Breastfeeding Difficulties Can Be Normal or abnormal for women!!!

Many doctors, hospitals, and family members advocate breastfeeding because of the nutritional and health benefits of mother’s milk. Breast milk is natural, portable, always available, and always the right temperature. Expectant mothers sometimes assume that breastfeeding is easy. Many new moms think that the baby will immediately latch onto the breast, suckle, and get all of the milk she needs right from the start. While some babies are indeed able to do this, in many cases breastfeeding is a process of trial and error. Mothers who are aware of this and expect some potential problems will spare themselves from unnecessary frustration and guilt.

Latching Problems

When my first child was born he and I struggled with breastfeeding right from the start. No matter what position I tried to hold him in while feeding or how much help the nurses on the maternity floor gave us we could not seem to get latching down. Finally, after numerous unsuccessful attempts and after the baby and I were both crying, the nurse brought me a miraculous little device called a nipple shield. This small, thin piece of silicone fit nicely over my natural nipple and had a small hole the baby could suck milk through. I was amazed at how easily my son was able to latch on once I started using the shield. It allowed him to get all of the benefits of breast milk and saved us from having to switch him to formula prematurely. Nipple shields are a great tool for new moms who want to breastfeed but are having problems getting their newborn to latch on. In most cases the baby can be weaned off of the nipple shield and nurse without it after a short period of time. Some women however may need to use the shield the entire time they are nursing.

Low Milk Supply

For one reason or another some new mothers have a problem making enough milk to keep their newborn fed. If a baby is not getting enough milk a mother will notice he is becoming jaundice and is not making as much urine as he should. This was the case with my second child. I had a major postpartum hemorrhage after my daughter was born and I lost a lot of blood. Due to this trauma my body did not have the reserves to make an adequate amount of milk. The morning after our daughter came home we took her to the pediatrician because she had gone a whole night without soaking her diaper. Her skin was becoming more orange-yellow in color which was a sign her jaundice was worsening. When weighed by the pediatrician she had lost over a pound. It was recommended that we start supplementing with formula immediately. In the end, despite the fact I had intended on my daughter being breastfed like her older brother, she ended up being a bottle baby. My milk never did end up coming in.

Let Go of Guilt

As was the case with my daughter, some mothers are simply unable to breastfeed their babies. There are a number of reasons for this and each mother needs to decide for herself, in collaboration with her child’s doctor, what the right choice is for her. If a mother cannot breastfeed she should not beat herself up about it or feel guilty. Not all babies are meant to be breastfed. If they were the formula industry would be out of business. Bottle fed babies can and do end up just as healthy as breastfed babies and mothers can bond just as well with their children when bottle feeding as they can when breastfeeding.

Know What to Expect

When I was pregnant with my first child I did not know what to expect. I thought breastfeeding would be the easiest activity in the world. I was wrong and had I not been so naive it would have saved me a lot of tears early on. Expectant mothers planning to breastfeed need to know that nursing is not easy and takes work and practice. A good support system helps a lot, as does keeping expectations realistic. You must be aware of getting a certificate for the training received. A visit on the websites cna certification classes near me can be made by you.