Tips for successful breastfeeding and caring for your baby:

Getting outside the home with your baby: Take walks around the street or go to the park to relax and enjoy the outdoors.

Increasing your milk supply: Breastfeed your baby frequently, every 3-4 hours. If the baby is unsettled, offer the second breast again. Consider expressing milk by hand or using an electric hospital-grade pump after each feed to ensure your baby receives all breast milk feeds. Correct attachment and comfortable feeding positions are key elements in preventing sore or cracked nipples.

Supporting the breastfeeding mother: Provide a balanced diet with regular meals and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Breastfeeding can be thirsty work! Ensure the baby has playtime and bathing activities and settles after breastfeeding. As a mother, take some "ME time" without the baby; let your partner take care of them. During the first 6 weeks, support from your partner, family, and friends is crucial in establishing a healthy milk supply that meets your baby's appetite. Remember, breastfeeding may have hurdles like attachment issues or low milk supply, but these can often be corrected with sufficient rest and a few hours of sleep.

Expressing milk and skin-to-skin cuddling: Express milk after feeding and enjoy skin-to-skin cuddles with your baby. For multiple or preterm births, double pumping with a hospital-grade pump will save time and increase milk volume. Maintain a supply and demand balance by feeding the baby on regular intervals. During breastfeeding, the baby is hungriest at the beginning of the feed when quick and strong sucks, followed by swallowing, release the fattier, high-calorie milk as the oxytocin hormone is released. Offer the second breast for about 5-10 minutes of sucking to ensure the baby feels content with a full stomach.

Importance of kangaroo care: Skin-to-skin cuddles with your baby provides bonding with both mother & partners, a warm incubator for your baby to sleep, increases milk volume in a relaxing and comfortable environment, and helps keep heart rate monitor readings stable with high oxygen saturations.

By following these tips and providing proper support, you can enhance the breastfeeding experience and create a nurturing environment for your baby's healthy development.