It’s simple – breastfeed your baby. It doesn’t need any preparation and hard work, neither any special training. Simply bring baby mouth near the nipple, and you will find baby gropes at the nipple and start sucking. It is a God-given rooting and sucking reflex. It doesn’t need any training. Your mother or any senior woman who has fed a baby is the best lactation consultant. Don’t hesitate to take their help.
The mother’s biggest concern is when to feed, how long the interval, how long to feed, and if milk is enough to fulfil a baby’s need ?????
The simplest funda is to always feed on demand: let the baby ask for it when hungry. In the long run, he will be eating and drinking appropriately and will not be overweight. Breast milk is easily digestible, and till 30 to 45 days of life, a breastfed baby may ask for feed every 45 to 60 minutes. There will be long sleeping periods of 4 to 5 hours, don’t wake the baby from sleep; she is assimilating the feeds taken. Sleep should never be disturbed.
Feed baby from one side at a time and another side next time. If the baby sleeps while feeding, try to tickle to encourage a little more feed; if the baby is still sleeping, it means she has filled her desire. Take baby on your shoulders for a while so that baby may burp, then make baby sleep on her side. Count number of times baby passes urine. If the baby passes urine as many times as she is feeding, she is taking sufficient feeds. Another indicator of adequate feeding is the baby’s growth- if it is appropriate, feeding is also appropriate.
An expecting mother should be mentally prepared by her doctor for breastfeeding. Breast examination should be an essential part of an antenatal checkup. If there is any malformation of the nipple or breast, it should be handled during antenatal visits with your obstetrician.