Breastfeeding Advice from Our Midwife

Alannah - Midwife, Feb 2021

Breastfeeding Advice from Our Midwife

Benefits of Breastfeeding

Whether you’re a first-time mother, a mother who has breastfed multiple times, or a mother with other children who has decided to breastfeed her current infant, there is always more to learn. Once you get past the initial trial-and-error days of finding the best system for you, breastfeeding often becomes one of motherhood's most rewarding responsibilities. And breastfeeding offers lots of benefits for both you and your baby — giving both of you a head-start on a healthy future.

Benefits for your baby
• Breastfeeding is naturally manufactured by your body to contain all of the nutrients that your baby requires to grow and develop. Breast milk is tailored nutritionally for your baby, and changes its composition to meet your baby’s needs as they grow.

• Breastfeeding helps to protect your baby from illnesses such as ear, chest and tummy infections. This is achieved as when you come into contact with a virus or bacteria, your body will make antibodies to protect itself. These antibodies are passed through your breast milk so your baby is protected too. Despite years of research, science still can't replicate this. Studies have also shown that breastfeeding helps to reduce the risks of constipation and upset tummies in newborns.

• The physical closeness, skin to skin contact and eye contact that occurs when breastfeeding helps your baby to feel safe and secure in your arms, it encourages feelings of protection, love and closeness. The process of breastfeeding releases oxytocin, which is also known as ‘the love hormone’, this also promotes bonding and establishing a loving relationship between mum and baby.

Benefits for Mother

• Mothers who breastfeed often recover from childbirth quicker, this is also due to the hormone oxytocin which is released during breastfeeding. Along with helping to create a bond between mother and baby, it also helps to return the uterus to its pre-pregnancy size and helps to reduce postpartum bleeding.
• Studies have show that women who have breastfed experience reduced rates of breast and ovarian cancer later in life.
• Breast milk is available at the perfect temperature for your baby wherever you are, meaning you can go out and about without having to carry a bag full of feeding equipment.

These are just a snippet of the advantages to breastfeeding. So, before you begin your breastfeeding journey it is important to be prepared. Here are a few tips that might help you along the way.

Know the signs

It is important to get to know your baby, get to know the facial expressions, noises and behaviours that your baby makes when he/she is hungry. These are often referred to as ‘feeding cues’ and may come across something like;

• Nuzzling against your breasts
• Sucking on their little hand
• Opening his or her mouth which can also be referred to as ‘rooting’, this is where your newborn opens his or her mouth and turns their head from side to side.
• Sucking on his/her lip or tongue
• If he/she does cry, it will typically be a short, low-pitched wail that rises and falls
Try not to wait for the tears as by then your baby may be uncomfortably hungry and will find it harder to settle for the feed.

It would also be a good idea to speak with family members or friends who have experience with breastfeeding and to take onboard any tips or advice that might help along the way. I would also recommend to play around with different breastfeeding positions until you find one that’s comfortable for both you and baby. A breastfeeding pillow might even become your best friend in this endeavour, it allows you to prop baby up comfortably and provides the support you both need during feeding. It might also be a good idea to have everything you might need within reach before settling down to feed whether it’s a book, the tv remote or a bottle of water. This will help to ensure that you will be both comfortable and hopefully uninterrupted for the duration of the feed. I know with the new reality of Covid 19 it is certainly posing challenges in our everyday life, and with regard to breastfeeding you might be unaware of what supports are available during these restrictions. There are some very good and trusted websites such as MyChild.ie which also has a breastfeeding live chat option with a breastfeeding consultant. La Leche League usually run coffee mornings and breastfeeding groups all over Ireland and locally in Clonakilty but unfortunately with Covid 19 they have been cancelled. They do still have an online website and are available to answer phone calls and online queries.

Attachment

From my experience in the hospital setting I found that most new mums found attaching baby to breast the most difficult part to breastfeeding in the initial postnatal period. This is normal, and don’t be discouraged if you find yourself in this poison! Take on board all the help from the midwives in the hospital and don’t be afraid to ask for help. A great way to start your breastfeeding journey is with skin to skin contact directly after labour if both mother and baby are doing well. Regulating baby’s temperature, breathing and heart rate, skin to skin contact offers so many benefits and can also be done by mothers who do not wish to breastfeed and also by the birthing partner. In relation to breastfeeding, skin to skin time allows baby to settle on their mothers’ chest, Mother Nature will kick in and you will often see your baby will start to make his or her own way to the breast. The general rule of thumb is “Tummy to mummy, nipple to nose” when attaching baby to breast, the Rotunda hospital in Dublin have made some great educational videos made by lactation consultants on breastfeeding that can be found on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qumCS9aLBK8 
Once baby is attached to breast it should not hurt, you might feel the initial pulling or sucking sensation, but this should ease. If you feel pain when feeding it is important to remove baby, reposition and start again. Continuing to feed with a poor or painful latch can lead to problems like sore or cracked nipples. Unfortunately, this will also happen to some mothers even if their latch is okay. But fear not as there are products on the market that will help you to heal and soothe any pain most of which can be found at your local pharmacy.

Be Prepared with Breastfeeding Essentials

There are many breastfeeding products on the market that will help you with any problems you may encounter as well as making breastfeeding more comfortable for both mother and baby. Nipple creams, compresses and breast shields will soothe sore nipples and breast pads will help you collect any leaking breast. Multi-Mam compresses are a natural product that delivers instant intensive cooling relief to sore or cracked nipples, they are composed of a gel derived from the aloe vera plant, which soothes and cools the nipple and also acts as a natural and effective barrier to bacteria. They can be stored in the fridge for an extra cooling effect and as the gel is natural and harmless it will not cause any harm to baby if swallowed.

Lansinoh Therapearl 3-in-1 Breast Therapy gel packs are also a great product to relieve and soothe pain caused by engorgement, blocked ducts or mastitis. It can be used both hot or cold by being placed in a freezer or a microwave. Your local pharmacy should be well stocked with breastfeeding essentials and here at Rosscarbery Pharmacy we will do our best to support you and answer any questions or queries that you might have. The “new normal” of COVID-19 has meant an even stronger reliance on technology than ever before, and now your breastfeeding essentials can be picked out and delivered to your door from the safety and comfort of your home.

So, if you are embarking on a breastfeeding journey or even thinking of breastfeeding it will be for sure hard and overwhelming at times, it requires a great deal of patience and perseverance but it will be no doubt all be worth it! Ireland's breastfeeding rates are however amongst the lowest in the world with less than 50% of mothers reporting exclusively breastfeeding upon discharge from hospital so do not be disheartened if it’s not for you or if it doesn’t work out. What really matters under it all is that your baby is loved and cared for. Equally important is to take care of you, make time for yourself- go for walks, naps and enjoy this very special time in your life.

A Little Bit About Me

I grew up in our lovely village of Rosscarbery, from a young age I had a keen interest in the areas of customer service and the healthcare industry. At the age of 16 I got my first job in a local pub in Rosscarbery where I loved chatting and getting to know the customers. From here I went onto pursue a career in the healthcare industry, I studied in University College Cork for four years and recently qualified with a bachelor honours degree in Midwifery. Having worked in the hospital during and after my studies, I gained invaluable experience in the areas of pregnancy, childbirth and the newborn. I loved helping and supporting women and their families during such a special time. I am one of the newest recruits to join the pharmacy team and it is fair to say that I have been welcomed with open arms! I love chatting and helping customers and learning new things everyday! So, thank you for reading, keep well and stay safe!