Getting Started
Diary of a New Mum
Quote
"I knew I wanted to breastfeed my baby. I knew it was natural. So I was surprised when baby James and I could not seem to get the hang of it. I phoned a Breastfeeding Supporter. She gave us some good ideas about how I was sitting and holding James. But most of all it was good to have someone to talk to."
How you sit (or lie down) and how close you hold your baby as you feed can make a difference to how well things go. Sometimes a little difference in how the baby is feeding can make a big difference to how comfortable it is for you -and how easily your baby gets the milk.
Breastfeeding should NOT HURT
Changing how you hold your baby and how she starts to feed can sometimes make a difference to how she settles after feeds.
Positioning and Attaching
How you hold your baby is frequently called positioning. How your baby takes the breast is sometimes called latching, attaching or fixing.
If you want to talk through positioning and attaching in more detail, you could phone Supporterline to speak to a Registered Breastfeeding Supporter for information on how this works. Supporterline is available from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm, 365 days a year, on 0844 412 4664.
Here are some links to external breastfeeding websites with line drawings and images that give tips on how to get your baby to the breast correctly.
Jack Newman, a Canadian Paediatrician & Anne Barnes:
http://www.bflrc.com/newman/handouts/0501-HO_A-When_latching.htm
http://www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html
Photos and information from the Scottish Health Education Board (HEBS) site. There is some information and photos of hand expressing on this site too:
http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/breastfeed/BabyLed/index.html
NHS breastfeeding website:
http://www.breastfeeding.nhs.uk/index.asp
Information booklets (with images) to download from UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative:
http://www.babyfriendly.org.uk/page.asp?page=95