3 Steps to Success
By Jennifer Hodges
For many women, the joy of childbirth can be quickly overshadowed by around-the-clock nursing sessions. These nursing sessions are often called cluster feeding. Cluster feeding occurs throughout Baby’s first year of life, and is most difficult during the first month – when Mom is recovering from birth and Baby is adjusting to life outside the womb.
For many first-time moms, these frequent nursing sessions cause fear and confusion. “Oh no!” thought Stacy Hunt of Pittsburgh, Pa. “He’s not getting enough milk.” This is a very common concern of new moms when babies seem to eat around the clock. Jane McKissock of Tampa, Fla., had heard of cluster feedings before the birth of her first child but was still surprised at how long her newborn daughter wanted to nurse “I would nurse her 20 minutes on each side, and then within one minute of unlatching her, my mom would be bringing her back to me saying she was hungry again,” McKissock says.
1. Know It’s Normal
Debbie Albert, doctorate in counseling and certified lactation consultant, says that cluster feedings are “completely normal, and moms need to accept them as a fact of life as Baby uses these feedings to increase milk supply.” She says to think of Baby’s belly like the gas tank in a car. “Cars need gas to run, and most vehicles always get the same miles per gallon,” she says. “If your car increases in size, so does the amount of gallons needed in the gas tank to keep it running. A baby is the same way; as Baby increases in size, so does the amount of milk it needs. This is where cluster feeding comes into play. Baby seems to nurse around the clock to signal the breast to make more milk for the increase in Baby’s size.
2. Know It’s OK to Have Help
How is a new mom supposed to recover from childbirth – either a vaginal birth or a Cesarean section – while tending to the feeding needs of her newborn? Both Hunt and McKissock allowed themselves to be taken care of by their mothers. “The cluster feedings didn’t make recovery any harder for me,” McKissock says. “My mother stayed with us for the following two weeks, which was really helpful.” While McKissock nursed her newborn daughter, her mother would bring her food, a book, turn on the TV or just sit on the edge of the bed to keep her company.
Hunt had a similar situation at her house. “My husband and mother took care of everything – other than the baby – so that I could spend most of my time on the couch with him, feeding and watching movies,” she says. “I was a very lucky girl in that I was waited on hand and foot, which allowed me to wait on the baby.”
However, Albert says that some women exhibit a “warrior personality.” “A person with a warrior personality constantly sends out the message that they can do everything themselves,” she says. “As a result, no one ever thinks that she needs any help.” These women may need the most help during the cluster feeding and postpartum period.
3. Know Your Other Options
There are some easy things that can be done to help women during this stressful period. First, moms can co-sleep. Both Hunt and McKissock co-slept with their children during this period and found that it was very easy to nurse Baby and then turn over and go right back to sleep.
New moms can also reduce obligations. “There are others things that can be dropped, and the word ‘no’ can be very freeing,” Albert says. “If you have responsibilities that you are not getting paid for, recognize that you do not have the time for them. It helps to reduce the load.”
Albert also recommends the following:
- Vitamin B
- St. Johns Wort (300 mg, 3 times a day)
- Exercise
- Sleep – as much as possible
- Sitz baths – if the postpartum recovery is painful
- Massage
“These are natural ways to deal with recovery and stress,” she says. Albert also emphasizes that new moms need to carve time out for themselves – “even if it is just making a cup of herbal tea.”
Adjusting to life with a newborn can be very stressful and demanding. If the new mom allows herself to be taken care of, she can take care of her newborn. Breastfeeding is a very special bond that only a mother and her baby can share. Being prepared for the feedings, creating a loving and nurturing support system, letting yourself be taken care of and reducing obligations can make cluster feedings and postpartum recovery much easier.
