Breastfeeding - Benefits and Complications

My Story

Breastfeeding is the absolute best thing you can do for your baby and yourself. However, it can be quite difficult on a mother in today’s world. If you are planning on breastfeeding, the biggest advice I can give, is to acquire as much knowledge as you possibly can before baby is born. My senior year of high school, I was enrolled in a CNA program. We were required to write a 10-page essay on any topic related to the medial field. I chose to write my essay on the benefits of breastfeeding. I learned so much during that semester and have known since that time that this was something I wanted to do. When I became pregnant with our first child, I watched countless videos and read numerous articles and felt that I was well prepared. But what I learned was that most information you find on breast feeding talks about the benefits of breast feeding and not so much the difficulties that can come with it.

Just days after my son was born, nursing him had become so painful that I would cry at just the thought of it. I had a lactation consultant visit me during my hospital stay who taught me several different nursing positions to try but her visit was rushed, and I felt as though she had taught me nothing of value. After making it back home with our son, the pain had gotten so bad that I would tremble and become physically ill every time my son would latch on. I was determined to feed my baby and did not want to give up, so I endured the pain for two weeks before giving in and feeding my son formula so that I could heal. Words cannot describe how I felt in that moment, feeling as though I had failed my child. At my son’s first pediatricians’ appointment, we discussed what was going on and they referred me to their lactation consultant that week. After just one visit with her, she was able to correct my son’s latch! I was dumbfounded by how in all my research I was unaware of how to correct such a simple issue.

With that being said, where you choose to do your research is key. First, join lactation support groups on Facebook. It is so very important to have a community of knowledgeable people and professionals who are willing to offer you advice and support throughout your journey, whatever the time of day it may be. Second, most articles only cover the benefits of breast feeding and do not go into detail about the problems you may face. There are many licensed lactation consultants who make videos teaching proper latching, how to increase your supply, etc on YouTube. I recommend watching as many of these videos as possible so that if and when a problem arises for you, you are already equip with the knowledge to correct the problem. As I am writing this, I am due with our second child in just 2 1/2 months and though I am a little nervous about going through the breastfeeding process again, I am much more confident this go around having had experience.

Do not let my story steer you away from the idea of breastfeeding, not everyone has complications and every baby and mother is different! I simply just wanted to put this out there so that for anyone who may be struggling and feeling like they cannot do it, it is possible and YES YOU CAN!

Benefits of Breastfeeding

Benefits for Mother

Our bodies burn extra calories in order to produce breastmilk thus helping us lose the weight that may have been gained throughout our pregnancy.
Studies have shown that women who breast fed have reduced risks of developing type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Breastfeeding also reduces our chances of developing ovarian and breast cancer.
Directly after birth, breastfeeding causes our bodies to release Oxytocin. This hormone helps our uterus to contract back to it’s normal size and reduce bleeding as well as helps us bond with our baby.
The hormones that are produced while breastfeeding work as a natural contraceptive helping to prevent pregnancy and delay menstruation.

Benefits for Baby

Breastmilk contains exactly what your baby needs to thrive and develop.
Babies can digest breastmilk easier than formula resulting in less constipation, bloating, and gas.
When breastfeeding, our bodies absorb our babies saliva and if baby is sick our bodies will adjust our milk so that more antibodies are going to our baby to fight off illness. How amazing is that!?
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

Complications

Some of the most common complications which can arise during your breast-feeding journey include:

Tongue and Lip Ties
Mastitis
Clogged Milk Ducts
Low Supply
Over Supply
Incorrect Latch

Okay, so starting with tongue and lip ties. What this means is that the tissue which connects the tongue or lip is shorter than normal which can make it difficult for baby to get a deep latch. This can sometimes be corrected by positioning but in more severe cases a frenotomy may be recommended.

Mastitis is inflammation of the breast tissue which can sometimes result in infection. Some signs of mastitis include redness, swelling, pain, and fever. In some cases, it may even feel like the flu. To treat, you will want to make sure you are getting enough rest, nursing or pumping frequently, hydrating, and massaging the breast can also help. If symptoms worsen or you develop a fever of over 101, it is best to see your primary care doctor and begin antibiotics.

A clogged milk duct is exactly what it sounds like. This is often a result of not emptying the breasts frequently enough but can also be caused by wearing a bra that is too tight and several other things. Typically, a clogged duct will result in pain, and you may notice a lump in the breast tissue that could be red and hot to touch. Warm compresses are great for clogged ducts. Before pumping or nursing, apply a warm compress to the breast for 15-20 minutes or stand under a warm shower. You should also increase the frequency of your pumping sessions and pump at least every 2-3 hours. You may boil a pot of water and stand over it allowing the steam to reach the breast or mix a bowl of warm water with epsom salt and soak the breast directly in the water. Clogged ducts do not typically require a visit to the doctor and often will resolve on their own overtime.

The number one thing you should do for a low supply is push fluids! Producing breast milk requires us to increase our fluid intake, if we are dehydrated, we will not be able to produce an adequate amount of milk for our baby. Secondly, breastfeeding is a supply a demand situation. The more you pump or feed, the more quickly your body will produce milk. If your supply is low, increase the frequency of your pumping sessions. Fenugreek, Milk Thistle, Fennel, and Alfalfa are all great herbs to boost supply. Oatmeal and Almonds are also said increase supply.

Though an oversupply may sound great to those dealing with an undersupply, it comes with its own troubles. If you are an over supplier you will become engorged rather quickly and will need to pump more often to prevent mastitis or clogged ducts from forming. This can be challenging, especially if you are trying to balance a work life with breastfeeding. Engorgement is also very uncomfortable and sometimes painful. Between pumping sessions, you may find yourself leaking milk more frequently than you would with a normal supply. Disposable pads can be purchased to line your bra with to catch any leaking milk or you may choose to use reusable ones that can simply be washed in your washing machine. For me, having a manual hand pump was a lifesaver for when you are on the road or somewhere without access to electricity for pumping.

I could write an entire post on just proper latching. There is really so much to consider on this topic. But, if you are just starting out you need to establish a deep latch. The easiest way I have found to do this is by lying flat on your back with baby lying on your chest. This will allow gravity to help pull baby closer to the breast for a deeper latch. When putting baby to breast, place your nipple on the tip of their nose and slide it down to their mouth and wait for them to open. When the baby open’s their mouth, push as much of the breast into their mouth as possible. After you are done with a feed, if you notice that your nipple is slanted on one side this is a sign that baby is not latching deep enough. Sometimes, finding a good latch is just trial and error.