About Baby Care

Posts Tagged ‘breastfeeding’

Let’s face it: babies are expensive. The first few years of a child’s life, in particular, can really put a strain on your wallet. In fact, before a baby is even born, it’s common for the parents to have spent thousands of dollars on clothing, furniture, medical check-ups and special classes.

If you’re thinking ahead and trying to figure out how you can save money during your pregnancy, you’ve come to the right place. Here are five simple tips that can help you make sure that your baby doesn’t bankrupt you:

1. Shop smart. Having a baby is really exciting and many moms-to-be allow themselves to be overcome by the excitement. There is so much to buy! Maternity clothes, baby clothes, baby furniture, baby accessories, etc. You don’t need to buy everything at once; remember, you have nine months to plan for the arrival of your child. Make a budget and shop around for the best prices. Look for sales and check out online stores to see if they have better prices than you can find at the mall. Most importantly, don’t go overboard and buy things that you don’t need.
2. Ask around for used items. Do you have friends or family members who’ve already had children? Chances are they have a bunch of lightly-used baby clothing, baby toys and other baby accessories that they would be happy to pass on to you. There’s no shame in accepting used items and one day you’ll have the pleasure of passing things on to another family.
3. Go to the library. There’s no need to buy books and magazines about being pregnant; just head to your local library. From medical textbooks on what pregnancy symptoms you should expect to pamphlets on how to arrange your baby’s bedroom for maximum fengshui, you’ll find hundreds of great resources about all aspects of having a baby at the library. Best of all, everything is free!
4. Plan to breastfeed. Not only does breast milk provide your baby with all the nutrition he or she needs, it’s free! Baby formula can be very expensive and bottles aren’t cheap, either. Some women are unable to breastfeed their children due to medical reasons, but most face no impediments. The best way to save money after your baby is born is to breastfeed.
5. Consider re-usable diapers. The idea of re-usable diapers is off-putting to many moms-to-be. Soiled diapers are, understandably, unpleasant and it’s convenient to throw them away rather than worry about washing them. Disposable diapers can be very expensive, though. In fact, some women save as much as $1,000 a year by using re-usable diapers.

1. Know who you want to help you for the first week or two that you are home with baby.

It’s unrealistic to assume you can do it all on your own or that you have to! And if you don’t plan ahead, you could have every neighbor, cousin and coworker stopping by to gawk at your new little one. While it’s nice that people care, set limits because you and baby need rest and one-on-one time.

Be honest by letting others know how they can be most helpful (visiting at a certain time so you can nap or bringing a meal for your family). People genuinely do want to help you so relish in it!

2. Know that a new baby uses a lot of diapers, and not always “newborn” size.

You can never have too many diapers on hand! Most babies outgrow the newborn size very quickly so make sure you have size one available too. If getting out of the house proves difficult, don’t forget miraculous two-day shipping via the Internet!

3. Know that your breasts will probably become engorged when your milk comes in and you should have a breast pump available.

Don’t delay the purchase or rental of a breast pump because you don’t think you’ll need it until you introduce the bottle or return to work! Engorgement happens and it happens fast. Being ready with a breast pump, even an inexpensive manual one, will bring you much needed relief. While it is different with every baby, your milk typically comes in three or four days after delivery.

4. Know that it’s okay if your baby does not sleep in her crib or bassinet right away.

Those first couple of nights at home with your baby are likely to be challenging. Because it is so important that you get some sleep and that baby doesn’t get her nights and days mixed up, consider letting your baby sleep in her carrier, swing or bouncy chair. It’s unrealistic to think that baby will automatically sleep wonderfully in her bassinet (and if she does you will be surprised and overjoyed)!

5. Know that you will bleed for a while.

I had no idea this would happen. Seriously. I knew that there would, naturally, be a lot of blood during the delivery but I had no idea about the immense amount of menstrual-like bleeding that would take place afterwards. And having not had my period for the last nine months I had no women’s products on hand. Make sure you have plenty of pads to address this issue! This postpartum bleeding could last up to six weeks. If bleeding is excessively heavy, bright red (for more than 7 days after delivery), accompanied by a discharge that smells bad, a fever or chills, you need to contact your health care provider or go to the emergency room.

6. Know that babies like to be warm.

It was during my pregnancy that I was first introduced to the concept of swaddling a baby. Sounded kind of silly to me, but it totally made sense. Learning how to swaddle your baby could help your baby sleep for longer than 20 minute increments (which was super important to me). And because you should never cover an infant with a blanket, I recommend using bag sleepers (or sleep sacks) once your baby outgrows swaddling.

7. Know that batteries are every mother’s best friend.

If a new mom could choose one item to invest money in, I would highly recommend it be batteries. Everything from baby swings to freakish dancing Elmo dolls require these little power packs. Not much is worse than having a hysterical newborn who won’t stop crying unless she’s constantly in motion except having a hysterical newborn who won’t stop crying and then finding out that the batteries in her swing are dead [again]! Stock up on batteries– lots and lots of batteries.

