Well, because I am a nurse practitioner and also happen to LOVE LOVE LOVE babies and mommies I often get questions about things like immunizations, birth control, childbirth, and today's topic, breastfeeding (BF). So I thought I would take a minute and give you a quick spin down on my thought for making your BF experience successful and hopefully some tips on how to have a healthy milk supply! Also, I personally did not find my lactation consultant very helpful so in those beginning 8-10 weeks I did a lot of research. Along with my best friend, who had her baby 12 weeks after I did, who also had a bit of a rocky start we read every book we could get our hands on. And between the two of us I think we experienced it all. Now this could encompass a lot but I am going to stick with the basics... how to make it work for you.
I never had given much thought to breast feeding before I had my daughter. Yes, I knew I would do it and yes I knew the basics but I had put so much thought and prayer into thinking about the delivery that it never occurred to me to prepare for breast feeding! I was so lost! It's amazing how much I knew about babies and childbirth and yet knew NOTHING about successful BF. I was clueless. Lucky for me my child was a natural and I had a bountiful supply however, I will also say it sure wasn't easy! Those first 8-10 weeks were tough. M
y lil tootie sweet (my daughter) had the tiniest mouth so I was constantly sore and the initial discomfort that was suppose to go away in a week lingered... and lingered... and lingered. Eventually, her little mouth got bigger and I discovered that I was having a reaction to the nursing pads that I was using and once I switched it was like night and day! Any way, here are my thoughts.
I think that in the wide world of mommies there is so much pressure to do this, or do that. I will start by saying that of course I think breast feeding best! It's the way God made it to be and I do believe it provides the best nourishment for baby and promotes the best times for bonding. HOWEVER!!!!, I will also say that just because you choose not to BF or if you cannot BF doesn't mean your a bad mommy or that your child is any less wonderful. As my best friend says, "By the time they get to kindergarten no one will be able to tell the difference." They will all have hair, teeth, and be able to walk and talk even if some took longer than others. The reasoning I am even brining this up is because I think that BF is very intimidating for some mommies and they give up before they even gave themselves a chance!
1. If you really want to breast feed you HAVE TO STICK WITH IT! Give it time. The post partum period can be stressful in and of itself but if you go based on those few days then 90% of mommies wouldn't breast feed at all. I say truly give it at least 8-12 weeks.
2. I think too many women supplement too early because they are nervous about their supply. By doing this you are actually hurting your supply on the front end. Some schedule for your own sanity is important but initially a baby should eat at least every 1-2 hours so you can establish a healthy supply. The more you put your baby to the breast the more you stimulate your body to make more milk. If you are supplementing with every feeding instead of just feeding more often you are hindering the cycle of supply and demand. I work in a hospital so I know how it goes when the nurse comes in and recommends that you supplement. They are nurses they should know right??? Yes, we are wonderful people but those first few days your baby really isn't eating to "fill up" any way they are there to help you create milk by stimulation. It's not really for a few days your milk supply even comes in. For me it took four days before my milk came in and it was ok! (granted I am not saying don't ever supplement but merely saying be careful not to jump the gun.) Of course your baby is rooting and is fussy when they do that NURSE EM!!!! Even if it's not on schedule or if it's every 30 minutes. That is how you create a wonderful and healthy supply!
3. Create a quiet environment when you are trying to nurse, free from people and well meaning visitors. It's ok to ask them to wait or even to leave because you are trying to BF because those first few days are critical. (I am attempting to avoid all the technical lingo as per my personality but will provide references and a link at the end for those of you who like that kind of stuff.) If you don't give yourself enough time or if you feel rushed then it is more likely you won't give that session enough time to really be beneficial. I know it's hard sometimes when you have other kiddos and even with family but for those first few days just ask for help. Get someone to be with your kiddos while you BF or put hubby in charge of talking with visitors in the waiting area until your done.
4. Can't stress it enough but DRINK, DRINK, DRINK!!! and then EAT, EAT, EAT! Seriously ladies you can lose the baby weight later. I had the hardest time remembering to eat because it felt like all I did was feed my baby only to have a ten minute potty break and then start all over. Now when I say eat... I mean good for your body eat not empty calorie eat. Get some healthy snacks prepared beforehand or have a list ready so after someone can pick up snacks you know you can remember to eat. String cheese, almonds, fruits, Lara Bars, whatever is easiest for you yet packs a punch in nutritional value. My new favorite thing is instead of making new mommies a meal is to bring them a munchie care package! Fill it full of heal
thy snacking options so they can quickly grab something.
5. Did I mention time??? Oh ya I think I did. Give yourself plenty of time to breastfeed without rushing your baby or yourself and don't call it quits at the 10 days mark. Give it a couple weeks before you decide. Seriously, at the end of the day some of the best moments I had with my little girl are those when it was just me and her in the middle of the night. Yes, sleep is amazing and yes daddy's are great at giving bottles and there is NOTHING wrong with that but I know I would trade any of those sleepless nights.
I know that so many people struggle with their supply and I truly believe it has to do with a lot of these issues. Stress, trying to put your baby on a schedule too fast, supplementing too quickly, or simply just not allowing your baby to feed as much as they should.
I am all for sleeping and schedules, trust me, I have read books on both sides of the fence but you need to create a balance and also allow your body to go through the supply demand cycle.
Well, I know this was brief and not very technicalbut there were my thoughts in a nutshell.
Some great resources are obviously the the Le Leche League (http://www.llli.org/). They also have a book is called "TheWomanly Art of Breastfeeding" While it is lengthy it is very helpful.
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