Did you know there
are three different types of milk you will give to your baby?
In the first three
days after your baby is born you will produce Colostrum. Colostrum is packed with your antibodies
which are passed to your baby to help develop their immune system. It’s a great start! It contains half the carbohydrates and fats
of regular milk and is specially adapted to meet the immediate needs of the
newborn. Really, Mother Nature is quite
marvellous!
Around Day 3 your
‘milk will come in.’ This means your breasts will fill with the fore and hind
milk baby needs to develop. The fore
milk will satisfy the baby’s thirst while the richer hind milk will make your
baby feel deliciously full. Because
there are two types of milk it is important that each breast is emptied
entirely before switching breasts if baby is still hungry, otherwise it’s like
giving your baby plenty to drink but no food.
A minimum of 10 minutes is needed.
If you express,
it’s possible to see the difference.
Fore milk looks quite watery, while the hind milk is more yellow,
thicker and richer.
Amazingly there are
15 -20 openings in the nipple (why does no one ever tell you this stuff) out of
which the milk flows. The milk is stored
in clusters of cells, called alveoli that look like bunches of grapes.
The milk travels along the milk ducts (mini
pipes) and out of the nipple.
Will there be enough?
There’s always
enough! Breast-feeding an infant is a
supply and demand function. The more (and longer) a baby nurses, the more milk
is produced.
Sucking
Although it might look like a baby is chewing on your nipple,
ultrasound images show he actually removes milk by creating a vacuum – also
known as sucking.
When the baby’s tongue is lowered and the vacuum is applied, the
milk comes out of the breast, and doesn't involve any compression of the nipple
- it's not a milking action at all – no we’re NOT dairy cows in training.
Infants who struggle to breastfeed usually generate a much weaker
vacuum than successful breastfeeders. This may explain why babies with a cleft
palate often fail to breastfeed, as do premature babies who don't have strong enough
mouth muscles to suck hard enough.
Last job – burping
You know yourself
how much it feels to have a big burp after a satisfying meal. Well babies are just the same. Burp your baby by sitting him on your lap
with his head down or over your shoulder and rubbing his back. A great tip for a baby with trapped wind is to
walk up and down the stairs with him over your shoulder. And don’t forget the
muslin to catch the inevitable!
