Knock Down the Hurdles to Breast-Feeding

Breast-feeding is one of the greatest health advantages you can give your infant. It’s the “gift that lasts a lifetime,” says Jane Morton, M.D., a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) committee on breast-feeding.

A breast-fed baby may be less prone to ear infections and diarrhea. The child may also face less risk of developing diabetes, obesity, and asthma, the AAP says.

Ideally, you should breast-feed exclusively for the first six months, with a goal of continuing breast milk for at least the first year. But you may face obstacles.

“The biggest problem is early on,” says Dr. Morton. Right after the birth, mothers who plan to breast-feed may find they don’t have enough milk to do so. “Mothers don’t have full breasts during the first few days,” she explains. Even though that problem won’t last, they may give up.

Moms who want to keep breast-feeding when they go back to work may face barriers such as supervisors’ lack of support or rigid work hours, adds Jeanette Panchula, an international board certified lactation consultant in Fairfield, Calif.

Knowing the hurdles helps you find ways around them. Here are some tips:

• Tell the hospital you want only breast milk for your newborn. Giving a bottle to a baby hinders the breast-feeding bond mothers and infants are forming.

• Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of milk in the first 72 hours after the birth. “This is the time to teach the baby to latch on,” says Dr. Morton.

• If your baby isn’t latching on properly your nipples can get sore, Panchula says. Have an expert watch you feed your baby and offer suggestions.

• Talk with your superiors and colleagues to arrange to breast-feed at work. If you let coworkers know how important breast-feeding is to your baby, they’re more likely to help you, Panchula says.

• You may experience minor pain from a plugged milk duct. Drinking lots of liquid and encouraging your baby to breast-feed frequently may resolve the problem, Panchula says. But if you’re achy and feverish, see a doctor.

• Get information from sound sources. These include your pediatrician, the AAP (http://www.aap.org), or a certified lactation consultant, such as a member of the International Lactation Consultant Association (http://www.ilca.org).

• Take care of yourself. Have a glass of vegetable juice or milk when you come home from work, relax, and breast-feed.

• Be realistic about the hurdles of breast-feeding so you don’t give up.

“It’s false to tell moms it’s a breeze, but it’s doable,” says Panchula.