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Home > Breastfeeding Breastfeeding products | Breastfeeding tips | Links 
Breastfeeding is quite a special and precious time in a woman's life -that will never be forgotten. However, we all have questions and doubts at the beginning of the journey and need support from others. In this section we collect tips of advice from other nursing moms, and list some products that we found helpful. Breastfeeding moms can also find support online in the Yahoo! breastfeeding group (see ad on the right) or in the local La Leche League group. A few very good reference books that can purchased through Amazon.com. Note that the links will bring to the Amazon.com store. More breastfeeding products here Tips from other breastfeeding mothers Tips for expressing milkExpressing milk with a pump is sometimes difficult at start. Babies suction is generally much more effective than a pump but with practice many mothers become quite proficient with breast pumps as well. Here are a few tips to get started:
Although it may take a few tries and effort at start, after mastering the art expressing milk becomes quite easy for most women. Also, you will rarely need all the preparation and tips above to stimulate the letdown. Nurse on demandThe American Association of Pediatrics (AAP), the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as any breastfeeding expert agree that nursing on demand is the best way to ensure that baby gets enough food and mom builds up a good milk supply. For some babies this means feed even every half hour initially, and for others every three or so. One exception to this rule is for babies that are undergoing jaundice. Babies with jaundice tend to be sleepy and not wanting to eat, however they need to nurse often to get rid of the jaundice. Most pediatrician advice nursing at least every two hours if the baby has jaundice. Find support before starting to breastfeedIncredibly, many women these days face extreme lack of support when they decide to breastfeed their babies from nurses and doctors at the hospital. Mothers are constantly put in doubts about their ability to breastfeed, produce enough milk, and their baby weight gain. This right at the time when a mother needs encouragement and support! Too commonly new mothers get discouraged at the hospital by doctors and nurses that continuosly question them. No wonder some mothers give up breastfeeding early! If you are about to start breastfeeding for the first time arm yourself: get support! I, like other mothers, were able to cope with doubts from other people and keep doing what I knew was best because I had support. I would have not kept going without it . The first support comes from information: read books, look on the internet and take a class if possible. Family members who already nursed, are of course the best support but not all of us have family close, and not all have family members who breastfed. A support group like La Leche Legue can be very very helpful to give encouragment and assistance at need. Also internet groups (for instance the Yahoo! breastfeeding group) can help a lot, for advice and support. The first few weeks are tough, but don’t give up because the rewards of breastfeeding are great both for you and your baby. Stay hydratedTo avoid de-hydration while breastfeeding, make sure you drink a glass of water every time you nurse your baby. It will be easy to do that if you keep a glass full of water next to the place you usually nurse. Lots of fluids will really help keep trouble (plugged ducts, mastitis and so on) away. How much milk is my baby getting?If you want to know how much milk your baby is getting, you need to weight your baby right before and right after nursing (with a baby scale). The difference between the two weights (after nursing - before nursing) equals the amount of breastmilk taken in by baby. For this method to work, it is important that you do not change diaper. However, if baby has a bowel movement you can take the weight before changing diaper and still get a correct measurement. Some women are adviced to evaluate their milk supply based on the amount they can pump, but this is not an accurate evaluation. Babies are much more effective at nursing than pumps at expressing milk and it is very common for women not to be able to express as much milk by pumping. Breastfeeding in public- LegislationSome states have laws that explicity state the right of women to breastfeed in public. For instance this is what Texas Law states: Chapter 165. Breast-Feeding Keep warm, keep coldNeed a hot pack? or a cold pack? One very convenient trick is to fill a sock with rice, then you can put in the microwave to make it hot, or you can put in the freezer to make it very cold. The rice will maintain the temperature for a little while. Breastfeeding fights depressionA recent study conducted at the University of New Hampshire finds that breastfeeding helps mothers fight depression. Breastfeeding helps keep stress level low and reduces the inflammatory response of our body to hormones produced at the end of pregnancy and after giving birth. Read more about this study in the International Breastfeeding Journal. Links
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In the NewsBreast feeding fights depression according to a new study from the University of New Hampshire. Find out more  Click to join breastfeeding |
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