How to Feed Your Baby for Free for SIX WHOLE MONTHS!

The two lines have appeared. Your life is about to change. There are so many decisions to make, when it comes to having a baby. Do you find out the gender, or not. Homebirth or hospital? One choice you'll make can make your first months as a mother crazy easy. You can choose to breastfeed your baby. There are numerous health benefits to breastfeeding, both for baby, and for mom. Risks for certain cancers are reduced, and there have been studies which show breastfed babies to have a statistically significant boost in IQ points, and a lowered risk for obesity and diabetes as an adult. But there are also many myths circulating, which can scare new mothers away from this wonderful experience. Ideas about toughening up your nipples, and not being able to make enough milk sound daunting, and overwhelming when combined with the idea that you're also going to be responsible for a tiny little person.

The good news, is that assuming good health, with no peculiar hormonal/physical abnormalities, you can breastfeed your baby. The bad news is that, even though it's natural, it's not always easy. Like any new skill, it might take a few days to master, and it will continue to be a learning experience for as long as your child chooses to nurse.

Ideally, you want to have your baby latch on for the first time, within 2 hours of birth. I understand that with c-sections, or other emergency births, this may not happen, and if it doesn't, don't sweat it. My kid didn't latch on for almost 5 hours. She nurses like a pro now. The first thing you want to do is position yourself comfortably, sitting upright, or slightly reclined. Cradle your baby to you, supporting her head in the crook of your arm. With your other hand, cup your breast, and use your nipple to stroke your baby's cheek and chin. This stimulates her rooting reflex, and causes her to turn her head and open her mouth. When her mouth is open wide, aim your nipple at her nose, and roll your breast in, ensuring that a good portion of the underside of the breast tissue is in baby's mouth.

It shouldn't hurt. It might be uncomfortable, and it might feel weird. It helps your uterus contract, so you'll notice that. It might cause some sensations that are similar to sensations you expect during lovemaking. But this doesn't last. By about the third feeding, you'll be able to latch your baby on, with your nipple far enough into his mouth, that he is only manipulating the breast tissue under the areola, and not your nipple.

Once the baby is latched on properly, with a mouthful of breast tissue, and lips flared outward, he will start to nurse. Many women fear that the baby isn't getting adequate nutrition, because they can't SEE how much milk they make. If your baby is actively suckling, you will be able to hear him swallow. That's your first clue. Your second clue is if he is wetting and soiling diapers on a regular basis. Newborns are supposed to lose weight after birth. 10% is deemed a normal loss, but if you received IV fluids during your birth, so did your baby. Thus, they may lose a little bit more. That's fine. Offer the breast early, and often, and make sure the latch is correct at each feeding.

If you are having problems with getting the baby to latch, or concerns about your milk supply, check with your midwife, or OB, and see if they have a Lactation Consultant on staff, or if they have the number for the local La Leche League, where an experienced breastfeeding mother will come out and help you with any problems you may be having.

Remember that babies have an inherent need to suck. It helps them to regulate their breathing, and active suckling during sleep has been shown to reduce SIDS risk by a good deal. If it seems that your baby wants the breast more than the oft recommended every two hours, let her have it. In the early months, all stimulation of the prolactin receptors behind the nipple will trigger your body to make more milk. So allowing baby to pacify herself at your breast can be helpful in boosting your supply. These frequent feedings also force you to slow down, and take it easy after birth. Even if your birth was not traumatic with regards to surgery, or anything, it is still a physically taxing process, and your body needs time to recover. So sit down in the nearest easy chair, with your baby, and a good book, and know that the house will still look a wreck when you're done. It can wait.

As your baby ages, you'll notice that his nursing patterns change. He'll be able to go longer between feeds, and he'll start sleeping for longer periods at night. Around the 3, 6, 9, and 12 month marks, you may notice a huge increase in nursing. This is because baby is going through a growth spurt, and he is letting your body know that it's time to start boosting production to accommodate this big new appetite. It's normal, if disconcerting, but the marathon breastfeeding only lasts a day or two, and then it'll be back to business as usual.

Somewhere between 4 and 10 months, baby will start cutting teeth. This new sensation may change the way she latches, and she may clamp down on your breast, because the pressure makes her teething gums feel better. This does not have to lead to weaning. Simply slide a clean finger between her mouth and your breast, and unlatch her, with a firm NO! no biting! You will probably have to repeat this process 2 or 3 times after, but she'll get the hint.

Breastfeeding can make night feedings so much simpler, especially if you choose to co sleep, or have baby room in with you. No shuffling down to the kitchen to pour formula, and heat it. Just snuggle up to him, and latch him on. If co sleeping makes you nervous, be sure and visit the Dr. Sears site referenced below, for good information on how to safely share sleep with an infant.

There are other issues that go along with breastfeeding, like pumping, and choosing the right clothing, but those will be for another article, on another day.