Tips for breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has been proven as one of the main practices offering children many health benefits. Most mothers often carry out this task without knowing how well to go about the entire process. This article seeks to give you breastfeeding tips aimed at making the process easier not only for you but also for the baby. The first thing each mother ought to do is ensure that the baby is placed on the breast immediately after birth, something that is going to take place in the delivery room. You should let the practitioner approve this for you since there are some facilities that do not allow breastfeeding in the birthing room.

Another of the breastfeeding tips is to allow the baby to suckle enough, some few hours after birth as this helps in fostering an attachment between both the baby and mother. This also helps keep the baby warm during the process considering that there is the skin to skin contact between it and the mom. Medically, breastfeeding a baby immediately after birth has been proved to be of immense advantage to their health considering that it boosts their nutritional supply.
The posture in which the baby is held during breastfeeding goes a long way in ensuring that the process runs smoothly. In essence, a mother is supposed to hold the baby's chin to their breast and the tummy to their tummy.
This should be done when the mother is either lying down or sitting and the breast should be held in a 'c' hold. This is where the thumb is placed on top of the breast and other fingers placed at the bottom. Most mothers do not know this but the baby's lips are supposed to be tickled using the breast nipple until their mouth opens. During feeding, the tip of the baby's nose and chin should be allowed to touch the breast.
One of the important breastfeeding tips is that the baby should be offered both breasts during each feeding. When the baby falls off the breast, a mother will get to know that it is time to switch to the other one. To avoid excessive drying of the nipple, the mother should rub a few drops of her milk onto the nipple and allow it to dry through air before covering it using a bra, clothing or nursing pad. Note that nipples are often tender during the first breastfeeding days, though the tenderness gradually disappears as the milk begins flowing.
Another of the breastfeeding tips is to ensure that you read the signs of breastfeeding form the child early enough. This involves looking at things such as the baby licking their lips, sucking on their fingers and crying. As a mother, you do not have to keep looking at the clock so as top ascertain the exact time when the baby is supposed to breastfeed. As you also engage in the breastfeeding exercise, you should ensure that the child's mouth covers the entire area underneath the nipples. This helps in preventing instances of chocking for the baby.