We've tried both breast and bottle feeding and we do think mother's milk is best and worth making a strong effort to give. Unfortunately, breast feeding has become almost a cult with many women, which is regrettable. Your milk may disagree with your baby's digestion (through not as often as many doctors would have you believe) about giving a formula. We think the love and nestling you give with feeding is at least as nutritious as the milk, and you can give it with a bottle as well as a breast.

The mother who breast-feds her baby has a special joy, but there is a risk, too, for a failure can be devastating. Before you nurse, you must understand that it isnt a test of your maternal ability, but the completion of a natural cycle, which we think may fulfil the mother more. It also is mighty convenient.

Unless the doctor advises against nursing for health reasons, we think you will be glad you tried it, even if youre going back to work soon. No matter what size your breasts you probably can produce good milk and enough of it if you relax, take a daily nap and eat well. Avoid any foods the doctor says may cause rashes, constipation or gas in the baby. When you breast-feed you will need to wear a nursing bra day and night, so the extra weight doesnt make you sag. Put cotton pads in the bras to absorb any leakage.

The breasts just make colostrum for the first few days, similar to the dextrose and water given for adjustment. Your baby wont starve. Your milk will begin to flow about the third day, with your breast becoming swollen and hard but tender to the touch. Theis discomfort ends in about five days and can be relieved with an ice pack. The nurse will show you how to wash your nipples every time you breast-feed and how to stimulate your babys instinct for sucking. You will be clumsy at first, but so will he: furious at his hunger one moment, losing the nipple the next, then dropping to sleep in the middle of his meal. You both have a lot to learn.

Tap his cheeks if he falls asleep, but if he finds your breasts are too full and hard to suck, gently squeeze some of the milk into his mouth. If the nipple is too small for his lips to grasp, press the areola with your free hand and slip the teat in his mouth. When your baby does begin to suck well, you will feel your uterus contract. It hurts, but the pain is sweet. When you get home, become a clock watcher, limiting yourself to five minutes on each side so the nipples can toughen gradually as you increase to a total of thirty minutes by the end of the month.

You should rub a non-prescription medicine on them after each feeding, or they may become cracked and sore.

When your baby sleeps through a feeding your breast may hurt, but this disappears soon. Use the ice pack to relieve the pain.

Just when you think youve adjusted to nursing, the help leaves, the confusion overwhelms you and your milk may diminish quickly. For this re recommend briefer, more frequent feeding, a lot of patience, some extra humor and a yeasty, low carbonate beer in the late afternoon.

After your milk supply is stable, give your baby an occasional supplementary bottle of formula, so he can lean to accept the taste of a rubber nipple and you can have more freedom.

Some mothers nurse only for a few weeks, others for more that a year, but we never could return to our normal weight until we stopped. At least you will have an excuse.

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