One of the first decisions you'll have to make as a new parent is how you're going
to feed your baby.
Nowadays most women realize that breastfeeding is best.
It gives you and your baby quiet time to get to know each other, to bond, to relax.
And then there are the health benefits.
Breast milk contains everything your baby needs for the first four to six months of
their life.
It allows you to pass your antibodies on to your baby, helping to fight infection.
A breastfed baby is also less likely to suffer from asthma or eczema.
And because it's easier to digest breast milk, his or her nappies will be more pleasant
to change.
There's a whole load of benefits for you too.
You're likely to get back into shape more quickly.
You'll spend less time preparing feed and sterilizing equipment.
You'll be more mobile, so you and your baby will be able to get out and about much more.
And of course, it's free.
This video aims to help you breastfeed successfully.
But not everyone will find breastfeeding easy from the start.
Like any new skill, it's a case of practice for both you and your baby.
However, no mother should be made to feel bad if, after patience and perseverance, breastfeeding
just isn't working out.
So this video will also show you how to combine both breast and bottle feeding.
And remember, your midwife and health visitor are there to help.
Speak to them if you need advice.
Before I gave birth, I had worried that it would be painful.
Because you have no idea what it's going to be like.
And in fact, once the midwife in the hospital latched Thomas on, I hadn't even realized
that he started feeding.
But it was just sort of a tingling sensation.
It wasn't as easy as I'd imagined.
I just thought that you'd know how to latch them on automatically, really.
But like any new skill, it did take a bit of practice.
Physically, it felt more natural than I thought it would be.
I was surprised how rewarding I found it.
And how I found it was really sort of comforting.
And I really sort of quite liked it.
And she loved it.
And it was sort of very special.
I'd always planned to breastfeed.
Lots of my friends had breastfed and said it was really the best thing for the baby.
Once I'd managed to breastfeed confidently at home, which I have to say probably was
only sort of two to three weeks, I was then feeling very happy that I could breastfeed
anywhere really.
Within about less than two weeks after she was born, I was out breastfeeding in public.
And I could do it very discreetly.
And people rarely knew I was breastfeeding her.
I would just recommend wearing either a T-shirt or a shirt.
Something you can lift up.
Because then you sort of hide them up your jumper to feed them.
And then as soon as they come off, your top just falls down over you.
So nobody sees bare expanses of chest at all.
If you are in a really open space or in a public place, then I would suggest just draping
a muslin over your shoulder or something.
And then you can always use that to wipe up the sick as well.
The more your baby suckles at the breast, the more milk you'll produce.
So it's important to put your baby to the breast as soon as possible after the birth.
In the first few days, your breasts will produce a thin, creamy yellow substance called colostrum.
It's packed full of proteins and vitamins.
Your baby may have small, frequent feeds.
But normally that's all your baby needs for the first few days.
After this, your milk will come in.
You may feel a tingling sensation in your breasts.
And your milk may begin to leak.
This is known as the let-down reflex.
If you find that you're leaking milk between feeds, put disposable or reusable breast pads
inside your bra.
This will prevent any embarrassing stains on your clothes.
You may also feel a mild tummy pain when you're feeding.
This is your womb contracting.
When you're breastfeeding, it's important that both you and your baby are positioned
correctly.
Make sure you're comfortable.
Relax.
Ignore the phone.
Forget the housework.
Make sure you have a drink and maybe a snack close by.
Breastfeeding can be thirsty work.
You can sit up or lie down to breastfeed.
If you're sitting, make sure your back is straight.
Don't lean forwards or backwards.
Your lap should be level and your feet flat on the floor.
Hold your baby across your lap, with his whole body facing you chest to chest.
You may want to use a pillow to bring baby up to the correct height.
Support his shoulders with his nose next to your nipple, then brush his lips with the nipple.
This should encourage him to open his mouth wide.
At this point, avoid the temptation to move the breast towards your baby.
Instead, bring your baby to the breast.
If you've had a cesarean, you'll still be able to breastfeed.
Initially, you may find it more comfortable to lie down.
Lie on your side with a pillow behind you to support your back.
Place your baby facing you, tummy to tummy, so her mouth is even with your nipple.
Make sure your baby's got a good mouthful of the breast.
If not, ease your finger into the side of her mouth to release the suction and latch
her on again.
You could also try supporting your baby under your arm.
This will put less pressure on your stitches.
It's worth trying if you're feeding twins as well, one under each arm.
There may be times when your breasts become uncomfortable, hard and full of milk.
