Breastfeeding Class

We took a 2-hour breastfeeding class that met in the lobby of the doctor's office (like the childbirth class) but it was taught by another lady. She's been a lactation consultant for like 19 years and knows all the up-to-date info on breastfeeding because she studies, attends conferences and works with mothers. She gave us many handouts and a book about breastfeeding. There were only 2 other couples in the class (unusually small). We learned a lot of interesting things, such as....

After your baby is born, on day 1 her stomach is only the size of a small marble. By day 10 it is the size of a ping pong ball. On days 1-3, a mother's milk is called "colostrum" (which is yellow or clear and rich in proteins) and then it becomes transitional milk. About day 10 is when the mature milk arrives. The first milk that a baby gets during a feeding is called "foremilk." It is thin, may look a little blue and is low in fat and calories. As the baby nurses, foremilk slowly turns to "hindmilk," which is creamy and higher in fat (like dessert!). Because of this, you need to nurse your baby on one side long enough for her to get the hindmilk. Human milk is over 80% water so your baby does not need to supplement breastfeeding with drinking water or any other substance.

Milk is created in the breasts on a supply and demand basis--the more your baby eats, the more milk you make. If you don't nurse a lot in the beginning to get a good milk supply established, you could have problems later on. Your milk is flavored by what you eat so the baby gets a wide variety of tastes. You don't have to stick to a strict diet (some people say to avoid garlic, broccoli and onions, for example)...you just need variety and moderation. However, sometimes the baby may have an aversion to something you eat so you need to pay attention to figure out if you need to stop eating that item for a time.

There is no need to toughen your nipples before the birth as many people suggest. The body is preparing the nipples with a keratin layer so if you rub a washcloth on your nipples to toughen them up, you will be removing that good layer. Cracked and bleeding nipples are not normal (they are a sign that the baby is not latching on correctly) but slight tenderness is normal at first. You can rub a few drops of your colostrum onto your nipples after the baby feeds to help with the initial tenderness. You can also use nipple creams when you need something extra if your nipples are really dry.

Breastfeeding burns 500+ calories a day and you generally lose about 10 lbs just by breastfeeding. You should keep breastfeeding even when you are sick because your baby has already been exposed to whatever you have by the time your symptoms show up. Your body will produce antibodies to fight the infection and those antibodies will also pass to the baby via your breastmilk so she will be protected. Also, if the baby picks up an illness, it is harbored in her mouth and she will pass it to you while breastfeeding and your body will produce antibodies to fight the infection and those antibodies will also pass to the baby via your breastmilk so she can fight the infection. So, your baby really needs to keep breastfeeding if she wants to recover soon! I had never heard of that before and found it sooooo fascinating.

We also discussed how to console a baby by using the 5 S's (swaddling, sidelying, shushing, swinging and sucking), how to hold a baby while breastfeeding so she can latch on properly and your arms won't get tired of holding her, what to do if your baby is not interested in feeding at first, how often you should feed inititally, how many wet diapers and bowel movements the baby should have in the first few weeks, how to pace feed if bottle feeding to prevent overfeeding, and so on.

Here are some advantages of breastfeeding versus bottle feeding:
*It's the perfect food for babies, with just the right ingredients in just the right amounts (it changes to meet a baby's growing needs).
*It's free and always ready to use (no measuring, heating, sterilizing).
*It increases a child's IQ (live cells found only in breastmilk help the rapidly growing brain grow to full capacity).
*Helps mom and baby bond with skin-to-skin nurturing.
*Babies are up to 15 times less likely to be sick in their first year.
*Reduces baby's chances of colic, ear infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, allergies, asthma, and obesity as an adult.
*Helps mom get back in shape faster by burning calories and shrinking the uterus back into shape.
*Reduces mom's risk of ovarian and breast cancer.
*Saves our natural resources (an estimated 87,230 tons of tin and paper ended up in landfills due to formula consumption in 2002).
*Babies have better jaw development (bottle fed babies don't have to work as hard to get the milk).