Tollyjoy | For the baby you love

Getting Started

When it comes to breastfeeding, your baby won’t be going by the clock – rather it will be on demand whenever the little one is hungry!

A newborn’s stomach is not much bigger than a hard-boiled egg! So don’t expect your baby to drink lots of milk from the start and then go into blissful slumber for hours. Offer your breast whenever your baby cries or wants to suck – this typically varies between every half an hour to every two hours.

The key to successful breastfeeding is a proper latch. Before you leave the hospital, you should be shown how to get your baby latched on properly. Try to watch a video on breastfeeding before the baby is born and seek advice from relatives or friends with prior experience.

As a start, these tips will help you position your newborn for a good latch:

Make sure that your back
is well-supported

Put the base of your baby’s
head in the crook of your arm

Your baby’s tummy should be
against your tummy, with his or her
face and knees facing your body

Your baby should have your whole nipple
and a large part of your areola in his or
her mouth

Tickle your baby’s lips and wait until the mouth opens wide, then bring your baby to your breast (not your breast to your baby as this will cause neck and back pain for you)

Use a ‘U hold’ to hold the breast. When positioning your breasts, make sure that your fingers are not touching your areola, this is so that they do not get in the way when your baby is trying to latch on

Most importantly, breastfeeding should not hurt! If it hurts, take your baby off your breast and try again. Your baby may not be latched on correctly. Break the suction by gently placing your little finger in the corner of your baby’s mouth. Be patient and take as many times as you need to get it right.

Good Positions for Breastfeeding

Learning how to hold and support your baby in a comfortable position calls for coordination and patience. You will soon learn that finding a position that works for both of you is well worth the effort. After all, the two of you will spend hours breastfeeding every day.

Here are some time-tested positions to make breastfeeding go smoothly:

Cross-Cradle Hold

Ideal for early breastfeeding, try this position in a comfortable chair with armrests. Sit up straight and hold your baby crosswise in the crook of the opposite arm from your breast. If you are feeding from your left breast, support your baby’s trunk and head with your right forearm and palm. Place your left hand beneath your breast in a U-shaped hold and touch your breast to the centre of your baby’s lips to encourage a wide-open mouth. Remember to cradle your baby as close to your breast as comfortable, as bending or leaning forward can cause neck or back pain.

Cradle hold

Similar to the cross-cradle hold, sit straight in a comfortable chair and cradle your baby’s head in the crook of your elbow. Instead of using the arm opposite to the nursing breast, support your baby with the arm on the same side. If you get tired from holding your bundle of joy up to your chest, prop your arm up with the armrest or a pillow so you can nurse in that position for longer.

Football hold

If you have large breasts or are recovering from a C-section, a good breastfeeding position is the football hold.

Hold your baby at your side with your elbow bent. With your open hand, support your baby’s head and face him or her towards your breast. Your baby’s back will rest on your forearm; the result is like cradling a football by your side. Supporting your breast with the opposite hand may also help your baby latch on firmly.

Side-lying hold

A reclining position may help your baby nurse comfortably whilst avoiding unnecessary stress on your tummy if you are recovering from a C-section. Nursing in this position is a good way to rest when you’re tired – just remember not to fall asleep and return your baby to his or her own bed to sleep.

In a lying-down position, place your baby close to your front and support his or her back with your hand. Grasp your breast and touch your nipple to your baby’s lips. Once your baby is firmly latched on, you can remove your hand from your breast and use your arm to support your own head for comfort.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is one of the most natural and beneficial acts you as a mother can do for your baby. It’s a natural way for you to feel close to your newborn while providing everything your little one needs to thrive for the initial six months.

Dramatic health advantages have been proven to pass from mother to child through breast milk. From antibodies which protect a newborn, to the exclusive nutrients in mother’s milk which have been shown to prevent a number of childhood diseases, the benefits are incalculable.

Breastfeeding helps fight infections such as gastroenteritis, colds, urinary infections and ear infections. Breast milk also reduces the risk of infants getting allergic conditions such as asthma and eczema, serious illnesses such as childhood diabetes and leukemia and even Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Breastfeeding is the healthiest choice for you, too. It reduces your risk later in life of pre-menopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer and bone fractures from osteoporosis.

Breast milk also has long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are essential for helping your baby’s brain develop. Exclusively breastfeeding for the first few months has been shown to improve children’s cognitive development.

What’s more, breast milk costs nothing to produce and helps you burn those pregnancy calories!

The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends exclusively breastfeeding newborns for the first 6 months of their lives. Following that, you can introduce your baby to a combination of breast milk and complementary foods for at least 12 months and continue as long as both you and your baby are happy with that arrangement.

What you need to know when breastfeeding

As a new parent, we know that you probably have 101 questions to ask about breastfeeding. Here are some frequently asked questions and answers to help you get started:

How often should I breastfeed?

Your newborn should be nursing 8 to 12 times a day for about the first month. If you feel like you’re feeding your little one more often than someone you know whose baby is formula-fed, don’t worry about it. Breast milk digests easier than formula, which means it moves through your baby’s digestive system faster and, therefore, makes your baby hungry more often.

Frequent feedings also will help stimulate your milk production during the first few weeks. By 1 to 2 months of age, a breastfed baby will probably nurse 7 to 9 times a day.

Before your milk supply is established, breastfeeding should be “on demand” (when your baby is hungry), which is generally every 1.5 to 3 hours. As infants get older, they’ll need to nurse less frequently and may develop a more reliable schedule. Some may feed every hour and a half, whereas others may go 2 or 3 hours between feedings. Newborns should not go more than about 4 hours without feeding, even overnight.

