As a first time mom I knew nothing about breastfeeding except that it was best for baby and I wanted to do it. Wow, I never knew how much work it would be, but after three months it does get easier! I did have some troubles though so here are my lessons learned.
1) To get the milk (colostrum at first) to come in, your nipples will hurt, like a lot. My support team and nurses all commented on me being a natural at the task, but I felt raw to the bone for the first while. Next time, I am bringing a large thing of lanolin cream or dr. Jack Newmans all purpose nipple cream with me to the hospital. And cold nipple compresses!
2) Thrush (yeast infection in babies mouth or mom's nipples) hurts and itches. You will know when your nipples are a light pink or baby has milk substance on the inside of their mouth that can't be easily scraped off with your fingers. I always wash Julianne's mouth out every night with a wet washcloth. We still got thrush a few times. I think partially because we were feeding non stop for the first bit, and also because as my body regulates milk supply there could be moisture in my bra. Either way, invest in Dr. Jack Newmans all purpose nippled cream and gentian violet for baby (it worked way better than the niostatin although baby looks like she ate a purple popsicle for a few days.
3) Don't buy too many nursing bras before baby arrives. Mine stopped fitting right away once my milk came in. There are some great ones out there that adjust as you increase and decrease throughout the day (called dairy fairy) but I didn't buy them yet. Its amazing how fast 5 months has flown by already but I have since bought a few at target and thyme maternity, as well as destination maternity.
4) Lactation supply is something I struggled with. At first I felt like all I did was feed Julianne. She cried, we checked her diaper and then fed her if she was still crying. I had my latch checked by the health nurse a few times, and she said it was good and showed me a few ways to improve it still. Julianne grew length wise (she was 20" when born and grew 6 inches by 4 months). She is generally in the 90+% for height and 20% for weight (aka long and lean). The nurse wanted her to gain 1.5 to 2 pounds per month. I took Julianne every two weeks to healthy baby class to not only learn more about being a mom and meet other moms, but also to track her weight. She consistently gained 1 pound per month. She pooped every 5-7 days, but had ample wet diapers. She was active, awake a lot, and very alert. They weren't worried about her being malnourished but my nurse and I worked on my supply through natural supplements (fenugreek and blissed thistle which you can get from a natural food store) as well as eventually don peridon (prescription) slowly building up to full dose. I also tried making lactation cookies (I prefer adding brewer's yeast and flax into my smoothies or making no bake protein balls with them) as well as having mother's milk tea and oatmeal every day. Finally at 5 months we started giving Julianne one serving of formula a day (last feeding before bed) so dad got bonding time with her and I didn't have to stress about pumping as much.
5) Pumping is something I also struggled with. Up until 5 months Julianne only had 7 servings of formula (i.e. when we were caught on the road and we didn't have time to stop and feed). I bought the amid ultra pump. I didn't find it effective at pumping. I usually got 1.5 ounces per pump (double electric) and that meant I had to pump 3 times to get enough for a bottle. I do have a mini stash that we use when I am at the dentist or teaching spin class and dad's watching baby but not enough to rely on. I still pump every night at the same time (930/10) and again before I go to bed (around 11 usually). However, in the future, I would buy the madera freestyle machine. Before baby I figured I would have no supply issues as my mom didn't. I thought it would be ample supply and I found the amid slightly used for $100 with lots of attachments. I should have instead invested in a brand new freestyle as i didn't realize pumps wear over time and the freestyle can be literally used on the go (we travel a lot so something that I can pump while in the passenger seat would have been a lifesaver!). I still debate whether to buy the freestyle as I hope to breastfeed until a year, but the cost keeps me avoiding it. I should just buy it though. Anyways. I hear pumping the same time a day is a must, pumping early on in the process (I didn't start pumping until a month mark) and quality of the machine is important. Also, having a second set of flanges as cross contamination can occur if you are pumping lots and hence another way to get thrush.
Anyways - we still essentially breastfeed mainly, with the one serving of formula a day now. We haven't started solids and won't until Julianne is sitting up unassisted and is 6 months. That means we haven't given her rice cereal either. My nurse practitioner stated that it can compromise her stomach lining development if given before 6 months and since my family has touchy stomachs (hello pepto bismol!) I don't want to do anything that could compromise her stomach. Hopefully she has Chad's stomach - he can handle anything and has little trouble!
I love breastfeeding and am not too shy about it. I will feed Julianne anywhere and usually cover when I am somewhere public. I have a wonderful cover I got from my sister in law, although shawls and receiving blankets also work. I don't begrudge the time I spend sitting or the lack of weight i have lost post pregnancy because of eating to sustain my energy as I know one day I won't get this much cuddles from Julianne. I embrace the bond breastfeeding gives me with Julianne and encourage women to try breastfeeding if they can. Bottle feeding is great though for bonding for those that can't feed.
