If you are a first time mom, breastfeeding is like learning a foreign language. You might be wondering how to manage this part of your body that has always been dormant and inactive.
Below are some troubleshooting tips and tidbits to help you manage your milk and breasts.
Too much milk?
1. Hand express your milk while taking a hot bath or shower
Be sure to focus on hard or tender spots through your breast tissue. Using a circular motion, massage while hot water softens the tissue.
The key to doing this correctly is to hand express JUST enough milk to find relief. DO NOT EMPTY the breast! This creates more milk for the next feeding. Use Milk-Savers, and your body will naturally empty just enough to find relief.
2. Sleep on your stomach
This makes it so your body SLOWS production while you are asleep, many times you will need a towel to catch the milk that drains, but this is better than having a back-up of milk that leads to mastitis.
3. Keep your nipples dry and clean to avoid a yeast infection.
If you do get an infection (indicated by painful breastfeeding for both you and baby, as well as white spots inside baby's mouth), use raw apple cider vinegar to kill off the yeast (known as thrush). This is something you and baby will pass back and forth if you cannot kill it on both baby’s mouth and mother’s skin. If the apple cider vinegar is NOT enough to kill the yeast, change your diet, add in plenty of water, keep changing breast pads, sanitize your breast pump regularly, and add in plenty of probiotics and black walnut tincture. You can also try diluting grapefruit seed extract and applying it inside baby's mouth.
A less natural, but effective method for treating thrush is Gentian Violet.
Not enough milk?
Sleep and stress are a big contributor to low milk supply. Lie in bed with no top and snuggle baby for a few days. Get enough high quality nutrition to support this drain on your body.
Eat good quality fats and oils, salmon, almonds, avocado, whole grains, green-leafy vegetables, and a rainbow of nutritious foods; your calorie intake must support you and baby!
Try out these fabulous, low-sugar, nutritious lactation oat bars as an easy way to get in those nutrients that will help boost your supply.
For other foods and herbs that build your milk supply click here.
Cracked or bleeding nipples?
This is likely from poor latch. Babies can be trained to nurse properly, but just like YOU this is a first experience for them. They need to learn just like every child needs to learn to walk. It takes time! When you offer the breast, be sure to check the latch.
Proper latch has the following components: baby has an open mouth, dropped jaw, flanged upper and lower lips. When baby has the proper suck, they drop their chin with each suck. A clicking sound is indicative of an improper latch.
Can I prep my nipples before baby comes?
Preparing for a baby does not mean you need to ‘toughen’ your nipples--that's a myth.
The actual act of nursing preps your nipples, and nothing you do in advance can truly prepare your nipples for breastfeeding.
At the end of the day...
Find your groove! Don’t give up, this path is rocky for about 3 weeks…but I PROMISE it gets better!
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