Nursing | BOSOMii

Breast/Chest
Feeding

Breastfeeding, chestfeeding, pumping, donor milk, formula, and combination feeding can all be part of nourishing a baby. The right plan is the one that safely supports the baby and the feeding parent—and it may change over time.

This page offers general education about lactation, common challenges, and where to find help. BOSOMii is not a lactation or pediatric-care provider. For individualized support, contact an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), pediatric clinician, midwife, obstetric clinician, or other qualified professional.

Seek prompt care if a baby is difficult to wake, feeds poorly, has too few wet diapers, shows signs of dehydration, or is not gaining as expected. A feeding parent should seek care for fever, flu-like symptoms, a red or worsening painful area, pus or unusual drainage, or severe pain.

La Leche League International also offers peer education and support.

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Why Nurse?

Healthy Babe, Healthy Parent

Human milk provides nutrition and immune components that can help lower the risk of some infant infections and other health problems. It cannot guarantee that a baby will not become ill, and formula can also provide complete infant nutrition when it is prepared and used safely.

Lactation releases oxytocin, which helps the uterus contract after birth. Over time, breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk of breast and ovarian cancers and type 2 diabetes for the feeding parent, although individual outcomes vary. It is not a dependable weight-loss method or a treatment for childbirth injury.

Milk composition changes across a feed and as a baby grows. Families may still need individualized guidance about milk intake, supplementation, medicines, vitamin D, and growth.

Any amount of human milk can be meaningful, and changing or ending a feeding plan is not a failure. A safe, sustainable plan should support both the baby and the feeding parent.

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.

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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

Preparing for lactation is less about having perfect confidence or buying every product and more about knowing where to get help. If possible, identify an IBCLC or other qualified feeding professional, learn your pediatric clinician’s after-hours contact process, and talk with your birth team about your preferences.

Optional supplies may include a supportive bra, washable or disposable pads, nipple-safe moisturizer, cool or warm packs, milk-storage containers, and a properly fitted pump. Hand expression is also useful to learn; no single pump style works best for every body or every feeding goal.

Skin-to-skin contact and feeding or milk expression soon after birth can support lactation when parent and baby are medically stable. If separation, recovery, prematurity, adoption, surrogacy, or another circumstance delays that start, support is still available and later success remains possible.

Tell the care team how you would like feeding, supplementation, donor milk, formula, pacifiers, and bottles handled, while allowing the plan to change for medical needs or family wellbeing. Ask for help early with pain, latch, milk transfer, diaper output, or weight concerns. There is no perfect feeding system—safe nourishment and a sustainable plan matter most.

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

Let-down is the milk-ejection reflex. Sucking, pumping, hand expression, or cues associated with feeding can prompt oxytocin release, which causes milk to move toward the nipple. Some people notice tingling, pressure, leaking, or a brief ache; others feel nothing at all. Not feeling let-down does not mean milk is not flowing. The reflex may occur more than once during a feed or pumping session. Stress, pain, fatigue, some medicines, or an unfamiliar setting can make it harder to notice or trigger, but that does not reflect the strength of a parent–baby bond. Warmth, gentle breathing, comfort, and a well-fitted pump may help some people. Fullness often improves after effective milk removal. Persistent or worsening pain, a red or hot area, fever, flu-like symptoms, unusual drainage, or a lump that does not improve should be assessed promptly. Current guidance does not treat every lump as an infection requiring antibiotics; a clinician or lactation professional can help determine the cause and next steps.

Expression means removing milk by nursing or chestfeeding, hand expression, or a pump. People may express for comfort, separation, milk donation, shared feeding, return to work, or to support milk production. The best method depends on the body, baby, schedule, access, and feeding goals. A double electric pump can be useful for frequent or exclusive pumping. Wearable pumps offer convenience, but performance varies; they are not automatically unsuitable for establishing supply. Flange fit, comfort, suction settings, frequency, and effective milk removal matter more than the category alone. Manual pumps and hand expression can also work well and are useful backup skills. Follow the pump manufacturer’s cleaning instructions and current public-health guidance for milk storage. Insurance coverage, rentals, and lactation support vary, so ask the insurer, hospital, or an IBCLC about local options before buying equipment. Pumped volume differs by time of day and does not by itself measure total milk supply. Seek help for persistent pain, nipple damage, sudden output changes, concerns about milk transfer, too few wet diapers, or poor weight gain.

Weaning Information

Troubleshooting