3 Most Common Mistakes: Breastfeeding
Expert advice from a lactation consultant.
by Babble Editors
July 11, 2008
2. Failing to devote the first two weeks after birth to nursing
A big mistake would be not to devote the first two weeks to nursing, to really making sure the baby nurses a lot and that you and the baby get to know each other. I'd say a good quarter of my women who don't have milk, it's because they don't have good nursing management at the beginning. They miss feedings because they're tired, and so they give a bottle, so they're not getting into a rhythm with their baby, so then the milk doesn't come in to meet that rhythm. If you have a nurse, you should still make sure the baby's nursing. A lot of times mothers get nurses and then they don't nurse their baby, and then that first two weeks — which are the most crucial for getting things off to a good start — can be wrong. So really to devote the first two weeks to getting this right, cause once it's right it's a lot easier to go from there.
3. Forgetting to enjoy your baby
Not enough women, I think, enjoy the baby. I have a woman — a really lovely woman — and the baby is growing, the baby is thriving, she came in for a very minor issue, and so I said, "What's the first thing we're gonna do? We're gonna throw out the book." She was recording right breast, left breast, pee, poop, this, that, the next thing, and the baby was only three weeks old. And the baby had gained back its birth weight beautifully, and this is really just a very minor problem that we were resolving — and the issue was that I didn't feel she was enjoying the baby. Enjoy the baby. It doesn't have to be exact. If your baby is growing and you feel good, enjoy your baby.
I had a call two days ago from a woman who said to me, "I'd like to make an appointment." I said, "Is the baby gaining weight?" She said, "He's three weeks old and ten ounces above birth weight." I said, "Bell-curve perfect. Is he sleeping?" She said, "I get two to three hour chunks at night." I said, "At three weeks that's beautiful. Are your nipples hurting?" She says, "No." I said, "So then why do you need to see me?" She said, "I guess because my friend saw you and said it was a good idea?" I said, "You don't need to see me." She was one of those women whose baby was a good learner. She was probably in a hospital with a lactation consultant, got some really good early advice, and I was like, then why do you need to see me? I said to her, "You're not enjoying your baby. I don't think you need to see me. You're doing wonderfully, and if I could give you one gift: just have fun."
We're in such a society where everything has to be perfect that she thinks she has a problem when she doesn't. If your baby is gaining, if your nipples don't hurt, don't get caught up in the details.
Interview by Meghan Pleticha
©2008 Babble
