Avoid cracked nipple while breastfeeding

Nursing mothers will always get the cracked nipple while breastfeeding. I've never had cracked nipples until my son is teething. He likes to bite me when he is a little satisfied after drinking the milk. It's pain, for sure. And i have never thought i will get the cracked nipple! However, i do not stop breastfeeding. I still keep nursing my son even though i feel pain.

Actually we can avoid cracked nipple while breastfeeding, here are the useful tips for nursing mothers.

1. Do not pull out your nipple from your baby's mouth after breastfeeding. When you do this for few times, the skin of your nipple will be broken. What you do is, gently put your finger into your baby's mouth and take out the nipple.
   
   
2. If your baby bite your nipple during feeding, it will make the cracked nipple worse. Remember, do not shout and pull out your nipple immediately, this will make him bite harder! Instead of pushing him away, press his head close to your breast, he will open his mouth because he will feel uncomfortable.
   
   
3. After breastfeeding, rub a bit breast milk on your nipple and areola, and let it air dry. The breast milk can help heal the cracked and sore nipple. Remember, do it every time after nursing.

If you follow these every time, normally you won't get the cracked nipple. However, if you really have cracked nipple and you cannot stand the pain, you can stop breastfeeding for one day, express out the breast milk and bottle feed your baby.

How to increase breast milk supply

Image by NestleCSV via Flickr

Image by NestleCSV via Flickr

Every woman has some uncertainties about the questions concerning breast feeding the baby:

Does my baby get enough breast milk?

Is there a way to increase my breast milk supply naturally?

Which methods are safe for me and my baby for increasing breast milk supply?

Based on our experience in the past seven months, the rule of thumb is to feed whenever the baby wants, so basically, it's just feed...feed, and still feed...XD However, we have come to the following conclusion on how to increase the breast milk supply:

1. In the first week you always produce less "milk" (first milk is called Colostrum) but the first week is essential because there your body produces the Colostrum which is high in Anti-bodies for the babies immune system and a great help in preventing jaundice.
   
   
2. Try to rest and relax when your baby is sleeping (we both slept around 12-14 hours in the first six weeks), look for help from relatives or friends (house chores, shopping). You need to get enough sleep. From my personal experience, i have found that my breasts are engorged after sleeping. This was very obvious in the first few months.
   
   
3. Stress is the biggest enemy of breast milk production.
   
   
4. Feed more often (don't be scheduled on the 2 to 3 hours method which is published in many publications), as soon as the baby is crying (though look out if he/she is hungry or if he/she just needs a hug or a diaper change).
   
   
5. Sometimes the baby cries during nursing because it's not well attached at the breast, try to adjust the baby so that the most of areola and nipple is covered by the mouth.
   
   
6. Find the most comfortable position to nurse your baby. I have adopted craddle position in the first 2 months. However, Timmy suddenly did not like it and cried all the time whenever i nursed him in craddle position. Therefore, i tried the lying position to nurse him, it spent us a week of time to find out the reason why he did not want to be fed. After adopting lying position, the nursing is going very smoothly :-)
   
   
7. Make sure that your baby empties one breast of yours. So that you are sure he drinks the fatty milk, not only the foremilk. After the feeding of one breast, the baby is supposed to be full. If he is still not satisfied, then offer him another breast. After the feeding time, you can pump out the milk from another breast to boost your breastmilk production.
   
   
8. Buy a breast pump and pump after the feeding (wait around 10-15 minutes) this will activate the hormones which produce the breast milk and tell them they have to produce more breast milk because the demand is higher ;)

Happy breastfeeding!!!

Biting and Breastfeeding

 Mommy...you gonna becareful next time...don't be shock if i bite you again *LOL*

As i mentioned earlier in the post, our little one has already two teeth, and this makes breastfeeding a little bit difficult for me. The situation was getting worse in the last two days and i decided asking for help in the forum. But most of the responses that i have got there were telling me to stop breastfeeding or cut down the frequency of breastfeeding. :-( Well...i did feel disappointed because i do not want to stop breastfeeding because of biting. And i personally do not think biting would be the reason to take away the right of a baby to be nursed. My goal is to breastfeed Timmy for 2 years or until he wants to stop. 

Then yesterday night i read the online baby book for this topic. Luckily i have got this wonderful baby book from a baby forum. After reading, i just realized that i was totally wrong. Previously, when Timmy bit me, i would push him away and shouted for pain. But this book suggested that this is not the ideal method to stop the biting, and it may cause the nipple to be hurt too. Well...that's true. Whenever i shouted, Timmy would just look at me with his big eyes, perhaps he was surprised that i would scream, then you know what, after looking at me, he smiled! Awww.....Seems funny for him ;-) 

So, today, i adopted the method suggested in the book. Normally Timmy does not bite when he is hungry. Biting only happens in the end of feeding. So, today, Timmy was just like usual, he did it again in the end of feeding. Instead of screaming and pushing him away, i pulled him close to my breast, very close. Immediately, he opened his mouth. And wow....i did not feel much pain like before because of the "fight". :-) I will keep doing this until he will not bite me again. 

For those breastfeeding moms who have encountered this problem. You can visit this website for more tips Taking the Bite out of Breastfeeding!

Happy breastfeeding :-) 

 

Awful feeling

Since yesterday i have found out Timmy has already two teeth coming out....i always have strange feelings while breastfeeding him XD.....yeah, i have the worries of every breastfeeding moms have. I'm afraid Timmy will bite me. :-( Well, he did bite me sometimes now....and OUCH...it hurts!!! I shouted and told him that don't bite mommy again...but he did it again and again!!! I don't know what to do...seems he does not understand what he has done to me. He just looked at me with curious big eyes and then turned his head away. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww..........

I thought telling him not to do that again will stop him, isn't it suggested us to do??

What can i do now??? I definitely do not want to stop breastfeeding because of this. Is there any methods to avoid this?

Having awful feeling while breastfeeding is really funny. He seems enjoying the moments but then i am worrying. =_= But luckily he won't bite me when he is hungry. He does it only when he is full and begin to be playful ;-) Then i will have the shocking pain.

Lulumartin