Are You Breastfeeding Successfully

Breast feeding is as natural as getting up and taking a walk (or so they say), so when you find it doesn't come quite as easily to you as it does to other moms, you may start to have feelings of inadequacy. Despite what "they" all say breast feeding can often take lots of adjusting to. Some moms never take to it. (And that's fine as well).

It's not your fault if you haven't sussed out breast feeding straight away, (not all the time anyway). A newborn baby doesn't always get it right straight away either and learning how to breast feed can be something you can both do together. It will bring both you and your new baby closer together in a special bond.

Breastfeeding can be part of an important emotional relationship between a mother and her baby, but unfortunately as stated above successful nursing doesn't come easily to every woman. Breast feeding (despite opinions to the contrary) is not an automatic reaction; it’s a skill which women have to learn. It’s because of the assumption that it should be an automatic reaction that many woman feel a failure if they can't get it quite right.

Relax; if you're nervous and tense because your baby is going to sense it. There is some research that suggests tension in a nursing mother is transmitted to her baby through her milk which can result in the baby becoming colicky. Tension also interferes with the "letting down of your milk" (This is the release of the milk by your milk producing glands), So finding somewhere peaceful with preferably soothing music and low lights etc to feed your baby becomes somewhat a necessity rather than a luxury.

Sitting in a rocking chair whilst feeding your baby, has been a popular method of sitting and breastfeeding babies for hundreds of years. (Our grandmothers knew a thing or two). The structural design of the rocking chair helps you adjust your posture correctly so you don't suffer from back strain, and the rocking movement of the chair is very soothing and calming.

Don't be swayed by other people's advice and comments about how often to feed your baby. All babies are different, and what is good for one baby doesn't necessarily work for another. If your baby wants eight feeds a day, that’s fine. If he wants 10 or fifteen feeds a day, that’s fine as well!

Frequent feeds are actually good for both you and your baby as the frequent latching on helps to keep your milk flowing. It’s a very common misconception that frequent feeding stimulates your breasts to produce too much milk. Mother Nature is very clever and she has ensured you will only ever produce as much milk as your baby needs. As he gets older and hungrier, the flow and texture will adjust to satisfy his needs.