Breastfeeding Update

I have been meaning to write a post about breastfeeding for a while now.  I wanted to write down my experience for others because this was something that I read a lot about before giving birth, but didn't really know what to expect.  

Leading up to Birth
I knew that breastfeeding was important to me and I wanted to learn as much as I could about it so that I would have the knowledge to address any issues once Ellie was here. I read a few books on breastfeeding.  The Nursing Mother's companion was one of my favorites for reference both before and after having Ellie.  



The books discussed different hold techniques for the baby (and it is funny to admit now, but I would practice with a stuffed animal).  They also discussed how to get your baby to properly latch on and what a proper latch looks like.  

I am glad I did a lot of ready ahead of time, but once Ellie came it was clear that breastfeeding with a real baby is a lot different than with a stuffed animal :) .  

Before she was here I also asked some family members, who were new mothers, advice about breastfeeding.  Specifically pumping, what breastfeeding supplies to get, etc.  I will write up some breastfeeding supplies at the end of this post. 

Right After Birth
I had read that allowing the new baby to breastfeed right after birth was a good thing since it allowed skin to skin contact, helped contract my uterus and allow the placenta to be delivered easily, establish early breastfeeding.

I was lucky that I was able to hold Ellie right after she came out and she was able to latch on and nurse right in the delivery room.  I remember her little head bopping over to my breast, like she knew where she was going! 

I remember in the first few days, weeks, it was tricky to get her to latch on correctly, she didn't want to open her mouth very big, which resulted in some pain on my end.  Every time I nursed the first week I would feel contractions in my uterus, they weren't terribly painful (nothing like real contractions) but they weren't super comfortable either.  At this point Ellie was eating pretty frequently - probably every 2 hours or so.  I was able to have the lactation consultant watch Ellie latch and give me some pointers, and that was very helpful.  

While in the hospital Ellie was nursing on the colostrum that my body produced.  I think maybe 3 days after having her my milk came in and my breasts got giant and engorged.  This went away after maybe a day or two, but they were pretty rock hard and full for that day or so and it was pretty uncomfortable.  I didn't know whether they would stay like that forever!  Fortunately that is just what happens when your milk first comes in. 

First Few Weeks
This is the real tricky part.  You have probably read that babies eat every 2-3 hours at first, but sometimes people don't know that you count from the beginning of the feeding (not at the end) so in the first month Ellie would wake up at 11 pm, feed for 45 minutes, go back to sleep at 11:45pm and then be back up at 1 am to eat again.  Luckily this stage only lasted about 6 weeks and then she stretched out her night time feedings quite a bit.  I just remember breastfeeding taking FOREVER at the beginning.  She would often fall asleep while feeding and I would have to wake her up and urge her to keep going.  Luckily she quickly got the hang of things and now feeds maybe 5-10 minutes and is done!  We have come a long way from the 45 minute feedings!

During this time I mostly stayed in what we dubbed "the nest" which was a corner of our sofa with the chaise where I had pillows, my phone, the remote control and a notebook. I spent hours in "the nest" the first few weeks of Ellie's life since it felt like i was almost always nursing her or she was sleeping on me in this cozy space.  I made it so everything I needed (drinks, snacks, etc) was within reach.  


Going Back to Work
I used my breast pump maybe once a day while on maternity leave, but once I went back to work I started using it a lot!  I pump 2-3 times per day at work and I would have to say it is the thing I like least about breastfeeding.  I stresses me out at some points knowing that I have to carve out time from work to go pump and that if I don't pump enough during the day that I will have to dip into my limited frozen stash to get Ellie enough milk to eat while I am at work.  

Despite the annoyance of pumping at work, I am glad I was able to keep up with breastfeeding once I returned to work.  Ellie has been a healthy baby since she was born and I think part of that is due to breastfeeding.  

Starting Solids
I thought that once Ellie started solids at 6 months that she wouldn't be drinking as much milk, but she is pretty much drinking about the same amount.  Since she only has 2-3 solid meals a day and they are vegetables and fruits at this point, she isn't getting much additional calorie intake from them, and still needs a lot of milk. 

The Benefits
Breastfeeding at the beginning was tiring, and a bit stressful, but I am glad I stuck with it long enough to reap the benefits of it.  Now I really enjoy our "alone" time together where I can bond with her in a way that only I can.  It is a good "forced cuddling" time where we can have a quiet moment together during the day/night.  

Another main benefit is that breastfeeding burns a ton of calories, it is great for losing baby weight. 

So that is my breastfeeding plug!  Compared to the breastfeeding stories I have heard from others, I consider myself very lucky that I haven't had to deal with issues like latch issues, supply issues, etc.  I give major props to the women who pushed through these things to keep breastfeeding. 


Some good advice I received was to get the following:

*Bottles that are the same brand as your pump so you know they will fit (I got a Medela pump)

*Buy a few of the 5 oz bottles first because babies don't really drink all that much milk at a time when they are young

*Buy storage bags you can freeze milk in

*Some sort of breastfeeding pillow can be helpful, I have the boppy, but honestly I think I used normal pillows/blankets more than the boppy

*Get a nursing cover you are comfortable with if you will be feeding in public a lot and want to cover up.  I haven't fed in public all that often, but having something with me gave me the confidence to do so if I needed to.  I purchsed this from etsy:

It looks like a normal infinity scarf (and you can use it as one) but you can also tuck the baby under their and nurse her and it doesn't have the tell tale "nursing cover" look that most covers have.  





*Nursing pads - at first I bought the disposable ones, but I was using them nightly so I wanted something that I could reuse.  I ended up getting some cloth ones that I can put through the wash, and those are fine, but move around a lot inside my nursing night bras, so I am still not 100% happy with them.  

*Nursing tanks.  Target has great ones.  They aren't expensive (I think $20 each), have solid straps and are durable. I would recommend these over the motherhood maternity ones I bought. 

*Night bras - these are soft material bras that are good to keep the nursing pads in place. If I didn't wear nursing pads at night I probably wouldn't need night bras. 

*Nursing bras for the day - I got mine at motherhood maternity and they work well - I have some that are lacy and aren't too "old woman" looking.  

My goal has always been to nurse Ellie until she reaches 12 months.  I am not sure if I will stop after that, but I want to at least go until that point. 

I think that about does it!  Hopefully this was helpful!