1) To get the milk (colostrum at first) to come in, your nipples will hurt, like a lot. My support team and nurses all commented on me being a natural at the task, but I felt raw to the bone for the first while. Next time, I am bringing a large thing of lanolin cream or dr. Jack Newmans all purpose nipple cream with me to the hospital. And cold nipple compresses!
2) Thrush (yeast infection in babies mouth or mom's nipples) hurts and itches. You will know when your nipples are a light pink or baby has milk substance on the inside of their mouth that can't be easily scraped off with your fingers. I always wash Julianne's mouth out every night with a wet washcloth. We still got thrush a few times. I think partially because we were feeding non stop for the first bit, and also because as my body regulates milk supply there could be moisture in my bra. Either way, invest in Dr. Jack Newmans all purpose nippled cream and gentian violet for baby (it worked way better than the niostatin although baby looks like she ate a purple popsicle for a few days.
3) Don't buy too many nursing bras before baby arrives. Mine stopped fitting right away once my milk came in. There are some great ones out there that adjust as you increase and decrease throughout the day (called dairy fairy) but I didn't buy them yet. Its amazing how fast 5 months has flown by already but I have since bought a few at target and thyme maternity, as well as destination maternity.
4) Lactation supply is something I struggled with. At first I felt like all I did was feed Julianne. She cried, we checked her diaper and then fed her if she was still crying. I had my latch checked by the health nurse a few times, and she said it was good and showed me a few ways to improve it still. Julianne grew length wise (she was 20" when born and grew 6 inches by 4 months). She is generally in the 90+% for height and 20% for weight (aka long and lean). The nurse wanted her to gain 1.5 to 2 pounds per month. I took Julianne every two weeks to healthy baby class to not only learn more about being a mom and meet other moms, but also to track her weight. She consistently gained 1 pound per month. She pooped every 5-7 days, but had ample wet diapers. She was active, awake a lot, and very alert. They weren't worried about her being malnourished but my nurse and I worked on my supply through natural supplements (fenugreek and blissed thistle which you can get from a natural food store) as well as eventually don peridon (prescription) slowly building up to full dose. I also tried making lactation cookies (I prefer adding brewer's yeast and flax into my smoothies or making no bake protein balls with them) as well as having mother's milk tea and oatmeal every day. Finally at 5 months we started giving Julianne one serving of formula a day (last feeding before bed) so dad got bonding time with her and I didn't have to stress about pumping as much.
5) Pumping is something I also struggled with. Up until 5 months Julianne only had 7 servings of formula (i.e. when we were caught on the road and we didn't have time to stop and feed). I bought the amid ultra pump. I didn't find it effective at pumping. I usually got 1.5 ounces per pump (double electric) and that meant I had to pump 3 times to get enough for a bottle. I do have a mini stash that we use when I am at the dentist or teaching spin class and dad's watching baby but not enough to rely on. I still pump every night at the same time (930/10) and again before I go to bed (around 11 usually). However, in the future, I would buy the madera freestyle machine. Before baby I figured I would have no supply issues as my mom didn't. I thought it would be ample supply and I found the amid slightly used for $100 with lots of attachments. I should have instead invested in a brand new freestyle as i didn't realize pumps wear over time and the freestyle can be literally used on the go (we travel a lot so something that I can pump while in the passenger seat would have been a lifesaver!). I still debate whether to buy the freestyle as I hope to breastfeed until a year, but the cost keeps me avoiding it. I should just buy it though. Anyways. I hear pumping the same time a day is a must, pumping early on in the process (I didn't start pumping until a month mark) and quality of the machine is important. Also, having a second set of flanges as cross contamination can occur if you are pumping lots and hence another way to get thrush.
Anyways - we still essentially breastfeed mainly, with the one serving of formula a day now. We haven't started solids and won't until Julianne is sitting up unassisted and is 6 months. That means we haven't given her rice cereal either. My nurse practitioner stated that it can compromise her stomach lining development if given before 6 months and since my family has touchy stomachs (hello pepto bismol!) I don't want to do anything that could compromise her stomach. Hopefully she has Chad's stomach - he can handle anything and has little trouble!
I love breastfeeding and am not too shy about it. I will feed Julianne anywhere and usually cover when I am somewhere public. I have a wonderful cover I got from my sister in law, although shawls and receiving blankets also work. I don't begrudge the time I spend sitting or the lack of weight i have lost post pregnancy because of eating to sustain my energy as I know one day I won't get this much cuddles from Julianne. I embrace the bond breastfeeding gives me with Julianne and encourage women to try breastfeeding if they can. Bottle feeding is great though for bonding for those that can't feed.