Are you a first time mother anxious about how to breast feed and take care of your new born baby? Below are some useful tips on the right ways to prepare you before you start breastfeeding and essential tools that will prove to be more than useful when it comes to breastfeeding especially for working mums.
Take note of the following mentioned easy-to-follow tips:
Follow a healthy and balanced Diet: Though there are no rigorous mandates about what to eat and what not to eat, it is still important that you take a balanced diet, comprising of essential vitamins, minerals, and proteins. The use of caffeine and alcohol should be restricted lest it tampers with the child’s metabolism and leads to irritability.
Take breast-feeding lessons
Nowadays, it is very easy to find a doctor or mid-wife who would disperse knowledge about breastfeeding over the weekend. Such classes are of great help to learn what is the right position to hold the bay, frequency of feed, how long to nurse et al.
Consult a Lactation consultant
It is very important to consult your doctor at regular intervals and get your little one examined to ensure that his overall growth is fine.
Proper sanitation
It’s very important that you clean your nipples and the area surrounding them before you breastfeed your loved one lest he falls sick due to some infection. Also, while feeding your young one from a milk bottle, it’s important to wash your hands properly and boil the bottle, nipple and the lid for at least 20-25 minutes. Also, do not check the temperature by dipping your finger into the milk.
Finally, the below mentioned tools that will go a long way in helping you become the best breastfeeding mother.
Breastfeeding pump
Call it a boon for working mothers but Breastfeeding pumps are the most important tool that is of immense help to working mothers who cannot be with the child round the clock. Breast milk can be collected through the pump and the child can be bottle fed as and when required.
Nursing cover
It is advisable to have a nursing cover for your child when feeding in public, which will save you from social embarrassment when your child cries for hunger.
Nursing bras
It is advisable to possess a pair of nursing bras, especially when your child whelps for his feed more often than usual. Also, it will save you the effort of undressing time and again.
Ointments and soothing gels
Your handbag will never be too heavy to carry a soothing gel and will be of utmost help when your nipples turn sore after frequent feeding.
Daily Diet schedule
It’s very important to keep a check of your eating habits during breastfeeding phase through the use of a handy diet chart. It will help you keep a check on your eating schedule and will enable you to detect if any particular food item caused allergy to your loved one. It will also help you change your food items to accustom your child to different food items.
After you have given birth to your baby you should seek breastfeeding tips from your doctor or lactation consultant. They could advice you on use of breastfeeding pump if the breast milk supply is inadequate of if you are have breastfeeding problems. It would be a good idea to use nursing bra for this special period of your life. You can use nursing covers to avoid embarrassment of breastfeeding in public.
Click here for more information on Breast Pumps.
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