Breastfeeding support from experts for new mothers.

When your baby begins moving towards the nipple or bobs his or her head on your chest, ease your baby down to face the breast. Your palm should support the shoulders of the baby, with your forearm supporting the back and your elbow supporting the buttocks. Use your thumb and fingers to support the baby’s neck. The weight of the baby is supported by your arm, which can then be supported by a pillow. Your other arm can be used for supporting your breast. There are other breastfeeding tips that you can use to make the process of latching easier for your baby.

Some clear indications that your baby has had adequate breast milk include stools and wet diapers. The color of the stool of your baby also changes in the first 4 days. The best way to know that your baby is getting sufficient breast milk is the gain of weight. It is common for babies to lose weight to an extent in the first 5 days and then revert to birth weight by 10-14 days. Milk supply will be established in the first three weeks for the baby. Your body will produce more milk if your baby eats more. That’s why it is advisable to breastfeed your baby exclusively in the first 3-4 weeks, avoiding bottles, formula and pacifiers. It will allow your supply to be sufficient for the needs of your baby if you continue breastfeeding. If you feel that your baby is not breastfeeding enough, you should go to a lactation consultant near you to ensure that your baby is healthy.

Sore nipples while you are breastfeeding while normal, could be quite painful. Here are some breastfeeding tips to deal with sore nipples:

• Get help from a nurse with positioning the baby
  
• A few droplets of milk can be hand expressed, rubbed into the nipple and allowed to air dry
  
• Pump and feed the baby if nursing hurts after one minute.
  
• Dip a sponge or face cloth in a mixture of salt in lukewarm water. Put it on your nipples 3-4 times a day, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the soreness heals.
  
• Try to wear loose clothing or a soft nursing pad inside a bra. Make sure you change the pads each time after feeding to avoid infection.
  
• Try to use breast shell

Your breasts tend to feel extremely firm and full if your milk changes to mature milk. A lactation consultant near you can tell you if you have engorged breasts and can help you deal with this problem. If you are experiencing pain and/or your baby is unable to latch, you can follow some of these breastfeeding tips:

• Wrap an ice pack in a clean cloth and put it on your breasts for 10-15 minutes.
  
• Hand expressing milk can help with softening the areola
  
• Massage breasts to help the milk start to drip.
  
• If you don't see a milk drop, put warm clothes on your breasts for five to 10 minutes and massage again.
  
• Take medication to relieve as per the prescription of your doctor.
  
• Nurse every one to three hours.

Lactation consultant or breastfeeding counsellor is the name given for a person who helps a woman with lactation, breastfeeding classes. BirthRight by Rainbow Hospitals in the cities of Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Vizag, Vijayawada and Delhi have some of the best lactation consultants who can educate and help new mothers have a good feeding session everytime.

Usually, immediately after the time of birth starting skin-to-skin contact with the newborn is important in order to promote early breastfeeding in mothers. So counselling mothers from the early stages of the third trimester can help her have a positive breastfeeding session when the need arises.

BirthRight by Rainbow Hospitals in the cities of Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Vizag, Vijayawada, Chennai have some of the best lactation consultants, breastfeeding classes, breastfeeding support groups who can educate and help new mothers become part of breastfeeding support groups to help them have a good feeding session everytime.

You may not be able to express milk by hand if you have hard and heavy breasts. You can go to a breastfeeding clinic near you, if you are unable to deal with this problem. Here are some breastfeeding tips that may be helpful if you are unable to express milk by hand:

• You may try applying ice packs for 10-15 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of applying warm compresses.
  
• Expressing milk softens the areola as well
  
• After feeding, to reduce the pain you can pump additional milk or apply an ice pack.

Here are a few instructions and some useful breastfeeding tips to pump and store your breast milk at home.

• Use plastic bottles, plastic bags, glass containers or bottles.
  
• Clean the containers and seal the bags or use covers.
  
• Make sure the oldest milk will be used first.
  
• Freezing a small amount at a time allows faster thawing and warming up faster, resulting in less wastage.
  
• Don’t touch the container’s inside.
  
• The containers should be stored inside the freezer or refrigerator, for maintaining a consistent temperature.
  
• frozen milk should be thawed under warm running water
  
• Do not ever warm breast milk in the microwave or on the stove
  
• Do not ever add cooled milk to another milk that has been previously frozen.
  
• Never freeze in a glass.

You won't need to pump if your baby is breastfeeding sufficiently and making your baby soft. If you are producing more milk than what your baby is consuming, you can consult a lactation consultant near you about possible solutions. However, you may require to use a breast pump if:

• Your baby takes only one breast, causing the other to get engorged.
  
• Your areola requires softening to allow latching by the baby when your breasts are full.
  
• You are unable to get your baby to latch for 2 feedings consecutive for 6 hours after the birth of the baby.
  
• You are likely to be away from your baby, which won't allow you to breastfeed.
  
• You are planning to return to work or school.
  

One of the most important breastfeeding tips is that we advise you to wait 3 weeks before you give your baby bottle, given the breastfeeding is happening properly.