Nursing | BOSOMii

Breast/Chest
Feeding

Learn about reasons, challenges and the joys of nursing your baby.

For the most comprehensive database of resources and support available please check out La Leche League Int. for probably all of your nursing needs.

Disclosure: We are not lactation consultants nor do we claim to have a fully comprehensive database of nursing resources. If you are experiencing difficulty with breastfeeding we implore you to seek professional health for the mental and physical wellbeing of both you and your baby. Thank you.

Go Now

Why Nurse?

Healthy Babe, Healthy Parent

Nursing protects children against disease, illness and in some cases death. Antibodies are passed from parent to child through breast milk to ensure that you baby is safe.

Post partum nursing helps to reduce the risk of post delivery bleeding and helps heal from the trauma of childbirth. Parents who breast/chest feed are a bit more likely to get back to their pre-pregnancy weight fast than those who formula feed.

Your body knows exactly the correct nutrition for your growing baby depending their stage of life.

Breast/chest fed children have been noted to have reduced risk of other morbidities as they age, such as: asthma, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and even some types of cancers.

Parents who have nursed their babies have decreased their own personal risk of breast ovarian cancers, and may also have a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Sustainability and Affordability

Your own human milk is FREE!

Formula feeding is roughly four times more expensive than nursing.

Breast/ chest feeding requires no electricity to produce nor do you need to worry about packaging.

There is no need to change formulas during the course of nursing as your body will change the composition of your milk to suit the developmental needs of your baby.

Producing human milk is a natural process after having a child, therefore there is no environmental impact associating with human lactation and nursing.

According the the 2011 Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding if 90% of families opted to breast / chest feed for 6 months with an 80% compliance rate over $10 billion per year would be saved.

Read the Full Report

Connection and Mental Health

There is an amazing bond between parents and baby which is further deepened with the intimacy of breast/chest feeding.

Your baby's brain is rapidly developing during infancy. Some studies suggest that human milk fed babies have substantially more white matter than those who were formula fed.

There are also reports stating that children who were breast/ chest fed as infants tend to have higher IQs than those who were reared on formula.

Breast/chest feeding may reduce the risk of post partum depression in mothers. As well as reduction in risk of depression, there also seems to be less anxiety in those who choose to nurse when compared to those who have opted to bottle feed.

Breast/ chest fed children are reportedly more independent as they mature. This increased confidence might attributed to the strong foundation they developed as they connected with their parents through contact feeding.

The Basics

Precious Package en Route

There's always so much to do getting ready to welcome a new life into the world!

The most essential aspect of preparing to nurse is confidence and a good support structure. Nothing extra is necessary but sometimes a few supplies might help.

Helpful Supplies:

Nursing Bras

Nursing Pads

Nipple butter for sore nipples

Reusable icepacks

Sling

Breast pump (if you plan to store milk)

Milk storage bottles or bags

Support nursing pillow - like a Boppy Pillow

Make your intention to breastfeed known, some parents do not want their baby to feed from bottle. Ensure that your medical team and family are aware of your decisions.

Build nursing into your delivery plan and try to get baby to latch as soon as possible. Initiating breast/chest feeing within the first hour after delivery is ideal. If that is impossible ask for a breast pump or begin hand expressing colostrum.

You have probably noticed your breast changing physically to prepare for your baby's arrival.

You are a beautiful, unique person and every baby is unique - there is no perfect system - find the one that works for you and your little one. Trust your intuition!

Liquid Gold to Mature Milk

Got Milk? Milk Phases

Your body began producing colostrum in your second trimester. You have have noticed colostrum dripping from your nipple. Colostrum can appear yellowish, creamy or even clear.

Known as liquid gold colostrum is nutrient rich blend of proteins, vitamins and minerals specifically formulated to cultivate a healthy gut flora for your baby. It is so densely packed, your baby need only about a teaspoon of colostrum at each feeding in the first couple of days of life.

Colostrum will begin to transition in the first few days following delivery. This transitional milk still has some of those liquid gold but also has more lactose, fat and calories that baby needs for development. Transitional milk typically lasts for a week or two.

After your milk has fully transitioned into mature milk it will be packed all with nutrients and calories that your baby needs. Provided you are producing a full supply, there is no need to offer your baby anything else.

Breast/chest fed babes are typically fed on demand. Don't worry about overfeeding your baby. With a good latch and full supply, your baby is able to choose if they want to get milk, or want to comfort suckle. Feeding patterns are different from baby to baby, don't compare yourself to others.

Your body actually knows the correct amount and composition for your baby at your baby's developmental stage. You will know when your baby is hungry and you will feed your baby - it can be that simple.

