I want to breastfeed, help me !
First of all, take a deep breath and relax. You probably have (or will have) more than enough milk for your baby. For most of us, getting the support of our peers makes a world of difference.
Go to a La Leche League meeting and get the confidence and tips you need from other breastfeeding moms. You’ll also learn where to go if breastfeeding does not go as planned. Most cities have a breastfeeding support group (breastfeeding coalition, La Leche League groups or a hospital run breastfeeding clinic). Find the closest one to you and keep its phone number handy.
You can also read Dr. Jack Newman’s articles below. They are inspiring and very informative.
Be prepared and look for help if you feel like something is not right !
As you may already know, Health Canada and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, with continued breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond, as breast milk is the best food for optimal growth for healty term infants.
Dr. Jack Newman's Articles and Videos
JACK NEWMAN, MD, FRCPC is a pediatrician graduated of the University of Toronto medical school. In 1984 he established the first hospital-based breastfeeding clinic in Canada. He is a great defender of breastfeeding mothers rights and a pionner regarding the promotion of breastfeeding in North America. His advices helped thousands of women to give the best possible start to their babies.
- Breastfeeding: Starting out right
a) The importance of Skin-to-Skin contact - Colic in the Breastfed Baby
- a) Sore Nipples
b) Treatments for Sore Nipple and Sore Breasts - Is my baby getting enough?
- Using a Lactation Aid
- Using Gentian Violet
- Breastfeeding and Jaundice
- Finger Feeding
- a) You should continue breastfeeding (Medications and breastfeeding)
b) You should continue breastfeeding (Illness in the mother or baby) - Breastfeeding and other foods
- Some breastfeeding myths
- More breastfeeding myths
- Still more breastfeeding myths
- More and more breastfeeding myths
- Breast compression
- Starting solid foods
- What to feed the baby when the mother is working outside the home
- How to know a health professional is not supportive of breastfeeding
- a) Domperidone 1
b) Domperidone 2 - Fluconazole
- Breastfeed a toddler – Why on earth?
- Blocked ducts and mastitis
- Breastfeeding your adopted baby
- Miscellaneous treatments for problems: Cabbage leaves, Herbs, Lecithin
- Slow weight gain after the first few months
- When the Baby refuses to latch on
- Expressing Milk
- Toxins and Infant Feeding
- How breastmilk protects Newborns
- Risks of formula feeding
- Breastfeeding and guilt
- Candida protocol
- Protocol to increase the intake of Breastmilk by the Baby ("Not enough milk")
- When latching
- Protocols for Induced Lactation
Videos
First Latch
How to achieve the "asymmetrical" latch. Shows some drinking by the baby (see Third Latch for more obvious drinking), some nibbling.
Second Latch, Some Compression
Baby is mostly nibbling at the breast. Compression is being used to get the baby to drink more. Another "asymmetric" latch is shown. Note that after re-latching the baby drinks better than before, and compression is not necessary to get the baby to drink.
Third Latch
Shows baby latching on with "asymmetric" latch. Then later, video shows the baby getting milk. The pause in the chin tells us when the baby is getting milk and the absence of the pause means the baby is not getting milk. The pause can be seen even on the very first day of life, though obviously not as obviously, as the more milk the baby gets, the longer the pause. The pause does not represent swallowing, but rather the baby's mouth filling up with milk.
Compression
The technique of compression is demonstrated, and it can be seen that the baby drinks more milk as the breast is compressed. The mother starts the compression as the baby sucks, but does not get milk. It is important to work with the baby and compress only when the baby is sucking (moving his/her mouth).
