Breastfeeding can be tough in the early days even if you only have one child to look after. But if you have toddlers as well the difficulty level can rise exponentially. These are my top tips for breastfeeding!

Breastfeeding Tips For New Mommas

Your Milk In The First Week

During the first day with you newborn, you can expect to produce around a 1 tsp of colostrum at each feeding to fill baby’s tummy, which at this point is about the size of a cherry. With such a tiny tummy, you should expect to nurse as often as possible. The first mistake that new mothers make in establishing a milk supply is that they don’t breastfeed frequently enough in those first few days. Newborns are very sleepy and might sleep through feedings. Don’t let this happen, if you are approaching 2 hours since the beginning of your last feeding, take your sleeping newborn into a nursing position and gently stir them until they begin rooting and latch.

Proper Latching

It will be difficult to latch a baby onto an extremely full breast. The nipple can flatten or invert, and squeezing the breast to get it into baby’s mouth can be incredibly painful. Using breast shells was a lifesaver for me during engorgement.

Feed Your Baby On Demand

This is easy to do. Meaning, you give breast to the baby on his every cry. If the child refuses the breast perhaps he has other concerns than hunger. He can be hot, cold, wet, or just feeling uncomfortable. However, in most cases, the breast helps to calm the baby. At first, the newborn can literally spend hours “hanging” on your breast. This doesn’t mean he is hungry. Breast milk is digested very quickly, and sucking breast for the baby is also a way to be close to his mother, calm down or fall asleep.

Drink Hot Fluids 30 Minutes Before Nursing

This helped me a lot. Hot fluids aid in milk production. When it seemed to me that my baby didn’t get enough milk, drinking hot water would be first thing in the list.

Nursing Positions

Once you have an adequate supply of milk, you should start experimenting with different nursing positions. A football hold is great for managing those XL sized engorged breasts. Lying back can be helpful if you have a forceful letdown. Side-Lying is always a popular option for night feedings or to get through cluster feeding sessions.

Avoid Pacifiers At First

Babies suck on Pacifiers in a different way then the breast. This can and will cause Nipple confusion and they’ll have trouble establishing a good latch.

Nighttime Feedings

Prolactin, responsible for milk production, is produced in large amounts during night. Nursing in nighttime is needed throughout the entire period of breastfeeding. In this case, co-sleeping is a wonderful option that makes nighttime breastfeeding super easy.

Reduce Stress While Nursing

Stress is the number one killer of a good milk supply. Stressing out about whether or not you’re producing enough milk is the last thing you should do. If you’re experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression or anxiety and feel like it is impacting your milk supply, try to find ways to calm yourself down during feedings.

Final Thoughts

Breastfeeding may seem like an exhausting job! But, it is also one of the most rewarding! Try these tips, sleep while the baby sleeps, and ensure you rest enough to take care of your little one! If you think your baby is old enough to take solid foods, you can read guides such as the ones that talk about baby led weaning.