However long or short your breastfeeding journey is intended to be, both you and your baby will receive lifelong benefits from your efforts, and the longer you feed, the greater the benefits to both parties. However, whilst the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that all babies should be exclusively breastfed for 6 months, the UK statistics fall woefully short of that with only a quarter of mothers breastfeeding at 6 weeks, and just 1% by the time their baby is 6 months old.
Mums cite numerous reasons for giving up prematurely - primarily including poor professional guidance with inconsistent advice and lack of easy access to support over the first six weeks. The seemingly relentless pressure from babies on their tired breastfeeding mothers while only she can deliver the goods is also a common complaint for deciding that formula feeding offers the respite she seeks. Some early thought and consideration to forward planning can, however, help to increase the chances of breastfeeding easily and for longer, with all the benefits to mothers and their babies that this carries.
Think and plan ahead!
It is so often clear to me as I deliver my service to new parents, that they have returned home after delivery, physically exhausted and emotionally spent following their baby’s arrival. Many ante- natal classes equip parents-to-be supremely well to deal with contractions and labour, often over several days. Birth plans are drawn up to cover all possible obstetric eventualities for their baby’s arrival, but clients tell me afterwards that nothing was mentioned of the need to reserve essential energy for the exhausting first six-week marathon of new parenthood. Many say that if they had known what was coming, they would have made very different choices in labour. Continuous contractions and delivery are incredibly hard work (hence the term ‘labour!’) and particularly if protracted, have a real bearing on the subsequent breastfeeding journey. It is my firm belief, after 30+ years of providing breastfeeding support, that sheer post-delivery physical and emotional exhaustion are major reasons why mothers abandon breastfeeding earlier than they had intended. Novice athletes train for months ahead of running a marathon, but there is rarely talk of any preparation ahead of the marathon that the first weeks of breastfeeding can be.
So how do we do that?
Think and plan ahead and longer term! Don’t simply focus on labour and delivery being the tiring bit – that’s actually just the beginning! Avoid working right up to your baby’s due date - however good you may feel at that point. Poor sleep and fatigue in late pregnancy contribute towards a higher incidence of complications and intervention in labour, as well as adversely affecting breastfeeding afterwards. Learn the knack of napping (or at the very least, resting – on the bed, feet up, with no electronic distractions) during the afternoons in the weeks before your baby arrives – you will reap the benefits after delivery when you will need to catch up on sleep to keep up with your baby’s demands.
During labour, bear in mind that the course of labour and delivery cannot be termed ‘normal’ until after the event – you never know what’s around the corner in the coming hours. If you’re labouring at home, eat small regular healthy snacks to keep your energy levels up. Once in hospital, no medals are presented for bravery - prudent use of pain relief enables you to rest, and in some cases (injectable pain relief and epidurals) actual sleep while labour progresses – so many women decline it, in the belief that it may adversely impact their baby, but used wisely it can provide an opportunity to recover and recoup some energy - even while labour progresses - for delivering your baby and for the weeks beyond. Being able to breastfeed successfully because you have saved some stamina for that 6 week marathon will deliver short and long term benefits to your baby, and make your own first weeks of motherhood infinitely more enjoyable. These benefits will more than likely outweigh the impact of a timely dose of pain relief in labour.
I always chat to my clients before delivery to discuss these various options available to them in labour which will positively impact their chances of breastfeeding successfully. Make a point, if you get the chance, to speak to your midwife in labour about using pain relief which will allow you to get some respite without delaying progress. Listen to what your body is saying – will it still be able to manage the breastfeeding marathon? It’s your body – you know it better than anyone.
Find a source of knowledgeable support
Whether it’s a local breastfeeding support group or a professional 1:1 support service like my own, consistent, knowledgeable advice is key to successful breastfeeding. If you’ve never done it before, you will have little idea of the challenges that lie ahead. I provide step-by-step support to my clients from the day of birth and throughout the six weeks that I liken to an apprenticeship, and during which both the skills and the physiology of breastfeeding become established. We chat frequently by video while I sit with them during feeds, offering tips and advice to enable them to feed comfortably and effectively, pre-empting problems and showing them how to resolve pain, negotiate tricky feeding patterns and baby management issues so that their babies feed and settle well. We may chat over several feeds on the same day to iron out positional or latching problems, and along the way I anticipate the babies’ growth spurts, and offer advice to deal with these, or provide practical guidance for stocking up on expressed breast milk to relieve the pressure and maximise sleep during these difficult periods. Talking to other breastfeeding mums at a support group can help with similar issues, too. Having a source of support and the answers to your many questions, is key to relieving stress and maintaining a relaxed mindset which is so important in the process of delivering nutrition and comfort to your baby.
Identify a source of support before your baby arrives, so that you know where to turn to if you hit problems. When you’re tired and emotional, it’s difficult to think straight, so have this invaluable contact noted down ahead of the point at which you may need it.
Research and shop ahead for equipment
I always provide a shopping list ahead of delivery for my breastfeeding clients when we meet for a session before their babies are born. The items on the list provide for almost all routine and unforeseen eventualities that may arise during breastfeeding, but also include standard essential equipment which will support the breastfeeding process or simply provide personal comfort to mums while they feed. You will be spending many hours over many days, feeding, so it needs to be as comfortable and convenient as possible. Included on my list is a breastfeeding pillow which ties around the mother’s waist to support their baby in a favourable position to nurse, meanwhile allowing the mother to relax and achieve her own comfortable position without the need for several cushions which can fall all over the place. Hippychick are now stocking a great feeding pillow, covered in washable 100% cotton, that can be used pre-delivery to support your bump for comfortable sleeping in bed, and later to position newborns optimally for effective nursing. TheLatch.com is delighted to have partnered with Hippychick to offer our clients a 20% discount on this lovely nursing pillow which comes in a variety of colours. Click here to view the range.
One of the most important pieces of equipment that the vast majority of breastfeeding mums will need to support nursing their babies alongside busy lifestyles, is an effective, hands-free breast pump. I recommend use of these from the first days of breastfeeding. Their primary use - as soon as the milk comes in - is to enable mums to build up a store of breastmilk so that their baby can be fed breastmilk by partners or carers while mum is able to snatch some sleep. Later, they are invaluable in short-cutting growth spurts or boosting the milk supply by stimulating the breasts to produce more milk over a shorter time. If this can be done while they get on with their lives, even better. The new kid on the block in the range of breast pumps on the market is the ‘wearable’ Fraupow pump, which does just that.
The Fraupow is a lightweight cordless, rechargeable pump which is receiving great reviews from users, and is great value compared to other brands. TheLatch.com is pleased to be able to offer our clients a further 20% discount on the Fraupow, again through our partnership with Hippychick.com. Please click here to see the Fraupow range. With no cords or pipes to tie you to using your pump in one place, the Fraupow can be worn inside your bra to accomplish pumping on the go, whether it’s resting, ironing, or chatting to friends over coffee. Wear a baggy top over the pumps, and you can even discreetly do the weekly supermarket shop as you pump – the ultimate in getting all your family food supplies sorted! Make it even more efficient by using pumps on both breasts simultaneously.
By thinking and planning well ahead, getting the right equipment, and a reliable source of ongoing advice and support, you can significantly increase your chances of being able to breastfeed your baby. So many new parents look back with regret at the period over their baby’s arrival and wish that they had understood the impact of the actions and decisions which ultimately affected whether or not they are able to enjoy the precious experience of breastfeeding. It really isn’t down to pure luck and doesn’t always have to be so!