Common Breast Feeding Problems and Solutions

It has always been known that the best food for a newborn is the mother's milk. By feeding the baby breast milk, you can be certain it's developing body and brain are getting all the nutrients it needs. There are some common things that happen though, when breastfeeding, and here are some solutions to them.  You may also wish to consult a lactation expert, if you experience problems that aren't easily solved. Try to remember that a baby will sometimes have trouble during the first few feedings, you must be patient and attempt to breastfeed often during the first few days.

Asking for help from an expert can be all that is needed. Sometimes just the angle at which you put the baby to the breast makes all the difference. Sometimes a baby will be doing great right off, then lose interest at the third or forth week. Just be patient and go back to the basics to get over this problem. Older babies will often wake up one day and decide that they aren't interested anymore.  Another somewhat simple solution to this, is to get to a quiet place with no distractions. There are some babies who will go right to sleep as soon as they start nursing. These babies should be stimulated to keep them awake. Try talking to them and rubbing them. If your baby is not drinking fast enough, he may be drifting off too sleep, so stimulating him will help him drink faster.
photo credit: moppet65535

It is also a good idea to make sure your baby is not bundled up too much while feeding, as this makes them sleepier. Sometimes a new mother will be concerned that she doesn't have enough milk, so there are ways to look for clues of that. A nursing mother should make sure her baby is sleeping well between feedings and wetting 5 or 6 diapers a day. Most often, a mother that thinks this is usually producing plenty.  Another easy sign is to monitor the babies weight gain. There is an opposite case where a breastfeeding mother has too much milk and it leaks between feeding. A good solution for this is too express this extra milk and freeze it.  Expressing milk should be done after feeding and an electric breastpump makes this chore much easier.

Breastfeeding can cause a few problems in the nipple area, and a mother should take care to put the proper lotion on to minimize cracking and sore nipples.  Sore nipples will get better over time, so sometimes waiting is all a mother can do. Breast engorgement is another problem that new mothers can be faced with. The best answer to this is to express all the milk you can after each feeding.  Engorgement is another problem that usually rights itself after a day or two. It is important to be aware that sore breast can be infected and if it lasts more than a day or two, you should seek advice from a physician.  The symptoms of infection is often intense breast pain and fever may be present.

Breast milk is the best nutrition you can give to your newborn baby.  It will take some work, but you will be rewarded with a strong healthy young one.

6 Good Reasons to Breastfeed Your Baby

Breastfeeding your new baby is a choice and all mother's have to decide one way or the other. It is a way to be sure your new baby best the best start in life that he or she can get. As you know, there are many factors that may go into breastfeeding. The following are just six reasons why you should consider breastfeeding. I am sure there are many others, but these are some of the most important ones.

1. God's Designed Food

Breast milk provides babies with the the most perfect nutrition. The unique combination of carbohydrates, antibodies, proteins, as well as the minerals and fats, will provide your baby the very things they need to grow strong during these first months of their life.
Infant formula can never duplicate the perfect combinations in breast milk. Many of the antibodies that are passed through to your baby through breast milk are very specialized to your genetic background and environment. Of course , babies are able to digest breast milk much easier than infant formulas, no matter what all the big formula companies say. Many times infant formula is based on Cow’s milk and this can irritate a newborn's intestinal tract.

2. Protects Baby from Disease

Breast milk will provide your newborn with immunities that he or she can't get elsewhere. Many infant and childhood illnesses are reduced or eliminated through the immunities from breast milk. Some of the common ones are diabetes, allergies, asthma, Crohn’s disease and even sudden infant death syndrome.

3. Bonds Mom and Baby

Breastfeeding causes a close bond to form between mom and baby. This is more than just the time spent close together, this is actually a hormonal change in mom while she is nursing. A hormone called 'prolactin' is released as a mother breast feeds and this has been known to cause a relaxing effect on the mom. This whole experience is what develops this bond between the baby and mom that lasts a lifetime.

4. Helps the New Mother get Her Body Back

When a new mom decides to breast feed, her body will go into milk production mode. It requires a lot of calories to make breast milk, some say up to 500 calories a day. This help the mom lose some of the weight she gained during pregnancy. Breastfeeding also causes the body to produce a different hormone that actually "shrinks" the uterus back to it's normal position a size.

5. Reduce Baby Costs - Save Money!

Breast milk is free. Infant formula is expensive! You can use all the money you save on the new baby. You can save so much money just by buying a breast pump and storing your extra milk to use when you can't breast feed directly. Be sure to look at many good breast pumps at my favorite store, called Discount-breastpumps.com

6. Breast Feeding is Highly Recommended

Many organizations strongly encourage and promote breast feeding as the 'gold standard' for a healthy baby. Some of the big named organizations are the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the American Dietetic Association.
Remember, breastfeeding doesn't have to mean only the mom holding the baby to her breast. There are many times that it won't be possible. That is where a good quality breastpump comes in. Many of the benefits of breastfeeding are included when you feed your baby breast milk that was expressed from the mother with a breastpump.

Is it better to breast feed or just pump it from your breasts into the bottle?

This is a common question asked by many soon to be mothers.

I want to know if I should breast feed, but I don't want my breasts to sag. So would there be any difference if I used a breast pump and just gave it to the baby in a bottle? I know its better for the baby, but what will my side effects be?

There are many answers to this question.. Some of those answers are below.

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