7 Common Breastfeeding Questions and Answers

If you're reading this, it is probably because you have decided to breastfeed; which is great! Health experts agree that breastfeeding is the best nutritional choice for babies.

Despite being natural, breastfeeding can sometimes appear to be difficult. In fact, a 2013 study carried out by the Medical Journal Pediatrics discovered that 92% of first-time mothers have believed they struggled with either nipple pain, latching and milk production.

Unfortunately, mothers who experience these problems in their first week are 9 times more likely to stop breastfeeding by the end of the first month.

Thankfully, the majority of these problems can be corrected with just a little preparation and skilled encouragement. This is where I help.

Below are the 7 questions I am often asked by mums who are struggling to breastfeed.

Instead of asking ‘how’, perhaps a better question is ‘should I learn to breastfeed?'

We humans have been around for over 200,000 years. Until recently, mothers discovered breastfeeding by watching female friends and family members. However, over the last 100 years, breastfeeding has become an activity too often performed in private. As a result, some mothers are now attempting to breastfeed without ever seeing it done.

However, there is good news; you don't need to learn anything! The natural approach to breastfeeding relies on the commonsense and instincts that mothers and babies have used for as long as there have been mothers and babies!

All you need is just a little determination and preparation; which is where a skilled professional can help.

I help mums struggling with breastfeeding by helping them understand how their baby's reflexes work and demonstrating minor adjustments to their breastfeeding positions.

For example, mums often place their baby in unnatural positions made popular by bottle-feeding. This position requires your baby to have to work against gravity. This can be difficult and frustrating for a new-born because their muscles have not yet developed the strength to comfortably counteract gravity.

By understanding and adopting natural breastfeeding positions, you can work with your baby to create a health breastfeeding partnership.

Instead of holding your baby upright:

• Place your baby's tummy down on your body. This allows your baby to work with gravity; not against it.

• Allow plenty of access to your body. Your baby's feeding reflexes are stimulated by touch. Full frontal contact helps babies to nurse effectively

• Make plenty of eye contact. Your baby will love to focus on your face. When you make eye contact you will both enjoy the release of oxytocin; the love hormone.

Repeat after me: sore nipples are not a prerequisite of breastfeeding!

The majority of sore nipples can be blamed on unnatural breastfeeding positions for sore and tender nipples.

Nipple pain can be quickly and easily corrected with a little adjustment and skilled breastfeeding help.

In natural breastfeeding positions, your baby can comfortably position themselves on your nipple. From here, your baby can work with gravity to comfortably stay in this position, making painful 'pop-offs' a thing of the past!

Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a perfect latch.

You and your baby are unique; there are deep latches, shallow latches and most importantly, comfortable latches.

Instead of pushing our breasts into our baby's mouths, we should adopt natural breastfeeding positions and make it easy as possible for your baby to self latch.

Tongue-tie is where the strip of skin connecting the baby's tongue to the floor of their mouth is shorter than usual. This restricts the tongue's range of motion.

The condition is usually diagnosed during a baby's routine check but it can be quite difficult to initially spot. 

Sometimes, tongue-tie can cause no problems at all. However, most mother's realize their baby has tongue-tie when difficulties arise attempting to breastfeed.

Symptoms of Tongue-Tie include:

• Difficulty lifting the tongue to the upper teeth or moving the tongue from side to side

• Trouble sticking out the tongue past the lower front teeth

• A tongue that appears notched or heart-shaped when stuck out

These symptoms can result in your baby having difficulty attaching to your breast.

You should contact your health visitor, midwife or GP if you're concerned about your baby's feeding and think they may have tongue-tie.

Mums often assume that they're not producing enough milk for their baby. However, this worry is often misplaced.

Your body has been meticulously designed to produce enough milk to meet the demand of your baby. There is no perfect amount of time that your baby should be feeding for.

Some babies feed fast, others slowly. The number of minutes your baby spends on your breast is just not that important.

Instead, newborns need to feed little and often; this helps to stimulate your milk production.

As long as your baby appears calm and relaxed during feeds and comes off the breast on their own, you do not have to worry.

It's OK to have a little discomfort during the first couple of minutes of breastfeeding - especially during your first two weeks.

However, once your milk beings to flow, breastfeeding should feel comfortable.

Any pain, skin trauma or changes of colour to your breasts are not normal. These symptoms can be a sign that you need some adjustment may be needed.