Hi,  If you are reading this then for you, like me, breastfeeding is important to you.  As a mom of three kids I have learned a lot by trial and error and shear determination if you will.  I get frustrated now a days for new mommies I talk to that have had to give up on the breastfeeding dream they had mostly from being misinformed I feel….(yes that’s my opinion!!)  I just want to cry for them because they feel bad they just “couldn’t do it” so keeping that in mind I have some tips for success!  Some of this may sound like common sense but I find that new mommies have done so much reading and so forth and when you are in it…..well it can be overwhelming so here goes:

1. Wahey!!!, first congratulations on your new baby and the fact you’d like to breastfeed!!
2. Let the baby nurse all it wants, they are trying to get your milk to come in…..and letting them nurse as much as they want to is how that will happen.
3. You will be sore at first……..Keep in mind, your boobs have not been through this before and they will get sore at first just getting used to the babies nursing.
4. It really shouldn’t hurt, lots of people say this, it will, it does at first, you have to teach the baby how to latch on correctly and she won’t all the time sooooo…… give yourself and the baby time to get it…..see #1
5. Let the baby nurse on demand…..you will feel like this is all you are doing and it will be for the first few weeks….that’s OK, you have waited 9 months for your precious bundle, let them take the lead.
6. DON’T WORRY ABOUT A SCHEDULE…. or how long the baby nurses at first (and I mean for the first month or so….) that will come later.  They usually make a schedule on their own as they grow so don’t stress on this….it will happen.
7. Keep in mind that not all nurses in the Maternity Ward are pr0-nursing and not all of them know all the ins and outs of breastfeeding.  Seek an expert, most hospitals should have a Le Leche nurse or person available for you.
8. Keep in mind all doctors are not all about breastfeeding either.  I cannot tell you the amount of women who have been told to give their babies bottles by doctors or that their babies weren’t thriving……(if you are doing #3 and #5 above this won’t be a problem….) and in fear they just give up and start bottle feeding!
9. If your baby has trouble latching on and seemingly cannot nurse, sometimes they can be “tongue-tied” where they don’t have enough movement of their tongue to allow them to nurse properly.  This can be fixed and you can also seek help from a local Le Leche League member, check the web on this.
10. This is a biggie, Just try and relax……..have fun, enjoy the moment.  If you can, go in a room by yourself where you are comfortable or set up a special place to feed the baby where you can just relax and not worry about phones or other distractions and enjoy the moment with your baby.  If you cannot relax your milk won’t let down and you will struggle and your baby will be frustrated.
11. Avoid engorgement when your milk finally comes in by nursing often.  I had a friend that napped for several hours after coming home from the hospital and when she woke up her breasts were so full she couldn’t nurse or pump and it was painful and ultimately she gave up in frustration right out of the gate!
12. At about 4-6 weeks, babies have a big growth spurt and it will feel like you don’t have enough milk…..you do, just let them nurse as often as they want and you will get through it.
13. It takes about 3 months for your milk to get established, the more you nurse the more you will make.
14. Don’t try and pump and bottle feed until you have a good established supply of milk, it will confuse the baby if you start too early and they won’t want to nurse anymore as it is more work to nurse than bottle feed.  If daddy wants to feed the baby, don’t stress, they are on the boob or bottle for a long time, there will be time for that later…….. let daddy change diapers, give baths and do other things for the baby and you concentrate on the nursing part.
15. Now is not the time to diet, you need more calories now than you did when you were pregnant and nursing burns a lot and helps your uterus shrink back down to it’s normal size.  Just eat a good healthy diet and about 500 calories extra to ensure you have a good milk supply.
16. Drink lots of water or you will get dehydrated and it will affect your milk supply.
17. If you don’t want to or aren’t comfortable nursing in public places, plan your outings for right after the baby nurses and only for short periods of time.  They do have a lot of cute little cover ups out there now for when and if you do need to nurse in public as well and just do it…..don’t worry about it…. it’s a wonderful thing! (I was terrible at doing the cover up thing….too hot and I couldn’t see what I was doing so I am sure I flashed a few but oh well!!)
18. Just enjoy the time with your baby and nurse for as long as it suits you and your child.
19. Find some other new mommies or not so new mommies as a support!  Everyone likes to share their stories and be helpful!
20. Enjoy!!

Well, that’s about it I think, I am sure there is more great ideas and solutions than I have come up with.  If any of you did or do something that works great write and let me and my readers know!  I think it’s important we encourage one another on something that is so wonderful for both mommy and baby!

Blessings!

Grace

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