Breastfeeding your baby has many benefits. Nature itself made sure that the milk contains all the necessary nutrients that the delicate digestive system of the baby is able to process and assimilate. Breastfeeding plays an important physiological role in a woman's body. This process is not always simple and easy. The sucking movements of the baby cause damage to the skin. Therefore, when feeding, the nipples often hurt. A woman has to endure until the skin hardens.

Content:

Reasons for pain

The skin of the nipples and the area around them is very delicate, easily injured by the friction that the baby's sponges, gums and tongue produce when sucking. Pain is usually felt in the first few days after the start of feeding. Then, with proper breast care, the discomfort disappears. The sensitivity of the skin is reduced. It is characteristic that painful sensations appear not only after the first birth, but also repeat the next time. After the end of breastfeeding, the natural state of the skin is restored.

The reasons why nipples hurt during feeding are most often:

• improper attachment of the child to the breast;
• individual characteristics of the mammary glands (inverted or tight nipples);
• improper care of the mammary glands during the feeding period;
• emotional state of mother and child;
• physical condition of the child.

How to put the baby to the breast correctly

It is necessary that the child captures not only the nipple, but also the area that surrounds it. Then he needs less effort to squeeze out the milk, it will not flow out of the mouth. The baby will suckle the breast more calmly, which means that the pain will be less. Usually, painful sensations appear at the initial moment, after several sucking movements of the child, they disappear.

Note: When feeding, the mother can sit or lie down - as she feels more comfortable. The child should easily reach the nipple, be able to freely turn his head so as not to choke.

How to take the breast out of the baby's mouth

Injury often occurs due to improper removal of the nipple from the baby's mouth. If you take the breast abruptly, he can cling to the nipple and hold it with his gums. You must either wait until he is full and throws his breast, or you must carefully insert your little finger into the corner of the baby's mouth. After the mouth opens, pull out the chest.

What to do if the nipples are inverted or flat

Feeding is usually very difficult if the woman's nipples are flat or inverted. The child is nervous, does not eat up, can give up the breast. To prevent cracks, some women are advised to use special devices for the breast, nipple formers, even during pregnancy. However, it is not always possible to use them, since stimulation of this area causes uterine contraction, leading to miscarriage.

The shape of the nipple sometimes changes in a natural way, as the child makes suction movements with his mouth, due to which the nipple becomes more prominent.

In extreme cases, special plastic pads are used to protect the skin. Their disadvantages are that they require constant disinfection. In addition, the child does not feel contact with mother's skin, gains weight worse, swallows more air. In this case, the baby often has a stomach ache. The mother's milk production is decreasing.

Video: How to use nursing pads

Hygienic breast care during breastfeeding

Maintaining hygiene during breastfeeding is of great importance. But you need to prepare the chest correctly:

1. You can't wash it with soap. Dry skin cracks faster and is more easily injured.
2. You can not lubricate the cracks with brilliant green (for the same reason).
3. It is enough to rinse the chest with clean water.
4. After feeding, it is recommended to use creams based on natural lanolin (wax). They are harmless, tasteless and odorless, promote the healing of small cracks (Lanceno cream, for example).
5. If the nipples hurt, it is not recommended to use impermeable breast pads between feedings, as conditions are created for the growth of bacteria and the occurrence of inflammation.

The value of the emotional and physical state of the child at the time of feeding

It is recommended to calm and distract the child before feeding. If necessary, it is better to start feeding him a little earlier so that he does not scream from hunger. Then he will be more careful to take the breast, while feeding the nipples will hurt less. Mom should also be calm and focused, put the nipple in the baby’s mouth correctly, make sure that he eats up.

Sometimes feeding is complicated by some physical ailment in the child. For example, if a baby has an increased tone of the cervical muscles or an earache, then he prefers to turn his head in one direction. At the same time, he takes one breast willingly, and throws the second, turns away, pulls the nipple.

Another complication is the so-called torticollis of newborns, caused by underdevelopment of the cervical muscle. The child abruptly turns and throws back his head, grabbing his chest with his gums.

What are the complications of breastfeeding?

Painful irritation of the skin of the nipples and the nearest area causes its inflammation, the appearance of cracks. Perhaps the formation of milk stagnation in the breast (lactostasis). Milk from a diseased breast must be carefully expressed. Infection through fissures can lead to purulent inflammation of the milk ducts (mastitis).

