There are many other things you can try to help your baby to breastfeed:. Making any bottle feeds more like breastfeeding by holding your baby close and using a slow flow bottle teat.
Using a breastfeeding supplementer can help to keep your baby sucking, as it gives them extra milk while they breastfeed. Putting a bottle teat filled with milk over your nipple to help get your baby used to taking milk in this way. Triggering your let-down reflex if you already have some milk before offering your baby a breastfeed.
Once your baby is breastfeeding, there are many things you can do to encourage your baby to breastfeed often:. Sleeping close to your baby makes it easier to feed at night.
Night feeds are very helpful for building a milk supply. Avoid anything that makes your baby suck less, such as a dummy. Instead, offer a breastfeed as a way to help settle them. Women vary greatly in how they respond to pumping. It is a good idea to pump at least six to eight times a day. Many find that this amount of expressing is enough to start them making milk.
It may be helpful to pump even more often than this, including at least once during the night. It is better to pump more often, for shorter periods, than less often for longer periods. Start out slowly, pumping only for 5—10 minutes on low suction to begin with. Gradually increase the length of each expressing session up to about 15—20 minutes. Using an electric pump with a double kit is best. This takes milk from both breasts at once. Not only does it save you time, but pumping both breasts at once results in higher prolactin levels, more let-downs and milk with a higher energy content than pumping one breast at a time.
Make sure that your pump is working well and is suited to long-term use. Some of the smaller pumps, like those that take batteries or that only allow you to pump one breast at a time, are not designed for constant use and may lose their suction with time and just not work properly. The ABA booklet Breastfeeding : expressing and storing breastmilk has information about expressing, handling, storing and cleaning procedures.
The website article Expressing and storing breastmilk contains helpful information too. Some women use hand expressing only to build their milk supply. If you have been only pumping and find that your milk supply is not increasing, try doing some hand expressing after pumping or between pumping times. This may help to encourage your breasts to increase the amount of milk they make. The emptier the breasts, the stronger the message they get to make more milk.
Hand expressing is a very useful skill that takes practice to master. This is covered in detail in the booklet Breastfeeding : expressing and storing breastmilk. PIP: The effect of lactation on ovulation and fertility is discussed in relation to 7 factors: the duration of postpartum amenorrhea, the return of ovulation in the postpartum woman, the effect of breastfeeding on fertility, the physiologic basis for infecunity during lactation, contraceptive use during lactation barrier methods, IUDs, and steroidal contraceptives , breastfeeding while pregnant, and tandem nursing.
Women who breastfeed their children have a longer period of amenorrea and infertility following delivery than women who do not breastfeed. The length of postpartum amenorrhea varies greatly and depends on several factors, including maternal age and parity and the duration and frequency of breastfeeding. Due to the fact that there exists such individual variability in the duration of daily suckling, as well as the duration of the breastfeeding period, it is not possible to define within narrow limits the expected period of postpartum amenorrhea in lactating women.
The return of menstruation is not necessarily the result of preceding ovulation in the postpartum woman. In general, ovulation precedes 1st menstruation more frequently in those who do not nurse when compared to those who nurse.
Breastfeeding has a demonstrable influence in inhibiting ovulation; it is not surprising that it has an inhibiting effect on fertility. According to Perez, during the first 3 months when a woman is nursing, there is higher security provided agaist conception than most contraceptives. Typically, hormone therapy is discontinued shortly before breast-feeding begins.
At that point, the baby's suckling is thought to stimulate and maintain milk production. Regular stimulation of the breasts and nipples can also help to produce and maintain milk flow.
Some experts suggest pumping both breasts with a hospital-grade electric breast pump every three hours, beginning about two months before you hope to begin breast-feeding. You can also manually stimulate the breasts and nipples this is where partner participation may come in handy.
Breast stimulation can encourage the production and release of prolactin. A qualified lactation consultant may provide you with specific techniques for stimulation and hormone therapy. You could also contact a local hospital or clinic to see if they have lactation consultants on staff, or visit your primary health care provider for a consultation.
While breastfeeding is a natural process, and one that many women find fulfilling, there are some potential drawbacks. As breasts begin to produce milk, they become larger, heavier, and more tender. Some women find this engorgement painful or uncomfortable. Breastfeeding women can also cause plugged ducts, when a milk duct does not drain properly and becomes inflamed, causing a tender lump in the breast.
Breast infection may also be an unwelcome result of breastfeeding, and is often characterized by soreness or a lump in the breast in addition to fever or flu-like symptoms.
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