So we are getting up close and personal today. I honestly hesitated sharing this post, but as a first time mama, I actually gained more helpful information from bloggers and friends, than I did from any book. If you are not pregnant, a new mommy or simply just not in this stage of your life, feel free to head on out and swing back by next week!
Breastfeeding is one of the most challenging things I have ever done, and I want to preface this post by saying however you feed your baby is the best way. In the words of Cam Wimberly, whether that's nursing, pumping, formula or spoon feeding pureed Chick-fil-a. If I had even one bump in the breastfeeding road, I don't know that I wouldn't have done something differently. Frankly, I kind of kept waiting on the pain, the cracking, the clogged ducts or mastitis, but it just didn't show up. The title of this post is exactly that-basics. I do not claim to be any kind of an expert at all, but I am almost 8 months in (and my eyes set on a year) with an exclusively nursed baby and these are just a few tips that have helped me (and maybe could help you!) along the way.
At one of our very first prenatal visits, I remember one of our nurses asking if we planned to breastfeed, and I told her what I would begin to tell everyone that asked me that over the next 9 months, "I intend to try." I remember it felt so odd for strangers to talk to me about something that seemed so personal, and yet it was a topic that just kept coming up. I would later come to realize that breastfeeding is a lot like giving birth, you don't know how to do it, until you do. You can read every book, watch videos and talk to friends but there's really nothing like on the job training.
Towards the end of my pregnancy I became more nervous about breastfeeding than I was actual labor. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are actually very similar in that you are fully aware that your body, is no longer your own. It's amazing and exhausting and you know that your body is doing this incredible thing, that only you, and no one else can do for you.
Something that I have found to be extremely helpful is setting small goals for myself and my baby. Before she was born I decided that I would give it my very best shot while in the hospital, hope for the best and then reevaluate once we were home. Before we ever went to the hospital I had formula waiting in our pantry just in case, to try and avoid any emotional middle of the night trips to the store. This gave me piece of mind that there always was another option. Once we were settled in at home, I extended my goal to 2 weeks, then 1 month, then 6 weeks. When you are both so new to everything, you and your baby just have to sometimes take it from feed to feed, and extend yourself and your baby some grace because you are both learning together.
Breastfeeding a newborn is absolutely a full time job. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Water is so important not only to your recovery but to your supply. Another tool that was very beneficial for me was utilizing all of my resources. I met with the lactation consultant in the hospital for a boost of confidence in those early days, I attended our community mothers milk club for tips, tricks and encouragement and of course consulted my wonderful mom tribe with those middle of the night questions that always seem to pop up.
For awhile, at times it really is just survival. Making it through the long night of cluster feeding, or pumping and cleaning part after part, just until it is time to feed again. During those middle of the night feeds, when I felt like everyone in the world was asleep but me, I tried to give myself something to look forward to. I would save a show and only allow myself to watch it during those feeds. Occasionally I would add an extra pump session in during the day to start creating a small freezer stash to give myself a little freedom if I needed to be gone, and before you know it you are no longer just surviving, you and that baby are thriving.
I was recently telling my husband how I always feel so nostalgic when I think back on my pregnancy, because its just still incredible to me that my body grew our baby. What a miracle that is! He was quick to remind me that even though I grew that 7.5 lb baby over the course of 9 months, I have "grown" her so much more, simply by me nourishing her over the last almost 8 months. I had honestly never considered that thought before, but when I did it gave me such a different perspective on this sweet time in my life. Just like pregnancy it is fleeting and when it's over it's gone for good. So today if you feel like literally all you have done is feed a baby, then know that you did your most important job today, and you did it well, no matter how you did it.
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