Video: How to avoid mastitis while breastfeeding

Warning: With mastitis, pus enters the milk, so it is strictly forbidden to feed a child with a sick breast. If only one breast is affected, then you can feed the baby from the second, healthy one.

For the treatment of cracks, ointments such as Beponten, Solcoseryl are used. They must be washed off before feeding. In addition, sea buckthorn oil, compresses from calendula infusion help well.

If it is necessary to supplement the child with infant formula or expressed milk, then this should be done from a spoon. Having tried to suck milk from a bottle with a nipple, the child, as a rule, refuses the breast. Bottle feeding is less comfortable than breastfeeding: it is required to comply with storage conditions, heat milk to the desired temperature. The baby needs bodily contact with his mother, he must hear the beat of his mother's heart, which calmed him even before birth. Therefore, it is very important to keep the possibility of breastfeeding.

How amazing it would be for our grandmothers and great-grandmothers to know that breastfeeding now raises so many questions! Previously, this was the most common and natural process, but at present, breastfeeding requires consultation and detailed information.

Let's try to understand the nuances and rules. Let's start from the very beginning.

How to prepare a place for feeding?

In order for the feeding of the child not to cause you inconvenience, it is necessary to prepare comfortable conditions for yourself. Children eat differently, someone is active and eagerly drinks milk, someone is distracted and stretches out the pleasure with a truly gourmet approach.

In any case, you and your baby will not “manage” in a couple of minutes, so try to get comfortable.

Proper organization of the place

So that your back does not numb, your shoulders and arms do not get tired, consider how you will breastfeed your baby, where you will sit or lie. We’ll talk about feeding positions a little later, but for now we’ll just take into account the basic requirements for your convenience.

1. An easy chair with a pillow under the back is well suited for feeding.
2. Not bad if there is an opportunity to organize some kind of footrest.
3. Your hands should be free to hold the baby and guide his mouth. The more relaxed your posture, the calmer you feel, the more comfortable your child will be.
4. Take care of the lighting. It is not necessary that a bright lamp or sunlight hit the baby directly in the eyes, but in complete darkness there is more chance that the child will fall asleep without having eaten.
5. Maybe you want to take advantage of some of the benefits of civilization if the baby eats for a long time. Let you have a book, a cup of tea (only not hot), just in case, a phone so that you don’t have to jump up, disturbing the child.

Choosing a position for breastfeeding

Now that you have prepared for yourself a comfortable and cozy place for feeding, you should decide in what position you prefer to feed your baby. The correct posture when feeding will ensure the comfort of the child, the correct grip on the breast and the comfort of the mother.

What is the best position for breastfeeding? Women usually breastfeed in a sitting position. It was for such a classic position that we arranged for ourselves a place for feeding.

In this position, mothers prefer to feed during the day. For night feeding or for breastfeeding a newborn baby, the lying position is very comfortable.

sitting

Mom should sit, leaning back in the chair, holding the child in the crook of her arm. The baby's head is slightly raised.

Lying on your side

Very handy for night feedings. Mom lies on her side, the child puts on the side facing her. If necessary, you can put the baby on a pillow, but, basically, mothers put the baby's head on their forearm, as if hugging him.

Lying on your back

Mom puts a pillow under her shoulders, puts the baby on her stomach, turning his head towards the chest. This position is convenient at the beginning of feeding, when milk is gushing out - there is no risk of choking.

When you and your baby learn to understand each other in half words, you will surely find other options for feeding positions that will be convenient for both of you.

How to apply the baby to the breast?

A newborn is born and almost immediately feels the appearance of appetite. While he was in his mother's warm "house", he did not feel hungry, as he constantly received nutrients through the umbilical cord. Now everything is different, and he needs to eat differently.

Babies know how to eat right from the moment they appear and instinctively reach for their mother's breasts. By the way, the early attachment of the child to the breast in the maternity hospital is based on this instinct.

It is advisable to do this in the very first minutes after the birth of the child, thereby forming in him the correct ideas about the capture of the breast, and in the mother's body, "starting" the processes of lactation.

Possible consequences of improper attachment to the breast

If you do not immediately teach the newborn to take the breast correctly, this can lead to problems. Incorrect grip can cause cracks and bruises in a woman, cause hardening and other painful complications, and in a child - air entering the ventricle, flatulence and bloating.

How to properly breastfeed a baby?

