How to help nursing mothers

Nursing a baby has tremendous benefits for both mother and infant. Women who nurse face lowered risks of certain types of cancer. Babies who are nursed have increased protection against illness and may do better academically. Nursing can be tough to master initially and a nursing relationship can be difficult to sustain under certain circumstances. There are a number of steps you can take if you want to provide a nursing mother with additional support.

Instructions

1

Offer as much liquid as possible. A nursing mother needs more fluid to help make the right amount of milk. She should drink at least eight ounces of fluid each day. Doing so helps her avoid dehydration. If a nursing mother is visiting your house or working for you, make sure you have enough fluid on hand. Water is ideal, but juice, milk and tea also works.

2

Pay for lactation consultant help. A lactation consultant is a breastfeeding specialist. Many lactation consultants are nurses and midwives who have studied the needs of nursing mothers. A lactation consultant can help a nursing mother overcome a variety of issues, such as a baby who won't latch properly or a mother who is trying to nurse twins. A few sessions with a lactation consultant can help a nursing mother address most problems.

3

Offer to watch the baby. Nursing can be exhausting and promotes the emission of hormones that make women sleepy. In addition, many young babies nurse as often as 10 times a day. As a result, a nursing mother may be deeply sleep deprived. If you are a trusted caregiver, you can watch the baby several times a week, letting the mother catch up on some much-needed rest.

4

Feed the baby with a bottle. A newborn infant should take a mother's breast solely initially to establish the breastfeeding relationship and avoid nipple confusion. For most babies this takes about six weeks. A bottle can be introduced once the baby has learned to successfully nurse. A nursing mother can then pump milk into the bottle. A father or other trusted caregiver can give the baby the bottle instead of the breast. The mother can then run errands or even get in additional sleep as someone else feeds the baby.

5

Provide a pumping area. Nursing mothers who go back to work often want to continue providing their babies with breast milk. These nursing mothers will need a pumping area where they can pump and store breast milk. The pumping area should be private and able to accommodate a breast milk pump and a place to refrigerate the stored milk until a nursing mother leaves for the day.