Episode 247

On today’s show you are going to learn exactly why you do not want to spend time…writing down the time…. that your baby spends breastfeeding. I find that so many new parents are spending so much time keeping records of how long your baby spends on each breast. You are going to learn that when you do this, you are losing focus of what you really need to be spending time observing.

All you need to do is sit in on some community breastfeeding classes or spend some time in the hospital or at pediatric offices to understand why this whole “time” thing is being practiced by new parents.

As new parents, this whole breastfeeding thing is new to you. It would be very unlikely for you to track how much time your baby spends at the breast, just because it seemed like a good idea to you. Your habit usually comes from your nurses in the hospital or other healthcare providers giving you sheets so that you can write down how many feedings per day, how long spent on each breast. They are constantly asking you these same questions. You see them recording this information in your chart. You quickly get that this is not only important information, you also get that this should be your focus when your baby is breastfeeding.

While I appreciate the effort and while it does not hurt anyone to record this information, I need for you to know that the time spent at breast is not the best way of knowing if breastfeeding is going well. Unfortunately, this is the message that many new parents do get, therefore it becomes the focus at feedings.

What should your focus be on? The latch of course. Because the early days of breastfeeding with regards to your milk supply and baby’s well being, it is all about: Is your baby able to come to the breast, achieve an excellent latch, transfer enough milk for a good feeding and this be pain free for you and comfortable for both of you.

The amount of time is just one small piece of this breastfeeding puzzle.
If you are told that your baby should spend ten minutes one each side, but your baby is not gaining well, what does it matter how long your baby spends there. If your baby spends 10 minutes, but your supply is low and your baby can’t get enough to gain well, what does it matter how long your baby spends there.

Why should the focus be on your babys latch? Because this is the foundation of good breastfeeding. If the latch is poor, then it is likely breastfeeding is not going to go well for you. If the latch is poor, you are likely to experience one or more of the not so fun parts of breastfeeding – painful breastfeeding, low milk supply, poor weight gain, engorgement, clogged ducts.

If the latch is good and breastfeeding is not going well, then we begin to look at other reasons why you are struggling. However, we always begin with latch, because if this is off, other things are likely to be off.

Why is the latch so important? Because this is how your baby gets fed at the breast. Your breast has milk specially designed for your baby. It is a lovely container filled with milk. Your baby comes onto the breast and with a good latch and a normal sucking behavior on their part, their job is to take the milk that is filling in your breast and move it into their mouth.

What if you are right hand dominant. You use your right hand for everything. Let’s say you are like me .. right handed and I am use to using a fork and spoon to transfer food from the plate into my mouth. I have several family members who enjoy eating with chopsticks and are very good at it. Me? I suck at it. I get easily frustrated. The noodles are sliding off the stick and missing my mouth. I can’t get the veggies to stay put between the plate and my mouth. While some food does make it from the plate to my mouth, most of it just keeps falling away.

So, let’s say it is 20 minutes later. Most of my family, well they are pretty much done with their meal. Me? I still have 3/4 of my plate full. You see where I am going with this. I have been at my plate of food for 20 minutes but I am still hungry and pretty darn frustrated, about to give up and I am tired from the effort. The rest of the family, all happy campers, and with a fully belly, they might fall asleep on the couch after their good meal. Me? I am frustrated, angry, I am either wired because I am still hungry but did not get enough, or I might also falls asleep on the couch. But not with a full belly, just because I got so darned tired from the effort.

The rest of my family – they are like the baby with the good latch and a mom with a good supply. They had their plate of food and they could use their feeding instrument, the chopsticks, really well and had no problem transferring enough food to fill their belly.. in a reasonable amount of time.

Me? I am like the baby, who spent the designated 20 minutes at the container filled with my food, however, my time spent at the breast was nothing but frustrating and tiring because I could not move the food from my plate to my mouth. A baby with a poor latch has a problem moving the milk from the breast into their mouth.

This is why a good, deep latch is the foundation for good breastfeeding. I am no saying that a good, deep latch is the only thing you need for good breastfeeding. I am saying it is the foundation.

What should you expect from a good latch? Well, it should be pain free? I hear moms say to me all the time….. Well, in the beginning while you are getting use to it, I should expect some pain because my nipples need some time to get use to a baby sucking on them. My response is a resounding no! Anyone who knows me, been to my website, you will know that I have quite a few mantras and one of my most popular and common one is: Breastfeeding should not hurt. Not on Day 1 or Day 2 or Day 3. If it is, get help immediately.

There is a bit of art and science to breastfeeding. There is much to learn about breastfeeding and much of it is on the job training. It is this natural thing that we do, and yet, it does not come naturally to a majority of us. I do find that there is quite a bit of what I call: breastfeeding mismanagement. Lotta people telling new moms some pretty wacky things and as new moms we are absorbant sponges. New moms want to do the absolute best for our babies and we will listen to anyone who seems to be knowledgeable about this whole breastfeeding thing.

I am not saying there should be no interest in talking about time at breast. I am saying that the person you want helping you is someone who is focused on the latch. You want an experienced person by your side, evaluating how your baby is latching on and spending significant time with you discussing normal newborn baby breastfeeding behavior.