1. Position your baby facing you so that his mouth is very close to your chest.
2. Please note that the baby's nose should be very close to the breast, but not pressed against it strongly. If the breast is too full, you will have to hold it down a little so that the baby can breathe comfortably.
3. If the nose is too far away from the breast, this means that the baby has to stretch his neck to grab the nipple. He will not be able to eat like this for a long time, he will get tired and refuse to eat.
4. In the mouth, not only the nipple should be captured, but the entire areola, the baby's lips are slightly turned outward.
5. Listen to how the child eats. If you hear sucked in air, smacking and other extraneous sounds, then the breast is taken incorrectly. You need to change the position and give the breast in the right way.

How to take the breast from the baby?

By the way, how to take a breast from a child? Some young mothers complain that the baby does not “give” her breasts in any way, causing severe pain.

Important! Never pull your breast out of your baby's mouth. He holds it quite tightly in his mouth, and may not agree with your idea at all. By pulling the breast out of the baby's mouth, you risk hurting yourself and even injuring it.

Effective ways to take the breast

• Insert your little finger into the corner of your child's mouth. He will immediately open his mouth a little and you can pick up the breast.
• Another way is to use only your finger. Gently press the side of the nipple and move it to the side.

What should not be done?

Some mothers suggest pinching the child's nose so that he releases the breast. This is not worth doing! Firstly, it is very unpleasant for the child, and secondly, trying to breathe, the baby instinctively leans back. Yes, yes, with your nipple in your mouth. It can be very painful.

Feeding on demand or "diet must not be broken"?

How often should you breastfeed your baby? How long? Each mother decides these questions for herself. There are two points of view on this matter, each of which has its followers and admirers.

Feeding on demand

Feeding on demand means that the mother breastfeeds the baby as often as the baby asks for it. This method of feeding is recommended by WHO experts as the most useful and natural.

Pros of this option

1. It is extremely beneficial for lactation. Milk is produced exactly as much as the child needs.
2. The child gets "his" without stress and worries. Gaining good weight and height.

Feeding on schedule

However, you can breastfeed according to the regimen. Many pediatricians believe, by the way, that this method also has a right to exist.

The advantages of this mode

1. Mom receives a certain regime, thanks to which she can plan her life.
2. The child gradually gets used to the diet and the rest of the time he is more calmly awake or sleeping.

The most important thing is for a mother to learn to understand her child. If he asks for breasts, it always means that he is hungry and malnourished. The baby needs constant confidence that his mother is nearby, and only physical contact can provide him with this.

That is why the ideal option would be feeding according to the regime ... established by the child himself. Applying to the mother's breast for the first time very often, over time, the child himself enters a more or less stable rhythm.

Once you get used to it, you will know for sure that your baby is getting exactly what he needs.

Milk stasis or lactostasis

Many women, speaking about breastfeeding, imagine with horror a lot of complications and painful sensations. Actually it is not. Proper feeding will ensure you complete comfort and no problems.

But in order for you to have information and be prepared, we will talk about the most common difficulty in breastfeeding - lactostasis.

What is lactostasis?

Lactostasis or otherwise milk stagnation is formed due to various reasons, but in no case is it an obligatory component of breastfeeding. Be armed with information, do everything right and this trouble will pass you by.

Why does stagnation occur?

The causes of milk stasis can be as follows:

• chest compression: sleeping on the same side, too tight bra;
• feeding the baby in only one position, when not all ducts are involved;
• long breaks in feeding or excessive pumping, as a result of which more milk is produced than the baby can eat;
• fatty foods and / or insufficient fluids in the mother's diet.

How to help yourself?

The main salvation for lactostasis is straining. Of course, there may be pain, but it is better to be patient now than to bring it to inflammation.

Before pumping, apply a warm compress to the chest, knead the stagnant points. The best option would be frequent breastfeeding.

To avoid congestion, be sure to follow the rules of breastfeeding and feed your baby on demand.

How long to breastfeed?

This is a rather complicated question and each mother decides it herself. However, we note that according to the recommendations of WHO and UNICEF, breastfeeding is considered beneficial up to 2 years of age!

Medical research proves that breast milk gives the baby not only food, but also immunity and natural protection against disease. In modern countries with a high level of development of medicine and hygiene, breastfeeding a child up to a year is considered optimal and quite sufficient.

When can you start weaning?

Of course, circumstances may vary, but the main points that characterize the appropriate time for weaning are as follows:

1. The child knows how to go to bed without the mother's breast.
2. Milk teeth have already stopped erupting.
3. You taught the child to calm down not only at the breast.
4. Breastfeeding is not the main meal of the day.

