Feeding the Bitey Monster

You're home from the delivery. The house has settled into a somewhat chaotic routine, what with everyone wanting to hold the baby.

Breastfeeding (BF) is a stressful aspect post delivery.

Here's a fun fact- I read novels on my kindle, play games on my mobile, read for my sex counselling course, eat, fold clothes, organize the millions of pics of my little one, among other things, while feeding. As a matter of fact I am feeding her as I type this. It's just a bit slower!

Since I had a Caesarean section delivery, I could not feed my baby well in the first 2-3 days. The reason for this being the C section wound. Resting a baby in your lap can be painful for the lower abdomen. However the kind nurses at the hospital fed my baby Nan pro/ formula feed every 3 hours. I think it gave me time to come to terms with the fact that for the next 6 months i would not get more than a few hours of sleep at a time. But I do sleep 5-6 hours at a stretch, at nights, if the baby sleeps that long (this started around 2 months).

Anyway.

The things you'll need as you breastfeed a baby include these:

• Feeding pillow (A blessing for all mothers! Or you can use a bunch of pillows too, whatever is comfortable. If you're in doubt about a feeding pillow, trust me- it will give you so much peace! Regardless of the position you feed your baby in- I use the football position- recommended for C section mums)Feeding pillow
• Hankeys- small ones, to keep dabbing the little mouth of your baby, and to wipe off your nipple in between feeds or at the end of it (Be extra careful with hygiene, especially with the breast and nipple)
• Bra pads (disposable and cloth pads)- these will help you prevent the leakage, if any, from spoiling your shirts and having to change again and again. Sometimes you can simply stuff a folded hankey or cloth, whatever comes in handy. Leaking is more common if the baby has not fed at a breast for a little long. The leaky problem will fix itself as you and your baby settle into a demand and feed cycle. 2-3 months is all it will take. No harm having a bra pad on when you are out, regardless of leaks or not. disposable bra pads
• Always keep a bottle of water nearby when you feed. Or see to it that someone, who you don't mind seeing you feeding, is in hearing distance and can bring you water. I prefer keeping a bottle with me. Bottle of water. Not the other thing of course ;)
• Feeding cover (Lots of easy DIYs on the net for this one)
• Nursing bras 

Things you can talk to your doctor/ lactation consultant about:

• The proper latch of a baby's mouth to your nipple (It should not be painful)
• Sore nipples (Babies are Bitey monsters) and how to avoid them
• Nipple shield
• Nipple confusion and bottle feeding
• Natural feeding bottles (Philips avent natural feeding bottle)
• Breast pumps (Pigeon breast pump)
• Pacifiers
• Positioning

You can also read about all of this from books and the net. Although a session with a lactation consultant will be very helpful. Also, there are tutorial videos about proper feeding.

Now remember, depending on the climate, cover your baby with a blanket.

Check for a wet nappy if baby keeps crying during a feed

Stuffy nose (Dried mucus in the baby's nose which will need to be aspirated after a few drops of saline) can also make a baby cry

A sleepy baby can also be fussy at the breast

What to do if your baby falls asleep while feeding?

(Other than questioning whether baby fed well or not!?)

• Try gently scratching or rubbing the area behind your baby's ear
• Try calling out to them
• Wipe baby's forehead or cheek with a wet wipe
• Use a slightly noisy toy to wake them up - I used a super annoying squeaky toy to wake her up- with disastrous results- she would cry and cry and cry and that would be the end of the feed

I found that feeding time reduces as your baby grows older, possibly because of the baby's increasing efficiency at getting what the baby needs. And trust me when I tell you, you'll be feeding your baby in the light of a little lamp without struggling soon enough. It gets easy. Practice makes man perfect. So, having to feed your baby so frequently will make any woman an expert at feeding. We don't need practice to be perfect, women are born perfect ;)


The following is extremely important!!

• Do not worry about your milk not being sufficient
• The baby will take care of drawing out sufficient milk
• If the baby is pooping, peeing and gaining weight adequately, you do not need to worry about milk being insufficient
• Do not let anyone tell you otherwise- do not get stressed when people say- Oh! You are not getting enough milk! They do not know any better than you do.
• Do not allow people into the room unless you are absolutely comfortable with them seeing you feeding. Find a comfortable, cosy place to feed. It is not only your bonding time with the baby, it is your me time too!
• You can talk to your baby, you can sing, play songs or do whatever you want while feeding. Many often advise to not talk to the baby while feeding- it is now recommended to keep talking to your baby while feeding- it helps in mother- baby bonding- Duh! Obviously!!
• Follow your gut and most important of all, consult your doctor if in any doubt.

Remember every mother has her own way of feeding and this short tryst with breast feeding will make you a better human being. It made me feel like a goddess! And even if you choose not to or are unable to feed for as long as recommended (6 months of exclusive breast feeding is highly recommended BTW), don't let it or any other person make you feel any less. A mother is a mother. The type of delivery or the duration of breast feeding does not make one mother better or lesser than the other. Do not compare yourself with all the stories you are going to have to listen to about this stuff. It is your experience that matters. It will always be yours, so make it special.