Baby feeding breast milk youtube

Feeding patterns and milk volume

How will I know if my baby is hungry and that I have enough milk, and how can I increase my milk production?

Is colostrum enough to feed my baby?

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Yes! For most babies, colostrum (the first yellowish milk) will be enough during the first few (2-4) days until your milk "comes in". Colostrum is produced in small quantities at a time, and is produced continuously, which is why it’s important for baby to feed on demand (whenever he wants to). The more frequently baby feeds, the more milk he will get and the more milk your body will produce. It is perfectly normal for newborns to feed 8-12 times a day, and sometimes even more. Your colostrum is rich in nutrients, antibodies and other components which help baby’s intestine to mature.

How do I know if I’m producing enough milk?

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The most important sign you are producing enough milk is that your baby is gaining weight and following his weight curve. The child health clinic can help you with this. If you exclusively breastfeed, you can be confident that your baby is getting enough to eat if he has a wet nappy at least 5-6 times a day and a dirty nappy at least twice a day. This applies from day 4-5 through to the end of baby’s first month. Some babies may have a dirty nappy less often even though they are feeding well. While you are breastfeeding, you may notice that your baby is actually feeding, as you can both see and hear baby swallowing.

How do I know if my baby is hungry?

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Newborns usually feed 8-12 times day and sometimes more. They give various hunger cues. In time, you’ll learn to recognise these signs. You may see hunger cues even before baby wakes up.

Early cues include: eye movement under the eyelids, lip smacking and sticking tongue out, moving arms and legs, rooting, putting hands to mouth.

Late cues include: fussing, whimpering and crying, full-body movement. If very sleepy, baby may show no signs of hunger. If so, wake baby and offer your breast. If baby is sleeping when you try to nurse, check that baby has a good latch and is swallowing the milk. If in doubt, consult your health centre.

More milk – using an at-breast supplementer

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To help increase the milk volume available to baby, you can use an at-breast supplementer. Your baby will then feed at your breast while also getting milk from the at-breast supplementer. When baby feeds, your breasts will produce more milk. You should also breastfeed often enough and empty each breast completely. An at-breast supplementer consists of a thin tube connected to a bottle or container of milk. The milk can be breast milk or infant formula. Until you start producing more milk, your baby will receive the extra milk she needs from the at-breast supplementer. If you are unable to increase your milk production to meet your baby's needs, mixed feeding (also called combination feeding) is also a good alternative. Ask at your child health clinic if you need help.

More milk – is there anything I should be eating or drinking?

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What you eat or drink has little effect on the amount of milk you produce. When breastfeeding, you should make sure you have a healthy and varied diet. Drink when you are thirsty, preferably water. Some mothers find it convenient to drink a little while they are breastfeeding. Fennel tea, often sold as ‘nursing mother’s tea’, is not recommended because fennel contains substances that could harm your baby. To increase the volume of milk, it is important to breastfeed both frequently and for long enough, and to make sure you are using the right technique. Learn more about diet and breastfeeding at helsenorge.no.

More milk – correct breastfeeding technique

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When your baby feeds using a good technique, your breast will be emptied fully. This will stimulate your breasts to produce more milk to meet your baby’s needs. To increase the volume of milk, you will need to breastfeed more often and empty your breasts completely. To stimulate your breasts and empty them fully, your baby must suckle using a good technique. Poor latching can lead to poor stimulation and breast-emptying. This can result in low milk production. If that happens, breastfeeding more frequently will not help. Too little milk can cause your baby to not put on enough weight. Ask for help to assess your breastfeeding technique and your baby's latching at your child health clinic.

Breastfeeding technique

Learn how you can help your baby latch on well

Illustration: Ole Walter Jacobsen - Helsedirektoratet

More milk – breastfeed more often

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To stimulate your breasts to produce more milk, they must be emptied more often. You should breastfeed frequently and allow your baby to feed for long enough. Offer baby both breasts at each feed. Make sure baby latches on correctly. Unless your baby gets a good latch, breastfeeding more often will not help. Your breasts will produce most of their milk in the first one or two hours after a feed. Try to breastfeed at two-hourly intervals during the day and a couple of times a night. It may take 1-3 days from when you start breastfeeding more often until you notice you are producing more milk. You can pump or manually express your breast milk in addition to, or instead of, breastfeeding.

Mixed feeding – how to maintain your milk production

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To maintain your milk production, you should breastfeed from both breasts, before giving your baby infant formula. Spread the amount of infant formula your baby receives during the day over several feeds. More feeds of small amounts of infant formula at a time will lead to more frequent breastfeeding. This is better for your milk production than fewer feeds of larger amounts of infant formula. Nurse your baby at both breasts during each feed. Swap breasts when baby gets impatient with the first breast. Breast compression can help increase the amount of breast milk your baby gets. You can also use an at-breast supplementer for feeding your baby infant formula. Your breasts will then be stimulated to make milk at the same time.  

