– by Kyla – Acupuncturist, Midwife & Lactation Consultant
Over the years of working as a Midwife the most common questions I have found being asked by new mothers is “How do I know when my baby is hungry?“ and “How often should I feed my baby?” So I have put my thinking cap on and attempted to gather some helpful tips together to answer these popular questions and offer some clarity on the subject of breastfeeding, which at times seems somewhat cloudy and confusing.
All baby mammals have a natural instinct to find their mothers breast from birth with little or no help from anyone. These instinctive behaviours include the following:
§ Sticking their tongue out
§ Turning their head from side-to-side
§ Wriggling
§ Finding and grasping the nipple
§ Latching onto the breast
§ Sucking
These instinctive behaviours are seen as early as the first one to two hours after birth and continue for at least three months after birth. A mother can be sure that she doesn’t have to know it all and her baby is born hardwired to breastfeed.
To get the ball rolling with answering the two pressing questions of the moment is to introduce the term ‘Baby led attachment’. This is often described as the process of a baby seeking their mother’s breast and offers the most natural introduction to feeding.
Firstly, start with a calm baby for a calm baby is more likely to follow through with the above-mentioned natural instincts than a baby who is upset. Get to know your babies feeding cues. Crying is a late feeding cue, so it is important to recognise earlier feeding cues, which are:
§ Turning head from side to side
§ Sticking tongue out
§ Wriggling
§ Hands to mouth
These cues are important to recognise, as it will govern when your baby wants to feed and how often to feed. Babies are very clever and will indicate what they want very clearly and if you learn to recognise theses feeding cues and work with your baby’s signals, it will make breastfeeding all the more achievable.
When your baby is ready to feed you may want to be completely skin-to-skin with your baby (i.e. not wearing a bra). However, it is not essential if the mother feels more comfortable being dressed as long as the breast is accessible to the baby.
A mother can position the baby to her body in a way that feels right for her, even a semi reclined position works well.
When your baby is ready to feed it will start to lift and bob its head around to find the breast. As your baby moves closer to the breast it will nuzzle towards the nipple.
When your baby finds the right spot it will dig its chin into your breast, reach up with an open mouth, attach to the breast and begin sucking.
The key to successful breastfeeding is to recognise your babies cues and let your baby feed when these cues are exhibited. Your baby may feed at regular intervals or in hourly clusters. Let your baby tell you what it needs and act on those needs. A baby who has had many chances to seek out his mother’s breast using their instincts, usually become skilful at breastfeeding, no matter the position its mother adopts.
Until next time, enjoy your new baby and happy breastfeeding.