Breastfeeding Problems

Although having a baby is a wonderful experience you might encounter various breastfeeding problems that can be pretty awful and make you feel like a failure as a mother.

Low Milk Supply

The first problem encountered by many mothers is low milk supply. The quantity of milk supplied decides the milk to be produced. For enough breast milk production the baby will have to be kept suckling at the breast long enough, as frequency of breast feedings is an important factor. It is necessary to start breastfeeding one hour after delivery. If you are unable to do it due to the aftereffects of delivery, it might become too late. To avoid such situations, you start using a breast pump to express milk if you can’t breastfeed your baby directly. To increase milk there are herbal remedies like fenugreek or blessed thistle (three capsules, thrice daily) or else twenty drops of tincture thrice a day. Although tea works, you will have to consume too much tea throughout the day. To increase milk, some other herbal remedies are brewer’s yeast, fennel and raspberry leaf.

If you are able to get the baby to latch on and drink properly initially itself, you can prevent engorgement. If you happen to become engorged, it will only last for one to two days. Continue breastfeeding. But if you feel terrible discomfort and the baby cannot latch on properly, wrap around the engorged breasts cabbage leaves twice daily for about twenty minutes. Ice packs are also useful. You can also take tablets like Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

Mastitis is a breast inflammation that can result from some infection, obstruction or allergy. Breast can become swelled and painful. It is possible to feel heat in that area and red streaks might be seen going outwards from the inflammation source. Apply heat on the ailing area and take a pain reliever.

Raynaud’s phenomenon can be caused from sore nipples or even without any nipple pain. After the baby finishes feeding, the breast will experience temperature cooler than in the baby’s mouth. As a result, nipple can turn white with a burning pain. If the nipple regain lost color when blood flows back in you might experience a throbbing pain. Take once in a day 150 mg of Vitamin B6 for four days or else for a fortnight 30 mg tablet of Nifedipine for cure.

If you consume spicy food, it will be transmitted to the baby’s stomach through breast milk and cause irritation and gastrointestinal problems. The hyper allergenic foods like caffeine, chocolate, eggs, freshwater fish and garlic can result in gastric irritation to the babies. Babies daily consume 250 mg of calcium from you and you need to supplement this loss with diary products. Never eat spoilt food. If your fluid intake is low, it will result in dehydration and you will end up with constipation. You need to eat vegetables containing Vitamin D for the development of baby’s bone. If you ignore these aspects your baby can suffer from breastfeeding problems. Eat a well-balanced and varied diet when breastfeeding.