Undoubtedly, up to 4-6 months, the child needs exclusively mother's milk. At the age of one or one and a half, when complementary foods are introduced, milk is no longer the only one, but still carries the protection of the baby's health.

Is there any benefit from breast milk for a one year old baby?

There are opinions that after a year there is nothing useful for the child left in breast milk, and for this reason, breastfeeding should be stopped.

However, it has been proven that during this period the nutritional value of milk decreases, but the content of nutrients, on the contrary, increases. Milk is made close to colostrum. And despite the fact that the child needs more complete food, mother's milk is still very useful.

Basic principles of weaning

If you decide to wean a baby, try to do it in such a way as to reduce negative impressions for all participants in the process:

• the child must be absolutely healthy;
• it is better to choose gradual weaning. Cancel one feeding at a time;
• evening feeding should not be chosen for cancellation, as this can lead to problems with bedding and sleeping at night. And a sleepy child will ask for more breasts during the day - a vicious circle will turn out;
• seek support from loved ones. It is good when the father or other relatives can distract the baby during weaning from feeding.

At what age would you approach the abolition of breastfeeding, do not forget that this process means more than just eating for the child. This is the most important act of love and trust, maintaining a close bond between mother and child.

We are sure that in any situation you will be able to give the child as much love as he needs. And a little more on top!

The period of breastfeeding is an important stage in the life of a child, because it is during this period that the intestines are colonized with a specific microflora, and the immune system is being formed. From how correctly the feeding technique is carried out, it depends on how physiologically these processes will proceed.

One of the most important issues is the correct attachment of the newborn to the breast. Let's consider it from all sides.

Preparing for the process

1. Prepare the mammary glands.

Before each application of the baby to the breast, it is important to wash not only the nipple itself, but also the areola around it with baby soap, then rinse the gland with running water and blot it with a clean towel. This must be done in order to mechanically remove those microorganisms that live on human skin. Women who do not treat their breasts properly run the risk of creating problems with the gastrointestinal tract for their child. For example, Staphylococcus aureus, which often enters the intestines of a child from the surface of an unprepared mammary gland, can lead to a severe form of dysbacteriosis that is difficult to treat with drug therapy.

2. Stimulate lactogenesis (greater milk production).

Drink a cup of hot tea 15-20 minutes before feeding. It is desirable that this be a special herbal collection to improve lactation (with rose hips, anise, fennel). Such tea can be prepared independently at home or purchased at a pharmacy.

A contrast shower in the area of ​​the mammary glands immediately before feeding stimulates the milk ducts, increases lactogenesis.

In the minutes of feeding

Concentrate on the process: do not be distracted by watching TV, talking with relatives. If there is enough milk, then the baby should receive it in one feeding from only one breast. If there is not enough milk, then you can offer the baby a second breast. Subsequent feeding in this case, it is important to start with the breast that the child received last and only then apply the baby to the more filled one.

Feeding the child should be carried out strictly on demand. It is important to apply it to the breast at night, in no case resorting to formula feeding at this time.

Feeding algorithm

1. Encourage your baby to latch onto the nipple.

A hungry child has a heightened search reflex. To provoke him, it is enough to “tickle” the skin near the corner of the baby’s mouth with the nipple, who will immediately open his lips and find the breast offered to him by his mother.

2. Make sure your baby is latching on properly.

Not only the nipple, but also the areola should get into the child's mouth. It is important that its grip is as tight as possible. In the process of feeding, the mother should pay special attention to this, because otherwise the child will suffer from frequent regurgitation and intestinal colic, and the woman risks getting painful nipple cracks. In order to achieve a correct grip, it is necessary to offer the child a breast not superficially, putting only the nipple into his mouth, and inserting the gland more confidently, completely. A nursing woman should not hear any whistling sounds characteristic of improper suckling.

