Inside: Discover seven essential breastfeeding tips and tricks for first time moms that will make nursing easier, like how to increase milk supply, latching positions, and more. Read on to find tons of helpful breastfeeding tips for new moms.

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The benefits of breastfeeding babies are numerous. The most important one being the number of nutrients breast milk provides to babies and in the right amounts. These nutrients are what these little humans need as they grow up.

Additionally, breast milk contains antibodies that ensure that the babies’ immune systems are up to date. Besides, it is the easiest thing your baby can digest at this early stage of their growth. But despite all these benefits, breastfeeding can be a challenge for new mothers and mothers in general. Here, you can find seven essential breastfeeding tips for new moms to make nursing easier.

Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

Below are seven tips that can help improve your breastfeeding experience.

1. Seek help from experts and those who’ve gone before you

There are times when sharing personal experiences have helped many mothers when it comes to breastfeeding. Experts such as maternity nurses, lactation consultants, or second or third-time mothers can be a great resource. However, it’s good to keep in mind that whatever has worked for another mother isn’t guaranteed to work for everyone.

Lactation consultants are people you can talk to in case you are not sure of something. They will show you demonstrations of correct latching and ideal positioning for the baby while breastfeeding. These one-on-one demonstrations are great as they are much better than reading theories in books or journals.

2. Drink lots of fluids

Breast milk production requires a lot of water. Given that almost all body processes require water in plenty as well, you are going to be required to drink water and fluids in plenty. This is what will ensure that all your body functions are performed as required without you becoming dehydrated.

One helpful breastfeeding tip for keeping hydrated is to keep water near your bed or at a breastfeeding station so you can have it readily available at night.

3. Be prepared to breastfeed often

Newborn babies get hungry after short periods of time. Given that breast milk is the only food they may consume at this stage, they will typically nurse every two to three hours. You can find even more information about this in the breastfeeding tips for beginners guide.

Frequent breastfeeding ensures maximum milk production. This is a result of your body being aware of the quantity of milk it should produce for the eagerly awaiting kid.

4. Breastfeeding pains

Breastfeeding pains can be a result of cracked nipples or clogged milk ducts. The pain can be unbearable at some moments. . Firstly, for cracked and sore nipples, keeping them moist will help ease the pain. There are nursing ointments and creams that do magic when it comes to keeping the nipples moisturized. Also, ease the clogged milk ducts by feeding the baby on the affected breast every two hours. Hot showers can also help relieve such pains.

5. Breastfeeding positions and latches

Improper breastfeeding positions are the leading cause of cracked nipples. The right breastfeeding latch is where the lower breast portion and areola are in the baby’s mouth. This is what stimulates sucking as the nipple hits the baby’s high palette in such positions. Check out this ultimate breastfeeding guide to read more about positions and troubleshooting.

For a newborn, there are many breastfeeding positions. One is the breast Crawl which allows your baby to latch by himself. Another great position is the Cross-Cradle which provides the baby with a lot of support. Other feeding positions that you can consider as well are the Football Hold and the Sideline position among others.

6. Use breastfeeding tools

There are breastfeeding tools out there that can help you a great deal. These include nursing pillows, nipple creams, and even nursing pads. A breast pump is another accessory that will give you the assurance that everything is in order.

7. Breastfeeding Recommendations

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies should be “fed breast milk exclusively for the first 6 months after birth. Exclusive breastfeeding means that the infant does not receive any additional foods (except vitamin D) or fluids unless medically recommended.”