Marie, I gave birth to my little boy at 35 weeks pregnant four days ago. Everything is going well, but my baby is really tired when breastfeeding, and I feel a lot of pressure from health professionals to continue breastfeeding. I feel a bit overwhelmed by all this. Is it normal? Claudelle

Claudelle, I understand your situation and your recent experiences with your baby. You are a new mother, tired and trying to start breastfeeding with your baby. Adapting to extrauterine life is demanding on your baby, takes time, and most of the things you are concerned about today will gradually take care of themselves. 

Claudelle, je comprends ta situation et ton expérience encore récente avec ton bébé, ta fatigue de nouvelle maman et l’ébauche à l’allaitement pour toi et ton bébé.

Even for a term baby, it’s not always easy during the first days of breastfeeding. You need to give yourself time, trust your self as a mother, and trust your baby. They will gradually learn to feed themselves on their own. 

We say that a premature baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, a very premature baby between 30-36 weeks and an extremely premature baby between 23-30 weeks. Because their systems are very immature, your breast milk is really the best thing for your baby. They have an easier time tolerating it, it’s easier to digest and contains everything your baby needs, such as:

ton lait est vraiment l’aliment le plus approprié pour ton bébé. Ton lait est mieux toléré, plus facile à digérer et contient tout ce que ton bébé a besoin comme :

•   Fatty acids essential for brain development
•   Growth hormones and enzymes 
•   Antibodies that protect babies from different health problems (necrotizing enterocolitis, pneumonia, etc.)

I strongly encourage you to continue your breastfeeding efforts and surround yourself with the right people who can help and support you during this critical stage in becoming a parent. 

Talk soon,

Marie

The Baby Expert