3. Follow the act of feeding, namely:

• Does the child accompany the sucking movements with swallowing. Physiologically, the child makes 7-8 sucking movements, after which he takes a short break and resumes the process. For every 4-5 sucking movements, the baby produces one swallow. If the act of swallowing occurs much less frequently or does not occur at all, you need to pay attention to the amount of milk, to assess whether there is a deficiency.
• Are the nasal passages of the baby blocked? It is important to watch that the mammary gland does not block the nasal passages of the child. Cases are described when women who fell asleep in the process of breastfeeding deprived their children of the opportunity to breathe, which led to sad consequences.
• So that the child really eats, and does not sleep at the breast. The baby, correctly attached to the breast, receives the main amount of milk during the first 10-15 minutes of active sucking. After this time, much less milk enters the ducts. It takes about 20-25 minutes for a child to fully eat. It is not advisable to keep the baby at the breast for more than half an hour, it is better to offer him to eat later, when he again has feelings of hunger.

After feeding

After the baby has eaten, gently pull the breast towards you and remove it from the baby's mouth (by the end of feeding, already, as a rule, sleeping). To avoid injury to the delicate skin of the nipple and the appearance of cracks, it is recommended to lubricate it with oil (baby, vaseline, peach) or a specialized product that restores the lipid layer of the skin (for example, Bepanten cream or ointment).

If the baby did not fall asleep during feeding, then to prevent regurgitation, it is necessary to hold it in an upright position for some time (10-15 minutes).

How do you know if your baby is latching on correctly?

A child, properly attached to the chest, calms down, does not make chaotic movements with arms and legs. He actively sucks milk, making one swallow for several sucking movements. Nothing interferes with his nasal breathing. The nipple and areola of the mother's breast are tightly covered by the baby's lips; there are no pathological sounds during feeding (whistling, grunting, snoring).

If suddenly something went wrong and some of these conditions are not met - do not panic. Carefully remove the breast from the baby's mouth and offer it again. The chest should be given confidently, and the baby's lips should cover it tightly.

Causes of improper capture of the mammary gland by a child

1. The child is offered only the nipple of the breast.

The mother needs to put her breast into the baby's mouth so that he can also capture the areola.

2. Nasal breathing is blocked by a gland.

3. Flat nipple.

Many breastfeeding women face this problem. Due to anatomical features, the female nipple is very small (flat): the child cannot capture it at all, or after capturing the nipple, it slips out of the baby's mouth. The solution to the problem can be special silicone pads used to organize the physiological feeding of the child.

4. The baby has a short frenulum of the tongue.

It is difficult for the child to make both grasping and sucking movements. The condition may be suspected by the mother or pediatrician after examination and confirmed after consultation with a dentist.

5. Congenital anomalies of the maxillofacial apparatus of a child.

These include cleft lip, cleft lip, cleft palate, cleft palate, and other congenital defects of the maxillofacial apparatus. In such cases, it is often impossible to correct the grip of the child's breast. Feeding is carried out with expressed human milk from a baby bottle with a specially designed nipple.

What can interfere with the child in the process of feeding

There are cases when the technique of applying the baby to the breast is carried out correctly, but he quickly stops sucking.

This may occur in the following cases.

1. Hygiene of the child's nasal cavity has not been carried out.

The crusts that form during breathing in the baby's nasal passages can partially or completely block their lumen and interfere with full sucking. It is necessary to regularly (every morning and as crusts appear) remove them with a cotton swab dipped in vaseline oil.

2. There is no milk in the mother's breast.

The child is restless, "tearing" the chest, arching in the arms of the mother. A woman, in the process of the next feeding, needs to check whether milk is flowing through the ducts. At the same time, she needs to press on the nipple and express 2-3 streams. If milk is secreted drop by drop or not at all, you need to offer the child a second breast. Also, a mother will be able to notice a lack of milk by dry diapers (a decrease in the number of urination acts, a decrease in a single volume of urine), the absence or decrease in the frequency of defecation acts during the day.

Hello!

I am very glad to receive letters from mothers who were preparing for childbirth based on my materials, and of course I try to answer and help you.

Today we'll talk about proper attachment of the baby to the breast. But first a question:

Ludmila, hello!
Tell me, please, how to persuade a 2-week-old baby to open his mouth wide and stick out his tongue for proper attachment to the breast? The mouth opens, but it seems to me that it is not wide enough, the tongue does not protrude at all. In a calm state, it generally presses the lower lip inward.

As a result, from the moment of birth, I lost weight (I was born 3040 g, at discharge I weighed 2850 g), by today I have gained weight only 3010 g. It seems to be eating normally in time, but the weight began to increase slightly only in the last four days, before that he had just not lost weight.

Sincerely,Svetlana

Congratulations on the birth of your baby. You are doing the right thing by paying attention to the quality of breastfeeding. Proper attachment will insure against many feeding difficulties.

