The breast is best
As a mother of a six year old and a 4 month old I know a lot about breastfeeding. I’m going to share with you my experiences and how I got through the beginning. No sugar coating anything.
The first couple weeks will be the worst. For me the first two days with my now four month old I wanted to quit and was in tears every time he latched on. I would clench my teeth and try not to squirm from the pain. But I pushed through the initial pain and was fine. What helped me was a lot of lanolin and my mindset. Just keep thinking to yourself that the pain is only temporary. Your nips with quickly toughen up and you will be glad you didn’t stop. The bonding time you get with your newborn while breastfeeding in my opinion can’t compare to bottle feeding. I will repeat that is my opinion.
Your baby eats what you eat. Keeping that in mind it takes around 4 hours for what you consume to get to your breast milk. So be cautious of what you eat. I learned this the hard way by having oriental food as my after childbirth meal. Bad idea. So I suggest slowly incorporating spices into your diet. Eat enough food to give you the nutrients you and your baby need. While breastfeeding burns up to 500 calories a day.
Second thing that was a hurdle and i’m sure every new mom has this problem, is worrying your newborn isn’t getting enough to eat. He/She is. The more you nurse the faster your milk will come. “How often do I nurse?” In my opinion nurse whenever your baby seems like he/she wants to nurse. You don’t have to wait every two hours. If nursing your baby is what he/she wants give it to them.
Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is the number one rule to keeping your supply. Also make a batch of lactation cookies if you feel your supply is really low. Here is a link to my favorite recipe. I make these all the time not just for my supply, they are also very tasty.
Pumping is also a great way to keep up with your supply or increase your supply. You can find a lot of information on pumping all over the web. It’s also a great idea to pump if your going to be going back to work soon or just in case of an emergency.
Lastly, know your rights when it comes to breastfeeding in public. If someone has a problem with you feeding your child well like I said its their problem. Always remember this when out in public. If you yourself don’t feel right nursing in front of crowd then go to the restroom. I myself have done this out of respect for young children around. I hope my experiences were helpful. Again these are all my opinions drawn from my experiences. Happy Breastfeeding!
The first couple weeks will be the worst. For me the first two days with my now four month old I wanted to quit and was in tears every time he latched on. I would clench my teeth and try not to squirm from the pain. But I pushed through the initial pain and was fine. What helped me was a lot of lanolin and my mindset. Just keep thinking to yourself that the pain is only temporary. Your nips with quickly toughen up and you will be glad you didn’t stop. The bonding time you get with your newborn while breastfeeding in my opinion can’t compare to bottle feeding. I will repeat that is my opinion.
Your baby eats what you eat. Keeping that in mind it takes around 4 hours for what you consume to get to your breast milk. So be cautious of what you eat. I learned this the hard way by having oriental food as my after childbirth meal. Bad idea. So I suggest slowly incorporating spices into your diet. Eat enough food to give you the nutrients you and your baby need. While breastfeeding burns up to 500 calories a day.
Second thing that was a hurdle and i’m sure every new mom has this problem, is worrying your newborn isn’t getting enough to eat. He/She is. The more you nurse the faster your milk will come. “How often do I nurse?” In my opinion nurse whenever your baby seems like he/she wants to nurse. You don’t have to wait every two hours. If nursing your baby is what he/she wants give it to them.
Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is the number one rule to keeping your supply. Also make a batch of lactation cookies if you feel your supply is really low. Here is a link to my favorite recipe. I make these all the time not just for my supply, they are also very tasty.
Pumping is also a great way to keep up with your supply or increase your supply. You can find a lot of information on pumping all over the web. It’s also a great idea to pump if your going to be going back to work soon or just in case of an emergency.
Lastly, know your rights when it comes to breastfeeding in public. If someone has a problem with you feeding your child well like I said its their problem. Always remember this when out in public. If you yourself don’t feel right nursing in front of crowd then go to the restroom. I myself have done this out of respect for young children around. I hope my experiences were helpful. Again these are all my opinions drawn from my experiences. Happy Breastfeeding!
mommiesboxies 