This is called engorgement.
Try wearing ventilated breast shells inside your bra between feeds.
Their gentle pressure causes a slow leaking of milk, which should relieve the discomfort,
as well as alternating hot and cold flannels to the breast.
If you've got the positioning right, breastfeeding shouldn't hurt.
So if your nipples do become sore or cracked, first check that your baby's positioned correctly.
Ask your midwife or health visitor to watch your baby latch on.
Try using Avent cutaway nipple protectors while your baby feeds until your nipples heal.
And try to expose them to the air as much as possible.
Whatever position you choose, let your baby feed from one breast first for as long as
he or she likes.
This will ensure that they get enough of the high fat, high calorie hind milk, then offer
the other breast.
You can probably expect to feed every two to four hours in the first few weeks, with
each feed taking anything from 10 to 45 minutes.
But there are no hard and fast rules.
Every baby is different.
Each time you feed your baby, you are stimulating the production of more milk.
By feeding on demand, you should produce all the milk your baby needs.
If your baby seems happy and contented after a feed, is active and alert when awake, is
gaining weight and sleeps for a reasonable amount of time, then it's likely they're
getting enough milk.
I woke up one morning when my milk came in and looked in the mirror and thought, this
body does not belong to me.
I could feel the let down reflex really strongly.
And I know when my baby cried I could feel it.
On the emotional side, I really felt that I couldn't cope, that I had this new baby
with all these demands.
I didn't know what to do.
Nobody had sent me on a training course.
I didn't know really what to do with him.
But it soon subsided, actually.
And one of the other things about when I first started breastfeeding her was I could actually
feel really bad period pains, but I was told that was a uterus contracting, which apparently
makes your stomach go flat quickly.
So that's a bonus about breastfeeding.
I think any useful tip would be to realistically set your expectations that you're not going
to be able to do a lot during those first few weeks at all.
I found the support of my husband really, really important.
He was very pro breastfeeding.
I think it was because he didn't want to get up and do bottles in the night, actually.
No other reason.
In the first few weeks, the first few days or first few weeks, it is much easier.
The more help you can accept, the better.
And I'm not very good at accepting help, so I really struggled.
And I thought, if I can't cope by myself, I failed.
Well, that's the main thing is you are not a failure, because having a new baby is just
an enormous change.
As a new parent, there are times when you may need a break.
Perhaps you need to catch up on some much needed sleep, or maybe an evening out with
your partner or a girlfriend is in order.
Expressing and storing your milk means that your partner or an older brother or sister
can feed your baby as well.
You can either hand express or use a pump, although in normal circumstances, it's best
waiting until your breastfeeding routine is established before you do this, usually after
around four weeks.
Before you begin expressing, wash all the equipment in warm, soapy water, then sterilize
it.
You can use an electric or microwave steam sterilizer, or boil the equipment for at least
five minutes.
Once the equipment has been washed, load up the sterilizer, switch it on, and in less
than nine minutes, your equipment will be ready to use.
Everything will stay sterile in there for up to three hours, as long as you don't remove
the lid.
Make sure your hands are clean before touching any of the sterile items and before expressing
breast milk.
The Avant Isis breast pump naturally simulates your baby's suckling at the breast and encourages
the letdown reflex.
It allows you to express your breast milk quietly and discreetly, directly into a bottle
or a disposable bottle bag.
Either express first thing in the morning or at a midpoint between feeds.
If your baby only feeds from one breast, then you can express from the other one.
You could also try to express milk from both breasts at the same time, using two pumps.
Your expressed milk can be stored in the fridge, but not in the door, for up to 24 hours, or
in the freezer for up to three months.
Store it in either breast milk storage containers or pre-sterilized bottle bags, and do label
the container with the date the milk was expressed, using the oldest milk first.
If you express small amounts throughout the day, you can top up a bottle by keeping it
in the fridge and adding to it.
Make sure the milk is used within 24 hours of the first expression, or store it in the
freezer.
Never add fresh breast milk to already frozen milk.
To defrost the milk, simply place it in warm water or in the fridge overnight.
Once it is thawed, use it within 24 hours and never refreeze it.
I decided to express breast milk, mainly to give myself a break.
I remember Thomas was three weeks old when I first actually left him, and I went into
the local town shopping, and I was gone for about three hours, and that for me, three
hours was just a huge length of time.
My husband actually used the bottle that I'd left for him in the fridge.
I found that my electric pump was good, but it was so noisy, and she was distracted when
I was trying to express and try to feed at the same time, because I found that most successful.
