Breastfeeding - The Ins and Outs

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!  

Express Feeding Twins

Mum of five month old twins, Kirsty Lowe tells how she expresses milk for her babies...

My babies were born at 34+6 weeks. Isabella, twin 1, weighed 5lb13oz and Taylor, twin 2, weighed 6lb0.5oz. From finding out that I was pregnant breast feeding was something that I was determined to do as I wasn't able to breastfeed my first son for more than 5 weeks as he was in nicu (neonatal intensive care unit) for 6 weeks and I didn't have the support or knowledge on how to keep my milk supply up. So this time I was determined to succeed. When we found out that we were having twins we invested in a good, electric double pump which was a god send!!

When I was 34+6 weeks my babies decided to make an early appearance, in the early hours of the morning my waters broke. Later that day I was taken down to theatre for an emergency c-section. As they were premature they were taken straight to nicu. Once I was back on the ward after seeing my babies I pumped for the first time. The first bag of colostrum was taken up for my babies. 

Taylor was having breathing difficulties and was in an incubator and was not feeding. Isabella had her first bottle but encountered difficulties so she was being tube fed. The staff that were caring for our babies were so supportive and gave me so much encouragement. I started pumping every 2 - 3 hours and took them every single drop, no matter how small. After a few days my milk finally started to come and Taylor also had his first feed via tube. Both babies came on in leaps and bounds, Taylor was taken off the c-pap (breathing apparatus) and out of the incubator and both babies had their tubes removed and were being bottle fed EBM (expressed breast milk). 

They were both discharged after only 12 days. Once we got home I tried to get the babies to latch on. Isabella went straight on but Taylor wouldn't. I did feel disheartened but only for a short time. At the end of the day, both babies were receiving my milk which is what was important! After more attempts Taylor did latch on. Both babies will now go on for mid feed snacks :-)

My babies are now 19 weeks old. Both of my babies have huge appetites and have 300mls each per feed, this is a lot of milk to express!!! I was heart broken the day I had to introduce a little bit of formula to their feed to top them up. But after I had calmed down I realised that what is important is that they are still having breast milk and they are still receiving the important anti bodies from my milk. I have heard some people say that if you express and feed via bottle you are not breastfeeding, in my opinion that is rubbish I do class myself as a breast feeding mum as my babies are having my milk, how they get it bottle or breast is not important. 

I want to tell other mums of multiples or multiple mums to be if your babies do have to spend time away from you, you can still give them your milk. It is hard work and tiring but the results are priceless.

Good luck.

Kirsty x