Learning to Breastfeed

Learning to breastfeed

After you return from the maternity ward, wash well with warm water or take a shower. There is no need to use a washcloth when washing your breasts, and try to avoid getting soaps and shampoos on your nipples, they dry out the skin and can cause sores. It's good to leave a little milk on your nipples after feeding, or lubricate them with a few drops of milk, then let them dry for a couple of minutes before you get dressed. Your milk, containing various antibacterial substances, is the most practical hygiene product you can think of, and there is no need to use ointments for this.

Manual expression
Prepare a container suitable for expressing (a cup, bowl or small pan). Try to find a suitable place - so that the dishes are at the right height and you can sit comfortably. Wash your hands well before starting. Make sure you are comfortable and have something to drink on hand. In order for milk to start flowing, you first need to influence the milk ejection reflex, i.e. the nipple should be stimulated. Twist it lightly between your fingers until you notice the milk flowing.

Place your thumb on the top of the nipple where the brownish area around the nipple (areola) ends, or approximately where you feel the transition from the milk duct to the lactiferous sinus. Place your index finger on the edge of the areola of the lower breast. Small milky sinuses are arranged in a star pattern around the nipple, which is its center. Sometimes you can clearly feel the sinuses, about the size of a pea, which will need to be squeezed out. With the remaining fingers you support the breasts, but without pressing them on the milk ducts and sinuses.

First, gently press in the direction of the chest, but only lightly - this should not cause any pain at all. Then you squeeze your thumb and index finger together while concentrating on getting milk to flow from the nipple.

Try to make sure that you are pressing exactly on the milky sinuses, close your eyes and try to feel them. Not everyone can do this, so don’t be upset if you don’t feel anything specific. The most important thing is the result!

It often happens that milk does not appear immediately, but it comes faster if you successfully stimulate the nipple before expressing. Squeeze and unclench your fingers, press on the same place, squeeze and unclench, press, squeeze and unclench... After a while, you change the position of your thumb and index finger and do the same movement from the sides (left, right) and then diagonally; in this way you gradually squeeze out all the milky sinuses.

Fingers should not slide over the skin, the movement should be smooth and rhythmic. You can pump with either your right or left hand, whichever is more convenient for you. Avoid pressing on the nipple itself, the milk is not there. Don't put too much pressure on your chest, as this may impede the flow of milk. Hand expression should not be painful. If it hurts, then the pumping technique is incorrect, in which case you need to start over, consulting, if possible, with more experienced people.

There is no need to take rest breaks while pumping, at least not until you have received the desired amount of milk. It is usually difficult to continue after a break. Pump each breast for three to five minutes or until milk flows more or less abundantly. This needs to be done twice on each breast. The whole procedure, after some training, should not take more than 20-30 minutes.

Especially in the beginning, pumping may take longer, so be patient.

Sore nipples
Breastfeeding doesn't have to be painful! The most basic thing you can do to avoid nipple soreness is to make sure that the baby is lying correctly: with his head free, his mouth at the level of the nipple and pressed tightly to the breast - so that the baby does not hang on it, grabbing only the nipple.

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