Getting a Head
Start on Breastfeeding
Barbara Behrmann, Ph.D.
(c) 1998)
The delights of breastfeeding may seem like a sadistic myth during the first few
days, even weeks, of life with your baby. Breastfeeding is natural, but that
doesn’t mean it’s instinctive. Many women discover they need some help getting
breastfeeding off to a good start. Fortunately, that help is available. Doing
a little planning ahead of time will help you to develop a satisfying nursing
relationship.
Gather emotional
support.
Try to spend time with nursing
mothers, even before your baby is born. La Leche League, an internationally
recognized authority on breastfeeding with over 3000 groups in more than 60
countries, holds local meetings, free of charge. There is probably no better
place to see breastfeeding in action and to find support. Visit
www.lalecheleague.org or contact 1-800-Laleche
or 847-519-7730 to find a meeting near you. The second number provides access
to an automated system for finding leaders in the United States by entering a local zip
code.
Locate community resources for
breastfeeding.
In addition to La Leche League, lactation consultants,
lactation counselors, breastfeeding peer counselors, and doulas, are among the
professionals and para-professionals who offer support and assistance. The most
highly trained professionals are those with the credential of IBCLC,
International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant. IBCLCs must have
several thousand hours of experience working with nursing mothers before then taking an
international exam. They must also complete a number of related educational
credits. Certified lactation counselors undertake an intensive 40 hour
course and may also be able to help you with easily solved problems. Contact
www.ilca.org or call 919-861-5577.
Many communities around the country have breastfeeding peer
counselors through the WIC program (Women, Infants and Children, a federally
funded supplemental nutritional program for families who meet income eligibility
requirements). For more information on this program and to find the closest WIC
agency in your community, contact the National WIC Association at
1-866-WIC-INFO, or go to
www.fns.usda.gov/wic/Contacts/coor.HTM for a state
list of WIC Nutrition and Breastfeeding Coordinators.
Learn about
hospital procedures that may affect breastfeeding.
Find out ahead of time how medications and pain relief measures during labor and
delivery may affect your baby’s ability to suckle. Request “rooming-in” and ask
that your baby not be cleaned up and given tests until after you have had a
chance to nurse. Understand that pacifiers and supplemental bottles of formula
can interfere with nursing and that rates of in-hospital supplementation have
increased nation-wide in recent years, even though studies document how
supplementation can lead to premature weaning.
Make sure your
health care provider is knowledgeable about breastfeeding.
Declaring support for
breastfeeding is not enough. Studies indicate that many residents and
physicians in pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology and family medicine rate
themselves as having insufficient knowledge, training and experience to properly
counsel breastfeeding mothers. Be wary of providers whose offices seem to
promote formula. Find out ahead of time if your family physician or pediatrician
has someone on staff to offer breastfeeding assistance and find out what kind of
training they have. You can also ask them what percentage of their new
mothers are nursing.
Talk to your
employer if you plan to return to work.
The end of your maternity leave doesn’t have to mean the end of nursing.
Flexible schedules, an ability to pump your milk (particularly with a high
quality, electric pump) and nursing at night all help to keep your milk
flowing. Pumping not only lets you maintain your supply, but, if your child is
at day care, it enables the provider to feed him or her your own milk instead of
having to use formula. There are several books available packed with lots of
helpful information, i.e., Breastfeeding and the Working Mother by Diane
Mason and Diane Ingersoll.
Read and Learn.
Talk to women who have nursed
successfully, check out the numerous breastfeeding sites on the Internet, and
read a bit about breastfeeding ahead of time. Here are a few reading suggestions to
get you started:
The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers,
by Jack Newman, M.D. and Teresa Pitman. Prima Publishing.
Bestfeeding: Getting Breastfeeding Right For
You, by M. Renfrew, C. Fisher and S. Arms. Celestial Arts. 1990.
The Nursing Mother’s Companion by
Kathleen Huggins. Harvard Common Press. 1995.
Remember, over 95 percent of women have the ability to nurse successfully. You
most likely can too!
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barbara L. Behrmann, Ph.D. is a writer, researcher, and author of
The
Breastfeeding Café: Mothers Share the Joys, Secrets & Challenges of Nursing,
University of Michigan Press, 2005. She is a frequent speaker around the
country and is available for talks, readings, and conducting birthing and
breastfeeding writing circles. The mother of two formerly breastfed
children, Barbara lives in upstate New York.
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