Dad Talk: Key Breastfeeding Tips for First Time Parents

Sure. My wife and I attended all the preparatory classes on the topic of breastfeeding, during which we collected enough pamphlets to start fires in the woodstove all Winter. Unfortunately, following the birth of our daughter, we quickly learned that nothing can fully prepare a couple for the initial challenges breastfeeding presents.

As a tremendous proponent of breastfeeding (some would call me a zealot!), I was involved every step of the way with my wife and baby as we all learned together. I firmly believe that the support of the dad / husband can make or break a family’s effort. I’d like to share a few of my thoughts regarding our experience, and hope it can help others.

Breastfeeding Tips
Photography by: Raphael Goetter

Though the medical community seems to go back and forth on the topic of breastfeeding from generation to generation, current guidance is that breastfeeding will significantly benefit both baby and mother, and there’s little logical reasoning to indicate that this guidance will change in the future. Following are a few reasons why:

Breast milk contains the perfect balance of key nutrients that a baby needs for proper development, including fat, protein, sugar and water.
Breast fed babies tend to be leaner than formula fed babies since they eat until they’re full, and are not continually challenging themselves to empty a bottle.
Breast milk is easier to digest than formula.
Studies show that breast fed babies score higher on IQ tests.
The process of breast feeding expends extra calories, making it easier for moms to lose pregnancy related pounds.
Lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
Delays the return of a conventional menstrual cycle.
Helps baby bond with mother.
Saves a lot of money by not having to buy formula, estimated to be roughly $1,500 per year.

If you weren’t already, this list of benefits should make you a believer too.

How can this tiny newborn baby feed off the breast when it hasn’t even been in the world for more than an hour? I believe it’s both because it’s intuitive to the child, coupled with the fact that babies learn fast! The actual breast milk does not “come in” for a few days. Prior to that point the baby is enjoying colostrum - the perfect starter food for baby. Colostrum is a creamy, yellowish substance that provides the baby with important nutrition immediately following birth, as well as critical antibodies to help fight against bacteria and viruses.

Now to the challenges. I believe the biggest challenge that will face new parents is the moment when the milk “comes in”. As a result, the breasts may become engorged, making it difficult for baby to feed. Imagine the baby trying to bite into a large balloon. The solution: PUMP!! I wish the nurses had encouraged us to do so while we were still in the hospital…but they didn’t. The result was a very unhappy baby, due to the fact that she couldn’t get any milk, as well as a great deal of pain beginning to ensue for mom.

In our case, following a couple of completely sleepless nights upon returning home, we struck gold by returning to the hospital and coming into contact with another nurse that completely understood the issue and knew how to help us. She ushered us into a private room and rolled in the industrial breast pump. After filling 5 bottles with breast milk, our problem was solved, and baby was once again able to eat!

Unfortunately, those difficult two days resulted in some damage on the breasts due to the baby struggling to extract some milk. Don’t give up! I helped my wife with the pumping for a week, and fed the baby breastmilk myself in a bottle. This allowed the breast tissue to heal. Reluctantly, and with fear, my wife resumed breast feeding directly. Initially there remained some pain, but we worked through it together and the end result was complete success.

So, in summary, utilize the available technology and start pumping when the milk comes in. Many hospitals and women’s centers will rent them for a fraction of the cost it would be to buy one. If and when it gets difficult and / or painful, don’t give up! Keep at it for a couple weeks and chances are the natural process will work itself out.

Please share your experiences.

chris@clawblog.com

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