BT August 2019

Breastfeeding
challenges conquered!
The best nutrition
and it’s perfect in
every way
Breast milk is the perfect food for your
baby in every possible way. Nature
has seen to it that as your baby’s need
changes, so will the composition of
your breast milk. It is available on
demand too, and you do not have to
get up and prepare it. What’s more,
you’ll be assured that your breast milk
is also at the perfect temperature for
your baby’s consumption at any time!
With all this being said, new moms,
as mentioned before, may have a
daunting time at first, when they’re
attempting to establish breastfeeding
for the first time.
Getting around
breastfeeding issues
Common issues that may occur include
nipple pain and baby not being able
to latch on properly. Some new moms
may also find it difficult to find a
comfortable feeding position. Here are
some common breastfeeding issues
new moms may bump into.
Painful latch
This is probably the most common
issue that many new breastfeeding
moms face, especially during the
first few feeds. While it’s normal to
feel soreness in the nipples at the
beginning of your breastfeeding
journey, it should not prolong. In fact,
it shouldn’t even last more than a
minute from when baby first latches
on. If baby has latched and the pain
lasts longer than a minute into your
feeding session, check the positioning
of your baby on your breast.
Position your baby so that his mouth
covers more of the areola below the
nipple rather than above. You may have
to break his latch a few times to get the
perfect position. To do that, place your
index finger inside your baby’s mouth
to take him off your breast. Tickle his
chin so his mouth is wide open, and
try again. Your baby’s latch is good
when his chin and nose are touching
your breast, his lips are splay out and
you can’t see your nipple or part of the
lower areola.
Engorged breasts
While some experienced moms find
that if you nurse your baby frequently
enough from the start, you might
actually escape from having engorged
breasts, many others find that it’s part
and parcel of nursing, whereby it’s
bound to happen at some point. Either
way, engorgement makes it difficult
for babies to latch on to the breast
because it’s hard and un-conforming
to their tiny mouths. If you happen
to experience it, try hand expressing
some milk to get it flowing and to
soften up the breast a little. This will
hopefully make it easier for your baby
to latch on. And yes, frequent nursing
does help.
Thrush
Thrush is a yeast
infection in your baby’s
mouth, which can also
spread to your breasts.
It causes incessant
itchiness, soreness,
and sometimes a rash.
Your doctor will need
to give you antifungal
medication to put on
your nipple and in your
baby's mouth. Both
baby and you will have
to be treated for this. If
treatment isn’t given at
the same time, it may
keep being passed from
baby to you and vice
versa, and delay healing.
Cracked, sore nipples
If baby’s position seems fine and it’s
still painful for you to breastfeed, your
nipples may be dry, cracked or sore.
Cracked nipples can be the result of
many different things: thrush, dry skin,
improper pumping, etc.. During the first
week of breastfeeding, you may have
bloody discharge when your baby is just
learning to latch or you are just beginning
to pump - this won’t harm your baby,
though, so you need not worry.
Assuming that you no longer have
latching on problems, try breastfeeding
more frequently, and at shorter
intervals. The less hungry baby is, the
softer his sucking will be.
When it comes to treating your dry and
cracked nipples, resist using products
14 BabyTalk | August 2019