Let me start off by saying I truly believe “fed is best”, and if you choose not to breastfeed or are unable to there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! I also want to state that I am NOT a lactation consultant. I am simply here to share my experiences with other nursing moms or moms-to-be.
That being said, my journey began 8 months ago with the birth of my first baby. I was as prepared as I thought I could be and intended to breastfeed as long as it was possible for me. I was very fortunate that my son had no trouble feeding right from the start. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t hiccups along the way…because there certainly were. Unlike many people, I did not have a set goal in mind of how long I wanted to breastfeed. I just knew I wanted to try and went from there. 8 months later here we are and I plan to continue for as long as it works for BOTH of us.
Looking back at photos from the early newborn days and thinking about my first few days of figuring out the how/what/when of nursing, I can’t believe how much I have learned and I hope that by sharing it I can help others!
Expectant Moms
Before your baby arrives there are some items you can have ready that will make your first nursing experiences go smoothly! Here is a list of my “essentials” that you can make sure to have or put on your baby shower registry:
- Boppy pillow
- Haakaa silicone breast pump
- LOTS of burp cloths (my favorite are Burt’s Bees brand)
- Several nursing bras & tanks (my favorite tanks are made by Medela and my favorite bras are from Kindred Bravely)
- Breastmilk storage bags
- Bamboobies washable nursing pads
- Breastfeeding ice packs
- Nursing cover to keep in diaper bag
Find these products below!
Organization
In the nursery it is helpful to have a “stash” of snacks/candy. Nursing can make you extra hungry. There were so many times I would immediately feel hungry or thirsty and would reach for anything I could find. In the top drawer of my son’s nightstand I liked to keep a handful of Jolly Ranchers and a few granola bars. Having a couple bottles of water nearby is always a good idea too–something I always needed to remind myself of!
In the kitchen near the sink I have my drying rack, bottle warmer and wash tub to soak pump parts/bottle pieces. The wash tub is just a plastic tub we received from the hospital. It makes things easier (especially in a rush) to have a place for them to sit and soak if you can’t immediately wash them (however do not wait too long to do so, make sure the water is still warm so the parts/pieces are getting clean!)
In the pantry/storage area have bins or plastic storage drawers for parts/pieces. I have a label maker I used to help keep myself organized. Below is what my storage bins look like:
We also purchased a deep freezer to store pumped milk, which I highly recommend if you are planning on trying to store milk for a long period of time (and need more freezer space in your everyday freezer). I would store all the milk in the storage bags and group them together by month in a large, labeled gallon-sized plastic bag.
Setbacks
- Oversupply- this seems like a blessing but it definitely has its challenges. Being one of the setbacks I personally dealt with from the beginning, I learned early on how it affected my baby and what I could do. In order to make sure baby was receiving more hindmilk high in fat, I would pump for a few minutes before nursing to eliminate some of the foremilk. That way, when nursing it wouldn’t take as long for baby to receive the nutrient dense milk that it otherwise wouldn’t receive (or receive less of) because of my oversupply.
- Not producing enough– I feel very fortunate that I rarely had to deal with this, however, I did have a few occurrences where my supply dipped. When this did happen, I was hundreds of miles from home on vacation. I was able to revive my supply within 1 day by doing a few things: power pumping (as much as possible), nursing frequently, DRINKING A LOT OF WATER & taking milk thistle supplements.
- Clogged ducts– these are NO fun and can come out of no where. The best remedies for me were: hot showers, massage, frequent pumping/nursing and loose-fit bras (or no bra).
When in doubt, get in touch with a lactation consultant! I spoke with one over the phone a couple of different times when I had setbacks or questions and it helped tremendously!
Tips & Tricks
What tips and tricks do other nursing mamas out there have to share?
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