Most women think that it is only necessary to want to breast-feed the baby - and the milk will flow with a river. The truth is there, but it's not so simple. Every pregnant woman should have a certain degree of mental and physical preparation for lactation. This is the main thing that needs to be done to breastfeed for a long time and in joy. And you need to start preparing long before the birth of the baby.
Breastfeeding is an important moment for the mother and child - no one disputes with this. But very few people know that the production of breast milk is useful for the baby, as well as for the mother herself. The health of a woman during this period seems to triple, the immunity becomes extremely strong, and the overall health improves with each passing day. The breastfeeding woman just glows from the inside, her skin becomes tender and silky, her eyes shine in a healthy glow, her hair gains strength and grows better. Not for nothing many centuries the famous artists painted this image - the mother with the baby - as the most fascinating and most tremulous.
Psychological preparation for lactation
The decision to breastfeed your child is the first step in the psychological preparation for feeding. It will be useful to read the literature on pregnancy and childbirth, visit classes for future mothers, where you can get advice from experts on breastfeeding. It is very important to listen to the advice of knowledgeable people - doctors who specifically deal with this issue. Less listen to the compassionate neighbors and just "goodwillers" who can dissuade you from this decision or just frighten you with different stories. Someone, they say, was swollen from a long feeding, someone was suffering with pains terrible, and someone had some milk, then it appeared again. It can tell a lot, but the choice should be made by the woman herself, and preferably the choice is reasonable. We live in a new century, when medicine is at a high level, there are enough specialists in this field. So any problem, even if it arises, will necessarily be solved. Breastfeeding is not a disease. This is the natural state of every woman, bringing joy and health to the child. For this it is worth fighting and sometimes, perhaps, something to give up. The award will be the excellent health of the baby, its correct development and satisfaction of the mother herself, as a woman, as a mother, who fulfilled her main life duty.
Psychological attitude is very important. You should not even allow the thought that you can not breast-feed. Do not rush to buy bottles with nipples and other equipment for organizing the artificial feeding of a child. This subconsciously forces you to think that there may not be a possibility of breastfeeding. Adjust yourself to positive. Get used to the idea that once you start breastfeeding, it will be a pleasant activity.
If you have girlfriends who breastfeed, talk with them about the benefits of breastfeeding. It is important that you keep in touch with women who are left with positive emotions from breastfeeding. This will allow you to set yourself up positively and give confidence that you will be able to cope with the situation.
Physical preparation for lactation
During breastfeeding, there may be many different problems associated with chest pain and nipples or lack of milk. It is important to have a permanent opportunity to contact a specialist who will always give the necessary advice if necessary. The doctor must examine you before delivery and determine the presence of any problems.
It is possible that your nipples are too small, flat or sunken, which can interfere with the breastfeeding of the baby. In this case, you need to do something to breastfeed it was convenient, painless and productive. First, you can use special discs with a hole in the middle to put their bra and help to give the desired shape to the nipples, make them bulging. You can find them in most pharmacies, they are inexpensive and effective enough for constant wearing. The use of a manual or electric vacuum breast massager can also solve the problem of retracted nipples. If this does not help, then it is worthwhile to see a doctor for more serious help (perhaps even surgical). The operation is not complicated, but it will save a lot of problems in the future, even, perhaps, from breast cancer.
Some mothers may experience discomfort during breastfeeding and if their breasts are full of milk, and their nipples are too tight - the baby is difficult to suck. To avoid this, you need to squeeze a little milk before feeding. So the area around the nipple will soften, and the baby will suck much easier. This is important if you can start breastfeeding immediately after birth, and you will express your chest after each feeding. This will prevent the possibility of overflow and inflammation of the nipple.
Preparations for breastfeeding include the need to slightly "coarsen" the nipples, so as to reduce their sensitivity. This is a delicate sphere and a rather difficult task. After all, during pregnancy due to high levels of hormones, the nipples and breasts as a whole become more sensitive. Imagine if every day 12 times a day you need to breast-feed. There may be inflammation, reddening of the nipple, its soreness and swelling. Is it possible to avoid these inconveniences, provided that there is adequate preparation for breastfeeding? Of course! It is necessary that the nipples become coarser. One of the ways to achieve the necessary "roughness" of the nipples is massage with a simple waffle towel. However, it should be done very carefully. By itself, such a massage is already quite a strong intervention. Excessive friction can unnecessarily irritate the breast, increase the outflow of milk and even cause premature contractions. It is recommended only to rub a little area of the nipples with a towel without pressing the breast downwards, as this can adversely affect the breast condition. Your movements should be cautious and attentive. If breastfeeding causes pain and causes bleeding from the nipples - it is necessary to consult a doctor.
Part of the preparation for breastfeeding is a good level of hygiene. Sterile chest after feeding is not required. Just follow the general rules of hygiene: wash your chest with warm water before and after feeding, wipe dry with a clean towel, wash underwear often. If you do not wash at least once the breast after feeding - the milk on the nipples will dry up. Then remove it will be difficult and painful, you can damage the nipples. If you just rinse with water and dry your breast after feeding - this can be avoided.
Very often problems with feeding arise because of the child's incorrect position in relation to the mother's body. If the child is placed incorrectly, ulcers on the nipples may occur. Similar problems can occur when you express your chest. This also often happens if you wash your chest with soap. Soap overdoes the skin around the nipples, it dries, even if you pour enough water. You can use moisturizers after feeding, but before that, consult a dermatologist. Specify whether these funds are suitable for lactating women.
Doctors advise lactating women how to properly carry out a breast massage. This will stimulate the formation of vitamin D, which will then be delivered to the baby through breast milk. Before breast-feeding, it is important to wash your hands, but do not use a very fragrant soap, as the obsessive smell is not well tolerated by babies.
Being unprepared can eventually become a nightmare for you. But if you have problems, there are always specialists that you can turn to. They will certainly tell you what to do, so that almost every woman who gave birth to a baby is breast-feeding. The importance of this can not be overemphasized. Yes, and the mothers themselves understand how useful and priceless it is for a child - breastmilk. In fact, up to now, a decent artificial substitute for mother's milk has not been invented even in the most developed countries. Because love, the desire for health and happiness can hardly be brought artificially. This can give your child only a loving, happy and healthy mother.