Previously on our Ask the Midwives series we have covered antenatal questions, questions about labour and birth as well as planning for the fourth trimester. I aimed to write this blog post in honour of International Breastfeeding Week but I am waaaay past that deadline. As one half of Grow+Gather is currently deep in the trenches of newborn life, I feel our inability to keep to a deadline just highlights the reality of breastfeeding a new baby! I’m not sure what my excuse is…! So here we have some of the most commonly asked breastfeeding questions. And to be clear, we celebrate all ways of feeding your baby. Perhaps breastfeeding isn’t for you. And that is totally fine. There is no pressure. But for those of you who are thinking about breastfeeding your baby or are in the midst of doing so, here are some of the questions we get asked most frequently.
Is breast best?
This is a really tricky question to answer. Best for who? And in what way? Does the research show benefits for breastfeeding for mothers and babies. Yes. But I think it’s also important to separate the benefits of breastfeeding on a large population basis compared to an individual level. Is breast best for babies on a nation wide level? Or is breast best for you, at this moment, right now? Those are two very different questions. As a first time mum, I sacrificed my mental health and my enjoyment of parenthood in my quest to breastfeed. I was sad and stressed and anxious, a lot. Perhaps this would have been the case had I formula fed or even mixed fed so I shouldn’t play the ‘what if’ game but I can’t help but feel it might have lightened the load a little. I put so much pressure on myself. So I can answer this question in a wider sense for sure but I can’t answer it for you, at this very moment.
How can I prepare for breastfeeding? What kit will I need?
In our awesome, fabulous, full weekend antenatal classes (I confess to being only slightly biased) we spend a good deal of time talking about breastfeeding. How often babies feed, feeding cues, how to tell if baby has had enough. So my answer would be to come to our classes! Come and hold a baby doll and a knitted breast and learn what it feels like and looks like to latch a baby onto the breast. In terms of kit, I don’t necessarily think you need any ‘kit’. If you intend to breastfeed then probably your boobs are enough! Any else you can order on amazon prime!
How do I know that my baby is getting enough milk?
That my friends, is an excellent question! And again, something we talk about a lot on our antenatal course too. Because, if you are planning to breastfeed your baby, you need to rethink the idea of ‘volume’ and what this looks like and means. You can’t answer this question in terms of quantity, you have to think more about the whole picture. What are your baby’s nappies like? Are they mostly content and happy after a feed? Are feeds lasting for a good amount of time and can you hear them gulping and swallowing whilst they feed? If you are getting lots of wet and dirty nappies and baby is feeding often at the breast and gaining weight, you are likely onto a winner.
Tell me about mixed feeding/exclusively pumping/combi feeding
Sure. Feeding is rarely the same for all families. People sometimes give some formula and other times they pump breast milk in order to share feeds and sometimes people pump for every single feed for whatever reason. I could write a whole blog post about all of these things. There is no right way of feeding your baby. You will work out a rhythm and pattern that works for you depending on your own needs and those of your baby as an individual.
Is it normal for my baby to not leave my breast for several hours at a time?
Yes. And is it sometimes super intense and frustrating and overwhelming. Also yes. Cluster feeding is very common for breastfed babies. It often happens during a growth spurt or a period of transition. Remember breastfeeding is not just about nutrition. Babies come to the breast for so many reasons other than just food; for comfort and warmth, to be close and feel reassured, when tired or overwhelmed. Sometimes if your baby is unwell or needing some reassurance, you may find they feed a lot. And in the first few weeks as they grow quickly, cluster feeding can be very common. Often it happens in the evening (when you are already tired) and often babies can be a bit cranky during this time so take breaks, ask for help and remember to feed yourself too. Cluster feeding, though difficult, is totally normal. Hang in there.
I feel like I’m not doing anything all day, all I do is feed my baby.
You are single handedly keeping a human alive. That is epic. You have grown a baby, birthed a baby and now you are keeping your baby fed, content and clean. If you manage nothing else in your day, please please know that this is enough. It’s more than enough, it’s incredible. The dishes can wait.
When does the feeding end?
When I was deep in the trenches of feeding my firstborn, I felt like it would never end. I was living this groundhog day of long nights and long days and it just felt so overwhelming. The recommendations are that you give your baby breast
milk or formula milk for the first six months of life before you introduce solid foods. I appreciate that when you are in it, six months feels forever. But I promise you it’s not. Before you know it you are whipping up low salt spag bol and stewing apples and then slowly the milk your baby needs reduces as they increase their food intake. There is no set time to finish breastfeeding, it depends on so many factors but do what feels best for you and your little one.
Please do get in touch if you have any questions about feeding your baby - no matter what way you are feeding your baby we are always happy to help. We also offer feeding support sessions postnatally so if you need some reassurance and guidance then why not get in touch and we would be delighted to support you. We would love to hear from you.
Thank you Hailey for sharing your amazing wild breastfeeding pictures!
Comments