The Success of Breast Feeding: One Key Feeling

Dr. Greene’s tips on how to make breast feeding a success…

There are several factors that contribute to the success of a nursing experience for mother and baby. One of the most important is that the baby feels satisfied after nursing. This cannot happen if

1.) The mother is not making enough milk to fill the baby up, or

2.) The baby is not able to successfully get the milk that is there.

When a mother is stressed or sleep deprived, her body cannot make milk as well as it does when she is relaxed and rested. In addition, when a mother is tense or tired, the milk she has made will not flow as quickly and easily in response to her baby’s sucking. Also, even very young babies have the ability to pick up on their mothers’ cues. Babies tend to be much fussier when their mothers are out of sorts, making the whole experience much more difficult. Not only will the breast feeding session last much longer than necessary, often the baby will fall asleep from exhaustion, only to wake up hungry, after a brief nap.