You made it through labor. You thought that was the biggest test you would have to face, but then breastfeeding comes up, turns to labor, and says hold my bottle.
Now I'm not saying that breastfeeding is more painful than labor, because it isn't and shouldn't be. It is an endurance race though and presents lots of challenges along the way. I personally found breastfeeding was one of my biggest challenges in those first postpartum months whether do to time constraints, milk supply, anxiety over how much baby is getting, or any number of other reasons that came up. While I am in no way an expert, the below tips helped me throughout my breastfeeding journey and I figure if I can help even one other person with these tips then this post is worth every minute spent.
Let's talk latch first.
- Ask to see the lactaction consultant in the hospital. Multiple times while you are there during your stay if you want. It is free now and they have lactation consultants on site to help you figure out the latch.
-Also try to feed within the first hour after birth. This is when baby's sucking reflex is strongest and will be the best time to start working on latch.
-You want a deep latch. The best thing I heard was to point your nipple up towards baby's nose and upper lip, and then bring baby to the breast instead of the other way around.
-If it is very painful, then you likely have a shallow latch. You can pull your baby off by putting a finger into their mouth as well so that they "unlatch" naturally and then try to get them to re-latch on again for a better deeper latch.
Supply Tips:
-First, your supply is likely fine if you are feeding on demand so try not to stress about it. Remember to feed the baby not the freezer.
-First and foremost you need to feed baby on demand. Watch for all feeding cues and feed as often as baby is hungry. Make sure you aren't skipping feedings in those first few weeks when your supply is being established. This unfortunately means that you will have to wake up baby if baby is sleeping through what should be a feeding.
-If you are trying to up your supply then there are a number of things you can try. First, try pumping after each nursing session to trick your body into thinking that you baby is still hungry and you need more milk.
-You can also try power pumping once or twice a day. This is when you pump on and off for an hour straight to try and mimic cluster feeding. A typically power pumping schedule is 20 minutes pump, 10 minutes rest, 10 minutes pump, 10 minutes rest, and 10 minutes pump.
-The key ingredient in most supplements is fenugreek. You can order fenugreek in lots of different forms, but the easiest in my opinion is by pill and you can get it from amazon or most grocery stores.
-Brewers Yeast is another common supplement that people take to increase supply.
-Make sure you are staying hydrated and eating enough calories while you are breastfeeding. This doesn't mean go crazy, but you should up your calorie count by a few hundred to supplement the extra calories you are burning. This isn't a time to diet. Water is also a primary component of breastmilk so make sure you are staying hydrated.
General Comfort Tips:
-You can use milk savers. These are clear shields that you can put in instead of the disposable breast pads. They catch any milk leakage so that you can save it, and they help shield the nipple from rubbing against shirts or bras when they are raw.
-The hakka is also a good milk saver to use while you are nursing. You put it on the opposite breast from the one that baby is nursing on and it will help you catch any milk that leaks from the other side so you can save it.
-Lanolin cream will become your bestfriend in the beginning when your nipples are sore and chafing.
-If you can, get a portable breast pump. This is easier to take with you from room to room and lets you be more hands free while you pump. Same with a pumping bra. It allows you to be hands free while you pump which is a big deal if you are pumping often in the beginning.
-You can get some gel silicone inserts that can go in the microwave or in the freezer. This helps soothe sore breasts in between nursing sessions. There are a number of different brands that you can order from amazon or any store that sells breast pumps too.
-Keep a basket of pump essentials around so its easy to access with extra bottles, pump and pump parts, nursing cover, pump bra, etc. This way everything is in one place and can be carried around your house if you need to. Likewise, throw a nursing cover in your diaper bag. This way you will always have it with you on the go if you want to cover up but need to nurse while you are out and about.
-Sunflower lecithin is a good supplement to take if you are prone to clogs or have a clog. You can also put some epsom salts and hot water in the hakka and attach that if you have a clogged duct. The best thing for a clog though is to have baby latch and nurse on that side. Baby is most efficient and will get the clog out the fastest.
All of the above helped me on my breastfeeding journey, but I still didn't make it as long as I wanted to. All this to say, whether you breastfeed for one day, one week, or one year be proud of what you did for your baby. Any amount of breastmilk is good for your baby and you did the best you could so be proud of that. Instead of worrying about supply, try to enjoy those snuggles you get while nursing. So hold yourself a little higher, give a shout out to all the other mamas out there doing their thing, and carry on with your multi-tasking, kick-ass attitude, because that's all there is left to do and we're all in this together!
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