Breast Feeding your Baby, It is not simple as you think - Dos and Don'ts of Breastfeeding

Pregnancy is a joyful pain. Those are the days, when a women can enjoy pains with happiness. All the pains will vanish at the moment the mother get to see the bundle of joy, with tiny little legs and hands, with those bright little eyes, crawls in her hand.

God and Nature blessed women with such a power that, they can learn things about pregnancy and taking care of a kid, quickly from the moment they turn into a mother. I always have wondered how my grandmother took care of her 9 children altogether.

Olden days, people used to live together and hence the younger generation always had the chance of watching kids and babies, their life, the way mothers handle them, etc... But, now the lifestyle of the entire world got changed. The nuclear family system kept people away from each other, and even those who are in the same house get chances rarely as they lock themselves in their own rooms.

So, young mothers now a days have lack of understanding, especially in the basic steps like breastfeeding a baby, how to understand the body language of the baby and take care, etc... Here are few basic things, every mother, with infants should know.

Always keep the baby in your lap while breastfeeding. Never lay down in the bed and breastfeed, though few people (or sites in Internet) may advice that it is OK. Even if it is night, make sure you get up, sit and feed. You may feel tired, but no other go, if you want your baby to be safe and sound.

The negative things associated with breastfeeding in the bed are,

a. You may sleep and put the baby in danger by accidentally pressing your breast on the baby and making it to suffocate. Google out in the Internet and you will find so many cases. Recently I got to read a sad story of a young mother, who over slept in the flight, while feeding her 2 months old baby and causing her baby to die in her own hand, due to suffocation. Taking care of 9 months inside you is not enough, Need a lot more care, even in small matters.

b. Your body and breast starts shagging, giving you a old and non comfort look.

Wait till burping

Some mothers put their baby in bed, immediately after breastfeeding. This is another dangerous thing for the baby, as for some, the gas which got displaced by the milk will block the nostril path, leading to suffocation.

So, every time after feeding, mother should put the baby on her shoulder and gently pat in the back, until the baby burbs. After that only it is advised to put the baby on bed. While burping, sometimes the baby may spit out some milk (which looks like curd). But that is absolutely OK.

Wipe and Clean

Clean your breast and nipple every time before and after feeding, with warm water and a clean cloth, to avoid any infections. It would be good to add some antiseptic lotion to the water used for cleaning. But consult your doctor and get the baby safe lotion. Don't walk to any pharmacy and buy on your own. Don't risk your baby's health and life.

Always wear clean and breast feeding designers brassier. This will help you to keep yourself fit and also easy to feed your baby.

If you are a working mother and use breast pump to collect milk and feed the baby, then make sure you cleaned the breast pump and the feeding bottle also before pumping milk.

Feed often

Infant has small tummy. It gets emptied very quickly, every time it pees. So, it often needs to be feed, on a timely basis. A mother needs strength and determination for this.

Watch its body language

Some mothers understand the baby's body signs wrongly and over feed them. The baby might be crying because of other reasons like stomach ache or a little ant biting its back. So, use your sense, before dumping your baby.

Wear comfort dress while travelling

Now a days, lots of dresses (even fashion dresses) are available in market, that are so comfort for breast feeding. So, instead of avoiding the feed to your baby and giving it some unhealthy bottle milk, it is always good to have comfort wear and take care of your baby. Make sure you use breastfeeding bras that are easy to handle and put you in ease.

Watch your diet

Since the baby is purely dependent on you, it is a must that you have a healthy diet to make sure your baby gets all the nutrients it needs. Eat protein and calcium rich food. Food items like Garlic, spinach, drumstick (and its leaves), broccoli are good for a breast feeding mother. Make sure you drink enough milk.

Doctors say that drinking milk to get enough milk for feeding is a Myth. Yes, it is true that a mother drinking milk is not going to do anything with the milk supply of a breast feeding mother. But, it gives strength to the mother, making her bones strong, so that she has strength to sit and feed.

Many young women think that breast feeding will make them loose their beauty. But it is totally a fake claim. The benefits of breastfeeding are unlimited, both for your baby and yourself. Check with your gynecologist and she / he will help you to understand the real concept behind this.

Take care of yourself and your lovely bundle of happiness.