Breastfeeding How-To's: What Everybody Should Know About Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding isn't just a way to nourish your baby with important nutrients, it is also an essential part of the mother-baby bonding process. It is important that you prepare yourself for breastfeeding before giving birth to make the transition to your nursing role as smoothly and painlessly as possible.

Here's a couple of breastfeeding gear a nursing mom must have:

- A bottle of Lansinoh Lonolin lotion to help you relieve nipple pains and heal sore or cracked nipples.
- Breast pads to let you to keep your breasts dry and prevent undesirable leaks.
- Nursing tops will offer you with a convenient way to breastfeed your baby with their strategically placed openings so that you may breastfeed without exposing too much of your breasts.
- Nursing bras for the support of your bigger and heavier breasts.
- A baby sarong to free up your hands while you are breastfeeding your baby.

How Do I Hold My Baby During Breastfeeding

The cradle position is by far the most widely used breastfeeding position. Although there are other positions like the clutch (football), lying down, tailor and cross-cradle (transverse) positions, I shall focus on the cradle position due to my article length constraints. You can do the cradle hold on a chair or bed in a sitting posture. You might want to place a normal pillow or nursing pillow on your lap to make it more comfortable for you and your baby. Straighten your back and ensure there is sufficient support for your arms and back because you will be in this position for quite a while. Place your baby on your lap or pillow in such a way that your bellies touch each other. Decide which nipple you want to start nursing from and rest your baby's head on the corresponding elbow bend and adjust his/her position so that the mouth is directly in front of your nipple's position. Support your baby's head and back with one hand and use the other to hold onto your breast if required.

Latching Your Baby Onto Your Breast

A good latch on will ensure a gratifying breastfeeding experience for you and your baby. Conversely, an improper latch on will cause you a lot of discomfort and result in insufficient milk to your baby. Breastfeeding should be a painless process even though there may be discomfort at the beginning. Use one of your hands to cup your breast and brush your nipple on your baby's lips to encourage him/her to open wide. Bring your baby towards your nipple and make sure he/she has a big portion of the areola in his/her mouth. Detach your baby from your breast if you feel he/she has not latched on securely and repeat the steps above until you get a good latch on.

Frequency and Duration Of Breastfeeding

Every newborn baby needs to be breast fed at a minimum of every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night, or roughly 8 to 12 feedings per 24 hours. As a general rule, a baby must never go beyond 3 hours without breastfeeding. Be alert for any baby hunger signs such as rooting, increased activity, sucking or mouthing in between feedings to keep your baby well fed. The average time of each nursing session varies and it typically lasts 20 to 30 minutes or however long your baby takes to be full. It is highly recommended to begin breastfeeding as quickly as possible after child birth and maintain an exclusive breastfeeding diet for a minimum of 6 months. On average, a child will usually breastfeed till they are 2 years old.

Please visit Natalie Williams's web site at Pregnancy101.net to get more breastfeeding how-to's, pregnancy tips and lots lots more.