Bloemfontein Breastfeeding&beyond

19/08/2025

Your baby needs all the care and attention you can give.
Trust your maternal instinct. – that inner voice that tells you to comfort your baby when he cries.
Newborn babies cannot self-regulate. They are bombarded with smells, noise, touch, being bathed etc. Their sensory integration is not fully developed. By responding to your babies needs you help them to learn how to trust and calm themselves.
Newborn babies are too young to purposefully manipulate or annoy you.
Crying is their only way to communicate their needs, whether it is for hunger, thirst being lonely, cold, need a dry diaper, or a little cuddling with Mom or Dad.
When you respond quickly to your baby, you're building his sense of self-worth.
You're also establishing a foundation of trust that can last for years to come.
If you give your baby prompt attention, he'll feel more secure and less anxious, giving him the courage to explore the world on his own.
Once your baby understands that you take his cries seriously, he'll be less likely to cry for no reason.
In the long run, responding quickly to your baby's needs will make him less clingy and demanding.
By the time your baby is 6 to 8 months old, he'll be paying close attention to cause and effect – noticing, for instance, that his bowl falls when he drops it from the highchair.
He'll also start to see a direct link between his actions and your responses. At this point it's okay to set some limits.
If your baby starts crying to get something he doesn't need, hold your ground and give him a hug when he calms down. Similarly, give hugs and praise for good behavior and gently redirect him when he's doing something hazardous.
The right blend of love and guidance will eventually help your child understand his place in the world.
But for now, your focus should be on giving him as much attention and comfort as you can. No matter how much you give, it's not more than he needs.

19/08/2025

How to increase breast milk supply:
Wake the sleepy baby (especially if baby is jaundiced or premature) for feeds. Make sure baby feeds at least 8-10 times a day.
a. Switch nursing: feed on both sides
• Start feeding on one breast and if baby falls asleep or stops sucking switch to the second breast and again to the first one.
• Frequent emptying of the breast will stimulate the milk supply as well as switching will help the sleepy baby to be more wakeful and take in more milk.
b. Empty and drain the breasts well after feeds.
• Too full breasts that are not drained frequently can cause the feedback inhibitory system to slow down milk synthesis and reduce the supply.
c. Hand express or use a pump to drain the breasts well after every feed even if only small Monitor for swallowing and active feeding.
• Infants can spend a long time on the breast doing non-nutritive sucking and not removing any milk. They fall asleep and it can be confused with good feeding.
• Watch out for signs of active Nutritive sucking and deep jaw movements and signs of swallowing.
• The breast would feel softer after a feed if the baby fed well.
d. Breast compressions:
• Compressing the breast when baby is sucking but not drinking will help to increase the supply and help to continue the milk flow when baby is only sucking. It will stimulate the let-down reflex and encourage baby to feed
• Breast compressions are helpful if your baby is lethargic or jaundiced or has a low muscle tone and uncoordinated SSB cycles (premature infants).
e. Breast massage prior and during feeds
• Massage your breasts before and during a feed. Cup the breast with your hand and massage toward the ni**le with your thumb.
• Massage will stimulate the let-down reflex as well as increase the caloric intake of hind milk. It will also stimulate oxytocin to be released.
• amounts can be expressed

28/07/2025

08/02/2025

08/02/2025

Are you having your first baby or struggled with breastfeeding in the past.?
Baby is born already and you need help or reassurance or struggling with any infant related niggles, colic, reflux, routines, sleep, low weight gain:
I will visit you at home.
Please book Bloemfontein Breastfeeding&beyond

08/02/2025

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months of life is widely recommended by health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Research shows that EBF provides essential nutrients and antibodies that boost a baby’s immune system and protect against infections such as diarrhea and pneumonia, which are significant causes of infant mortality worldwide (Victora et al., The Lancet, 2016). Studies have also linked EBF to lower risks of obesity and chronic conditions later in life. Let’s discuss the incredible impact EBF can have on long-term health outcomes for both mother and baby!

07/02/2025

More and more parents are choosing to begin expressing milk before their babies are delivered, typically around 36 or 37 weeks of pregnancy. However research into how often parents express milk prenatally, how much milk is collected, and what affect this may have on milk supply is not well known.
This small study followed parents who were expecting an infant with a known problems with major organs including the heart, and were going to need intensive care unit (ICU) support immediately after birth. Parents were not included in the study if they had known risk factors for low milk supply or if their babies were not going to be able to breastfeed for medical reasons.
Parents were asked to review hand expression techniques before starting to express at 37 weeks. They were asked to hand express both breasts for 5 minutes two times per day. Parents used an online milk log to track their milk expression sessions and volume of milk collected. A total of 25 parents started the study, with 19 completing the study.
Results:
~No serious side effects were reported, (3 participants reported cramping and/or breast soreness)
~The average gestational age at delivery was about 38 weeks
~Over half of participants did not sustain 2 sessions per day until they delivered(52.6%).
~Most participants did perform at least 5 minutes of prenatal milk expression per breast for each session,
~Most common time for expression was late morning and evening
~Most participants had a positive experience and agreed that prenatal milk expression is useful.
~Most participants were able to collect some measurable colostrum before they delivered(median 3.99 ml) which is less than previous studies.
Factors such as the stress related to the infant's expected medical needs after birth may have impacted overall milk volume. Though it is important to remember that colostrum has such important benefits for infants, that any amount of colostrum provided to any infant, especially infants with complex medical needs, is extremely important.
For more details see the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39382990/

22/12/2024

Cluster feeding is normal but it’s not easy! Why does it happens when it’s holidays! Subtle remarks like “do you have enough milk” “ are you sure your milk is nutritious “ “I won’t be able to cope”! Smile and wave because you know better ! Your baby is not only stimulating your breasts but give you breaks to do that one thing everyone wants to do!

To feed him! What helped you to get through this period with your baby during the festive season .hill.nurturenest .1986 .dee .joubert

21/11/2024

Giftvouchers make lovely baby shower gifts. Spoil any mom to be or a friend.
Personal or online sessions are available.
Please contact me.
preparation