Let's Breastfeed

Not now mum!

I clearly love my job far too much – but then, who wouldn’t spring out of bed in the mornings to be faced with tiny little creatures as cute as the one pictured? I do understand that not everyone is as comfortable with babies, but be assured that this is something which develops over time.

If you are a first time mum and feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility of motherhood, the next few posts are for you. I am going to teach you how your baby communicates with you and how much fun they really are, even from day one!

You may not have thought about this, but your baby knows a lot about you, even from birth. He has accumulated knowledge over the past nine months and now knows your routine – when you are active and when you go to bed, your preference to food tastes – as he samples everything you do and he will recognize the tone and sound of your voice in different situations. I often wonder if this is why children look at their mothers first when they get a fright – to gauge her reaction or whether children instinctively become stressed when their mum does?

He may not know what you look like, but he will study your face closely once he is born and will spend more time looking and studying you than any other woman who might hold him – and will look at you even whilst being held by another lady. Eye contact with your little one is really important and shows your baby that you are aware and protective of him, as he is of you!

In a study where a baby was placed in a special crib with his mother’s breast pad on one side and another mother’s breast pad on the other side, the baby immediately turned toward his mother’s breast pad and began making mouth movements for food. The baby was not tricked when the breast pads were swapped over and quickly turned to the other side to face his mother’s breast pad.

Many of my clients feel stressed when their baby begins to cry. They feel anxious when they struggle to calm their baby down and painc that they aren’t reading their baby’s cues correctly! The one tool that is often overlooked is the power of communication. Remember that your baby knows and trusts your voice, he loves your voice and he will respond to your soothing. So talk to your baby, soothe him and help him calm down, this will also help you focus and remain calm in those early days, when you are both still finding your feet.

Babies also give you clear signs that they are being over stimulated, either by activity, light, noise and being handled or passed from one person to the next. These signs are usually a precursor to a melt-down, so look out for them and help your baby to unwind and settle down in a calm, quiet and darkened room. As he gets older, he will be better able to manage in bright noisy situations.

I will continue with our introduction to baby language over the summer. So don’t stay away too long.

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