Lactation Services
Breastfeeding
Making the decision to breastfeed is a personal matter. How often you should breastfeed your baby depends on whether your baby prefers small, frequent meals or longer feedings. This will change as your baby grows. Newborns often want to feed every 2-3 hours. By 2 months, feeding every 3-4 hours is common, and by six months, most babies feed every 4-5 hours.
At Dr Rockson Practise we show you different latch techniques so that you can get comfortable feeding your baby. Our team will help guide you to make sure your baby latches on correctly to prevent any nipple soreness. We also show you how to care for your breasts should you get mastitis or a blocked duct.
The very first milk you produce is called colostrum. This is also known as liquid gold. Don't worry that its not a lot! A newborn has a tiny stomach and the colostrum is all your baby needs. Within a few days your milk will come in. Don't be alarmed if your breasts become engorged. You can relieve the pressure by expressing by hand or using a pump. Breast milk can be refrigerated for 12 hours or frozen for 6 months.
Breastfeeding, Expressing or Formula?
At the end of the day, your decision whether you exclusively breastfeed, breastfeed and pump, only pump or formula feed is your decision and you won't be judged for it! Some women feel very natural breastfeeding from the word go. Some women struggle to latch and opt for formula. You might not even want to try breastfeeding. Others want the benefits of breastmilk but want to share the feeding responsibility with their partner or need to get back to work soon.
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Whichever choice you make, just remember that you are making the right choice for you and your baby.
Exclusive Breastfeeding
Exclusive breastfeeding means that you feed your baby according to his/her unique needs. Feeding time becomes a special bonding time with your baby. Breast milk is very clever in the way its designed. The fore milk is thin and watery which quenches the baby's thirst. As they drink longer, the milk becomes fatter and richer which fills their tummies and can often lead to what can only be described as a 'milk coma' when baby falls asleep full and content. The other great benefit is that it doesn't cost you anything!
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The latching process means that the woman's body has direct contact with baby's and therefore can ingeniously pick up whether the baby is fighting an infection. The mom's milk changes in composition to include antibodies to help baby fight off any sickness.
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Breastmilk changes on a daily basis depending on the baby's needs. If baby drinks more milk, the breasts produce more! Your breasts will continue to produce milk as long as your baby is feeding.
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There are also benefits for moms too. When you are feeding, your uterine muscles start to contract helping your uterus to shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size. Your body also burns an extra 200-500 calories a day which can help aid you to lose any extra pregnancy weight. Just bear in mind that a baby's nutrition is priority over weight loss and eating too little can reduce your milk supply.
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You can choose how long to exclusively breastfeed your baby. Some women start weaning their babies when they start eating solids at 6 months. Others go to 48 months and beyond. There is no hard and fast rule how long you should feed your baby.
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As your baby grows, their milk needs change. They feed not just because they are hungry, but also as a comfort and to help them sleep.
Breastfeeding and Pumping
If you choose to pump alongside breastfeeding, there are of course additional benefits than just breastfeeding. You are able to share the load with your partner or helper giving you a much needed break. Some women pump at the same time baby is feeding, either with a silicone suction pump or electric pump. Since you can freeze milk, it can help to have milk on hand when you need to pop out or go back to work. Issues you may face comes down to baby's like or dislike for a bottle. Bottle designs these days have come a long way to get a realistic shape and feel to a natural nipple helping your baby transition between breast and bottle. Sometimes however your baby might not like the bottle or they may refuse the breast after taking the bottle. Usually with a little perserverence you can find a happy medium. You may need to try out a few different bottles to see what works for you and your baby.
Exclusively Pumping
You might decide that you want all the benefits of breastmilk but without the demands of exclusive feeding. Your baby may have been kept in the NICU for a while if he/she was born premature and you didn't get that initial latch/bonding time. Whatever your reason, exclusive pumping gives you more control over feeding schedules, allows your partner to help with feeds with all the benefits of breast milk. Pumps can however be quite pricey, but are definitely a great investment, especially electric pumps that speed up the process. You can get double attachments so you can pump both breasts at the same time. Discreet maternity tops mean you can even pump at your office or in public spaces.
Formula Feeding
If you have decided to formula feed your baby, there are many great brands that offer all the nutrition that your baby requires whilst growing. You may have tried breastfeeding and decided it wasn't for you. Either way, formula is a very easy way to feed your baby and comes in different stages so that it fulfils all your baby's needs.
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Each container has a guide as to how much a baby should be drinking and how much formula to add. Milk can be given at body temperature or room temperature, however your baby may prefer one over the other. Milk should not be kept out for longer than a few hours. If your baby doesn't finish a bottle, make a fresh one for their next feed. Always make sure that your milk is not too hot as this could cause your baby's mouth and throat to burn. The easiest way to check if milk is the right temperature is to squeeze some onto the inside of your wrist. The optimum way to make a bottle is to use cooled boiled water and then to heat up the bottle. If you add boiling hot water to the formula mix it may destroy certain nutrients in the milk.
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