Tinidewi: Sana Sini Celoteh Suri

Menenen (Part 2)

3. Bear with all those pain
It is normal for newborn to bite while breastfeeding. He is still learning, so don't give up breastfeeding just yet. If your breast feel painful during breastfeeding, this means that the baby is not correctly latching on your breast. (This also means that you are yet to master the skill of latching on your baby :smile:) Put your finger into the corner of your baby's lip to release your nipple, and try latching on again. Do this again and again until both the mother & baby mastered. (This is what the nurses in Hospital Pantai made me do for my three-days warded in).

If the baby does bite, let out your cry to tell him that it hurts. He will soon understand that mummy hurts if he bites.

You should also have to differentiate between the pain of your baby's biting and the "let down" reflex. The "let down reflex" is the tingling sensation as the milk gush down your breast. This is normal.

(You may also feel pain in the stomach during breastfeeding. Do not be alarmed, your uterus is working on slimming itself back to pre-pregnancy size)

4. "Not enough milk?" - Do not easily jump into this conclusion
It is easy for parents nowadays to assume that the mother is not producing enough milk for her baby, if the baby does not seem to gain weight, or suck his thumb, (or that her breast is small). My advice is, don't, until you meet your GP to check whether his growth is normal, and lactation specialist to check whether it's true your milk factory does not work like it is supposed to :P

Logically, in this modern world, we are well-nourished mothers, aren't we? Only 1% of mothers in the world is not able to produce enough milk. Hope we're not one of them!

Furthermore, remember the equation, the supply will meet the demand. The more your baby sucks, the more your milk will be. God creates miracle, eh?

to be continued...

Note: Menenen Part 1 was posted on April 12, 2004.