August is the month of National Breastfeeding and the first 7 days is World Breastfeeding week… so we wanted to kick off the next 7 days with breastfeeding stories, encouragement, battles, and ways to make it a little easier.
*** Thank you to all of our breastfeeding models for participating in this series promoting World Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Month. We appreciate your willingness to support this series. ***
Having the opportunity to breastfeed my sons is probably one of the greatest bonding experiences I could have asked for. That’s not to say that if breastfeeding wasn’t right for you, didn’t work out, or just wasn’t an option that you didn’t have the chance to bond, but FOR ME, I can’t think of a better way to spend my children’s first moments on this earth and months of infancy.
BUT…………. it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies. So today I’m here to share with you some tips and tricks, woes, and breastfeeding surprises!
Biggest Breastfeeding Surprises
- Pain: Nothing could have prepared me for the pain. With my second baby, I dreaded the thought of him eating. I had cracked nipples, swollen milk ducts, and I honestly just wanted to stop.
- Frequency: They tell you that your baby has to eat every 2 hours, but what you don’t realize is that’s it’s really almost every hour since it’s actually 2 hours from the time you START feeding your baby. Sure, every child differs, but for the most part, you’re feeding VERY frequently. Whether you breastfeed or bottle feed this is the case, but if you breastfeed, only you can do it! Which leads me to my next point.
- No Help: Again, you are the only one who can feed the baby when you breastfeed and for some strange reason, this was a surprise to me. Even if you introduce a bottle, it’s typically only 1 per day. If you bottle feed much more than that you could risk losing your milk.
- Engorgement: Oh my gosh… I’m a pretty tiny person and I looked like a PORN STAR! Nothing could have prepared me for the engorgement once my milk came in. My sister told me to take a picture of the first day my milk came in in the event that I’d ever want a breast augmentation. In that moment there was no way you could convince me to get implants that big….now……..hmmm… I feel a bit differently.
- Leakage: Yeah, so it was a huge surprise that I would be a hot leaky mess! You see all of these breastfeeding images and the moms look so beautiful and the baby is so calm. What you don’t see are those moments where you’re squirting them in the eye, wearing breast pads, leaking through breast pads onto your shirt, and dribbling out all over the floor when you get out of the shower. It’s everywhere.
- Supply: I never could have imagined that I wouldn’t be able to dictate how long I’d be able to nurse for. I just assumed I would go a year. Maybe I should have eaten more calories, maybe I should have nursed more frequently, either way, I lost my milk with my first at 4 months and my second at 6 months. I’m pretty sure with my second I was losing it for some time, but I kept trying to press on. So yeah, I think my son was starved for a month or so.
Tips & Tricks
- Pain: Yes, you can potentially experience pain, BUT it is short lived in the grande scheme of things. Try different nursing positions to take away the pressure on your nipple. It will help sore areas to have time to heal. Polysporin was also my best friend and safe for the baby… I lathered it on after every feeding to help with the cracks. And if all else fails, with my second I actually used a lactation consultant, which saved my breastfeeding experience. I had lost all hope and was on the verge of closing up shop. So glad I made that call. Best $100 ever.
- Frequency: This is just part of being a new mom and your baby only eats every 2 hours for the first couple of weeks. There is an end in site and remember, you can never get those cuddle moments back!
- No Help: I know some moms are modest and want to go in the other room to nurse when family is around, but I just got over that real quick. No, they can’t help me per say, but at least they can keep me company. Again, the opportunity to nurse may not last as long as you’d like, so soak it up… you’ll have all the help in feeding your baby before you know it!
- Engorgement: This is also short lived. Within a few days, your breasts adjust and calm down. If you can’t take the engorgement Kelly Mom has some great recommendations for easing the engorgement.
- Leakage: Breast pads are fairly inexpensive so stock up! Again, once your breasts become acclimated to the frequency your baby is nursing, they will adjust and leaking won’t be as often. After about 2-3 weeks I no longer needed breast pads at all.
- Supply: EAT!!! I was really worried about shedding the baby weight that I’m almost certain I didn’t eat enough. Your body burns a ton of calories while you are breastfeeding so it is imperative to take care of yourself and eat enough to keep up. If you notice a dip in your supply there are also some great recommendations on Kelly Mom. I used Fenugreek with my first son and that helped tremendously.
What surprised you MOST about breastfeeding?