Mixed feeding – why?

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Breast milk is good for your baby, even if she only gets a little. That’s why it’s a good idea to combine breastfeeding with infant formula. Breast milk contains substances that are not present in infant formula. These substances benefit the health of your child, both now and later in life. They provide protection against infections and aid the development of the infant immune system and nervous system. Mixed feeding also has important health benefits for you, such as lower risk of breast cancer. For babies who cannot be fed breast milk for any reason, infant formula is a good alternative that enables baby to grow and develop completely normally.

Is my baby demanding more milk?

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Is my baby demanding more milk?

Once in a while you may find that your baby wants to feed more frequently than before. This may mean baby is in a growth spurt and needs more breast milk. You may experience this as  cluster-feeding. Baby seems especially hungry or wakes up soon after the last feed. Breastfeeding as often and as much as baby wants will usually boost your milk production. That usually takes 1-2 days. With unrestricted feeding, the amount of milk will adapt to baby’s needs. The volume of milk varies with your child’s growth and how much baby feeds. Increased milk demand may occur at regular and irregular intervals, but not all mothers notice it. Some babies also feed more often when they are not feeling well. Your breast provides security and comfort as well as food.

libr: Videos - Public - The Institute for Breastfeeding and Lactation Education (IABLE)

IABLE has produced many breastfeeding videos. Our publicly available videos can be viewed on this page and on our YouTube channel.

IABLE Members have access to additional videos including:

Breastfeeding Latch
Feeding Tube Supplementation
Manual Expression of Breast Milk
Nipple Shield Use
Positioning an Infant While Nursing
Pumping Breastmilk
Using a Manual Breast Pump

Video Usage Policies

All of our public videos are on YouTube and our website. These may be streamed for breastfeeding education only, without permission, for commercial or non-commercial purposes. They may not be altered nor copied. Our entire video collection is available to our members for private streaming for breastfeeding education only, for commercial or non-commercial purposes. The videos are accessed from a web page which is available to members when they are logged into our website. Information about our memberships is here.

Any of our videos may be licensed for $300 each to be viewed on the licensee's local network. Under this arrangement we provide a private link which will stream the video to your website/EMR/etc. The licensee is required to sign a licensing contract which restricts usage to their local network and defines other IABLE intellectual property protections such as not altering nor sharing the videos.

Clinical Breast Exam

Clinical Breast Exam.
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Cup Feeding

Demonstration of cup feeding.
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Finger Feeding Supplementation Method

Demonstration of finger feeding.
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Paced Bottle Feeding an Infant

Ideal method of bottle feeding a baby.
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Paced Bottle Feeding an Infant - Spanish

Ideal method of bottle feeding a baby.
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Fitting Pump Flanges

How to Fit Breast Pump Flanges.
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Lymphatic Massage for the Breast During Pregnancy and Lactation

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Manual Expression of Breastmilk

How to manually express breastmilk.
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Rolling Out a Flat Nipple

How to Help Latching by Rolling Out Flat Nipples
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Sandwich Hold & Assymetric Latch

How to Use the Sandwich Hold.
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Spoon Feeding Breastmilk to an Infant

Demonstration of Spoon Feeding.
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Breastfeeding for beginners | Philips Avent

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because it will take a long time during the first few months of a child's life. In this article, we will discuss all of its main aspects, from the basic principles of breastfeeding to the best tips for effective newborn feeding.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, seek the opinion of another specialist.

Basic principles of breastfeeding

Although every baby is different, newborns usually eat every two to three hours, for a total of 8 to 12 times a day. In the first one or two days after birth, babies usually drink 25-50 ml of milk per feeding. This volume will gradually increase to 50-75 ml when the baby is about two weeks old.

More information on how much a newborn should eat can be found here.

How long does one feeding last?

Again, every baby is different, so there is no set time frame for every newborn. But in general, breastfeeding a newborn takes five minutes to one hour. This time depends on the size, age of the baby and the frequency and duration of feeding the newborn.

How to start breastfeeding?

In the very first minutes of a child's life, his mother should put the baby on her chest and ensure body contact. This time is called the "golden hour": it is at this hour that a connection is established between mother and child and the newborn's natural instinct to seek the breast manifests itself. As soon as the child begins to show signs of hunger, you need to give him a breast.

Mothers who are just learning to breastfeed their newborns should remember that comfort is key. There is no better way to ensure breastfeeding success than by creating a comfortable and relaxing environment for the mother. For starters, mom can sit comfortably on the couch, on the bed, or in a chair with pillows to support her back while feeding. Breastfeeding moms can get creative with breastfeeding and choose specific lighting, soothing music, or anything else that helps them relax.

Bring your baby to your breast, not the other way around. If you want to make breastfeeding a newborn easier, then do not lean towards the baby, but bring it to your chest. The baby's mouth should be opposite the nipple, the neck should be straight, and the shoulders and hips should be in line. Mom can also lightly touch her nipple to her baby's nose and mouth to encourage him to latch on.

