I am now officially a licensed post-partum doula. between that as well as nursing my own babies, I’m a bit of a breastfeeding expert. So let me bust some typical misconceptions for you.
1. Breastfeeding makes your boobs saggy.
Actually, gravity, age, as well as genetics make your boobs saggy. professionals state that people who breastfeed don’t have visibly much more sagging than people who don’t.
2. size matters.
While not true for whatever – heh heh – when it concerns nursing a baby, size doesn’t matter. Whether your breast is flat as a pancake or you’re rocking GGGs, you can breastfeed regardless of exactly how little or big your boobs are.
3. mothers with flat or inverted nipples can’t breastfeed.
If you have flat or inverted nipples, breastfeeding may at first be much more difficult – however not impossible. get on board with a CLC (certified lactation consultant) before having the infant so you can work together from day one on techniques for breastfeeding with your specific nipple shape or size. numerous women with flat or inverted nipples have effectively breastfed their babies.
4. The volume you pump indicates the volume the infant gets when feeding at the breast.
Many women concern that since they can’t pump big volumes of milk, the infant should be underfed during on-breast feedings. Actually, these volumes can be vastly different – since the mechanisms for pumping as well as breastfeeding are different. When you are pumping, you are getting milk out by pure suction. Your baby’s bit mouth is much much more effective at getting the milk out, as well as your body responds in a different way to the infant than to the pump. So in many situations you pump less than what your infant gets directly from the breast.
5. brand new infants ought to breastfeed only when they’re hungry.
Even in some baby-friendly as well as pro-breastfeeding hospitals, after a infant is born, she is provided to her mom every few hours to “eat” as well as then provided a pacifier in between. sadly this is based on an concept that newborns are “hungry” every few hours as well as then just “want to suck” the rest of the time.
First of all, newborns aren’t hungry – they have just been on a 40-week all-you-can-eat buffet of whatever mother has been eating. They suck since their sucking teaches your body to create milk. Specifically, when a newborn latches on the breast, it’s the signal that your body needs to type prolactin receptors which are needed for milk production. much more sucking = much more receptors. These receptors are developed within the very first three days of birth, so the very first 72 hours are many vital for infant to get on the breast early as well as often. The essential thing right here is less about addressing their “hunger” as well as much more about building up your receptors. (If infant is in NICU or not latching, you can pump in the very first three days to stimulate receptor development.)
6. Your milk supply is fixed – you make exactly how much you make as well as can’t do much to modification it.
Thankfully this is not true! Your milk production is based on a directly supply as well as demand equation – the much more demand there is, the much more supply there will be. If your supply is low, keep putting infant or pump on the breast as well as your body will discover to create much more milk according to the enhancing demands.
7. You ought to totally stay away from alcohol while breastfeeding.
While you don’t want to over-indulge, according to La Leche League, it’s okay to have a drink while nursing. The amount of alcohol that gets into the milk is minuscule, as well as is metabolized within 3 hours. So if you’re still concerned however would like a glass of wine, you can always wait 3 hours before breastfeeding again.
8. specific foods as well as nutrients assist you create much more milk.
This is questionable since so numerous people suggest specific “milk boosting” foods – however eventually it is untrue. So why do some women promise that specific teas, chocolate, or ginger cookies boosts milk supply? the most likely explanation is that those things are pleasurable, comforting, as well as commonly showed good friends or liked ones – so the act of consuming them provides you a increase in the hormone oxytocin, which is included in milk production. put much more simply, it’s not the nutrients in the food itself, it’s the comfort originated from them that may assist your milk output. The exception to this is beer: which may somewhat boost prolactin levels, because of a sugar in the barley the beer is made from.
9. people with breast implants or breast reduction surgical treatment can’t breastfeed.
This is likewise a myth in numerous situations – depending upon the type of surgery, the type of implants, as well as other private factors. Some people with implants or a reduction can try breastfeeding without any issue, while other kinds of surgicaltreatment preclude breastfeeding. You ought to certainly inspect with a CLC (certified lactation consultant) while you’re expecting as well as talk about your choices as well as possibilities.
10. Breastfeeding is easy/breastfeeding is hard.
The reality is that breastfeeding is different for each woman, as well as every baby. Some women have an simple time as well as some have a harder time. numerous discover that their different youngsters are totally different when it concerns breastfeeding. If you requirement support, you ought to request assist as soon as possible after birth, as well as be vocal as well as persistent with nurses, midwives, as well as lactation consultants when you requirement help.