Breastfeeding a newborn baby can be a fiddly business.  They’re so fragile and delicate and quite frankly the whole experience can be overwhelming for a number of reasons, especially with all those hormones.  These breastfeeding tips will help get you started with a successful feeding journey.

 

Things don’t always go smoothly at the start of breastfeeding, and not because anyone is doing anything wrong, just because you’re learning. You’re both learning and breastfeeding can take a little practise no matter how natural it is.

 

Here’s some breastfeeding advice that  I’ve learnt from my 3 babies that will help any new Mum and baby get in the swing of things.  Breastfeeding does get easier, I promise you!

10 Breastfeeding Tips For New Mums

1. Get Some Breastfeeding Advice

If your having trouble with breastfeeding, you’re experiencing a lot of pain or you have any concerns get advice from your midwife, breastfeeding advisor or local breastfeeding support groups.  Getting someone to watch you feed can often provide the key to what adjustment you might need to make to get things going in the right direction.

 

2. Get Baby In A Straight Line

When you begin your feed make sure you’re holding baby in a straight line so their head and neck isn’t twisted.  It makes feeding so much easier for you and your little one.

 

3. Skin to Skin

If baby is fussing and struggling to latch, strip them down to the nappy and make give them complete contact with your skin.  Your going to have to be completely topless.  I tried skin to skin by just opening my PJ shirt, and it didn’t work as baby was still in contact with the sleeves.  As soon as I took it off completely she latched beautifully.

 

4. If Breastfeeding Hurts

If breastfeeding starts to hurt, break the latch and start again.  Keep doing it until it feels comfortable.  This is easier said than done in the middle of the night, but it will save cracked nipples in the long run.

 

5. Lansinoh

Get a tube! Use it! If you’ve already got cracked nipples then apply it and if you can, go topless and those nipples will soon heel.

 

6. Early Breastfeeding Signs

As soon as your baby starts to look for food, offer him the breast.  When they have woken up and they start ‘rooting’ is perfect.  Do not wait for them to cry, as it will make breastfeeding more stressful for both of you.

 

7. Get Comfy

With a small baby having cushions for support can be really helpful for getting the correct feeding position.  You can use a nursing pillow or a ‘v’ pillow, to help support you and baby as you could be sat there for a while.

 

8. Drink and Eat Plenty

You need to look after yourself while you are breastfeeding.  Do not underestimate how much extra your body needs to feed a baby and nourish yourself. Make sure you have plenty of water especially otherwise you might experience a little constipation (speaks the voice of experience!).

 

9. Open Mouth

I really felt like feeding a newborn was like playing the 2p machines at the fair.  Your waiting for the right moment to slot that nipple in to get a good feed going.  The mouth needs to be wide, and when it is the nipple needs a gentle shove into the mouth so you can get the nipple into the  soft palette where it won’t hurt, rub or crack the nipple.  This could take a few attempts.  But don’t worry, you and baby will get it!

 

10. Get Your Feeding Station Ready!

Get your drinks, snacks, TV remotes and box sets ready for some long feeding sessions.  It will make the whole experience so much more enjoyable if you have everything you need and you can catch up on your favourite shows while baby is breastfeeding.

 

How did you find those early days of feeding? Do you have any breastfeeding tips for new Mums?

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16 COMMENTS

  1. Fantastic Tips, I wish I had read this when my daughter was born.

    Amazing Linky, thank you!

    The early days are rough, or they were for me, but each day gets easier.

    The only thing I would add to the list is;
    Be kind to yourself – it’s ok to feel overwhelmed, sad, guilty, frustrated, tired. Use any support you have. You are doing something really important and so if nothing else but feeding gets done on those growth spurt/duvet days don’t worry about it!

  2. Fabulous tips. I spent the first week mostly snuggled in bed with Sophie having lots of lovely skin to skin whilst hubby looked after Jessica and took care of everything else. Would definitely recommend this if you can do it – being in a little cocoon for a week really helped stop me getting stressed when trying to get breastfeeding established and staying in bed meant the visitors didn’t descend en mass and stay for hours! x

  3. Number 10 is a must!! Especially if baby likes to cluster feed. Number 5 is also a life saver. I always regret the amkunt of support I was given in the early days, i was really struggling to get Osian to latch properly xx

  4. Some great tips for feeding. My baby days are long gone but there does seem to be a much better support network for new moms than when I first started out.

  5. these are great tips… I’ve fed all of my girls, but not for as long as i’d have liked as I have to take medication. WIll see how it goes this time around!

  6. Great tips – but one of my favourites was to accept frequent and night time feeds. Your milk is at its best at night time, it’s anthropologically the optimum time for feeding as all is calm, you are resting and it is safe. Don’t finding millennia of human development and don’t set yourself false expectations. Breastfed babies are not designed to “sleep through”! Also, with the growth spurts, that you WILL be feeding non stop roughly every third week for a couple of days – it’s the only way your baby has of stimulating and increasing production 🙂

  7. My advice is don’t over think it. Never heard the straight line advice before – and it’s more acrobatics from my memory (mind my last memories are with four year olds lol).

  8. Fab tips – I think many new mums aren’t prepared for it to hurt in the first couple of weeks or so……..even with subsequent babies. Lansinoh was my friend!

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