What are five things every postpartum parent needs to know about infant feeding?
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Kaely Harrod 0:01
One of the things that you are thinking about for the postpartum time is how you're going to feed your baby. Now, there are strong opinions, of course on both sides of bottle feeding, breastfeeding, chest feeding, feeding, human milk, or formula, etc. This episode does not dive into the intricacies of those strong opinions. We're joined today by a guest that simply answering the question of what are five things that all postpartum parents need to think about in terms of infant feeding? Now, the answer that Jess is going to give you today is very much related to whether you're bottle feeding or breastfeeding, feeding from your body, her feeding formula. And so I want you to listen if that feels helpful to you, not if this answer or this question feels unhelpful to you. But know that it comes with absolutely no judgment on where you're landing in terms of infant feeding plan ahead of time or infant feeding, in reality as it's playing.
Unknown Speaker 1:13
Out. Hi, my name is Jess Morlin. I'm a registered nurse turned entrepreneur. I'm the founder of the woman to Mother circle LLC. And my mission is to equip women with the education tools and support they need to thrive in their pregnancy in first year of motherhood. I'm here today to answer the question What are five things every postpartum parent needs to know about infant feeding? I'm here to talk to you today about infant feeding success. I am a Certified Lactation educator so we could just talk about breastfeeding. But that's really not why I'm here, I'm here to empower you to feel confident in nourishing your baby whether breast milk or formula. The first thing to know is to have a breastfeeding plan and a formula feeding plan. This is so important for you to talk about with your partner or support person, before baby comes. Just so you are both on the same page about your plan to breastfeed and anything you need to do to prepare for that, or also what a plan to formula feed would look like for you. And another simple way to prepare for formula feeding is to research some formulas that you feel good about. And a couple of sets of bottles and just have those on hand ready in case you decide that formula feeding is the best decision for you and your family. And so many women are afraid to plan to formula feed, because that would mean that breastfeeding, they failed at breastfeeding. And I really want to remind you that choosing not to breastfeed is not a failure, you may find that you need to make that decision for any number of reasons. And whatever those reasons are. It's important to build up that mindset now that it's not failure. You can have two plans that you feel good about, for breastfeeding and formula feeds formula feedings so that no matter what you choose, you can be successful. It's so critical in those early days after your baby's home that you build yourself up and resist any urge to tear yourself down. Breastfeeding is such a personal choice. It's really not for everyone. And you're allowed to make decisions for yourself, your baby and your family that consider the needs of everyone involved. The second thing to know is the signs of when your baby's getting enough. So this is a really good topic to talk about with your your doctor your baby's doctor before baby's here. Preferably, but definitely before you leave the hospital, make sure you check in with someone and are clear on how to know if baby's getting enough breast milk or formula. There's so many different ways to know like diapers, wet diapers, poop, diapers, skin color that you need to be aware of. In general, your baby will have one pee diaper and one poop diaper per day of life. So day one, they'll have one in one, day two, they'll have to into day three, they'll have three and three so on and so forth until about one week, then it starts level a little bit. At that point, you can talk to your doctor about what's normal, what's not normal in a can. It's a little bit more individualized to your baby after that. And it's one thing to put on your short list of things to research and questions to ask before you leave the hospital. Make sure you're clear and you also have an opportunity at your babies to do a checkup to check in with their pediatrician. So that's another good time to make sure you're still on the same page about your baby's intake.
Kaely Harrod 4:48
We'll be right back after this message from our sponsor. The birth prep blueprint course is a guide from pregnancy to postpartum, giving you the competence to walk walk through this journey however it might play out. It is pre recorded on demand content. So you do not have to fit your busy schedule around a class or meeting time, you can go back and revisit the lessons as much as you need to. And you can watch or listen to them on your own time. This curriculum has left many families feeling confident and their decisions, knowing what questions to ask their providers, and knowing when they should be concerned in all of these periods. One of the biggest parts of this work in terms of preparing families and walking through this journey is knowing that you have a guide to rely on. And that's exactly what this class is. Students have told me they felt like I was walking them along a path to know what to watch for and what to not be worried about. Because you are here as a listener, you get the opportunity to have a 10% off discount on this class, that code is podcast, it is in the show notes as well, along with the link to use to check out for the class, I do really recommend that you go give it a look. Because it is going to make you feel more prepared calm and confident for your birthing experience. Now back to your show.
