Common Breastfeeding Problems
Every mother wants to give her baby a good start in life, and you can do no better than breastfeed your baby. Breast milk is so much better that formula, as it helps your baby to build up his immune system.
Another plus is that it is so much more convenient. Better to just take baby out of his cot in the middle of the night and be able to feed him immediately. Formula feeding means you have to heat up a bottle, be sure its the right temperature, (mother nature automatically ensures that breast milk is the perfect blood temperature!) whilst you are doing this he could well be screaming the house down. This will not make for a relaxing middle of the night experience.
Although plenty of women take to breastfeeding really well, there are some that suffer breastfeeding issues. There are a lot of common issues and these are easily overcome if you know the right thing to do.
Thrush – a harmless yeast infection which forms in the baby’s mouth. Although a normal part of the digestive system, an infection will set in if an overgrowth occurs.
If you have pains in your breast or nipple, or they are very sensitive or itchy, then its quite likely you have developed Thrush. It needs to be treated as soon as symptoms appear, as you can have a continual circle of it passing between baby and mother.
Mastitis – Bacteria is present in the milk ducts, causing the breast to become hard, red and inflamed. Antibiotics will cure mastitis and your GP will ensure they prescribe an antibiotic that will not affect the baby so you can still breastfeed.
Fast Milk Flow – Some women will find that the milk flows really fast when they first start to feed their baby. The result of this is that the baby can seem to be choking on the milk and that of course is quite scary. Try siphoning off a small amount of milk from each breast before you start to feed, and also keep the baby a bit more upright for the first minute or so of feeding.
Baby Has Gone Off Feeding – This could well be down to what you are eating or drinking. Fresh orange juice and spicy foods are well known for dramatically changing the taste of your milk. Although its good to have a varied diet, so that your baby gets used to different flavours via your milk, you need to keep clear of anything acidic or spicy. Also ensure you drink plenty of water.
Is Baby Taking Enough? – Bottle feeding Mums know exactly how much milk their baby is taking. But how much is the right amount? If your baby feeds well at the breast and is growing and healthy, then do not stress. Babies let you know when they are hungry and will take exactly what they need.