be the best, healthiest person he can be (who said ear infections are a natural part of babyhood?).

Carrie Bennett, Weirton, WV

Value the work you're doing. Surround yourself with women who have the same goals; this helps provide a support network for you. Take the time to enjoy nursing-don't get caught up in the I don't have enough time to just sit here-when you're nursing, you're doing some of the hardest work. Value that work!

Melanie Harper, WA

Patience is key to success. Nobody told me that breast-feeding would take soooo much time. It seemed like I had time for nothing else: feeding on one side, then the other; burping and diaper changes . . . only to start all over again thirty to forty-five minutes later! Be prepared for the time commitment required and for some degree of sleep deprivation for up to one year.

Holly Glennon, Anchorage, AK

Baby sling's an arm saver. I found breast-feeding to be exhausting, too! My baby would breast-feed for forty-five minutes on one breast, take a fifteen-minute break, then feed again on the other breast for another forty-five minutes! I gave up after two weeks, and now I wish I hadn't. Months later I learned of a great breast-feeding aid for moms of frequent feeders: a baby sling. A baby sling takes the place of your arms, allowing you to feed your baby while doing other things around the house. The baby is covered during feedings, so you can even go to the mall or the store while nursing as often as necessary. I will definitely breast-feed my next baby for a longer period of time with the help of a baby sling.

Kimberly Cushman, West Windsor, NJ

The remote is a godsend. I got so bored during nursing that I watched a lot of TV-with lights out and sound low at night-or chatted on the phone with a hands-free head set. Sometimes I surfed the Web. There's no law that says you've just got to sit there.

Ann R., NY

Hold off on the pacifier. Don't offer a pacifier or bottle for at least four weeks-this will prevent a lower milk supply and nipple confusion (an artificial nipple "confuses" baby). Also, breast-feeding requires effort on the part of the baby, whereas drinking from a bottle or sucking a pacifier takes much less effort-it's almost too easy. If the pacifier or bottle-feeding is established too early, baby may refuse to go back to the breast altogether. If baby really needs to suck, Mom or Dad can use a clean pinkie finger; it won't confuse her and is the best way to train her to suck properly if she is having trouble latching on.

Wendy Blumberg, Plano, TX

Give your baby a pacifier until next feeding. My son would nurse, then want to continue sucking practically until his next feeding! Although we were advised against using a pacifier, I gave him one immediately following his feedings. He rejected it at first, but then we found one that he liked (the bulb-shaped one), and it did the trick. He would suck for a while and then spit it out. He only needed it for about three months, and in the meantime, I got a little more time to myself.

Meghan Collins, Chelmsford, MA

Excerpted from The New Mom's Manual by Mary Jeanne Menna Copyright © 2001 by Mary Jeanne Menna. Excerpted by permission of Three Rivers Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

About the Author

Mary Jeanne Menna is an award-winning freelance writer focusing on parenting and children's health issues. A stay-at-home mother of two, she is an active member of Mothers at Home, the National Parenting Association, and the National PTA. She lives outside Atlanta, Georgia.