Now that baby has arrived, congrats! You are now with the child you have been so eager to hold in your arms. Pregnancy days are over. You are now a nursing mum, a mother who is breast-feeding her baby. Wait a minute. Let me hold it there. Did you hear me say, ‘Breastfeeding?’ Does the words, ‘Nursing mum’ stand for only women that are breastfeeding their babies? If I am not breastfeeding my baby or unable to, what do I say I am? What do I call myself? What name do I give myself? The choice of breastfeeding your newborn baby is often dependent on you or other factors:
- Mother is unable to produce a healthy breast milk supply
- Mother has to take a medication or undergo a medical treatment that isn’t safe during breastfeeding.
- Medical condition(s) of the mother that is not compatible with breastfeeding.
- Personal and valid reasons of a mother who simply doesn’t want to breastfeed.
Does breastfeeding as a nursing mum make you feel happy?
This is a question many women ask. Yes, breastfeeding can truly make you feel happy. Many nursing mums feel happier and calmer straight after feeding their babies.
To achieve this reflex, large surges of oxytocin is required. Researchers from China, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom now understand how it works with the help of a computer model.
This is not to say that you may not experience some pains while breastfeeding. This pain may even be very severe especially once your milk ‘comes in’ within some days after delivery. This was an experience I would never forget with my first baby. Your baby will be feeding every couple of hours especially in Exclusive breastfeeding. This means the problem can worsen quickly, with some mums finding their nipples crack, bleed or become blistered.
How do you stay happy and blossom when breastfeeding?
Do not let the pain affect your mood. One of the ways to really blossom at this period is to take very good care of yourself as well as your baby. By taking care of yourself means it is mportant you’re getting the nutrients that your body requires while you’re breastfeeding.
Taking care of your body.
- Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, daily.
- Plenty of water will keep you well hydrated.
- Take your prenatal vitamin.
- Take in about 500 extra calories a day.
- Practice good hygiene
- Moisturize your nipples with your breast milk
- Wear a supportive bra
- Change your breast pads often.
- Make sure your baby is latching on correctly
- Remove your child from your breast correctly
- Treat breast engorgement
You can’t over feed a baby on breastmilk. Their appetite for breastmilk will match their need and the better you are at letting go and allowing your baby to control that need, the more successful and happier you will be at breastfeeding.
It is worthy of note that feeding patterns change often. A baby that was content with 5 feeds a day may well start wanting to feed 10 times. This often occurs in times of appetite increase and serves the purpose of increasing your milk supply. After a few days, the feeding pattern generally settles down.
In a nutshell, breast-feeding triggers pulses of feel-good hormone, the Oxytocin. Enjoy this precious moments with your little cutie while it lasts long.
See you next time!
