Breastfeeding NHS session and Birth Choices Workshop

Breastfeeding NHS session:

Last week I attended a breastfeeding session in my local children's centre. I was told about this session on one of my appointments with a midwife and I thought that even though I'm reading a book about breastfeeding and can research online it's very important to meet expectant mothers and to talk to a specialist.

At first it was slightly awkward as mums-to-be didn't really talk much between each other and we had to wait for the midwife who was running late. When she eventually turned up I was under impression that she has a very "vibrant" personality, to be honest with you I didn't know should I laugh or should I sit there with a face "what's going on here". Anyway the story is not about her (she turned out to be a very knowledgeable person in the end), so we spoke about:

Benefits of breastfeeding for a child:

- lowers risk of gastroenteritis

- lowers risk of ear infection

- lowers risk of diabetes

- lowers risk of obesity

Benefits of breastfeeding for the mother:

- lowers risk of breast cancer

- helps to lose pregnancy weight

- reduces risk of depression

We were told though that it can only work out if we breastfeed exclusively.

Midwife also showed us comfortable positions for breastfeeding:

- to hold a baby like a rugby ball (can be good for those mums who had c- section)

- a position when a baby is lying on a side and his/her face, stomach and knees facing mother

- to nurse while lying on a side in a bed

In all positions showed we had to hold baby's head with our hand by making a C-shape around the neck, which I felt was slightly uncomfortable for me.

How to express milk by hand:

- to slightly massage the breast

- to use thumb and the rest of our fingers in a C-shape and gently squeeze the area (where texture of the breast feels different)

- if milk doesn't flow to try moving fingers slightly towards nipple or further away

Benefits of using our own expressed milk and/or Lansinoh cream and how it can soothe sore and cracked nipples, feeding cups and syringes as it can be an alternative to breastfeeding in these early days when a new mum struggles with breastfeeding.

Midwife also showed us breast pads and nursing bras, we were told that it is more practical to use washable breast pads and the most comfortable and cheap nursing bras are from Mothercare.

At the end of the session we had Q&A, everyone decided to use their opportunity to ask not just breastfeeding related question but what bothers them the most, but here I will mention only few of breastfeeding related questions:

Can I get pregnant while breastfeeding? Yes.

Do I need to use both breasts for nursing? Yes and no, we need to watch our baby, if we feel she\he might be hungry to offer a second breast.

How do I know that my baby is latched on correctly? We need to check the position of our baby, to place our baby with his/her nose level with the nipple.

Can flat- chested women breastfeed? Yes.

Can I breastfeed in public? Yes, all women are different and some feel comfortable without covering themselves, where as others may prefer to go somewhere quieter and/or cover when breastfeeding.

Can breasts leak when I hear mine or someone else's baby cry? Yes they can, therefore we were advised to use breast pads as it can happen in the public place.

Do I need to burp my baby if I'm breastfeeding? Typically breast fed babies don't need to be burped as much as bottle fed babies, some breast fed don't need to be burped at all.

Why baby can seem drunk after breastfeeding? It is a satisfying look of a well fed baby.

Do I need to avoid food or drink while breastfeeding? No, but obviously be very carefully with the food we eat and watch what we drink.

Birth Choices Workshop:

The first free 2-hour workshop we had last week was more about us all getting to know each other, therefore it is hard to say that I have learnt something new except from learning more about other mum/dads-to-be. Sessions themselves are facilitated by 2 local antenatal teachers, one of them is a student midwife and the other one knows parenting from a practical side.

We have discussed benefits and drawbacks of home and hospital births through a small group work (hands up who likes group works) and generally it was more of a discussion between all of us rather than teachers talking to us.

During these 2 hours we were divided into groups most of the time where we had to guess from pictures what does the baby do (my husband had to show it to the class by using toys, I actually thought that mum do all the job), what does the woman's body do and how can we make the process of birth work effectively.

Our teachers also covered physiology and the role of hormones (Adrenaline stay away!!), dispel myths and talk about our options of where to birth our baby (I think most of us picked hospital anyway).

I can't say that I have learnt much but before we even started antenatal classes I knew that I want to know more about labour and coping skills more. Let's see what we will do on our next paid session.