Are you looking for information about nursing your little one or wondering the pros and cons? Then this is the post for you.
Here are five things that you should know about breastfeeding:
1. Breastfeeding hurts in the beginning - Yes, you probably figured that it hurts in the beginning. For me, our youngest is the only breastfed baby. I nursed him until 14 months when I found out I'm pregnant. It was only actually painful for about the first 3 - 4 weeks, until I got the hang of nursing better and got better positions that worked for us.
2. There's not only one position to nurse in - I found that the easiest position for me was sitting back against the couch or my pillow and holding him like you normally would hold a baby. That was the easiest for us to adjust to. Another position once I figured it out about 4 months into nursing was side lying nursing. It worked well for us, and no we didn't bed-share.
3. Mastitis may or may not occur while nursing - I am not too familiar with what mastitis is as I've never experienced it and I nursed for 14 months. Some moms get it if they pump too early on, but that doesn't automatically occur, so don't worry that it will! Mastitis is when you experience fever, chills, and very painful to nurse. Doctors can treat you for it with cream or medicine if you by chance have mastitis occur.
4. An overactive milk supply can cause feeding problems - Some moms have a oversupply issue, which can either be a good thing for storing breastmilk to have a frozen stash whether you're returning to work or just want to have a backup stash, or a bad thing. A good way to help with an oversupply and too much of a forceful letdown while nursing is to pump a couple minutes before you nurse baby.
5. Don't stop breastfeeding because baby seems finicky or distracted - Some moms will notice that between 4 - 5 months old, baby may seem more distracted while nursing but don't be alarmed - this is a stage and will go away soon enough.
What is one thing that you wish that you knew from the start?
Breastfeeding was both one of the hardest and one of the most rewarding things I've ever done!
ReplyDeleteMastitis hurts. It'll worry you and scare you when you first get it, at least if you had never heard of it before. My first child I got it after moving and not nursing enough. I would get it several times with different babies after that.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have done it longer but I was very happy I tried. It has so many benefits for mom and baby!
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