What diet should I follow when I’m breastfeeding?

Just as when you were pregnant, it’s important to eat well while you’re breastfeeding, with plenty of wholesome fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and calcium-rich foods.

You’ll also need to drink and eat enough so that your body can make milk. But before you start adding on more calories, talk to your doctor about how much more you should consume every day based on your weight, height, age and activity level. Also, ask your doctor if you should still take your prenatal vitamins — many doctors have women continue them during breastfeeding.

It’s a good idea to carry a water bottle around wherever you go, refilling the bottle throughout the day, to make sure you consume adequate liquids.

Of course there’s no need to remind you that drinking alcohol and smoking are a definite ‘no-no’ during this time.

I intend to go back to work after my confinement but still want to continue giving my baby breast milk. Is this possible?

Yes, your baby can still get the benefits of breast milk if you freeze and/or refrigerate your pumped (or expressed) breast milk. It’s important, though, to store breast milk properly. If you are expressing at work or outside your home, invest in Tollyjoy’s Cooler Bag that keeps 4 milk bottles cold for up to 12 hours. By placing a frozen refrigerant brick inside the bag, your breast milk stays cold all day long and is still fresh when you get home to Baby Dearest.

If you are expressing milk for later feedings, a safe, convenient way is to store your breast milk in pre-sterilised, disposable milk storage bags. Do look out for Tollyjoy’s storage bags that are made from BPA-free plastics with handy double-zipper sealing. Also, keep track of your milk by labeling each bag with the milk’s pump date. Fresh milk should not be added to milk that is already frozen.

How long can I store my breast milk?

For healthy full-term infants, you can store it at as follows:

At room temperature: for 4 - 8 hours at no warmer than 25° Celsius
In the refrigerator - for up to 2 - 3 days at 0° to 3.9° Celsius
In the freezer (be sure to leave some space at the top of the container to allow for liquid expansion when the milk freezes):
- For up to 2 weeks in a freezer compartment located inside the refrigerator
- For 3 - 4 months in a self-contained freezer at -18° Celsius.
- Always store the milk in the back of the freezer to ensure temperature consistency, as goods kept in the freezer door are more often exposed to warm air

Making breastfeeding an enjoyable experience

Breastfeeding should be an enjoyable experience for you as a new mother. That’s why, at Tollyjoy, we have your utmost comfort in mind. Be it while nursing or expressing your breast milk, look out for products that will make breastfeeding a memorable experience for you.

Our washable Maternity Nursing Pads are soft and comfortable and fit snugly into any brassiere. Its small size allows you to use it discreetly and the woven surface is highly absorbent to minimize any discomfort.

Alternatively, try the Disposable Nursing Pads for a snug and discreet fit. The layers of super soft cotton and high absorbency polymer gel lock in moisture, ensuring optimum dryness.

Tollyjoy’s Battery Operated Breast Pump now comes with a range of functions and improved suction pressure. You will find this lightweight and portable device ideal for you. The one hand operation allows easy usage while the pump replicates your baby’s sucking action so that milk can be expressed quickly and effortlessly.

If doing it manually is more your style, then our Manual Breast Pump with feeding bottle will help you express your breast milk with ease. The feeding bottle, bottle cover set and teat are included to make it a practical and complete breast pump set.

Mummies, take note of our Disposable Breast Milk Storage Bag which is ideal for you to store and keep your preciously expressed breast milk in the freezer for use at a later date. Made with BPA-free plastics, double-zipper sealing and pre-sterilised using gamma radiation, you can be assured of absolute safety and hygiene.

Common Problems

Low on milk supply

It is very, very common for mothers to believe their supply is down when there is really no evidence for that. For true signs of low milk, look at your baby. Is your newborn wetting 5-6 disposables (or 6-8 cloth nappies) a day? Can you hear the baby swallowing? Is the baby’s weight gain adequate over the past month?

To increase your milk supply:

Nurse, nurse, nurse! Allow your infant full access to your breast and never switch breasts until your baby unlatches naturally
Consider night nursing - using a family bed can help stimulate supply
Drink adequate fluids and get plenty of rest. If you can manage it, some light exercise may also help

Inverted nipples

Don’t be put off breastfeeding if you have inverted nipples. Many women report that their nipple shape improved during pregnancy as their breasts got larger.

However, if you are unable to breastfeed with inverted nipples, there are a few things you can do:

Wear breast shells. Breast shells are hard, lightweight plastic domes worn inside of your bra. They are designed to encourage the nipples to come out by putting slight pressure on the areola. Many women wear them in the last trimester of pregnancy in preparation for breastfeeding.
Use a breast pump immediately before breastfeeding. This will help train the nipples to come out more so that your newborn can easily latch on.
Expose your nipples to cold temperatures immediately before breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding - Daddy’s Role

Where does Daddy figure in all this breastfeeding session? Actually, Daddy’s support can help the breastfeeding relationship succeed. Daddy can head off discouragement, deflect negative comments from friends and relatives, help calm a fussy baby and bring the new mummy food and drink while she is breastfeeding. Most importantly, Daddy can remind Mummy that breastfeeding is one of the most important things she can do to get their baby off to a good start in life.

Especially in the first few weeks, when lack of sleep and hormonal changes can sometimes make new mummies waver in their determination to breastfeed, a father who suggests, “let's try that one more time”, or who reminds his partner that, “they say babies space out their feedings after the three week growth spurt”, can be invaluable. A father who brings pillows for help in positioning a newborn or who brings a telephone so that Mummy can call someone for advice is truly helping to feed his child!