If you are currently breastfeeding or pumping for the first time, or plan to in the future, chances are you have some concerns or doubts of how your experience will play out. How does this work? Will my baby be able to latch? Will I produce enough milk? What are the things they don’t tell you about breastfeeding? Below is a list I have compiled throughout my breastfeeding journey, which still continues at 6 months postpartum (see my first breastfeeding post here). Everyone has a different experience and these are the most important things I have learned along the way.
1. Do not lose hope!!!
This is probably the best advice I can give to a new mom. It is so easy to feel defeated during your breastfeeding journey. There are so many bumps in the road, whether it be your babies latch, your supply being sufficient, not having access to a pump, mastitis or clogged duct, or even pure confusion on what you are supposed to be doing. You will most likely have those bad days, but it is important to remember that nothing is permanent! All of these issues have solutions or ways you can work on them. Just because your baby didn’t latch today or you didn’t produce enough, does not mean it can’t happen tomorrow, or the next day, or even next month.
2. Pumping
Pumping is your best friend if you have access to one. Manual or electric. Get in touch with your healthcare provider and see if you qualify for a hospital grade pump to rent. These are much more powerful than some of the ones you can buy at the store.
I learned this one the hard way because I was uneducated on when and how to use a breast pump and was a intimidated by that little machine to be honest. In the days following my daughter’s birth, my breasts filled up with milk and leaked excessively, especially after the shower. I had fed the baby until she was satisfied but I had all this excess milk I didn’t know what to do with. I would stuff my bra with nursing pads and hope it would stop. BIG MISTAKE. When you are leaking breast milk, PUMP IT OUT AND SAVE IT FOR GOD’S SAKE!! It may mean stopping what you are doing but it is totally worth it . This stuff is liquid gold and you should capture as much of it as possible. Milk lasts a few days in the refrigerator, and even longer in the freezer. If I could go back in time to the day I came home from the hospital, I would have pumped as much as possible.
If your baby wont latch, PUMP! Even if your baby never latches, you can still keep your supply going with a pump and feed by bottle.
If your baby has just eaten, wait 10-15 minutes and PUMP!
If you have an extra 10 minutes in your day, PUMP!!
If you think your supply is decreasing, PUMP!
If you feel engorged, PUMP! Mastitis and clogged ducts can be caused by the breast not being fully emptied of milk, and by pumping you are giving yourself the best odds of avoiding these painful complications!
My point here is that if you pump as much as possible, you are capitalizing on your milk production and starting a stockpile for your freezer. This can come in handy if you have problems producing milk later on down the road, or if you simply just want to have some on hand and plan on introducing a bottle to your baby.
Now lets be real here, it is not always possible to sit and pump for 15 minutes several times a day uninterrupted with a newborn. Not everyone has help and I know it was really hard for me to find the time to do so and take care of my baby during the day. If you can, invest in a hands-free bra for your pump. I didn’t get one of these and wish that I did. I believe you can find them relatively cheap on Amazon. And just do your best! Take advantage of every opportunity you have to pump, but if your body or baby won’t allow you to, then wait until you can.
Now lets talk about power pumping. While this may sound like a move in a Richard Simmons exercise tape, all it means is you set a time during the day (preferably in the early morning or morning since this is the window of time that you will produce the most) you pump both breasts for 20 minutes, rest for 10 mins, pump for 10 mins, rest for 10 mins, pump for 10 mins. I know this sounds overwhelming but if you have an hour in the morning before the baby wakes up, I found watching the news was an easy way to keep track of the time since its right there on the screen or you could always set some alarms in your phone. If done consistently, this can definitely increase your milk supply. And if you can’t do it at the same time everyday, that’s OK, just do it as soon as you get a chance.
Lastly, I wanted to mention something else that greatly affected my supply. I didn’t even realize this one until my supply was almost gone completely: the flanges on the breast pump I was using were too large. There should be some size options with whatever pump you have and here is how your nipple should fit in the flange.
3. Remedies to a decreased milk supply
I have tried every one of these. Some didn’t work for me, but they may work for you. Most of these were purchased off of Amazon. I found that was where they were the least expensive, I will include links for you.
Fenugreek- Nature’s Way Fenugreek
Lactation cookies- Lactation Cookie Mix
Tea- Organic Mother’s Tea
Birth control- some birth control methods can cause a decrease in milk supply, ask your doctor about methods that don’t inhibit milk production.
Oatmeal- not the instant kind. The steel cut variety is the good stuff, and it doesn’t taste bad! Steel Cut Oats
Drink lots and lots and lots of water. Like every time you think about water, DRINK WATER!!!
4. Take care of your ta-tas
The effects of breastfeeding and pumping so frequently can do a number on your breasts. Your nipples may crack, bleed, or even clog up. I used lanolin on my nipples frequently. It relieves any itching and is safe for the baby. Also found this on Amazon for less than in stores. Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream
Empty your breasts completely and frequently! Now I never got mastitis but I got close to it. I was not emptying my breasts all the way and got a few clogged ducts over a short period of time. The symptoms came on pretty quickly, it started with a large red area on my breast, it almost looked like a sunburn. Then came the chills and fever. I got the chills so bad and I could not warm up. I had an appointment with my lactation consultant the next day and she confirmed that I did have a clogged duct. I was instructed to diligently massage the area with warm compresses, empty my breast as often as possible, and to keep an eye out for any cracks in my nipples that looked infected. Sounds gross but this is real life people and you really have to watch out for that because it can cause serious pain. Anyway, I found that using the shower head and the warm water on my skin really helped clear it up.
5. Talk with your pediatrician before deciding to supplement with formula!!
This one is huge. I decided to supplement with formula before speaking with my pediatrician and I highly regret it. My baby never had a decrease of wet diapers, but instead I got into my own head and convinced myself that she wasn’t being satisfied by my breast. This is the thinking that contributed to the decrease in my supply. Because the baby was eating formula, she wasn’t as hungry when I would breastfeed, thus telling my body not to make as much milk. My body was still establishing a supply when I started using formula and I interfered with that when I should have let a trained professional make that call. This was a hard pill to swallow, and it still is today. My baby is healthy and that is all I can focus on or I will keep punishing myself.
This whole breastfeeding thing really knocked me over the head and kicked my ass but hey, that’s life in general and we just have to do the best we can and move on.
That is all I have for now. I hope that these tips help you in your breastfeeding journey!
from lactation « WordPress.com Tag Feed https://ift.tt/2K5GqNI
article sponsered by Northern Michigan certified lactation consulting and Mother Hubbards Country Cupboard
No comments:
Post a Comment