365telugu.com online news, July 31st,2022: Mother’s milk is so very important for the baby.We all know that exclusive breast feeding offers innumerable health benefits to the baby.We are all aware of the importance of Breast Milk. However, as a society, we are still far behind in providing the much needed moral support and encouragement a new mother needs.
I urge all to support and encourage this wonderful individual called ‘Mother’ to nourish her baby in the best possible way. Support ‘Breast Feeding’ ! It’s so easy to tell the mother “You have to give only breast milk to your baby”. If only we try and understand the practical problems that a mother faces while initiating and sustaining breast feeding, if only we are empathetic, and if only we try to help her (and the family) through this initial phase of lactation; we can pat ourselves that we have done justice to our job. It’s not enough if we hold lectures/talks about the benefits.
Giving lectures was what I used to do initially. Now, I only guide, address the practical issues and support them. I must say this approach was the game changer. More than 95 percent of the mothers started practising exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, very comfortably. Most mothers are aware of the importance of breast milk. All mothers out there want to nurse their babies, but some of them fail because of lack of proper guidance and support. Try and help a mother through this phase. It’s so very rewarding !
The challenge is to support the mother,guide her the right way, encourage her,not judge her if she prefers to give alternative milk and guide her the right way if she prefers giving alternative milk,and to make her understand and prepare her for some situations like dehydration,low blood glucose levels etc,wherein we may have to top up with formula(that way the mother never will feel inadequate about herself).
I can proudly say that I have supported thousands of mothers to breast feed their babies,and that more than 95 percent end up exclusively breast feeding their babies for the first 6 months and most of them continue breastfeeding till the 2nd birthday.
What worked best for me in achieving this?
1.Empathy
2.Sorting out issues like flat nipples etc before the delivery
3.Talking to the mother and the supporting family members about what to expect after delivery- how long the baby would be alert and awake,when to establish the latching,how much milk is expected in the initial days,how much weight loss is expected for the baby in the initial days etc; and about the importance of establishing lactation within the first one hour after birth for successful breastfeeding
4.Encouraging the mother to watch some videos about good latching techniques,prior to the delivery
5.Always checking the latch when mother meets me with the baby,especially if she complains of pain during lactation
6.Ensuring correct latch is established even if takes a lot of my time
7.Guiding mother about ‘on demand’ feeding,the maximum interval between two feeds,monitoring baby’s pee count and sleep,and explaining about when to get back to the pediatrician 8.Telling the mother that a mother always does the best for her baby,that she needs to relax and feed the baby, to never feel guilty if she ends up needing to give top up, and involving the father and other supporting family members in encouraging the mother
9.Encouraging the mother to open up and take help if she is going through post partum blues
10.Telling the mother that it’s all in the mind and that galactogogues may or may not help,but being confident will definitely ensure successful lactation
11.Patiently listening to the mother and the family,and help dispel the myths
When I was working in a Birthing Hospital,most babies were put to the mother’s breast as soon as they were delivered,even if it was a Caesarean(while the obstetrician was still closing the abdomen after the delivery of the baby).THIS IS BECAUSE ESTABLISHING LACTATION IN THE 1ST 1 HOUR AFTER BIRTH GOES A LONG WAY IN ENSURING SUCCESSFUL BREAST FEEDING.- Dr Sivaranjani Santosh.