Breastfeeding

There have been a couple of new additions to our family recently. They are my brothers grandchildren. As a midwife listening to the problems they are having with breastfeeding I find it frustrating that they are getting poor advice and hampered because they are not seeking my advice. I have no intention of giving unsolicited advice. One of them did talk to me when the baby was two weeks old. She was struggling because baby number two was not the perfect baby like number one. After some chat my conclusion was that mum’s let down was too much for baby. The symptoms were; feeding for no more than 10 minutes then 15-20 minutes later wanting another feed and lots of agitation due to wind. The fast let down is like sculling a glass of water and feeling full, thus not wanting anymore, only you are not full. Mum was getting only 2-3 hours between feeds especially at night which is hard to deal with. The solution is easy, posture feeding ie, Mum lies back and the baby is higher than the nipple thus having to work for the feed, taking an adequate amount at the feed and sleeping longer.
The other one, who I would be surprised to hear from, has a problem with sore nipples. The advice she was given was to express and bottle which I find annoying because it is more work that formula feeding and double the work of breastfeeding. She has also been told to feed every four hours. The baby is a normal healthy one and quite able to demand feed. My advice for the sore nipples is ice, apply before the feed and attach the baby. By the time the nipples warm up the baby is properly attached and it no longer hurts. This problem is more common with a caesarian delivery because Mum has a sore tummy and positioning is more difficult and midwives do not have the time to spend assisting with or even learning about breastfeeding. I could even help with these on Skype. It is not rocket science but some skill is of benefit.