Health Teaching About Breastfeeding

John Xhielwein G. Gutierez

BSN 2-D

When considering breastfeeding the baby, the mother should take into account several factors
to promote successful feeding and ensure the baby’s development.

To ensure the baby will feed, the mother should know her baby’s feeding patterns. The baby
needs to be breastfed at least 8-12 times every 24 hours during the first few weeks. Frequent feedings
are needed for the baby to gain weight and to stimulate your body to produce plenty of milk.
Sometimes, the baby can get too drowsy and ends up sleeping during feeding, the mother must then do
the following to prevent aspiration and ensure that the baby gets enough milk: Stroke the bottom of the
baby’s foot with your finger, place the baby in a sitting position for burping, loosen the baby’s clothing,
change breastfeeding positions; the baby may stay awake in a different position, gently squeeze and
massage the breast to get the milk flowing. The mother may know that the baby has consumed enough
milk when the baby seems satisfied after being fed and burped, the baby is nursing at least 8 times in 24
hours, the mother’s breasts feel softer after feeding, the mother changing six to eight wet diapers a day
by the end of the first week. Another thing to consider when feeding is how you handle the baby. There
are several types of handling namely cradle hold, cradle hold, side-lying, or lying cradle hold.

During feeding, the mother’s breast may be sore. In order to prevent this, the mother must
wear a supportive bra, even at night, and avoid restrictive clothing, use a warm compress to ease the
soreness, and take showers. While in the shower, make sure that you clean the nipple thoroughly using
only clear water since soap may cause the mother’s nipple to dry out.

Lastly, the mother should have adequate nutrition and adequate rest while the child is also
resting. Having a period of rest may greatly improve energy levels and when paired with proper
nutrition, the mother can supply milk with much more nutritional value for her baby.