It should be understood that initially, being born, the child does not know how to take the breast correctly. He has a sucking reflex, and obeying him, the child sucks. And to track the correctness is my mother's task.

How to teach to breastfeed correctly?

1. The breast is inserted into the child's wide open mouth.

The child does not understand our words, so we do the following: we draw the nipple over the child’s mouth STRICTLY from top to bottom. Never move the nipple from side to side, this will teach the child to turn his head, but will not achieve a wide open mouth.

Repeat the movement from top to bottom as many times as required. At some point, the child opens his mouth: maybe a little, or maybe wide.

What a wide open mouth is for your child can only be understood by carefully observing him. Catch the moments when he yawns, or at the moment of crying, pay attention to how wide he can open his mouth - this is what we strive for when we want to attach to the chest correctly.

Usually for 5-6 small openings of the mouth, there is 1 large one. This moment needs to be caught and put the breast deep into the child's mouth. Your movement must be fast, otherwise you may be late.

1. After the baby has taken the breast, you can go through the main signs of proper attachment for yourself and see if they are observed.

• The baby's mouth is wide open (like a chick whose mother brought a treat).
• The top and bottom jaws are turned out.
• The tongue does not go back and forth; a halo (the dark part of the chest) lies on it.
• The nipple is deep in the mouth, at the base of the tongue.
• The tip of the nose and chin are pressed against the tita. This moment is controlled by you, as a mother.

1. You shouldn't feel pain while feeding.

If there is pain, this is one of the signs that the attachment is incorrect and, most likely, the child sucks on the nipple and injures the breast. The result of improper sucking can be abrasions, cracks, inflammation of the breast, a slight increase in weight.

In order to stop worrying about weight gain in a baby, two important parameters must be taken into account:

• weekly weight gain (at least 125 grams);
• the number of urination in 24 hours (should be more than 12) and I recommend reading this article Does the baby have enough breast milk?

Regarding the fact that in a calm state the lower lip of the child is retracted - this is a frequent occurrence. The correct bite, the correct structure of the jaw is formed in the process of breastfeeding, and gradually everything will return to normal.

We covered the full picture of infant care and the basics of successful breastfeeding in the course Happy Motherhood: How to Breastfeed and Care for Your Baby

Only the necessary theory and practical videos on topics:

• carrying on hand
• soft bathing technique in a diaper,
• swaddling,
• Comfortable co-sleeping and feeding lying down

will help you make the most "difficult" months of a child's life easy and simple!

I also suggest watching my short video tutorial, which explains important points for proper application. Be sure to check out:

Ask your questions in the comments!

The sucking reflex in newborns is inherent in nature. From the first minutes of life, it is recommended to put the baby to the breast in order to calm down after the process of childbirth and experienced stress. But, sometimes, it is impossible to do this - these are complicated births, and general anesthesia, premature births. The woman is forced to observe bed rest, and the child at this moment is fed mixtures from a bottle in the children's department or he is in a special box.

Then you can not be surprised that the child takes the breast incorrectly, because with artificial feeding you do not need to strain, the mixture saturates faster. Another thing is breastfeeding. It takes effort. Infants even have specific blisters on the lower lip from regular feeding.

There are so-called "sloths" who are simply too lazy to strain and they quickly fall asleep in the process. It is believed that in such children the hunger center in the brain matures later, they gain weight more slowly. But even such a reason is not a reason to refuse breastfeeding and you need to continue. Sooner or later, this nerve center will wake up, and the baby will begin to eat more actively.

How to get a newborn to eat

What prevents the baby from taking the nipple correctly:

1. Alternate breastfeeding and bottle feeding. Sucking on a pacifier. An incorrect grip is formed, which then affects breastfeeding.
2. Stagnation of milk in the mother. The longer the feeding process is delayed, the harder it is for the baby to take the first sip. Therefore, if the baby completely sucks out one breast, then it is recommended to express the second a little. This is good for the mother, as there is less risk of mastitis, and for the child.
3. . The chest can cover the nose of the baby and he will have nothing to breathe. As a result, he will constantly open his mouth and twist to breathe. The same thing happens when the baby has a runny nose.
4. Cracked nipples and bleeding can change the taste of milk, so the baby may refuse to eat. And the mixture will be treated well.

