
The Nursing (direct latching) Rules
When following the Breastfeeding Rules, nursing is one of two ways to feed your newborn baby.
Strategies to keep your baby fed, your milk supply strong, and your family balanced
I approach breastfeeding with the humor, tough love, and compassion that you would get from a close friend (you know, the one who calls you out when you aren’t being your best self).
When following the Breastfeeding Rules, nursing is one of two ways to feed your newborn baby.
How you bottle feed is more important than the bottle you use. You should notice a rhythm – suck, swallow, breathe. Pace them by either tilting or removing the nipple every 8-10 sucks.
When trying to determine the root cause of discomfort, first identify, “Is this breast pain, nipple pain, or both?”
Each unique milk supply requires a certain number of breast stimulations (nursing or pumping) per 24 hours to maintain a steady volume of output, often working on a 3-5 day lag from the stimulation message it receives.
Your newborn baby doesn’t like or dislike things. They are simply responding to reflex and stimuli in order to survive. Settling down your baby means learning to calm their nervous system.
The thing about lactating is that once you get it started you can almost never “just stop.” Stopping the biological process takes days or weeks. That realization can be really scary. It can feel like you are trapped. It is important for you to know that choosing to stop breastfeeding is always an option.
Whenever you are looking to decrease your milk supply, the rule of thumb is to stay full, but not uncomfortably full.
Other people cannot lactate, perform self-care, sleep or eat for you. It is really important you take good care of yourself.
In the early postpartum months, especially the first two to six weeks, newborn babies are often incredibly resistant to laying down and sleeping on their own without being held by a person. Think of this as a really smart survival mechanism for humans.
In 24 hours: Number of baby feedings (breast or bottle) must equal the number of total breast stimulations (breastfeeding or pumping)
Here is the glossary of terms I have adopted into our shared communication throughout Balanced Breastfeeding to help parents confidently name and embrace how they are feeding their babies.
The first two weeks are the hardest weeks and the most important when learning how to comfortably and effectively establish your milk supply, learn to latch, and nourish the baby.
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