Getting Started Breastfeeding

You have been given many helpful hints in the past months about how to take care of yourself and your new baby.

Keep the baby with you in your room so you will learn to tell when she is hungry. You will have many chances to practice breastfeeding.

Put baby to breast 10 to 12 times for each 24 hours you are in the hospital. Nursing soon and often will help your milk come in faster. Hold your baby in a cradle position. The baby's neck is resting in the bend of your elbow. Turn your baby so you are tummy to tummy. Your baby's mouth should be at your breast.

Next, use your other arm to help your baby put his mouth over your nipple and areola. With your palm toward your chest, put your fingers below your breast and put your thumb on top. Gently squeeze a few drops of milk flow over your nipple and touch his lower lip. When he opens his mouth wide, put your breast into his mouth above his tongue. Then quickly pull him close so his mouth closes on the nipple and areola.

Keep the baby on the breast until he is done. He will either come off by herself or will move into a gentle, sleepy "hanging out" type of suck. There is no magic number of minutes a baby should be at the breast. A sleepy baby is not necessarily a well-fed baby. Use these five behavioral cues to know when to awaken your baby more fully and begin breastfeeding:


1. Rapid eye movements under the eyelids
2. Sucking movements of the mouth and tongue
3. Hand to mouth movements
4. Body movements
5. Small sounds

This works better than waiting a set number of hours before attempting each feeding. Also, trying to wake a baby from a deep sleep will prove frustrating for both of you.

Avoid covering the baby's hands with his undershirt cuffs or wrapping him in such away that his arms are pinned to his sides. This prevents him from sucking on his fist, which is comforting and also serves as a feeding cue.

If the baby is pokey at breast or falls asleep after a few sucks, use a method called "alternate massage" to help the baby keep sucking and take in a good deal of colostrum. Each time the baby pauses between sucking bursts, massage and compress your breast to get her started again. When she will no longer suck and swallow on the first side when you compress the breast, sit her up, burp her, and put her on the other breast. If she will not take the second side, she will cycle into a lighter sleep state in about 45 to 60 minutes and can be given the second breast then.

Learn to tell when your baby is swallowing milk. Just because his jaw is moving does not necessarily mean he is getting milk. You can tell a baby is swallowing by:

• listening for a swallow after every one to four sucks
• listening for a puff of air from their nose following the swallow
• seeing or feeling their throat move with the swallow
• seeing or feeling the areola drawn into the baby's mouth as her jaw drops down
• feeling the back of the baby's head vibrate with the swallow

What if?

• What if your baby will not breastfeed?
• What if you cannot latch baby to breast by yourself?
• What if you are having trouble telling whether the baby is swallowing?
• What if the baby has not breastfed two times in a row?

This is good time to ask your doctor, midwife or your nurse for additional help and suggestions. Also make sure you have someone available to you who knows how to help you once you return home. You can always call the hospital 319-356-3049 or the clinic 319-356-2294 for answers to your questions and concerns.

How do I know my baby is getting enough milk:

1. Does the baby nurse seven to 10 times in 24 hours?
2. Does the baby have six to eight good wet diapers and one to two dirty diapers every day?
3. Does your baby seem content for one to two hours between most feedings?
4. Is your baby gaining at least one pound every month?

If the answers are YES, your baby is getting enough milk. Relax and enjoy breastfeeding your baby.

Remember growth spurts occur around two weeks, six weeks, and three months of age. You will find that your baby wants to nurse more frequently. This is your baby's way of making more milk. Let your baby feed often and you will have more milk in a day or two.