How To Breastfeed Your Baby

Being a mother changes you in so many ways. Even if you're the type to eat fast food and make other not-so-healthful food choices, you'll want to give your baby the best food possible from day one. And the best choice is breastmilk. Formula does not even come close to breastmilk as far as nutrition goes. Try looking at the back of a formula can, and you'll see high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is beginning to be linked to a heightened risk of diabetes in children.

So, you've decided that breastfeeding is the way to go, but for someone who's never been around other breastfeeders, or if your mom was a formula feeder, it's going to be intimidating. Here are some things that helped me along the way.

The best thing to do is, if you can, before you have your baby, find someone who has breastfed successfully. This person, or people, will be invaluable to you. Ask them as many questions as you can, even if you think the questions are dumb. I looked to my sisters in law who breastfed, along with my mother in law, and they were lifesavers!! I also took a class at the hospital, which didn't give me much new information, but if you don't know anyone who breastfeeds, this can be a good place to start.

Conversely, don't talk to people who have breastfed unsuccessfully (atleast about breastfeeding.)In my experience, these people will try to convince you not to breastfeed, which is not something you want to have to deal with. Understand that some people have difficulty, but usually they could've breastfed, they just didn't have the right support network around them, and formula was an easy solution.

Which brings me to my next point: DO NOT BUY FORMULA. Some new or expectant mothers feel it's necessary to buy some formula "just in case." There is simply no need for it, however. You're planning on failing if you buy formula. There are some trying times in the first days and weeks, when you're sleep deprived, or you're sore, and if you have formula there tempting you, it will be very easy to give the baby a bottle, which sounds innocent enough. However, giving the baby a bottle can completely derail the breastfeeding process. Breastmilk is made on the process of supply and demand, which means that if the baby takes a bottle, instead of sucking at the breast, the breast will slow down production, and that can lead to a vicious cycle of the baby not getting enough, giving a bottle of formula to fill him up, and then on it goes. So, just trust your body and know that it will make the perfect amount for your baby, as long as you feed him when he wants to feed.

That bears repeating: feed the baby when he wants to feed. It does not matter if you just fed him, feed him again. Growth spurts happen frequently, and sometimes it can feel like you are doing nothing else but nursing. However, the more he nurses, the more milk you make, so after a day or so of round the clock nursing, you'll be back to a more spaced our schedule. My baby typically nursed every two to three hours; some go less than that, some go more, and the point is to just do it whenever they ask. Don't be tempted to try to put them on a schedule. Some crazy people say to schedule nursing every 4 hours. You try going 4 hours at a time between eating or drinking sometime, and I bet you'd hate it. Remember that not only is breastmilk food, it's also a drink. Monitor sometime how often you put something in your mouth, be it food, water, or gum. Remember: babies get thirsty as well as hungry.

Trusting your body and tuning out any negative comments made by others will make a world of difference in your breastfeeding career. Not only is it the very best thing you can give your baby, it's free!!! Breastfeeding is really not that hard, as long as you are determined.