Let's face it. Taking on breastfeeding is a job. Breastfeeding is a blessing to give to your child and I believe it is the best source of nutrition, but it is a job, plain and simple. You will take on the duty of being a mom and you will be committed to offering nutrition every hour when your baby is firstborn. This is not going to be easy but as Moms, we adapt and we rise to the occasion.
After Christopher was born, my boobs became the milk machine. I had no clue how to breastfeed even though I watched tons of YouTube videos. When it was finally my turn to figure this out I felt like I forgot everything that was taught and watched.
I will explain here the honest truth that is not talked about much. I will tell you why you should do it and maybe this will help wrap your mind around the decision you are trying to make. You might be reading this because you have decided to quit, contemplating on quitting, or eager to start. Please do not let this discourage you, it is the truth but remember, everyone's body is different. This is just my experience and what my body went through.
The third day after delivery the MILK came in. I woke up with my boobs feeling full. I walked into the bathroom and WOAH, there they were. Double D's. I had no clue that this would happen. Right away I put the baby to the breast. It hurt. My nipples were already so tender and sore from improper latching and all of the sucking that Christopher was trying to achieve days prior. I felt so bad because I felt like I was not giving my baby enough milk. But do not worry, they still get the milk.
- TIPS: When you are at the hospital or delivering at home, as for a breast pump. Since you and your baby may not figure out the latching process right away, pump the breasts! What helped me was pumping out that liquid gold and then I took a syringe and fed it to Christopher with the syringe. We had to get the first milk into him because this is so vital!
Liquid Gold. What is it?
Colostrum
Colostrum is known as the Liquid Gold because it provides all of the nutrients that your baby needs in a small quantity. It may not seem like there is a lot of liquid gold there, but it is packed with carbohydrates, protein, and antibodies,
2. Your breasts will be sore and extremely tender. The first few days and two weeks will suck, literally. The best advice i can give you is to one, do not give up. There is hope and your body will adapt.
3. Invest in nipple shields. These saved me. With tender nipples with a t-shirt making them sore. I would slip these into my breastfeeding bra and it provided my nips a break and a chance to heal until the next round of feeding was needed. They also caught some milk if it leaked. For $15 these saved me pain. They are reusable and wash easily with mild soap and water.
4. When your baby cries. When your baby cries, you might notice milk leaking from your breasts. This first happened to me when I was at the mall. Another baby started to cry and I felt my breasts leaking! It is amazing what our bodies instinctively know what to do.
5. The best time to breastfeed. Is any time. You will read blogs that 4am or 5 am is the best time. Truth is, your body will tell you when is the right time because your body adapts to your baby's schedule and your life. when Christopher was first born I was feeding him every hour - every two hours. After 1 month 6 am was when I made the most milk, which made sense because that's when he was most active & alert. He also consumed more milk before bed after I ate a large dinner.
6. Pump, pump, pump. I found in the beginning that pumping in between feedings or after a feeding helped increase my supply. I also felt that a half-hour after a large meal or nutritious meal, I would have more milk.
7. Water, water, water. Do you want me to say it again? Keep drinking. Stay hydrated. Your baby is eating and drinking what you are consuming and making breast milk requires hydration.
8. Alcohol. It's a, no. Some websites will claim that it is safe and some will not. It's like eggs. are they good or bad for you? no one seems to know. What I do know and what I experienced was alcohol dried my supply up and also did not provide any nutrients for my son. it naturally dehydrates you and it is empty calories. I do not know if it was a coincidence, it could have been. but at 7 months I would have a few glasses of wine here and there and that's when I noticed my supply going down.
9. Storage. So let's talk about an organization process that I used. Christopher was fed from the breast majority of the time. But, when I wanted to give those tender nips a break I would give him a bottle. ill talk about the bottle in number 10. When I would pump after feeding or in between a feeding I would put that milk into a bottle for my husband to give him later on. I would accumulate approximately 3-4 bottles a day and leave them in the fridge until their time was up. Usually on day 2 if they were not consumed they would be poured into a breast milk storage bag and into the freezer.
- Label your bags! they are only good for 6 months. I kept a Sharpie in the kitchen close to the fridge for this reason. I even labeled the bottles with a Dry Erase marker.
- Do not drop the frozen bags! I used every single bag out there on the market. if you drop a frozen breast milk bag it cuts the bag and when you defrost your milk, your liquid gold will be all over the counter. I found this out the hard way.
- Keep track of your dates. Start to use older milk first. Don't let them get lost in the back or bottom of the freezer. I came across a few bags that I had to toss because they were 10 months old. What a waste!
10. Bottle. Introduce the bottle right away! I am telling you this because if they do not get used to the bottle, you will be the only source of nutrition. You will find it hard when you have to go back to work or if you have to even run out for a few hours and leave the baby with a sitter. My friends were anti bottle and they regret it. Their babies went on a feeding strike, which I am glad I did not have to work through. So, I love the Nano Bebe bottles because they resemble a breast. They are funny looking at first. I also like it because the nipple is small and resembled mine so it was an easy adjustment to it. I also feel that it helped Christopher learn how to suck by practicing on the bottle.
Comments
Post a Comment