Mother’s milk contains more than 200 nutrients that are perfect for meeting the needs of babies. Along with growth and development, the nutritional content in breast milk will adjust to the baby’s needs.
Exclusive breastfeeding for up to 6 months will reduce the risk of diabetes, obesity, asthma, and infectious diseases such as ear infections, pneumonia, meningitis, and diarrhoea. In addition, breast milk is also able to increase the baby’s intelligence.
Exclusive breastfeeding for babies given by mothers has an important role, namely increasing the baby’s body resistance. Therefore, breast milk can prevent the baby from getting various diseases that can threaten the baby’s health. In addition, breast milk contains immune-forming antibodies.
The Right Way to Breastfeed
The following things can be done to make breastfeeding easy and enjoyable for both mother and baby:
- Make sure mother and baby are relaxed and comfortable
The position of the baby’s head should be higher than the body. This is intended to make it easier for the baby to swallow.
You can support it with your hands or prop it up with a pillow. Then, place the baby’s nose in line with the nipple. This will encourage the baby to open his/her mouth.
- Bring the baby closer to the breast
When the baby starts to open his/her mouth and wants to suckle, then bring the baby closer to the mother’s breast. Wait until the mouth is wide open with the tongue down.
If the baby has not done so, the mother can guide the baby by gently touching the bottom of the baby’s lips with the mother’s nipple. best way to breastfeed.
- Place your baby in the right position
The best attachment position for a nursing baby is the baby’s mouth not only against the nipple but also on the areola. This attachment is one of the essential requirements for the correct way of breastfeeding.
Suitable attachment is characterised by the absence of pain in the mother when the baby suckles, and the baby gets sufficient milk. To find this out, the mother can listen when the baby swallows breast milk.
- Correcting the baby’s position
If the nipple hurts, remove the attachment by inserting your little finger into your mouth and placing it between the gums. This movement will stop the feeding while you can adjust the baby’s position.
Then, try again for a better attachment position. Once the latch is correct, the baby will generally be able to suckle well.
- Time of Feeding
Babies can nurse from 5 minutes to 1 hour, depending on their needs. For newborns, usually, the baby needs to be fed every 2-3 hours with a feeding time of 10-15 minutes per session, but it can also be longer.
Generally, it takes some time for mother and baby to adapt so that the breastfeeding process runs smoothly.
In addition to practising the correct way of breastfeeding, there are several tools or equipment for breastfeeding to support the comfort and smoothness of breastfeeding.
Bra for nursing. Breast size usually grows over time. There are already bras specifically for nursing created for breastfeeding women to help with the breastfeeding process and the changes in the breasts because breast size might still increase throughout pregnancy, especially while breastfeeding. In addition, wear a flexible bra. The state of the breasts while nursing differs from the condition of the breasts before pregnancy and breastfeeding. At this point, the breast tissue is collaborating to create milk to satisfy the baby’s daily requirements. Because breasts contain a lot of milk, they might sometimes feel full. As a result, pick a flexible nursing bra to ensure that it is comfortable to use. Additionally, consider a nursing bra with easy-to-open and close. A suitable bra will generally have a cup that is easy to open with one hand and a cup size that allows the baby to suckle easily.