Breastfeeding Your Infant

Breastfeeding is widely regarded as having many benefits and advantages for both mothers and their newborns. While it is a natural way to provide the healthiest nutrition to a child during its first year of life, it is a process which has to be learned to in order to obtain all of its advantages.

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy on breastfeeding states that “breastfeeding insures the best possible health as well as the best developmental and psychosocial outcomes for the infant”.

How to Begin Breastfeeding

Infants are born with the instinct to nurse and will naturally turn towards a mother’s nipple and open his or her mouth and begin sucking. When a mother is ready to begin nursing, she should find a comfortable position that permits her to cup her breast in her hand and stroke the baby’s lower lip with her nipple. The baby will open his or her mouth and the mother should quickly center her nipple in the baby’s mouth, making sure that the tongue is down while pulling the baby close to her. A mother should always bring her baby to her breast – not her breast to her baby.

It is important to note that the first two weeks of nursing can be more difficult than bottle feeding because of the time it takes for the baby and mother to become accustom to the breastfeeding process.