Support your chest. Holding the newborn with one hand, the mother can place the other hand directly under the breast to support it. When learning to breastfeed, some mothers prefer to leave one hand free; in this case, a rolled towel can be used.

Breastfeeding can be done in different positions; experiment with them to find the one that works best for you and your baby. We list the most common breastfeeding techniques below:

Cradle. In this position, the baby lies on the mother's hand from the side of the breast, which he sucks. The baby's head lies on the mother's elbow during feeding.

Cross cradle. With a cross cradle, the mother holds the baby with the hand opposite to the mammary gland that the baby sucks. With the other hand, mom can support her breasts.

Underhand or Football. In this position, the mother holds the child next to her, putting her back on her arm. With the other hand, she supports the baby's head, facing the mammary gland, with which she feeds the baby.

Lying on your side. In this position, the mother lies on her side, and the child lies next to her, facing her chest. Mom can support the child under the back with the hand that is on top, or put a folded towel under the back of the child.

Newborn Breastfeeding Tips

After looking at breastfeeding techniques, here are some tips for new mothers:

A good grip is important for both mother and baby. With a good grip, the baby will suck out milk correctly, and the mother's nipples will not hurt. To achieve a good latch, the mother needs to find a position that makes it easier for the newborn to latch onto the breast, and to do this, she should experiment with different positions. If a mother is having difficulty feeding, she should contact a lactation consultant.

2. Maintain milk supply. Sometimes a nursing mother cannot be constantly with her child during feedings. In such cases, it is very important to maintain milk production. An excellent solution for maintaining milk production when mother and baby are not together is pumping milk.

Take a look at this double breast pump: it reduces pumping time and features a massage petal attachment to gently stimulate milk flow.

3. Breastfeeding everywhere. One of the many benefits of breast milk is that mom always has it with her. But some moms feel awkward at first when they have to breastfeed their baby in public. For such mothers, we recommend that you first practice breastfeeding your newborn in front of a mirror and choose clothes that allow you to cover your breasts during feeding. A shawl or scarf can help with this - with them, the mother will feel more comfortable when feeding the baby outside the home.

And to keep clothes dry and clean while breastfeeding, we recommend that mums use these disposable bra pads with a porous and breathable structure: they do not leak and let air through.

Be prepared for difficulties. It is important for moms not to panic or get upset when faced with a common breastfeeding problem, such as insufficient milk production, breast engorgement, clogged milk ducts, mastitis, or sore nipples. To feel calm and confident during all stages of breastfeeding a baby, mothers need a circle of support: family members, friends, and healthcare professionals. The main thing is to stay calm, but if a mother is concerned about any aspect of breast health, she should definitely see a doctor. Learn more about breastfeeding difficulties and how to overcome them.

Articles and tips from Philips Avent

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World Breastfeeding Week | UN News

Breast milk is more than just food, it is also a powerful way to prevent disease. "First milk" is rich in antibodies that protect children from disease and death. Breastfeeding promotes brain development in young children, protects children from infections, and reduces the risk of obesity.

It's not just the children who benefit - a healthy younger generation helps lower health care costs, and breastfeeding protects women from ovarian cancer. Experts estimate that encouraging breastfeeding could help prevent 823,000 deaths among children under the age of five and 20,000 deaths of women from breast cancer each year. The researchers also found that babies who receive breast milk for a long time are much less likely to gain excess weight in the future. But obesity, especially in children, leads to serious health problems.

However, most women around the world do not have access to parental leave or special breastfeeding breaks at work. Creating a friendly and safe environment for breastfeeding women is still a challenge in today's society.

WHO research has shown that doctors often do not encourage breastfeeding enough, and many health professionals are not properly trained. In addition, there are serious gaps in maternity protection laws in some countries, and infant formula companies are aggressively marketing their products.

In Russia, about 80-90 percent of women start breastfeeding at the maternity hospital, but quickly stop. By six months, only 40 percent of babies are breastfed. The highest rates were recorded in Rwanda (86.9%), Burundi (82.3%) and Sri Lanka (82%). Upper middle income countries have the lowest breastfeeding rates at 23. 9%.

Photo by UNICEF/Zammit

More than 98 percent of babies in Mongolia are breastfed.

“The social and economic benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child are known. However, almost 60 per cent of the world's children, contrary to recommendations, do not receive breast milk during the first six months of life,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.

Nearly 60 per cent of the world's children do not receive breast milk during their first six months of life, contrary to recommendations

“Employers around the world are depriving mothers of much-needed support. We need to set aside funds for paid parental leave and to support breastfeeding in all workplaces,” she added.

The UN Children's Fund is calling on businesses and governments to spare no expense in supporting families, including paid parental leave, encouraging breastfeeding, child benefits and affordable early childhood education.

Today, working women are often unable to breastfeed: only 40 percent of women with newborns receive benefits.