Breastfeeding 101

When it comes to getting babies off to a healthy start, experts agree that "breast is best." Human breast milk contains all the nutrients babies need each day, plus many substances that help them grow and develop properly physically and emotionally.

Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding are a special time in women's lives. Breastfeeding your baby is simply one of the most valuable gifts a mother can give her baby. It means the difference between health and illness. What better way to provide the best nourishment available to your child. Breastfeeding promotes physical and emotional well being for the baby, today and in the future.

Providing breastfeeding mothers with encouragement and support is of great importance. Encouragement and support help the mother and child in particular during the first few weeks after birth and allows them to continue nursing for months or even years.

Breastfeeding also provides a whole host of other benefits to the mother and child. Pregnancy is not 9 months it is 18 months. 9 months to grow a baby and 9 months for babies to continue their development and for mothers to get back to pre-pregnancy state. We call it the second pregnancy or second gestation. Like a kangaroo, human infants are underdeveloped when born and go from the womb straight to the nipple to finish its development. Kangaroos use pouches, women historically through the ages use slings.

Breastfeeding is instinctual but doesn't always come "naturally” in fact it is a dance and sometimes you need someone to teach you the steps. That's where lactation counseling comes in. Celesta can provide new moms with the information and help they need to make breastfeeding a happy and successful experience for both mother and child

Breast Health - Anatomy of Breasts

Each breast has 15 to 20 sections, called lobes, that are arranged like the petals of a daisy. Each lobe has many smaller lobules, which end in dozens of tiny bulbs that can produce milk. The lobes, lobules, and bulbs are all linked by thin tubes called ducts. These ducts lead to the nipple in the center of a dark area of skin called the areola. Fat fills the spaces between lobules and ducts. There are no muscles in the breast, but muscles lie under each breast and cover the ribs. Each breast also contains blood vessels and vessels that carry lymph. The lymph vessels lead to small bean-shaped organs called lymph nodes, clusters of which are found under the arm, above the collarbone, and in the chest, as well as in many other parts of the body.

Benefits for Mother:

• Breastfeeding releases hormones necessary to help your uterus returns to its non-pregnant size rapidly each time you nurse.
• The hormone Prolactin is release helping a mother to deal with challenges of new mothering with a sedative and relaxing effect.
  
• Convenient. The breast milk is always there, needs no preparation, is always clean and at the proper temperature and is specific to your baby's needs.
  
• Reduces the risk of developing breast cancer
  
• Inexpensive
  
• Emotional satisfaction. Breastfeeding facilitates the bonding relationship between mother and child through intimate physical contact.
  

Benefits for Babies:

• Easy digestibility with less digestive upsets. Breast milk is used rapidly and efficiently by babies.
• Protection from many diseases. This is especially important if the babies are premature and/or are very small.
  
• Protection from allergies.
  
• Optimum nutrition. Breast milk contains all the nutrients necessary for infants and in the exact amounts and proportions. It is living food with antioxidants, antibodies friendly flora and bacteria colonization. Artificial baby milk is dead food with mostly sugars and milk or soy fats.
  
• Increased IQ and language development
  
• Enhanced dental development.
  
• Special closeness with mother.
  

How does your infant get the milk?

The baby's tongue draws the nipple, areola and breast tissue well back into the mouth. His tongue cups and sweeps the nipple in a wavelike manner from front to back, pressing it up against the roof of his mouth. You should see his jaw and cheek muscles moving in a rhythmic motion.  The baby's gums must be at the back of the milk sinuses so that the milk can be squeezed out. If the baby's gums are just at the base of the nipple, the milk sinuses are closed between the baby's gums.

Positioning

To get a proper latch you need to have your baby positioned at breast properly. The rule-of-thumb no matter what position you choose to nurse you should have the baby's ear, shoulder, and hips all in alignment. This will ensure the baby is at the breast symmetrically thus avoiding uneven suckling of the nipple.

Latching on

Sit back comfortably and place your baby between your breast skin to skin. Your baby will begin to bob and twist herself into position at the breast and latches on. Use a pillow behind your back or under your arms to help you support the baby so once the baby is latched they will be available to adjust if needed. Place the baby's head in the crook of your elbow and hold the baby at the level of the breast. Baby's face and body are turned toward mother. The baby's ear, shoulder, and hip should be in a straight line. You can support your baby by cupping your breast with your free hand and make the nipple available to the baby by placing the nipple at the level of her nose so she can smell it and open her mouth wide for it. Make sure that a large part of areola is drawn in and centered in his mouth.

What other position can I use to nurse the baby?

Lying down to nurse

Lye down on your side and use pillows to support yourself and the baby. Baby should be lying on his side facing you with his nose in line with your nipple and his knees pulled in close to your body. Support your baby with your arm. Offer the breast to the baby. This is a great position to use for nighttime nursing.

Football hold

Remember to use a pillow to support you and your baby. Place the baby with his head resting in your hand and his legs under your arm. When you pull the baby close to latch on making sure his legs are not pushing up against the back of the bed or chair you are sitting in. The football hold is helpfull for mothers if the baby is having trouble latching on because it gives mother good visibility and good control of the baby's position as he latches on.

