Breastfeeding & Lactation Support

Breastfeeding and chestfeeding are nurturing and bonding experiences for parents and their babies. You are generally recommended to breastfeed or chestfeed your baby for at least a year. Breastmilk includes many health benefits, such as:

• It’s easy for baby to digest
• Antibodies in breast milk protect against infections
• It encourages brain development
• It helps fight disease

You should start nursing within the first hour and keep your baby in yourthe room to encourage bonding. We encourage these additional breastfeeding tips:

• Use skin-to-skin contact during feedings.
• Nurse your baby on one side until the breast softens, then switch to the other.
• Nurse your baby eight to twelve times in 24 hours.
• Avoid pacifiers and feeding supplements at first.

Many new mothers wonder if their babies are getting enough to eatsustenance from breastfeeding. The following signs indicate your baby is getting enough milkit's working:

• Your baby seems satisfied after breastfeeding.
• Your baby's stool has changed to seedy-yellow by day 5.
• Your infant is frequently wetting and soiling diapers stooling and voiding by day 3 (six wet diapers, three stools in 24 hours).
• Your breasts feel full before your baby breastfeeds and softer afterward.
• You don't have nipple or breast pain.

When you're breastfeeding, you can generally eat what you want. But there are guidelines you can follow to ensure you and your baby stay healthy during the process:

• Eat well-balanced, nutritious meals.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Limit caffeine to no more than two 8-ounce servings per day.
• If your baby seems fussy, determine if there's a link to any food you ate. Remove the food from your diet for 48 hours, and check for improvement. Babies aren't typically bothered by anything the mother eats.

You can choose to pump and store milk for later use. Follow these tips to make sure your milk is safe and ready for your baby:

• After pumping, label and date the milk and use the oldest first.
• Breast milk can be stored in a refrigerator for five to eight days. It can be stored for as long as three months in a freezer and six months in a deep freezer.
• Thaw frozen or refrigerated milk to room temperature by placing it in a container of hot water. Never heat breast milk in a microwave oven. The heating is not uniform, and your baby could get burned. It can also destroy essential nutrients and antibodies in breast milk.
• Test milk on the inside of your wrist before giving it to your baby.

It's important that you're comfortable while breastfeeding. Try these tips:

• Wear a support bra if you need extra support.
• Practice correct positioning and latching on to prevent sore nipples. Contact a lactation consultant if you need a refresher on these best practices.
• Alternate your positioning during feeding to prevent repeated pressure on any particular point. Express a little bit of milk to help your baby latch on.
• To remove your baby from your breast, place your little finger in the baby's mouth and break the suction.
• After your baby feeds, express some colostrum or breast milk and rub it on your nipples. Then air dry your nipples for 10 minutes. Apply a gentle lanolin preparation made for use on nipples or try hydro gel pads. That will help with soreness, chapping and cracking.
• Avoid using soap to wash your nipples, and don't use vitamin E ointments. These can be toxic to babies.
• Don't wear nursing pads once they've become moist. Avoid pads with plastic liners and tight bras.
• You may experience engorgement three to five days after you deliver your baby. This is normal. Symptoms include tenderness, swelling, warmth and hardness of your breasts. You may also have a fever or headache. The best remedy is to feed your baby often.
• Try treating your swollen breasts with ice packs and cabbage leaves.
• To avoid sore nipples, follow the instructions for your breast pump.

Chestfeeding is a non-gendered, neutral term used mainly by transgender and non-binary individuals to describe the act of feeding a baby from their chest. The term bodyfeeding is also sometimes used.

Novant Health is committed to providing safe, inclusive and equitable care for all patients. Our lactation consultants value the beliefs and life experiences of each parent they serve and seek to support their needs in any way possible.

Contact a lactation consultant if you have any of these concerns:

• You feel breastfeeding isn't going well.
• Your nipples are cracked, bleeding or painful.
• Your baby is having difficulty latching on for feeding.
• Your baby isn't breastfeeding eight to 12 times initially.
• You're supplementing with bottles.
• Your baby isn't wetting or soiling enough diapersstooling and voiding adequately.

Breastfeeding can be stressful. We're here to support you, so dDon't hesitate to call your pediatrician if you have any concerns — especially if you experience the following:

• Your baby seems hungry after breastfeeding.
• Your baby is sleepy and doesn't eat at least eight times in 24 hours.
• Your baby is fussy and cries a lot.
• Your baby doesn't void six times after your milk has come in (days 3 to 5).
• Your baby's stools are not yellow by day 5.
• You feel the need to supplement with formula.
• Your baby appears jaundiced (yellow skin tone, yellow in the whites of the eyes).