Breastfeeding is Anything But Easy!

For a process that is supposed to be so natural, breastfeeding can be very difficult to master. For those that figured it out on their first try, I applaud you, and I ENVY you! For the rest of us, with other complications and picky babies, it is anything but easy! But there are some tips you can use to make your breastfeeding journey go a little smoother.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!

I was a little on the naive side when I had my first son. I knew I wanted to try breastfeeding, especially because of all of the benefits it provides, but I also had no idea about what it would be like to breastfeed, so I was determined to give it my best and go from there. One of the biggest recommendations I can make is to schedule an appointment with a lactation consultant during the first week you have your baby.

I did not do this, and I really regretted it! I had my son in a hospital with nurses that were willing to help and offer suggestions, but they weren’t really specialists or true lactation consultants, so they really only knew how to show you to breastfeed. They didn’t really know what to do if you were having difficulty with it or your baby wasn’t getting enough milk to wet it’s diapers regularly, other than to switch to formula until you get the hang of it or until your milk fully comes in.

For someone who had heard about things like “nipple confusion” or “only give your baby breast milk,” this can be very confusion and conflicting information. Meeting with a lactation consultant opened my eyes to the smallest tweaks you can make in your breastfeeding process to make your life 100 times easier! I finally met with a great consultant when my son was about 1 month old, when I was desperately trying to give breastfeeding one last try before going on vacation. After all, who wants to lug around a pump everywhere you go?

I wish I would have done it so much sooner! I was definitely offered the opportunity to meet with consultants while in the hospital and I passed every time because I just kept thinking that this was supposed to be a natural process and I could do it on my own. Let me tell you, put your pride aside and just do it! Even if you only meet with them once, and even if you don’t have any trouble with breastfeeding, it’s so worth it! They provide so much support and encouragement, and for new moms, being reassured that you’re doing great is half the battle.

If you need help finding a lactation consultant, check out this resource from the International Lactation Consultant Association, and search their directory by location or name to find a lactation consultant in your area. 

Prepare Your Body

One of the first things you learn as a new mom is that nothing in your life revolves around you anymore. In an instant, your entire life becomes about someone else and providing for their every need. I really noticed this when I had my son. We got to the hospital at about 2am and I had him at 11:10am. After that, I really didn’t eat aside from maybe a granola bar, until I had about half a salad at like 7pm. I was just so distracted by this new living creature that I didn’t even think about food. I was much more concerned with our new bundle of joy and all of the visitors we had.

But it’s very important that you take care of yourself at the same time. If you are reading this as a first time mother, you will discover that your milk usually doesn’t come in until after a few days of having your little one. Mine didn’t even come in while I was at the hospital. What you produce in those first couple days is called colostrum, and it’s actually even more beneficial for your baby’s health than breast milk. You don’t produce as much of it as you will breast milk, but that’s ok because in those first few days, your baby really doesn’t need to eat that much just yet.

SIDE NOTE: My sister gave me this tip and it was a great idea! She advised me that within those first few days of producing colostrum, pump some of it, about 2 oz. or so, into a breast milk storage bag and freeze it. Save it for when your baby gets its first cold or gets sick for the first time and give it to them to boost their immune system because it is so packed with nutrients to help them get better sooner. 

The next most important thing to remember is to HYDRATE! It is so vitally important to remember to drink water and to drink plenty of it! Your body is not going to be able to produce as much milk if it’s not properly hydrated and in those first few days of breastfeeding you will be thirsty. I remember drinking at least an entire bottle of water every time I breastfed. It’s also a great idea to eat foods and pack foods for the hospital that encourage increased milk supply. These include oatmeal, spinach, salmon, sweet potato, and almonds. This will help ramp up your milk supply when it does come in and help make your first days of breastfeeding more successful.

Another great thing to try to ramp up your supply is Mother’s Milk Tea. It doesn’t work for everyone and some people don’t like the taste, but I drank a few cups a day when I was trying to increase my supply and it really worked well. I added a little stevia to mine and actually enjoyed the taste, but I like a lot of different kinds of tea so it probably depends on your personal preference.

Know Your Body

It’s also a great idea to take a look at what you’re working with when starting your breastfeeding journey. A large part of how successful you will be at breastfeeding can depend on your nipple shape. No matter what you’re working with, you can be successful with any shape or size, but if you have flat, or inverted nipples, you may have some modifications you will need to make to help your baby with breastfeeding. Check out this guide for more information.

If you find that you do need to draw out your nipple before breastfeeding, one of the nurses in the maternity ward suggested using a hand pump right before breastfeeding to give your baby more to latch onto.

