How to breastfeed – a step by step guide

While breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world, it doesn’t always come easy to moms or babies. Even if mom has breastfed before and knows what she is doing, baby hasn’t and may need some help learning the right way to get fed. Try to wash your hands before each feeding, or use hand sanitizer. This helps reduce the risk of getting an infection through in breasts or to baby as well.

Positioning Your Breastfeeding
You can be sitting, standing, or lying down to breastfeed your baby.
The two main types of holds for breastfeeding are cradle and football. There’s several more like side-lying, reclined and the cross cradle. With practice, you will find which one works best for you and your baby.
Your baby’s chest should be against your chest with his or her head and neck in a position that appears comfortable for your baby. This allows your infant to latch onto your breast much easier. (The baby’s head should not need to turn in order to latch on to the breast.)
Lift your breast with your hand to help guide the baby to it. Center your breast nipple to the nose of your baby with your nipple aimed to the roof of your baby’s mouth. You want the baby’s lower jaw to latch on first.
If your baby’s mouth is opened wide before latch-on, he or she will be able to latch on much more effectively. To get the baby to open his or her mouth, brush your nipple against the baby’s lower lip. A hungry infant will usually open his or her mouth wide with this type of stimulation. When the baby’s mouth is open, pull him or her close to the breast quickly to enable latch-on.
Do not press on the infant’s cheeks in an attempt to open the mouth, as the rooting reflex will be stimulated on each side and the baby will cry with frustration.
When latch-on occurs, relax and let the baby do the work. You may or may not be able to feel your let down which is sort of tingling sensation as the milk flows.

Alternating Breasts
Empty one breast before going to the other breast.
Alternate the breast you start with on each feeding.
You can place a safety pin on the bra cup of the breast you last used to remind you with which breast to start the next feeding.
If breast problems such as engorgement or soreness occur, do not stop breastfeeding(as this can lead to engorgement and more pain or complications) and notify your health care provider. Other things to look for, one breast hard and red, fever and flu like symptoms, pain while  baby is latched, or white spots in baby’s mouth that do not wipe off.

How to Tell If Your Infant Is Full
The baby will actively suck and you will hear him or her swallow.
Your baby should have at least 5-8 wet diapers a day.
Your baby will have several stools each day.
The breast feels full before feeding and feels soft after the infant has been fed.

Burping and Positioning After Feeding
To break the suction and remove your baby from the breast, gently insert one of your fingers into the corner of your baby’s mouth or use your fingers to “indent” your breast near his or her mouth.
Don’t pull the baby off your nipple because this can cause sore nipples.
Place your baby upright with his or her head on your shoulder and gently pat the back until your infant burps. Although there is no air in the breast, it’s still likely that some air will be swallowed and baby till need to be burped. But overall, they tend to burp less than bottle fed babies.