The one thing that I thought of when I woke up or when Sofie got me up to eat for the umpteenth time that night (we will get to sleeping in another post - we are now sleeping 8-9 hours straight) was I made it a lot further than I originally thought I would on breast-feeding. In fact, the time passes so quick the whole "make it to 6 months" sounds irrelevant.
I remember being pregnant and there were so many questions...being very concerned of would I be able to do it, would she latch on, how long would I be able to do it, how was this going to work with my work schedule, would running and working out affect milk production? It was a weird kind of stress of what it would bring. I knew it was super healthy for the baby and the majority of health benefits was till 6 months and then after that was a bonus. I remember making goals, the first was just be able to do it, the second was try to hang on to 6 months. As I think of all this, I think of how I hunted for information of other new moms, searching blogs and forums and thought I would put my experience right here. So please share with any new moms that have some questions, I have had such a wonderful experience and wanted to share to maybe help others with their questions...
Just remember, this is your decision, do not let others force you into something you aren't comfortable doing, and let your intuition take over. Sometimes things don't work like you wanted to. I have had friends that nursing didn't work, either their milk did not come in or there was problems with latching on. Either way, just remember it is okay and you are doing an awesome job whether you bottle or boob feed! One thing I do have to say is nursing takes work, a lot of long nights/days, tears and laughs but in the end it is worth it. That being said whether you choose to do 1 day or 2 years or if you choose bottle feeding, own it and don't let others look down upon you for any of the decisions you made. You just made a baby damnit!
WARNING - this is a long post, please do not feel obliged to read.
- Sofie latched on the minute the midwife handed her to me. I was so relieved and remember having an instant connection with her in more ways then one. It was some weird comforting sensation that I still have with her as I nurse her even now.
- There was a couple lactation nurses that came and went and told me their differing opinions. Bottom-line every person and baby is different in how they hold the baby. They kept saying football hold but really it came down to what felt most comfortable for me and Sofie and that was just a standard cradle. They may tell you she isn't sucking correctly....your nipples are too small...this and that, guess what? If the baby is the appropriate net weight before leaving the hospital, you are fine, that means she got the right amount of milk.
- Eat that not this, eat 2,500 calories, blah blah blah. I was very fortunate to not have Sofie react to anything I ate. I ate what I thought was appropriate and we were fine. I didn't count all the calories, be smart with your foods, make sure you are being healthy and you will be fine. The baby is receiving the nutrients from your foods, so make good choices but don't stress if you really want wings and pizza....The less stress the better. The only thing I will say is eat your oatmeal - it helps with your milk production. One time I thought I was low, I ate it 5 days straight and was back to producing the extra bottle a day.
- How long to feed the baby each feeding period? This one was another kicker - they said make sure she feeds at least 20 min per side. Use your phone, time it. Did our moms do this??? NO! Geez, really!! Sofie eats fast, very fast, 10 min per side if that sometimes 10 min top. She is done. Every baby is different- my advice, unless you are very concerned about how much she is getting, ditch the timer, your iPhone app, and feed until she is done and STOP STRESSING. I was so worried about finding my iPhone and starting the timer, I feel like I missed some of the enjoyment of our bonding in the beginning. It wasn't until I ditched the timer that I actually felt better.
- For some reason I didn't have to use nipple butter with Sofie, but if you do Earth Mama Angel Baby makes a nice one. It won't go to waste if you don't need it, I used it as a hand moisturizer (for when you wash your hands too much...)
- This is the animal kingdom. Someone said that and I had to laugh. it's true, they know when your supply is down so those days they want to feed every 2 to 3 hours let them, they are just helping you get it back. Also, from when the baby is an infant to later, your milk composition changes to meet the baby's needs. It's crazy shit!
- Alcohol - 1 glass of wine or 1 regular beer is approximately 1.5 to 2 hours to get out of your system before you feed the baby again, but it is dependent on your body. Pumping and dumping and then trying to feed doesn't work (the lactation consultant told our birthing class this). it's in your blood stream dude, you need to wait it out and unfortunately if it is too long you will have to pump and dump to relieve yourself. I bought Milk Strips to test a couple times...yeah so if you are drinking, it's similar to driving, if you can't drive you shouldn't be feeding your baby, use a bottle. I looked into it and it's 2% of the alcohol gets into the breast milk. Just be smart. I stuck to wine and beer and just being on the cautious side when feeding her and waited about 1.5 to 2 hours per drink before feeding.
- If you forget your cover-up -don't worry, a blanket, scarves (strategically place in car, purses, always on) will work wonderfully. Also either the Ergo-carrier or Beco Carrier works amazing at breast-feeding conspicuously while carrying the baby.
- I learned that no one gives a shit if you are nursing. I didn't get weird looks like I thought I would. I also learned that after childbirth and having people see everything you own, my boobs are the least of my worries.
- Weight loss - yup -it's all true, the extra calorie deficit (hence having to increase your intake) I lost it without doing nothing more than walking with the dog and baby within 8 weeks after the baby. Granted I eat pretty healthy, but I still indulge in the pasta/fries/burger once in a while. Yes, I have an extra three to four pounds and yes, it is weirdly placed in my stomach but from what I read, the extra fat is needed to produce the milk. Own it, not like you will be doing this forever.
- Pumping - start the stash, I started within the first 2 weeks. I built up the stash that was used for the extra glasses of wines, babysitting, and most importantly, a work trip for 3 days when Sofie was 4.5 months and again just last week (it was stressful rebuilding the stash but I was able to do it.). When you do go away without the baby, remember to bring your cooler and bring home that liquid gold to replenish that stash. Oh yeah, and keep the free formula they send you when you are prego before you decide to give it away. You never know if you need it. Couple things to note with this:
- Your baby regardless of age eats approximately 24-30 ounces a day so if you are going away, make sure you keep this on-hand if you are away. This is regardless of food when you start that between 4-6 months. Milk provides the main nutrients.
- Freezer milk is good for 6 months.
What's my new goals? 1 year, so I can make the switch straight to cow's milk. Nursing is free...did I mention that.
Great info to share!
ReplyDeleteDa da da da SUPER MILK to the rescue. Any problems there it is to solve them!
And of course Super Mommy!
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