Breastfeeding Tips
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Are you a first-time Mum enjoying your brand new bundle of joy? You may be breastfeeding your new baby but finding it a bit difficult to keep going with breastfeeding. I’ve put together a post with breastfeeding tips from Lactation Consultant, Kitty Hackel. Here is her advice on some common breastfeeding problems and how to overcome them.
Engorgement
Engorgement is where the production of your milk increases significantly, usually a few days after your baby is born. You may find that your breasts may feel very full, heavy and or even hard at times. Kitty suggests to ease your discomfort you could try the following:
Offer both breasts at every feed. This will help to avoid long periods between feeds
You could also apply a warm compress to your breast before feeds and then use a cool one after the feed.
Pop a couple of green cabbage leaves in your bra between feeds. Wash and apply them to the engorged area to reduce discomfort. Kitty warns not to use them for more than 20 minutes daily, as this can reduce your supply.
Sore Nipples
I suffered very badly with this with Austin in the first few weeks, but there’s a lot you can do to help you get through this tricky period.
The first place to start is to ensure that your baby is latched properly during feeds. If you are being visited by your Midwife or Health Visitor, you can always ask for some advice on the latch. Also, when you are in the hospital or the birthing centre, you should be able to ask for help from the team there. They may even have a breastfeeding specialist.
Kitty’s breastfeeding tips for sore nipples also include putting breast shells or silver cups over the sore area when wearing a bra. This may help reduce irritation.
A top breastfeeding tip is to start feeding on the least sore breast first, as your baby will feed most vigorously at the beginning
You could also try using Multi-Mam Breastfeeding Compresses which are formulated to help treat sore, dry and swollen nipples. These contain a cooling gel with patented bio-active polysaccharides, the so-called “2 QR-complex” which can prevent harmful bacteria from attaching to the tissue. The cooling pads can be applied at least twice a day for 30-60minutes. If you store the pads in the fridge, they will provide even more relief.
Mastitis
If you are breastfeeding you should keep an eye out for inflammation of your breast tissue, as this could be mastitis. If you get mastitis, you may get pain, redness, fever or chills. The best breastfeeding advice for mastitis is to try and avoid getting it, by avoiding tight or restrictive clothing that could constrict across your milk duct. Things to look out for are bras, seatbelts and even handbags.
If you do get mastitis, Kitty suggests you can treat it with an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen. This will help to reduce the swelling and will also treat the pain. You’ll also need to ensure that you get lots of rest. Can your partner, family or friends help you out a bit, whilst you recover?
If you don’t start to feel better within around 24 hours, you should speak to your GP, Midwife or Health Visitor as they may offer antibiotics.
Thrush
Thrush readily occurs in breastfeeding Mothers and can cause a lot of pain. Again prevention is best, so Kitty suggests washing your breasts with warm water and soap twice per day. Good hand hygiene, regularly changing breast pads and washing your bras separately in a high heat wash will also all help prevent thrush. Limiting your diet of simple carbohydrates can also help prevent thrush.
If you think you are suffering from nipple thrush, you should speak to your doctor and they can advise. It is easily treatable.
Vasospasm
Nipple vasospasm is a constriction of the blood vessels this can cause shooting pain or cramping in the nipple. Treatment will depend on the cause, but there are a few options are.
You can look at your baby’s latch to see if you can reduce the compression on the nipple.
A warm compress on the affected area may help. Kitty also suggests compressing the nipple towards the chest wall, as this will help to relieve the immediate discomfort. You could also look into using supplements of calcium and magnesium.
We hope that you’ve found these breastfeeding tips useful. Remember that you aren’t on your own and if you are struggling with breastfeeding, you should reach out to your Midwife, Health Visitor, GP or a qualified Lactation Consultant for support and advice.
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