Numerous books and articles have been written on the topic of nursing and its advantages, yet, not enough attention is given to its challenges. Many women walk into this unprepared. Overwhelmed by the difficulties and lack of support, they simply give up. “All the books and people just talk about how wonderful it is, but no one prepared me for the endless nursing sessions, sleepless nights, the blood and tears, the loneliness and depression,” shares a mother. “The learning curve is harsh and too steep,” laments another first time mom.
If we invest efforts, time, and money into getting ready for the few hours of wedding glory, we must be ready to do the same for educating ourselves about nursing, on which depends our own health and that of our children. Let us look at some practical tips that can help in nursing successfully as well as ways to overcome the possible challenges.
Attending birthing classes. You can begin preparing for nursing well before birth. Attend in person or online natural birthing classes (with your husband, if possible). A great resource is www.amanibirth.com, which has recently begun work in Pakistan. Along with other birth related information, you will learn the basics of nursing as well. Aga Khan University Hospital also offers excellent neo-natal classes to educate first-time mothers.
Defining birth preferences. Opting for unmedicated, natural birth can be a great start – limiting or even eliminating medical interventions during labour results in greater ease in nursing. Seemingly harmless IVs can lead to engorgement or problems in latching and are best avoided, unless necessary. Discuss with your doctor any such preferences regarding the birth.
Rooming in. After the birth, try to ensure that your baby gets brought to you for rooming in as soon as possible. The precious moments right after birth are called ‘the golden hour’, when keeping the baby skin-to-skin can help regulate his body temperature and blood sugar levels and also stimulate bonding and milk production. Also, the most potent miraculous milk is being produced at that time – thick, yellow colostrum that provides the best immunity to the newborn, as he enters this world. Sometimes, new moms get confused because it is produced in small quantities, and it takes two or more days for the regular milk to ‘come in’. Remember that the size of a newborn’s tummy is only as big as a marble. It needs only a spoonful or two of milk to fill it, but at frequent intervals.
Enlisting help. Often right after the birth, mothers are too groggy with pain meds or gas to take care of the child. This is a good time to ensure that a family member or friend rooms in with you to help you handle the child for natural nursing. Bottle-feeding formula to the child at this time may cause nipple confusion later and make initial breastfeeding more challenging. The baby may get used to sucking effortlessly on the rubber teat and may be reluctant to nurse naturally, which requires quite a bit of effort and sucking to get the milk. Not getting the mother’s milk quick enough, baby may start crying – new moms may panic and offer more formula.
Understanding demand and supply. Breastmilk works on the simple rule of demand and supply; the more the baby nurses, the more milk the body will be asked to produce. When the demand dips, because the baby is given formula, the supply also dips. This is why often new moms say: “I really wanted to nurse my baby – I even tried, but I did not have enough milk.”
Other moms may say: “We nurse all day but at night give only formula, so we can sleep.” Since the baby nurses at night from 4 to 8 times, replacing that with formula is bound to affect the milk supply of the mother. This is why some moms say that their milk just dried up after a few months. Well, now we know why.
Looking for solutions. If nursing does not seem to be working, do not rush to replace it with formula at once. You may be facing an easily solvable issue, which an experienced lactation nurse can help you manage and overcome.
Avoiding early use of pumps. It may seem in hospital that not enough milk is produced, which may tempt some mothers to resort to the use of pumps. Seeing just a few drops being pumped may become an even further discouragement. However, the pumped milk is not a good way to judge supply, because babies are much more efficient at extracting milk than a pump. Hand expressing milk and feeding the baby with a tiny spoon is a better option, when the baby does not seem to be latching well.
Ensuring supportive home environment. It is important to ensure that the new mother gets sufficient time for healing and establishing nursing. Husbands may consider taking a paternity leave to support their wives both physically and emotionally. Help could be hired to take care of the house chores for some time. Keeping the mom hydrated, well-nourished, and stress-free should be the main focus for the husband and the family in these initial days.
Setting the right position. Positioning while nursing matters a lot – find one that works best for you and the baby. Often, the baby is not in an optimum position to feed, which may hamper the whole process, and he is not able to get to the hind milk. If the breast does not empty properly, it will not signal the body to make more milk.
Considering co-sleeping. Co-sleeping with a cot pulled up next to the bed with one side down may just save your sleep and sanity. Often, we hear that we should not let the baby sleep at the breast, but it is the most natural, quickest, and easiest way to put the baby to sleep. Why would we want to give that up, if there is no huge disadvantage to it?
Maintaining good diet. The mom does not need to eat for two, as is commonly said, but rather she needs only an extra of 500 calories. She should be eating healthy, nutritious foods. Also, there are particular foods, which are suggested as helpful for increasing the mild production – for example, such as galactagogues and lotus seeds (Makhanay).
Above tips is my humble contribution to helping new mothers overcome the fear of nursing and any challenges they may be facing. May Allah (swt) reward abundantly all the mothers for their tireless dedication in raising healthy and happy children, Ameen.
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