So I invested in the new ISIS pump and was really impressed at the difference.
More simple to actually put together to construct and to sterilize.
I used to just put the sterile bags on the bottom here in the holder and express straight
into a sterile bag and then put it in the freezer so that I could use it at a later
date when I needed it.
If you're returning to work, you may be concerned that you will have to stop breastfeeding.
This isn't the case.
In fact, many mothers continue to breastfeed long after they go back to work.
The key to doing it successfully is to plan ahead.
Make sure you start to stock up on expressed breast milk early on.
This will ensure there's enough milk for the feeds you'll be missing.
You can also express milk when you're at work.
The Avent Back to Work Set makes this possible.
Before you return to work, speak to your manager about having access to a quiet private room.
Your company may even have a first aid or medical room, or even a room set aside for
breastfeeding mothers.
It's best to express at times of the day when you would normally have fed your baby.
Try to relax and forget about work.
The letdown reflex occurs easier if you think of your baby or have a photograph to look at.
Once you've expressed your breast milk, either store it in the fridge or in the insulated
bag packed with gel packs.
This will keep it cool for up to four hours.
Even though I went back to work, I wanted to give the baby the breast milk still because
he was enjoying breast milk, so I wanted to continue on with my own milk.
So I used the Avon pump and I found that really, really good, and I managed to express at work.
It was more the routine, trying to get into a good routine that during the work time my
breasts weren't too full as to make it uncomfortable and painful.
I used to feed her about six in the morning, about half eight before I went to work, and
then when I got home I fed her about half six, then just before she went to bed at half
eight, so she had them really close together.
I thought that was more for me than for her.
All in all you're a bit emotional, but the strange thing about work is once you get back
there your mind is taken up with what you're doing at work and then you begin to, it all
fits into a passion.
If you're going back to work, you may decide to continue breastfeeding in the mornings,
evenings and at weekends and feed your baby formula milk during the day.
This will reduce your milk supply, but if you do decide to do this, it's important that
you know how to make up a formula feed.
First of all, you need to make sure all the equipment is properly sterilised.
All work surfaces should be cleaned and hands washed.
Boil some fresh tap water.
Don't use water that has been repeatedly boiled or artificially softened.
Wait until the water has cooled.
Water that is too hot will make the milk powder go lumpy.
Then simply follow the instructions on the formula milk packet.
Add the correct amount of cooled boiled water to a sterilised bottle and add the correct
number of scoops to the water.
One scoop of powder to every ounce or 30 millilitres of water is standard.
And don't be tempted to overload the scoop, press the powder down or add one for luck.
Stick closely to the instructions and never add anything else to the water.
Roll the teat, locking ring and cap and screw them onto the bottle.
Then shake it to ensure all the powder has dissolved.
If you're making up a day's feed the night before, just run the bottles under a cold
tap then store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
When it's time for a feed, you should warm the milk by either standing it in a bowl of
hot water or use a bottle warmer.
You shouldn't use a microwave as it may not heat the feed evenly and you'll risk scolding
your baby's mouth.
It may also destroy vital vitamins.
You should then shake the feed and check the temperature of the milk by sprinkling a few
drops onto your wrist.
Any made up feed should be used within an hour and any that's left thrown away.
If you're going out for the day, you should take enough made up cooled bottles with you
stored in a cool bag.
Warm milk shouldn't be carried around as it will go off.
Alternatively, fill a bottle with boiled warm water and place it in an insulated bottle
carrier.
The correct amount of powdered milk can be added when you're ready to feed your baby.
I think combining the feed to me worked really well because it meant I could go out all day
and she was fine.
And by the time I went back to work she was being weaned anyway so I didn't feel so precious
about her just having my milk.
I breastfed Thomas for six months exclusively.
I breastfed for 11 months in total and I was really pleased with that.
I felt that went really well.
People had told me that quite often babies give up on their own and I wanted to do that
if I could but I wasn't sure how long she'd carry on for.
But actually she decided at 11 months, well about 10 months she started to drop the feeds
and at 11 months she just wasn't interested anymore.
So it worked really well and that felt about right for me as well.
I thought that stopping breastfeeding would be a huge problem and he wouldn't take the
bottle completely but in fact I was pretty wrong and he just switched a bottle.
I can't even remember the last, it wasn't a really emotional time the last time I breastfed.
I can't even remember when that was.
It probably was about seven months.
Hopefully this video has provided you with some useful information on breastfeeding.