8. Know that you need to take care of yourself.

Perhaps the best piece I advice I could offer for the postpartum period is that as a new mom you need to take care of yourself! I know, I know, you just had a baby you’ve got loads of wash to launder, dozens of diapers to change, lots of bottles to scrub and oh-so-much cuddling to do. And, don’t get me wrong, all of those things are important (especially the last one) but it is also very important that you take a few minutes to yourself. I always rolled my eyes when someone said I needed to be napping while my baby napped (especially after the delivery of my third) but it really is important. Most other things can wait. Your body just underwent huge stresses and it needs to recover. Taking time for yourself might look like napping but it could also be a nice, hot shower while hubby holds baby or a short walk down the block while grandma spoils baby. Whatever it is, it is necessary and you deserve it!

Breastfeeding looks easy, mums just whip up their tops up and the baby gets her food – right? Wrong! While breastfeeding is very easy, getting started, getting your baby to latch on and feeding in the correct position is incredibly hard. The good news is, once you’ve mastered the latch and your positioning, breastfeeding will become as easy as eating a whole packet of biscuits!

First things first
Your baby’s face is specially designed for breastfeeding. Her little turned up nose and receding chin means she can feed happily and breath at the same time, so never worry that she cannot breathe. If she can’t she will pull away from feeding. If your baby’s nose seems to be blocked by your breast, change your positioning slightly to see if that helps or move your breast so that your baby has a clear airway.

It is important to have a proper latch when breastfeeding, firstly, so that your baby is extracting your milk in the right way and therefore getting as much milk as she needs and secondly, to avoid blisters and sore nipples for you. Here are ten tips for acheiving that all-important latch:

• Start early

The best time to start breastfeeding is the first hour after your baby is born (we know you want to rest, but it’ll be easier in the long run!) This is because babies go through a period of being alert straight after they are born, but after that they spend much of the next 24 hours asleep. Most babies will instinctively suckle at the breast soon after birth, so take advantage of this time and also having the midwives around you to help to get breastfeeding started.

• Tickles

Try tickling your baby’s bottom lip with your nipple to make her open her mouth wide. Once your baby’s mouth is wide you should quickly move it onto your breast. Make sure you bring your baby to you rather than leaning towards your baby, to get the ideal positioning for your baby.

• A proper latch

When moving your baby’s mouth onto your breast, make sure that she gets about an inch of the surrounding areola (the darker area surrounding your nipple) into her mouth. You can also pull your baby’s chin down gently after she has latched on to help her take more of the areola in her mouth. Your nipple should be pulled back into your baby’s mouth so that extracting your milk is easier for her. If you find that your baby only has your nipple in her mouth, rather than the surrounding area, it is likely that your nipples will get sore and possibly blister. If you think your baby is feeding incorrectly, insert your index finger into her mouth while she is feeding and gently pull her off your nipple. Just pulling her off your nipple without a finger can be very painful!

• Fish mouth

Make sure that your baby’s lips are rolled outwards while she is feeding so that they resemble a fish’s mouth! If her lips are inverted, gently use your finger to pop them out as this will help with her latch.

• Check your baby’s mouth

A baby properly latched on will be covering more of the areola with his lower lip than with the upper lip.

• Hold your breast

You might need to hold your breast to help guide your nipple into your baby’s mouth. For larger breasted women you may have to do this with every feed. If you do have to hold your breast, grasp it at the sides rather than at the top or the bottom so your hand doesn’t get in the way of your baby’s mouth.

• Nipple positioning

Your nipple should be aimed at your baby’s upper lip rather than the middle of the mouth.

• Head positioning

Your baby’s head should be slightly tilted back and not slumped forward. Her chin should indent the lower portion of your breast.

• Switch positions

Switch positions if one position doesn’t work. The traditional position is your baby facing towards you with ‘tummy to mummy’ and her legs around your tummy. Your could always try the football or underarm hold, where you hold your baby’s head to your breast with her tummy on her side and legs pointing behind you.

• Don’t give up!

If you start to feel like nothing is working and your nipples are sore – try not to lose heart. Have some time out and try again when you’ve both had a bit of a break. Follow the instructions above and try not to get frustrated with your baby. It might be worth visiting your health visitor or a breastfeeding councillor to help you to get your latch right, or read our feature on breastfeeding problems.

How do I tell if I’m breastfeeding correctly?
If you’ve got the latch right:

• Your baby’s chin and nose should be touching your breast
• Your baby’s cheeks should be nice and rounded while sucking
• You should be able to hear content suckling sounds NOT clicking or smacking noises which indicate that your don’t have a good latch.
• Your baby is perfectly happy and stays on the breast for a sufficient amount of time and rarely fusses.
• When your baby is suckling there is a circular motion of her jaw rather than fast chin movement.
• You should be able to hear and to see your baby swallowing milk.

If you are not breastfeeding correctly:

• Your baby will have trouble keeping on the breast and will be frustrated at not being able to extract milk properly.
• Your baby falls asleep after a very short time nursing
• Your baby fusses when off the breast and acts hungry all the time
• Your nipples look pointed or crushed, or they are very sore and bleeding.
• Breastfeeding hurts! Breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt. When you first start to feed your baby you may feel a tingling sensation as your breasts let down milk, but after that you should feel no pain at all.
• Your baby’s cheeks are pulled or sucked in when she sucks

Other helpful tips:
If your baby frequently falls asleep at the breast try tickling her feet or her cheeks to wake her up. You could also undress and change her nappy to wake her up.