Are you a new mom who chose to breastfeed? If you are, then this blog will give you some helpful information. When I had my first child, I thought breastfeeding was going to be easy. I thought my baby would know what to do. He would latch on and start sucking. But its not always that simple. In today's society, breastfeeding is not a common thing as it once was. Therefore, breastfeeding knowledge isn't as common as it once was. Here are some breastfeeding tidbits that you may need to know and that I learned after breastfeeding 3 babies.Colostrum
Your breastmilk may not come in until your baby is 4 days old. At first your body will produce colostrum. This is a highly nutritious substance that your baby needs. But, your baby may only get a few drops of it at a time.
Latching
Your baby may need your help to latch on. I remember when I tried to feed my baby the first time. I couldn't get him to latch. They sent someone to talk to me about breastfeeding and to give me tips. I was told to squeeze the boob flat right above the nipple. When I did this, my baby latched right away. When you breastfeed your baby, you will notice that the baby doesn't just have the nipple in his/her mouth, but also part of your boob (the area right about the nipple.) That area has to be flat to help the baby latch on. An experienced nursing baby can probably latch on without your help, but for beginners, they may need a little help. To unlatch your baby, place your finger in the corner of the baby's mouth and break the seal.
It Hurts
Breastfeeding does hurt. The good thing is, it doesn't last. The first two weeks are the hardest. Once you get past the first two weeks, it should be easy sailing from there. Other issues could arise, but for the most part, you shouldn't experience any more pain. The only other pain you may experience is if you continue to breastfeed after the baby's teeth come in. When this happens, they love to bite down. This does hurt. I stopped breastfeeding mine when their teeth came in, but I wish I didn't. The first time my daughter bit down, it hurt so bad. I stopped breastfeeding when that happened. Others I know breastfed through that. I have heard to keep your finger at his/her mouth and when you feel them about to bite down to put your finger in his/her mouth. I heard this technique works to teach them not to bite down. I haven't personally experienced this technique. If you have breastfed through this stage, please feel free to comment below on what has worked for you.
Also, if you produce an abundance of breastmilk or haven't breastfed in awhile, it can hurt because your breast are full and engorged.
Pumping
I'm sure you've heard of pumping. Some women pump and breastfeed. Some choose to just pump. But just like breastfeeding, its not as simple as you may think. Pumping hurts worse than actual breastfeeding. I would recommend not pumping for at least two weeks after the baby is born. Pumping can interfere with the production of a good milk supply. I pumped with my first from the beginning and I could hardly get any milk out when I pumped. I couldn't pump with my son because I would only get about an ounce of milk each time I pumped. It was awful. I did read somewhere that your body does produce more milk with girls than with boys. With my girls, I didn't pump for at least the first two weeks. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure I didn't pump until I started work. My first daughter was 6 weeks old before I went to work and my second daughter was 8 weeks old before I went back to work. I pumped a lot more milk, especially with my second daughter. It was nice compared to what I pumped with my son. I also recommend not to pump for the first 2 weeks because of the pain. If you breastfeed 2 weeks before you pump, then pumping won't hurt as bad than if you pump from the beginning. Your nipples have toughened up a little after 2 weeks of breastfeeding. But, the pumping will still hurt some at first.
Breast and bottle feed
I was a mom with a full time job. I would breastfeed my baby when I was home and they were bottle fed at the babysitter. There is a thing called nipple confusion, but my babies never had that. Some babies, once breastfed awhile, will refuse to take anything other than mom's nipples. My son took the bottle and me from the beginning. But with my girls, I was not planning to bottle feed until I started back to work. In order to make sure they would take a bottle when I went back to work, I introduced a bottle to my girls when they were 2 weeks old. My first daughter wouldn't take her bottle at 2 weeks old, so I tried a different bottle. The only bottle my oldest daughter would take were the Similac nursing bottles from Walmart. She was only bottle fed a couple of times before I went back to work. My youngest daughter took any bottle she was given. She was only bottle fed about twice before I went back to work when she was 8 weeks old. The babysitters had no trouble bottle feeding them.
Cracking/Bleeding Nipples
Your nipples can crack and bleed. They make a wonderful cream called "Lanolin Cream." When you feel your nipples getting dry, rub that cream on and you should be fine. I didn't know this with my first child. One day I pumped and the milk was red. It was because I was bleeding. Is it safe to breastfeed with cracked bleeding nipples? Here is a link that better answers that question: http://www.babycenter.com/404_is-it-safe-to-breastfeed-if-my-nipples-are-cracked-or-bleedi_10370374.bc
Babies can smell Momma's milk
Did you know that a baby can smell mom's milk? All three of our children slept in the room with us. Our oldest slept in the bed with us for a couple of months and then we moved him to the pack-n-play in our room. Our younger two, slept in a bassinet in our room until we moved them into the crib in the other room. My oldest was a typical baby when it came to sleep. He wouldn't sleep more than 4 hours at a time. As time went on, he slept longer and longer at night. Our middle child was born sleeping 8 hours straight, but she would sleep 2 to 10 p.m. I had to work on getting her days/nights unmixed. My youngest was the worst of the three. Her days nights were mixed, but her sleep patterns were weird and never the same. There would be the rare nights she would sleep on her own. But, mostly, she would only sleep at night if I was holding her. This became rough being up all night with her and up with my 2 toddlers during the day. I was telling someone about her sleep patterns and she asked me if she slept in the same room as me. I told her, "yes." She told me to put her in a different room to sleep. She said the problem was she was smelling my breastmilk and wasn't able to sleep. The first night I put her in the other room in the crib, she slept all night. It was amazing. Women don't have this knowledge today and don't know that all they have to do is put the baby in the other room to get a good night sleep.
Breastfeeding is not common knowledge anymore. Many women would benefit from having more knowledge about breastfeeding. My experience with my younger two was a much better one because I understood more and knew what I was doing. The oldest child really is the experimental child in everything, even breastfeeding. Hope these few tidbits help breastfeeding moms.
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