But remember, if you need any help, talk to your midwife or health visitor or other mums
you'll meet through antenatal classes.
The first few weeks after your baby is born can be an emotional time.
You'll probably receive loads of conflicting advice from people that are trying to be helpful.
Remember to have confidence in yourself and your own judgement.
Having your first baby is the greatest life change you'll ever experience.
It can be a wonderful time.
Enjoy it.
Throughout history the female form has been a celebration of beauty.
From breasts, a symbol of womanhood and sexuality.
But in today's ultra image conscious society where media defines the cultural body ideal
in terms of fashion, physique and sex appeal, trying to measure up can have a profound impact
on participating in the many pleasures and passions of life.
Recent studies reveal that one out of ten of us have flat or inverted nipples.
Given a choice, most would change the condition if it was affordable.
Now you do have a choice and can make a change without the risk and expense of plastic surgery.
Congratulations on your decision to purchase the Avent Nipplet.
In the next few minutes we'll demonstrate how you can achieve a natural, non-surgical
and permanent change in the contour of your nipple.
A change that will let you live a more confident and complete life than ever before.
It's no secret that a woman's self-confidence is often linked to the way she looks and feels
about her body, particularly her breasts.
And part of the beauty of breasts, both in form and function, are the nipples.
Inverted and non-protractile nipples are a common problem affecting 10% of all women.
This not only causes psychological distress, both socially and sexually, but inverted nipples
interfere with a woman's ability to breastfeed.
Inverted nipples occur because of short, milk-bearing ducts which hold in the nipple and prevent
it from projecting.
Until recently, the only option available to change the condition was invasive surgery.
Although surgery achieves cosmetic correction, it also effectively destroys the ability to
breastfeed.
With the Avent Nipplet, it's possible to achieve both cosmetic correction and the ability to
breastfeed painlessly and permanently.
In the specialty of plastic surgery, the technique of tissue expansion is well established.
Gentle stretching forces applied to tissue over a sustained period can enlarge it and
provide an excess to use for reconstruction.
This same technique can be applied to inverted and non-protractile nipples and has led to
the development of the nipplet, a simple device for the non-surgical correction of inverted
nipples.
We will now demonstrate how the nipplet uses sustained suction to gently stretch short
milk ducts to produce a natural protrusion of the nipple.
To begin the process, simply place the tip of the syringe into the valve end of the nipplet
until it locks into place.
Then press the thimble-shaped mold over the nipple and against the breast to form a seal.
A small amount of non-petroleum-based lubricant may also be used around the base to enhance
the seal.
While holding the thimble in place, slowly pull on the syringe and gently draw the nipple
out to a comfortable position.
This process enables you to control your own level of comfort to prevent soreness.
Next, separate the syringe from the valve end of the nipplet.
You are now free to pursue your daily activities.
The nipplet is easily concealed under loose clothing or can be held in place by your brassiere.
For best results, we recommend you wear the nipplet for at least eight hours at a time,
day or night, until you achieve your desired results.
Length of treatment can vary from one to three months, depending on the severity of the inversion
and the duration of daily treatment.
After each use, we also recommend cleansing the nipplet by pumping warm, soapy water through
the device and rinsing in clear tap water.
Do not, however, sterilize the nipplet in boiling water or steam, as it may alter the
structural integrity of the device.
It's important to note that achieving the desired results requires time through usage.
Like wearing a brace, it's a gradual process designed to strengthen and position muscles
and ducts to sustain the protruding nipple.
Due to the nature of the elastic tissue in the nipple, some retraction may occur.
If it does, simply repeat the sessions to help restore and maintain the nipple shape.
We'd also like to caution you about excessive suction.
It will not achieve faster results and could cause discomfort or discharge.
Also, consult your physician for use during pregnancy.
With your purchase of the nipplet, you've joined tens of thousands of women throughout
the world who have used the nipplet with successful results.
Women, who have regained their self-esteem, feel free to participate in all of life's
activities and have a renewed sense of their beauty and vitality.
I started seeing a difference after just a few days.
The results are impressive.
I now believe that I will have the option to breastfeed my baby.
Just a note to thank you for your invention.
The results were astounding.
I just wanted to say a big, huge thank you to you for giving me new nipples and ridding
me of a lifelong problem.
I'm thrilled with how well the treatment worked.
It is a brilliant invention.
You will improve thousands of women's lives and help their confidence with the nipplet.
If you have any questions about the nipplet, call our toll-free number at 1-888-NIPPLET.