How often and how long should I nurse the baby?

Baby needs to nurse 10-14 times in a 24 hours period. The more you nurse the more milk you will have. Watch your baby not the clock because babies should be fed according to their individual needs, not according to some schedule. Watch your baby and let him, nurse, as long as he shows interest (sucking eagerly, swallowing often). When the baby loses interest that is when you can switch him over to the other breast.

How do I know my baby is getting enough to eat?

After the milk comes in the baby should have 6-8 wet cloth diapers or 5-6 disposable diapers in a day. He should also have 3-5 bowel movements per day. Other things to check, is he eating every 2-3 hours? Is he filling out, active and alert? These are all signs that your baby is getting enough to eat. Remember most babies lose some weight during the first week but get back to birth weight within 2-3 weeks after birth.

What is nipple confusion?

This is when a baby is given a bottle before nursing at the breast is established and is confused because getting milk from a bottle is much different from getting milk from the breast. A baby has to work at the breast using its tongue and jaws to draw out milk mouthful at a time at the baby's timing and flow. With a bottle, the baby a constant flow of milk with pours into the baby’s mouth and this forces the baby to put it’s tongue in the back of the throat to avoid choking on the milk and places the jawline back also. On the breast, the tongue and jaw need to be forward for a proper latch. With bottles, babies have to swallow quickly which allows air to be swallowed and tummy aches result.

I need help with breastfeeding who can I get help from?

We are fortunate to have Celesta who is specially trained and a skilled lactation consultant and support. Celesta has had specialized training for more difficult cases. Our services are covered by most health insurance companies.

La Leche League International has local support groups that hold monthly meetings in most parts of the United States and they encourage mothers to begin attending meetings while they are still pregnant.

La Leche League is a volunteer organization that has provided mother-to-mother help for more than 45 years.

Every La Leche League leader has breastfed at least one child and she has access to a considerable network of breastfeeding research and knowledge.

Mothers and newborns around the world use kangaroo care or what is also called babywearing. The premise is that as a baby kangaroo, baby humans are underdeveloped at birth and go straight from the umbilical cord to the nipple and continue its development just like a baby kangaroo. Instead of having a pouch that you carry your baby in and keep skin to skin and close to the breast human mothers for centuries use baby slings and wrap to simulate a mother kangaroo.

Studies show that premature babies who are kangaroo cared for make marked improvements in recoveries and shorter stays in NICU than those stuck in an incubator isolated and alone. More information and great DVD's on this can be found online at Geddes productions.

• Dr. Nils Bergman:  http://www.kangaroomothercare.com

Kangaroo Mother Care:

• Midwifery Today: Kangaroo Care
• Lessons From a Home Birth Practice

What is Kangaroo Care?

Kangaroo care is a method of holding a baby that involves skin-to-skin contact. The baby, who is naked except for a diaper and a piece of cloth covering his or her back (either a receiving blanket or the parent's clothing), is placed in an upright position against a parent's bare chest. This snuggling of the infant inside the pouch of their parent's shirt, much like a kangaroo's pouch, led to the creation of the term "kangaroo care."

How did kangaroo care come about?

Kangaroo care came about as a response to the high death rate in preterm babies seen in Bogota, Columbia, in the late 1970s. There, the death rate for premature infants was 70 percent. The babies were dying of infections, respiratory problems, and simply due to lack of attention. Researchers found that babies who were held close to their mothers' bodies for large portions of the day, not only survived but thrived. In the United States, hospitals that encourage kangaroo care typically have their mothers or fathers provide skin-to-skin contact with their preterm babies for several hours each day.

What are the benefits of kangaroo care?

• Stabilization of the baby's heart rate
• Improved (more regular) breathing pattern
• Improved oxygen saturation levels (an indicator of how well oxygen is being delivered to all the infant's organs and tissues)
• Gain in sleep time
• More rapid weight gain
• Decreased crying
• More successful breastfeeding episodes
• Earlier hospital discharge
• Improved bonding, feelings of closeness with their babies
• Increased breast milk supply
• Increased confidence inability to care for their babies
• Increased confidence that their babies are well cared for Increased sense of control

Why does kangaroo care work?

The benefits of kangaroo care listed above have all been demonstrated in research studies. In fact, studies have found that skin-to-skin holding stabilizes the heart and respiratory rates, improves oxygen saturation rates, better regulates an infant's body temperature, and conserves a baby's calories.

When a mother is kangarooing, the infant typically snuggles into the breast and falls asleep within a few minutes. The breasts themselves have been shown to change in temperature to accommodate a baby body's changing temperature needs. In other words, the breast can increase in temperature when the infant's body is cool and can decrease in temperature as the baby is warmed. The extra sleep that the infant gets snuggling with mom and the assistance in regulating body temperature helps the baby conserve energy and redirects calorie expenditures toward growth and weight gain. Being positioned on mom also helps to stabilize the infant's respiratory and heart rates. Finally, research has also shown that kangaroo care results in positive effects on brain development for both mother and baby.