What You Should Know About Breastfeeding
What you should know about breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is a journey.
It is hard. It is rewarding.
If you want to hear the raw truth about breastfeeding then you came to the right place.
Keep reading to find out how my journey with breastfeeding is different (and the same) this time around, and what I think you should know about breastfeeding.
Honestly, my breastfeeding journey so far has been a bit different compared to my first. Both times I was determined to nurse and do everything it takes to make it a success. It wasn’t even an option for me!
My first breastfeeding adventure
Here is a brief story on how my first go with breastfeeding went. Moose was in the NICU when born but they still encouraged me to nurse him as soon as possible. I did and it went great. But a few weeks after being home my nipples started to get really sore. I quickly made an appointment with my PCM, they said I had mastitis, I did not think the issue was mastitis but didn’t question it. I took medication for about 1 week to “help” but was still having pain and went back to the doctor.
He referred me to a lactation specialist and she (very quickly) confirmed what I thought all along, I did not have mastitis, I had thrush and Moose had a slight lip tie. With this we were given the right medication and referred to a feeding specialist. The feeding specialist gave us exercises to do with Moose in his mouth. His lip tie did not require any procedures. And after a short while my pain went away and nursing was a delight! Although it took awhile to get rid of the pain, I was glad I stuck with breastfeeding.
Our breastfeeding journey lasted 15 months. I would have nursed Moose longer, but he weaned himself.
*Photo Credit: A Rare Bird Photography*
What you should know about breastfeeding…
No nursing journey is the same.
When Coyote was born, she latched on straight away! If you read our birth story You know that this birth was also a different experience for me. With Coyote, by day 2 in the hospital my nipples were hurting really bad and I knew her latch was off. I asked to work with the lactation consultant because I didn’t want to go weeks with being in pain like I was with Moose. Luckily they fit us in when Coyote was 5 days old.
We went to the consultant and she made some adjustments to how I was holding and positioning myself and Coyote. It was amazing that just moving her head and nose about a cm made such a big difference. However, around 6 weeks I realized that she may have a lip tie. Coyote had been very gassy and having trouble sleeping due to discomfort, I did not realize it could be related but after some research I made another appointment with our lactation consultant.
The consultant did determine that Coyote has a lip tie, but it does not impede her from nursing. The problem was my let down being too strong. So, we worked on different positions and trying to encourage Coyote to just nurse through it. This was probably a contributing factor to her being so gassy because she would stop and start feeding so much that she was taking in too much air. She is still gassy but no where near as much now that she is nursing better!
What you should know about breastfeeding.
It is more than just feeding your baby.
Your nipples will leak. You will wake up drenched in milk in the middle of the night.
You’ll become very comfortable with just about anyone seeing your boob, it is how you feed your baby after all. Or maybe the opposite, I know some people do not like to nurse in public. Either way you will become more in tune with your body than you have ever been.
AND know that if you struggle, if its too much for you, if you decide its not for you… that is OK!
Breastfeeding is not easy for everyone!
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Some things that may help make your breastfeeding experience easier are:
Nipple pads- disposable or reusable
You can check out my breastfeeding essentials 2022 for more information on these and other essentials!