The first thing mom needs to do is tidy up her breasts, using special ointments for healing wounds. At this point, milk must be expressed so that it does not disappear completely. Some authors write that later lactation can be restored, but according to reviews on the forums, not everyone succeeded and had to be transferred to artificial nutrition.

The second is to stop giving bottles and. Pacifiers are not so scary if the baby eats breast milk well. There are universal children who eat from everything that is offered. It's good that most of them are.

Start feeding your baby on demand rather than on a schedule. This method is long gone. Babies who are always close to their mother eat better and sleep better. Co-sleeping also promotes better contact and faster relearning from bottle to breast.

Proper attachment of the baby to the breast

The fact is that the child is not just sucking badly or refusing to eat. He has reasons for this, about which he cannot tell his mother. The problem can come from both the mother and the child.

From mom's side:

• the position for feeding is incorrectly chosen - the baby is far from the nipple, just hangs on it and tries to hold it;
• hard breasts - the baby cannot suck milk.

From the side of the child:

• the baby is weak or sick;
• premature baby;
• short frenulum - hard to suck;
• facial muscle tone.

If the usual measures to retrain the baby do not work, you need to see a doctor. There are also breastfeeding consultants who will show you how to teach your baby to latch on properly. Usually such a person is invited home and in practice they find out what the problem of the mother or child is.

It depends on the correct application whether the child will receive as much milk as he needs, or will starve.

Choosing a position for feeding

Of the common causes, the choice of posture is the most common problem. Mom should be comfortable. To do this, you need to provide support for the back. If the process takes place while sitting, the elbows should also rest on something so that it is not difficult to support the child at the right distance from the nipple. The legs should rest on an elevation - a bench, a folded blanket on the floor, a roller.

Easy to feed your baby

1. From under the arm, when the child's body is located on the side of the mother on a raised platform. Suitable for twins, allows you to relax your back as much as possible while the baby is eating. One hand is free and it is easy to properly push the breast so that the nipple enters the mouth along with the areola.
2. Lying. Best for feeding before bed. Mom lies on her side, the child is turned to face her chest. With the second hand, you can take and give the nipple several times until it grabs correctly.
3. In the cross cradle position. The baby's head lies in the left hand on the right side. It is convenient to teach to take the breast with the right hand.

Without additional support in the form of a pillow, relying only on the strength of the hands, it will be inconvenient for the mother to control the process and she will quickly get tired. The traditional position of the baby in the arms with one shoulder raised by the mother is not suitable for "training" to capture the nipple.

Nipple grip rules

How should a baby breastfeed correctly?

1. The nipple touches the sky. You can check by putting a clean finger in your baby's mouth. He draws it in and a vacuum is formed, which then makes it difficult to pick up this finger. If this does not happen, the baby does not know how to suck properly.
2. The nipple enters the mouth along with the areola. Just do it quickly, otherwise the baby may bite and injure the chest.
3. Does not slip on the nipple during feeding.
4. There are no smacking sounds, only swallowing.
5. If you look from below, you can see the tongue located between the chest and lower lip.
6. The chin moves and freezes in the down position while the baby draws in the liquid.

Signs of a bad grip:

• extraneous sounds;
• mouth is not wide open;
• the areola is visible, there is one nipple in the mouth;
• Mom is in pain.

Improper sucking ends with the fact that the baby does not receive enough milk and behaves restlessly.

How to teach your baby to breastfeed properly

Techniques that help to establish proper sucking:

• pressure on the chin so that the baby opens its mouth wider;
• finger feeding with a tube - used for mastitis in the mother, allows you to determine how well the baby sucks the finger correctly.

Some children need to be trained for a long time until they learn. According to mothers, some made 20 to 30 attempts per application. The training sometimes dragged on for a month or two. But if the mother does not stop trying, the children sooner or later become accustomed to the breast.

How to know if your baby is breastfed

Babies gain weight more slowly - this is normal. The main thing is that the baby completely sucks out the entire portion of milk regularly. To understand if the baby has enough nutrition, you need to analyze:

• the amount of urine per day - if 4 - 5 diapers change per day, completely wet, then everything is in order;
• regular daily stools - 5 to 8 times a day;
• emptying of the mammary gland after feeding;
• stool becomes a light mustard color by the third day after birth.

Well-fed baby, although this sign is not decisive.

The main thing in breastfeeding is the perseverance of the mother, which helps to preserve natural nutrition, which subsequently affects the baby's immunity. Therefore, you need to continue to teach the child to eat mother's milk until he succeeds.