The first breastfeeding after birth is that part of the birth that can either go two ways: that your baby is going to latch right away or your baby will struggle to. Well, that’s all most movies tell us, at least. It turns out there are a bit more that we can expect during these first few minutes of our meeting with our babies.
In this article, we will give you a breakdown of all the need-to-know information about breastfeeding for the first time.
First Things First
Breastfeeding is a common challenge among new mums. Some are pretty natural about it, some are not. So, if your time comes to shine and you struggle, don’t be too hard on yourself. Do not think you did not prepare enough for it or think that you are a bad mother for it. Breastfeeding is just truly a struggle for many women. So, don’t stress out if your experience is not as magical as some women’s.
Why Breastfeed After Birth
Many studies have already confirmed that breastfeeding immediately after birth helps with the abundance of a mum’s milk supply. And low milk supply is just one of the few concerns many mums have with breastfeeding. So, any way you can increase your milk supply is definitely a tip worth trying.
Top that off with the benefits of early nursing on lowering babies’ risk for low blood sugar and lining their stomachs with immunoglobulins to help them fight infection. Another study also found that babies who were breastfed immediately after birth have the lowest risk of ailments and death.
First Time to Breastfeed – What It Will Feel Like
It’s hard to imagine what breastfeeding feels like when your only experience with it is when you watch it being done on TV or on video. Most newbie mums ask if the feeling is painful. Most mums’ general description is a tingling, warm feeling against your breast. The reason for this feeling is the let-down reflex.
So, is breastfeeding painful for the first time? The first day won’t be. But, as time goes on, your nipples will feel sore from all the sucking – pretty much the same way your hands would get wounds if you do the laundry several times in a row. The hard part is when your baby starts growing teeth. Breastfeeding can get nasty, but that’s for another article.
The tingling feeling is not only because of that tiny mouth sucking on your nipples but their soft nails lightly caressing your breasts. Again, it will feel uncomfortable, but the adjustment period won’t take you long.
Now, the adjustment period is short but feeding time might take longer. Experts have found that newborns drink up for up to 20 minutes to 45 minutes during their first feedings. But, of course, this adjustment period for your newborns will take a short time too. Once they get used to the feeling of breastfeeding, 20 minutes can be shortened to 5 minutes.
The First Letdown – What You Will See
The fluid that you will see come out of your breasts during the first breastfeeding after birth is going to look either clear or yellowish and rather thick in consistency. This fluid is called your ‘colostrum.’ This thick fluid is highly concentrated, so your baby will need only a few of it to get themselves full.
The more you breastfeed, the thinner your milk will become. It will also change colour from clear or yellowish to creamy white or bluish-white.
Now, on the occasion you do not see milk coming out of your breasts, there are a few things you can try to get the milk flowing out: (1) massaging your breast or hand-expressing to let the milk come out, (2) using a breast pump, (3) adding heat on to your body, and (4) drinking lots of water.
Breastfeeding Tips for First-Time Mums
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Insist Skin-to-Skin Contact After Birth
Image Source: iStock
Skin-t0-skin contact not only has relieving and therapeutic effects, but it most importantly helps your baby latch on to your breast faster.
Why? Because upon leaving the comfort of your womb, they first start using their senses – their sense of smell – for instance. And in exploring this sense, they look for the scent they are most familiar with – your breasts. So, the faster they familiarise themselves with the smell of your breasts, the easier it is for them to latch on.
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Try Different Breastfeeding Positions
Image Source: iStock
Did you know that the cradle position is not the only position you need to use when you breastfeed? Although it is the most common, it can leave your body feeling sore. And, you want to be comfortable when you are breastfeeding, so trying different positions is not a bad idea at all.
If you want to know if the amount of milk you’re feeding your baby is enough, check if they are going through 6 to 8 a day. That means they’re consuming enough milk.
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Always Breastfeed at Night
Sleeping time is usually when you produce hormones (or prolactin) which help in milk production. So, the more you breastfeed at night, the more breastmilk is produced.
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Do Not Be Ashamed to Ask For Help
The long hours of tending to a demanding newborn can take a toll on your energy. Moreover, you really need to focus on finding the best position for breastfeeding your baby. So ask your partner to take over the cooking, taking care of your other children or other chores that you usually do. You will need all the help you can get to nourish your newborn and for your own mental health.
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Wear Breast Pads or Use a Manual Pump to Catch the Letdown
Once you’ve gotten the hang of breastfeeding, your nipples are going to leak from the amount of milk you’re producing. If you want to avoid leaking through all of your tops, you can use breast pads. So many different kinds of breast pads are already on the market. So, just take your pick.
If you don’t want your liquid gold to go to waste on breast pads, you can also opt for a Haakaa pump. Simply attach this apparatus to your breast, and it will collect the milk that did not go through your little one’s tiny mouth yet.
Breast milk is easily digestible. That’s why an hour or two after your first feeding, your baby will start crying and want more. Yes, it’s going to be tiring, but frequent feedings also equal higher milk production, which is what we all want.
Also, this on-call kind of breastfeeding isn’t going to take forever. By your baby’s 2nd month, you will have noticed them following a particular pattern. So, as time passes, they will get used to breastfeeding, and the duration and frequency will lessen.
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Alternate Between Breasts
It’s easy to stick to just one breast, yes, but once the other gets engorged, you’re going to want to train yourself to feed from both breasts. Because of the amount of milk they’re producing on their own, engorged breasts can feel really painful. So, the only way you can relieve them is to feed your baby.
To avoid engorged breasts, you can switch breasts in the middle of feeding or choose one side in one feeding then feed on the other breast the next. Clipping a ribbon on your bra strap can be a pretty useful way of remembering which boob you fed your baby on.
And, there you have it. An ultimate guide to your baby’s first feed. Remember that the first time breastfeeding after birth will be quite challenging. But the rewards will be worth it. Moreover, if you have any questions or concerns about nursing your baby, do not hesitate to ask your child’s doctor or a lactation counsellor in your area.
Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.
