Breast foot forward

Top 12 Breastfeeding Challenges Discussed

- Effath Yasmin

The internet bought about an information avalanche on all subjects, including breastfeeding awareness. As a result, education increased across the world, and breastfeeding is now slowly becoming the norm, as it should have always been. Research clearly shows the importance of breastfeeding babies is normal, desired and complete infant nutrition. Even though nursing your child is natural and normal, many mums may hit roadblocks along the road. We’ve rounded up the 12 commonly faced breastfeeding challenges, and how to overcome them:

1 Difficulty to latch/attach

While most babies are expected to be able to latch on to the breast right after birth and feed fairly like champions, many newborns have latching and other breastfeeding difficulties right from the start. New mums and babies need time to learn how to breastfeed together, especially if there has been some intervention during birth.

SOLUTION

Most cultures around the world usually encourage new mum and babies to be in a postpartum ‘confinement’ period of 40 days. This helps a mother and baby to bond, and tide over the initial weeks, in order to settle into a comfortable breastfeeding rhythm.

2 Sore and painful nipples

Breastfeeding is meant to be a seamless, normal experience; It must never be painful. Again, most babies will instinctively attach to the breasts and feed, and yet, soreness, cracking and bleeding of the nipples is not uncommon during the first three months after birth.

SOLUTION