If you are a new mother getting support on breastfeeding is
so important as initially it can feel alien, confusing and frustrating to do
and therefore you need a midwife to show you how to latch your baby and not
hurt yourself in the process. Latching can take some time to master. Look for
support groups in your area too.
If you are worried in the first few days about milk flow and
intake you can get a blood test monitor for your baby from Boots which plugs
into your phone and gjves a nice graph on blood sugar levels. My baby had her
levels monitored for the first 12hours. She had very little milk and mainly
slept but her blood sugars were perfect which suggested she didn’t need feeding.
Breastmilk is such a great food to give to your baby
because:
· It’s free
·
It’s nutrient rich
·
It doesn’t upset your little ones tummy as much
as bottle feed
·
It’s more convenient than bottle feeding and its
prep time
·
It’s a natural antibiotic, I used it to clear baby
sticky eye, by applying it to the tear ducts
·
If you are poorly you produce antibodies that
pass across the milk to help your baby fight off what you have
As a mother with a newborn of 5lb 8 ounces I wanted to make
sure I could get some chub onto her to get her nice and fighting fit. They said
she would lose upto 10% body weight initially, she lost about 4% and was back
at her birth weight within 2 days (this can take 10-14 days on average). I am
sure a lot of this was down to my survival kit below that helped with the
breastmilk flow:
Supplements:
Biocare Pregnancy and
Lactation Multi Take a good multivitamin suitable for breastfeeding, this
will help replace general nutrient levels such as iron which can be low causing
tiredness from bloodloss in childbirth. Vitamin A and zinc which helps with
healing. Selenium to cross the breastmilk to support babies thyroid for metabolism
(thyroid function is one of the tests the doctors did with the heal prick test
on your baby). A few days after birth your babies own thyroid should function independently,
prior to this they have your hormones circulating the system to support them.
Solgar Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) taking 3.5grams
per day should increase milk flow within 1-3 days. For some woman it can take
upto two weeks. You will know that you are taking enough if your urine and
sweat has a maple syrup smell to it.
Botanicals Raspberry
leaf (Rubus idaeus) helps to tone your uterus back into shape and increases
milk supply
Biocare Sea Plasma
is more to support the circulation of lymphatic system to reduce risk of
blockage and infection in the breast tissue. Sea plankton can also support the
hormone prolactin which is produced to stimulate milk production.
Biocare Biomulsion
Omegaplex contains omega 6 to increase your natural hormone synthesis, this
is important to rebalance hormones to make you more relaxed, a more relaxed mum
means more milk production. The omega 3 and 6 will also cross the breastmilk to
support your baby brain development and give beautiful skin.
Skincare
Lanolin get lots
of it, and when you have got lots, get some more! This will save your nipples
from getting sore cracked or hurting from any bruising
Foods to avoid and
foods to enjoy
Eat healthy this
will help with your sleep deprivation for
the next couple of months, also what you eat will affect your babies
taste buds, this has been tested with breastfeeding mothers eating garlic and
carrots and their infants when weaning having a preference to these flavours.
Avoid chocolate
you will give your child that unwanted sweet tooth, soothe cravings with nuts
and seeds with fruit instead which will be rich in nutrients for your milk and
will give you a boost in energy
Start the day with
oats by making a porridge or muesli, Oats help to replenish lost iron
levels for milk flow. Oats also contain tryptophan which increases happy
hormones. A happy mother has an easier ‘let down’ on her milk supply
Avoid dairy this
can prove difficult for your baby to digest if any of the protein lactose from
milk goes into the breastmilk. One sign of this is colic.
Neuners Organic Nursing
tea Aniseed, fennel, verbena, caraway, (11%) fenugreek seeds this is
caffeine free, caffeine is not advised in breastfeeding as it can affect your
babies sleep.