How Babywapping Can Help With Breastfeeding – A Cultural Look Forward In Celebration of Black Breastfeeding Week!

Breastfeeding come easy for me, nursing my babies just felt like the natural thing to do. With my first three babies, I experienced multiple revelations that made me want to help other Mama’s learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding all together.

Thankfully, I was persistent and had plenty of support along with training and education. All in all, I have been able to breastfeed all 4 of my babies, which one is currently on the breast as I type this blog. He just turned one last month. Along the way I have learned a few valuable lessons.

One of the best lessons I learned was that I was not the first to do this, yet I was an excellent example of my ancestors inner wisdom oozing our like honey.

One vision connects the way we breastfeed and the other is made easier with the use of babywraps.

Benefits of Wrapping Your Baby

Babywrapping, or the cultural, primal practice of keeping your baby close with you as you go about your daily activities, has been connected with a wide range of physiological benefits for both mama and baby, including:

• Promotion of bonding between mama and baby (as well as other caregivers)

• Improved mood in mothers, especially those at risk for postpartum depression and anxiety

• Healthier babies, physically, cognitively and developmentally

• Lower rates of illness in baby

• Enhanced parent-child interactions

• Better outcomes with breastfeeding

Who knew that wrapping your baby could have so many benefits, for both mama and baby?

Babywrapping and Breastfeeding

I have experienced the positive effects first-hand with my older boys and now again with my baby boy. At first, I chose to wrap my babies and wear them more for the convenience factor. Then it became a cultural expression. Truthfully, it was the only positive representation of Blackness that I could latch on to because, most stories about Black women, childbirth, breastfeeding, and postpartum support was depressing. This way I could get things done around the house, take short walks, and break down social barriers especially when I was in the early part of my postpartum journey.

What I didn’t realize until recently was how babywrapping has helped improve my ability to breastfeed. All I knew was that my babies seemed much more content when they were close to me, cried a lot less, and would latch on easier when they did nurse. After becoming a breastfeeding educator and having more mamas, with breastfed babies reaching out, I realized that the closeness that is nurtured from babywrapping also offers a positive factor in breastfeeding successfully.

The truth is that babies still need the same closeness to us as they had during our pregnancies. While they may no longer be growing in our bodies, they need our touch just as equally to be nurtured and to feel safe. Babywrapping can help support this vital connection with our babies that also creates a natural passageway into breastfeeding.

Here is how wrapping your baby can help you specifically with breastfeeding:

• Keeping your baby close may encourage more frequent feedings, which can boost your milk supply when breastfeeding

• Having your baby close to you can help you be more responsive and aware of your baby’s earliest feeding cues

• Babies are likely to be more content and cry less while babywearing, which can make it easier to transition to nursing

• Increased frequency of touch between you and your baby can stimulate hormones that improve self-esteem, confidence, and awareness

• Babywrapping can foster better interactions with baby, which is especially important for a mama who may feel disconnected or is struggling to bond with baby

While babywrapping is not a magic answer to breastfeeding difficulties, it can be a helpful tool for improving a breastfeeding relationship with you and your baby.

Get Started With Babywrapping

The good news is that wrapping your baby is fairly easy, and you don’t need any fancy equipment to do so. I offer are a variety of beautiful African fabrics in which I designed custom babywraps and sling baby carriersthat can make it simple for you to keep your baby close while being hands-free.

The important thing is to find a babywrap that feels most comfortable for you. Consider booking a private fitting session if your local or signing up for my FREE online class to learn more about traditional African babywrapping. You have options before you decide to invest in one. Our Milk Wasted breastfeeding support group can also be a free resource for babywrapping tricks and tips.

Whatever babywrap you decide to use, make sure to use it correctly to ensure the safety of your baby. My online tutorials to give you visuals of how to wrap your baby correctly, even tips on how to breastfeed your baby while babywearing.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Whether you need support with a difficult breastfeeding journey or are struggling in your early postpartum days, know you are not alone.