Breastfeeding Basics

Your baby needs to latch on to your breast and begin to suckle to effectively breast/chest feed. The latch is the most important aspect of nursing.

Some babies are not born knowing how to properly do this, there is a learning curve that you and your newborn will have to work through.

Choose a position that is comfortable for you and hold your baby to your body.

If you baby is struggling with a deep latch, be sure baby's head is tilted back, baby is positioned in a straight line and that baby is close to your body. Position baby so that their nose is at your nipple. The Montgomery's glands on your areola secrete a smell to help baby find you. Touching baby's nose to your nipple can stimulate the rooting reflex (an inherent newborn reflex that continues until about 4 months of age). When baby opens wide, pull them close and relax your shoulders.

With luck and practice your baby will properly latch eventually and their sucking reflex will kick in.

(it took Sara 3 months before her son actually latched properly... let that sink in... 90 unsuccessful days - be persistent and keep trying.)

Once you have achieved a good latch baby will suckle and fall into a proper breathe, suckle, swallow pattern.

Celebrate this small victory - it will be easier after that.

Is it enough?

Since you can't actually see or quantify how much baby is consuming you may have concerns about baby getting enough milk.

Check the diaper! Bowel movements are important and also tell you how baby is doing. Keep track or wet or soiled diapers and discuss with your pediatrician or lactation consultant if you are concerned.

Weight gain is a good indication that baby is thriving. The first few days out of the womb your baby may loose a couple ounces, this is normal, but that trend should not continue. Typically, you baby should be back to birth weight by two weeks of age and steadily put on about five or six ounces (give or take an ounce) every week.

Babies can't talk yet, but there are many cues that your little one is satisfied and satiated. A happy and content baby is generally a well fed baby.

If your babe is fussing or frantically sucking fingers, clothes or whatever else feels like a latch - offer your breast again. Baby may just have a touch of colic or some gas, but better to check in.

Check in with your lactation consultant if you are still concerned. You can also try to pump and bottle feed to determine the exact amount your are feeding if that might ease your mind. Lactation consultants are specifically trained to recognize problems and offer solutions to breast/chest feeding issues and insecurities.

Once you have found your own rhythm it will be easier to continue. Challenges in the process are inevitable. Somedays you'll want to quit. Never quit on a bad day. Bad days come and go.

Good luck!

Basic Phases of Nursing

Not everyone feels let down. Once your baby successfully latches, you may feel a let down. Some report this as feeling like a surge of pressure, or a tingling sensation, while others don't feel a let down at all. The sensation of sucking stimulates the nerves in and around the nipple and signals a release of a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin is known as the "love" hormone, which sounds much better than a neuropeptide. We credit it with playing an essential role in lust, love, labor and let down. Oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland. This hormone plays a crucial role in the bond that you will form with your baby. You probably felt some of that same sensation when you were making that baby also, after all, it is all about the lovin'. When your milk lets down you may experience some minor pain which you may in time come to associate with relief. You may even feel some lumps in your breast or like everything there is engorged before your baby drains you breast. If you feel lumps or a hardness that does not resolve after the feed, be alert. Hard pea like lumps may be plugged ducts, and larger firm areas may be the beginning of mastitis. If you are experiencing either of these, call your OB or Midwife as you may need a prescription for an antibiotic. Let down can also occur from a number of other triggers that you come to associate with your baby nursing. You might hear a baby cry, look at a photo of your little one or even when you think about your baby. Not going to lie to any of you... oxytocin can be released when your intimate with our partner too, so if that partner is into nipple play - warn them, they might be in for a milky shower.

After let down has occurred you may move on to the expression phase. During this phase milk actually comes out of your nipple and into your baby's mouth or a collecting system if you are pumping. The easiest way to handle the expression phase is nursing your baby, but you may also need or want to pump if you are away from your little one. You can express milk with a breast pump and there are tons of models available and they are available in a range of prices. If you intend to pump you may want to make the investment to get a double electric pump. At this point there are literally wearable breast pumps that will make your breasts appear larger than necessary if you plan to wear them around work. Wearable pumps are not intended for building supply, they are only recommended for maintaining already established full milk supply. If you are only going to pump sometimes you can probably get away with a manual pump which will for sure also increase your grip strength. You can also successfully express manually with your own hands. You never know when you may be unexpectedly away from your baby without your pump. Pumps can also be rented if you don't want to make the investment or go through the tedium of digital expression. If you have health insurance, your insurance company will likely cover the cost of one new breast pump for each baby you have.

Weaning Information

Troubleshooting