Breastfeeding in the Early Days
Days 3-7
Once you get home (or after a few days, if you never left!) a lot of things become easier. No one is coming in to check your blood pressure at 4am and you have your own sheets and shower. But you also have your new baby all to yourself. There are changes that can easily feel challenging, but don’t need to trip you up!
Breastfeeding in the Early Days - Info to have:
If you know what to look for, you can move through common issues with confidence.
During this time, you may be moving through the transition from colostrum to mature milk, a process that can take nearly two weeks. If you notice that your breasts aren't changing and your bleeding is not improving, reach out to your OB-GYN. This could be a signal of placenta retention.
Be on the look out for engorgement or mastitis. This looks like swollen hard breasts and can be very warm to the touch. Frequent milk removal will help to prevent those issues. Treat engorgement with ice, OTC pain relief, and a nice warm shower. In the shower, let the water run over your back and allow milk to drain out. If you begin to run a fever, reach out to the resources listed in your hospital discharge packet.
Be patient with yourself, your body, and your baby. Most of this is new and even if it isn't, they're still big changes. Things will settle down as you get to know each other and get settled back in at home.
Second Night "Syndrome"
What’s that?: This is a well known occurrence. Babies are born and spend their first day slowly adjusting to being on mom instead of inside. Within 24-48 hours, senses that weren’t used much in the womb start to bring in new information at unprecedented rates. They feel extremely overstimulated and have a hard time calming themselves. For many parents, this can read as unsatisfied hunger, leading to concerns about supply. It’s important to remember that babies cry as a response to any discomfort. It’s their only language!
What can be done?: Just love on the baby and snuggle them skin-to-skin as much as possible. If they are not showing any hunger cues, other families members can sub in and offer their chests for S2S (hairy chests do not need to be shaved). Keep the environment calm with dim lights and low sounds, especially mom's voice or heartbeat sounds.
Transitioning milk - Engorgement
What’s that?: When baby is born, you make colostrum for them. This is a very thick syrup-y food that is densely packed with nutrients and microbiota to help baby transition to the outside world. As baby’s belly gets bigger and their needs change, your milk will contain more water. This leads to big changes in how your breasts look and feel which can be uncomfortable and confusing.
What can be done?: Keep feeding!! Baby is well equipped to handle this change; it’s made just for them. Frequent milk removals will relieve the pressure of having a higher volume and keep baby as calm as possible while they get used to being outside. In these cases, pumping can help in the short-term but could potentially lead to over production. While this may sound like a good thing, it is extremely challenging to your body and can cause serious issues with clogs and engorgement. In these early days of breastfeeding, your baby's stimulation at the nipple lets your body know how much milk to create in any given period of time. Let them feed when they're hungry and you'll be comfortable in no time.
Latch pain or challenges
What’s that?: Even if you’ve breastfed before, this baby has not. There is a learning curve for everyone involved and that sometimes leads to latch pain or difficulty. You do not need to tough it out or get through it.
What can be done?: There are so many potential causes for discomfort, it’s impossible to list all the options. There are few simple things to try on your own, though. My first recommendation is always to lay back and relax with “biological breastfeeding.” The idea is to remove concerns about managing baby’s latching and support and let them do what they naturally know how to do.
If that doesn’t relieve anything or you prefer to hold baby differently, check their alignment. Hold baby level with where your nipple sits naturally. Keep their ear, shoulder, and hip aligned. Their nose should be resting against your breast with some room to breathe and you should be belly to belly.
Instead of supporting baby’s head by holding it, let them rest against you. Holding their head can impede natural jaw movement which can compound latch issues.
If it feels like baby is clamping on your nipple, add extra support to your breast. The simplest way, is to roll up a hand towel and leave it under your breast. If you don’t have one on hand, gently lift the breast to ease the weight that baby is supporting with their suck.
There is always the possibility of oral restrictions, more commonly known as “ties.” These can be difficult to assess at home, so my suggestion is to discuss with an experienced dentist. Here in Hampton Roads there are a number of doctors who specialize in assessing and correcting infant oral ties. They typically use a carbon or diode laser to release it and may recommend exercises to help with healing.
Nursing Strikes
What’s that?: These are most common around 5 and 6 months. Babies will have an experience and tie it negatively to breastfeeding. This can be things like a scare, an illness, or a change in mom’s health that leads to changes to their routine. These can absolutely be resolved and is not the same as self weaning. That will typically happen closer to one if it happens at all.
What can be done?: Create the calmest environment possible. Give baby access to your chest without insisting on latching. If you have a third person to help you in and out of the tub safely, try co-bathing. The water can add a multiplying factor to the power of skin-to-skin, which never stops being valuable. Also remember that babies take their emotional cues from their caretakers. Do what you can to relax and regulate your own state. This will help you show up for them in a calming way, facilitating a return to the breast. If you have concerns about baby becoming too used to a bottle in the interim, you can use the paced bottle feeding technique or feed baby using a spoon or cup.
What if it's just not working?
Trust your gut. Even if everything seems to be okay on paper, if you're uncomfortable, it's not right. If baby is not gaining weight or you are in pain, schedule time with a lactation supporter to help you understand what might not be working. Together, you can formulate a goal and a plan to achieve it. Please know that you are not in this alone and you have support in your Hampton Roads community, myself included.
Would you like to make breastfeeding more comfortable or effective in a way that works with your real life? Reach out to Songbird Lactation today. I offer in-home appointments within 20 miles of Virginia Beach's Town Center area. You can also come to my office at 522 S. Independence Boulevard, Suite 202A if you'd like a calmer environment for your appointment.
Comments