When your milk does come in, it’s not a bad idea to pump a few times here and there between feedings to get an idea of how much you are producing. Personally, I just wanted to know. After all, one of the biggest things new moms worry about when learning to breastfeed is whether their baby is getting enough to eat. While there really isn’t an easy way to measure it because your baby is better than any pump out there and can get more milk than a pump, a few pumping sessions can give you a good idea and stimulate your supply.

What If Your Baby Doesn’t Want to Breastfeed?

Every baby wants to breastfeed. It’s one of their innate abilities, but you do have to guide them at first until they learn you and learn how to do it. Something I learned is that there is a spot on the roof of a baby’s mouth that when touched, it will activate the baby’s innate ability to suck. That’s how breastfeeding works, but if the baby doesn’t get that cue from you, then they won’t know what to do. That’s why position and placement can be very important.

If your baby still won’t latch on or stay on once they are latched, there are a few tools you can use to help them learn until they get the hang of it. The first is a nipple shield and I was by far most successful with using it. It’s essentially a plastic or silicone shaped nipple with holes in the end of it, that fits over your own nipple and helps the baby latch on and nurse. I had way more success with the rounded ones than the squared ones, but try them out and see what works for you. They’re very inexpensive and can be a lifesaver!

Next, you can try a supplementing system. This works really well if you’re still in those first few days and waiting for your milk to come in or at any point you’re not producing as much or your baby is still figuring out how to nurse and you want to make sure they’re getting enough to eat. You just clip it on your shirt and run the tiny tube into the corner of the baby’s mouth and as they suck, it will dispense as well. You can even use it in conjunction with the nipple shield if you’re having trouble with nursing altogether. Personally, I found that using them together helped some, but often was a little messy and hard to hold everything in place, so it’s best if you have someone to help you, at least until you get the hang of it.

One of the biggest factors in breastfeeding is making sure you’re comfortable.

In order to successfully breastfeed, both you and baby have to be comfortable. If not, neither one of you will enjoy the experience and you’ll just set yourself up for failure. First, make sure you are sitting in a comfortable chair, with everything you need in reach. When I started nursing, I always sat in the same recliner with a bottle of water and some sort of easy to eat snack, like a granola bar, on the table next to me. Sometimes it takes a while for baby to eat and if you have to sit still for 20-60 minutes, it’s so much easier to have something to occupy you. Thank you, Netflix, for those 2am feedings!

Also, always have a couple pillows close by that if you find yourself in an uncomfortable, or straining position, you can add for support without stopping the feeding session. Even though I was in a recliner, my neck and back were often uncomfortable and it helped to prop myself up with pillows. Another great tool to have is a Boppy pillow. It’s a u-shaped pillow that fits around you and you can lay your baby along the top to nurse from either side. It worked wonders for my son because he needed to have his feet supported as well. If not, he didn’t feel as secure and would squirm and wiggle until they were. That’s all part of learning your own baby and their needs and making sure you’re both comfortable.

The position you hold your baby in when nursing contributes a lot to how comfortable you both will be. There are 3 main holds we tried. The first and more widely used is the cradle position. It was most comfortable for us most of the time, but we did try a few others, including the football and every once in a while, side-lying. These links will take you to the Le Leche League International’s website where there are other positions you can try, but we only ever use these ones. I tried a few of the others once or twice, but never had much luck with any of them. And you may find that once you and your baby become more comfortable with breastfeeding in general, you may change positions and use more of a laid-back approach.

Also try mixing up the positions. I didn’t know at first that you should switch the side you start breastfeeding from each time you nurse, that way, you will be emptying each side at least every two feedings. Knowing which position works on which side can be a great way to make sure you’re doing this. It can also help when you start to fall into bad habits of holding your baby on one side all of the because naturally one side will be more comfortable for you. If you continue to do that, your baby, in turn, will get more comfortable with one side and that side will begin to produce more, leaving you lopsided and frustrated when trying to switch.

Give Yourself Space

This is one of the most important recommendations I can give you. It takes time, especially as a new mom, to get used to breastfeeding and to get good at it. It takes time for your baby to learn how to do their part as well and get comfortable with it. Give yourself space and time to do this. It’s a huge transition and while it’s great to have friends and family come visit and stop by, there is also an important window of opportunity you need to take to figure out how you will nurse before your baby picks up other habits. Once you’re comfortable, then have all the guests you want, but I know for me, distractions and interruptions were difficult when trying to be calm and relaxed and getting your baby to do the same.

Be patient, and keep trying! As frustrating as it can be when you are first starting out and as things change, remember that it is worth it and you will be happy you did. Get on a Facebook group or find a local group of moms to connect with. Ask for help, and find strong women to support you. It will make a world of difference and it will help you in the long-run.