Breastfeeding: The First Week

The first week of breastfeeding is usually the hardest, this is when most women have breast tenderness, okay, it is painful both the breasts themselves and sometimes the nipples.

When a woman's milk comes in after a few days they can feel sore and heavy; many women quit breastfeeding at this point, this heaviness is treatable and only lasts a few days until the body is able to regulate the production of milk.

To treat the over fullness of the breasts, a woman should try the following steps:

First, take a very warm shower, letting the water soothe the tenderness of the breasts, the woman can relieve the pressure of her tender breasts using flat hands to help the milk release, start closest to the body holding one hand above and one hand below the breast, using mild pressure sweep hands to up to the nipple, repeat from the sides and apply more pressure on the next few passes.

Latching On

The first few weeks latching on is another cause of uncomfortable nursing for mothers; to get the baby to latch on properly the mother needs to be sure the babies mouth is open wide, then pull the baby to the breast, being sure that the babies chin and nose are touching the breast.

The baby should take as much of the darkened part of the nipple into their mouth as possible; the baby's lips should be around the breast, like a fishes mouth, not sucked in under the breast.

If the baby is not latched on properly, the mother can insert her little finger into the baby's mouth at the corner to break the suction, then softly touch the babies lower lip with her nipple, when the baby opens very wide the mother needs to pull the baby close to her quickly, trying to center the nipple in the baby's mouth.

Latching on gets easier with practice for both mother and baby; finding a comfortable position to hold the baby will make latching on quicker and easier for both mother and child.

Next the woman can use a breast pump to take away some access milk; it is important not to completely empty the breast. For best results pump off just enough milk to allow the baby to latch on properly, then allow the baby to nurse, once the baby has had his or her fill, if the breasts still feel uncomfortably full, pumping just a little extra milk will help to relieve the pressure.

It's important not to over pump because the body will produce as much milk as the breasts dispensed the previous day; so once the woman is able to cope with the fullness to the point that she no longer needs to pump, the breasts will stop over filling, they will only produce what the baby needs.

Sleeping at a slight incline will help the breasts from feeling so leaden in the morning and letting the baby nurse as often as they want will help to keep the breasts from producing too much milk and alleviate the uncomfortable feeling.

Sore Nipples

Sore, dry, or even cracked nipples are actually common the first week of breastfeeding; to help combat sore nipples the mother should allow the nipple to air dry as often as possible, once the nipple is completely dry she should apply some lanolin to the nipple. The lanolin will moisturize the skin and protect the skin from chapping which can occur from nursing; if the nipples are too sore to apply the lanolin, it may be applied to a nursing pad, and then placed on the sore nipple.

Sticking With it

Many mothers want to breastfeed their babies then quit for one reason or another after a few weeks; during the great depression when formula was only available to the wealthiest people over 80% of women were able to breastfeed their babies, today less than 40% of women breastfeed their babies.

If women are encouraged and have the tools to work through the painful times of nursing many would see it becomes so easy after a time that even thinking of going through all the fuss of bottles seems ridiculous. Hopefully inspired women can find help they need with common breastfeeding problems by following these suggestions and stick with nursing.