Unknown Speaker 6:18
The third thing to know about infant feeding, is to have clear expectations with whoever is going to be there helping you in those early postpartum days, make sure that you talk about who's gonna be handling the feedings. If you're breastfeeding, it'll likely be you. But if it is you heading all the feeding, handling all the feedings, and you're getting all those baby snuggles in, you really want to support your partner to get there time to bond with the baby. And talk about what that might look like maybe if you are breastfeeding, then you mostly hand off the baby between feedings for them to care for them, and spend time with them have those snuggles too. And if you're formula feeding, talk about how you want to handle that if you want to just split feedings back and forth. Or if you want to do days and nights or how you want to work that out. It's one of those things that your plan could be very fluid. And it could change definitely after baby's here, but it's a good thing to bring up and talk about before things kind of get a little bit more crazy. And in the moment after baby's here, it's always easier to try to manage expectations before you're in the middle of it and it turns into bickering or even a fight. When it turns out either of you has expectations that aren't met that you never really even talked about. The fourth thing for you to know is your body changes. So whether you breastfeed or not, you will likely go through somebody changes around breastfeeding and producing milk. So typically, your milk comes in around three to five days after you give birth. It could be earlier, it could be a little bit later depending on lots of different things. But just as something to keep in mind. So typically, your milk doesn't come in right away after the baby's born. Your baby needs very little in those first couple days. But once your milk does come in, there will be some discomfort and maybe a little painful, you may have some soreness from your baby learning how to latch. And as your milk comes in, a lot of times it tends to come in faster than your baby can, then your baby can remove the milk. Because your baby is still learning to latch, it may not even need all the milk that your body produces at first. So in that you might have some discomfort with some extra milk. You want to have on hand some things to relieve that like ice packs, warm compresses a manual breast pump to relieve some of the pressure from if you have some excess milk that comes in. And just keep in mind that in those first few weeks after your baby's born, you'll be producing milk on a supply and demand basis. So it takes a while for your body to figure out how much your baby needs, whether that's none because either formula feeding, it still may take time for your baby for your body to dry up your milk completely. Or if it's that your body needs to produce more because you're exclusively breastfeeding. Either way, it takes your body some time to kind of figure out where you're at with that. And you also want to keep in mind that even if you'll have some discomfort, you want to avoid pumping too much in those early days. If you pump too much. It tells your body to make more milk and if you're pumping because you're uncomfortable, then likely it'll kind of make the problem a little bit worse. So that's something that you want to keep in mind too that you want to keep yourself as comfortable as possible without stimulating your body and making your body think you need to make more milk by pumping and emptying more than your baby is taking. And finally, the fifth thing for you to know is to really know who your people are. So know what support you have around feeding your baby who's going to cheer you on, no matter what you decide. Or there are some people who are maybe a little too opinionated about the about the issue that you want to avoid when you're kind of figuring it out and deciding what's best. And who are the people that will that will lead you to the best resources and education and tools and really help you have the tools that you need to succeed in whatever you decide. And what resources do you have. So as much as you can find out the resources you have for breastfeeding, or even mental health support. If feeding your baby is something that is overwhelming, or learning how to manage everything after baby comes, just think about all the resources you have. And that's something that's really great to do before baby's here is know your resources. Know who your cheerleaders are in your life and who's going to be there for you no matter what you decide. I hope you found these tidbits helpful. And if you remember nothing else, just remember this that no matter how you choose to feed your baby, if you can meet the needs of your baby and do what is best for you and your family. You're successful.
Kaely Harrod 11:35
I want to take a minute to thank Jess for taking the time to answer this question for us. I wanted you all to get a chance to hear from her in part because I wanted you to hear about her woman to mother's circle that she is running for the transition from pre to post motherhood and also that like first year of postpartum time, so please do look in the show notes for her information so that you can connect with her. And I am excited to connect with you more in the new year as we branched into some new topics on this podcast. This has been Kaylee daily doula Tips and Tips. I'm so glad that you were here joining us today. I am not your medical provider. And so all of this information is intended to be educational and entertainment. Please use it as such. And if you have questions about your own medical health, or need recommendations from your own provider, please do speak to them. This is not intended to replace them in any way. We are so happy that you are here joining us in this walkthrough, pregnancy postpartum and lactation. Please take a second to like and subscribe, leave a positive review. That is how other families get to hear about us and get to learn from all the answers that we have here on this podcast. As always, I would really love to connect with you. I love answering questions. I know that you know that because you are here, but I would love to hear what your questions are. So if I have not yet answered them on the podcast, I would love to add them to the list of questions to be answered. please do reach out to me on Instagram or via email Kaely at Herat, doula services.com so that I can answer whatever question you have, and so that I can hear the feedback that you have about the podcast. Until we meet again, I wish you well informed consent filled birth and postpartum experiences
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Preparation for feeding your baby can feel a bit daunting because if your baby’s not here yet it’s very theoretical. However, depending on your feeding plan there are a few things you can prepare in advance and just know in advance to ease that journey. Today’s question is answered by our last Special Guest of 2022 Jess Morlan.
GUEST SPEAKER:
Jess Morlan:
Jess is a registered nurse, certified lactation educator, and homeschooling mom of 3 littles, 5 and under. Jess has been educating and empowering moms from pregnancy to postpartum for the last 7 years as a public health nurse and founded The Woman to Mother Circle LLC in 2021 to support new moms in their motherhood journeys through individual and group coaching. Her mission is to help women find the best version of themselves in motherhood and truly love the journey.
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