By Sofie Thomson
You’ve had your baby and you’re about to start the most amazing journey. Breastfeeding has been such a great tool in my parenting chest.
I have loved breastfeeding my son, and as he is starting to move on I feel both joy and sadness. Joy that he is making this decision himself and sadness over losing the quiet cuddles when I nurse him to sleep.
I have experienced many things in life but breastfeeding my child has by far been my greatest and most cherished achievement as a mother.
You’ve called your breasts to attention and you’re getting ready to nourish and provide for your baby in a way no one else can. You’re awesome mama, you’ve got this.
Stop obsessing over when you last started feeding. – Rachel Toynbee
When I started breastfeeding I had no idea what I was doing and all the articles I came across were great from a factual standpoint but overwhelmingly boring. I was tired and needed some advice to get me started – I didn’t need to read about the fat content in my milk and I didn’t want to keep falling asleep mid-text.
So I thought I’d compact some of the information I found and some advice from other breastfeeding mothers and here it is! A “real life” breastfeeding SOS!
Breastfeeding is so much more than milk. It’s love, comfort, sleep and pain relief; all at once. When you start out it can feel overwhelming but it’s worth it in the long run.
Breastfeeding survival kit
- Support contacts – Make sure you have access to good support. Check to make sure that whomever is supporting you, is qualified to do so. I will add a few links at the bottom of the page.
- Lansinoh – When in doubt apply a generous amount. By generous I mean as much as you can possibly fit on the nipple and after every single feed. Stock up so you have a sufficient supply in your cupboard! Lansinoh save nipples on a daily basis. (If you’re very cracked I recommend JELONET. It’s a moist plaster that feels like a little bit of heaven when you’re sore.)
- Chocolate – Preferably covering oats so that you can justify your mass consumption with the fact that oats may actually help you increase your supply. Oats are amazing for us, so your chocolate is in good company, it’s a win/win situation!
- Water or tea (or any fluids) – Leave insulated cups and bottles strategically placed all over the house. Not only will you need a drink to wash down all that chocolate you’ll be eating, you also need to keep your fluid intake up!
- Muslin squares or wipes – Make sure you have constant access to these. Nothing will reassure you about how much milk you actually produce as your precious little bundle being sick all over you. How did all that fit in there?
- Remote controls and chargers – Attach these to your breastfeeding pillow in any manner you see fit. There is nothing worse then sitting down for a cluster feeding session and finding that you’ve left the remote just out of reach. How will you switch on Friends without the remote? You need telly for when baby has closed her milk drunk eyes, leaving you stranded for a good hour at least.
- Breast pads – Or as in my case a cloth nappy liner. There will be leakage when your milk comes in and you don’t want to wake in a pool of milk every morning.
- A correctly sized nipple shield – If baby is struggling to latch and you’re at the end of your tether, these are under-used life savers. However, they may affect milk transfer so only use as a last resort.
- YouTube – Watch videos explaining how to hand express. Sometimes you will be very full and baby may struggle to latch but expressing a little before offering the breast to baby can make a huge difference.
- Pee before – That’s it! Always pee before a feed, unless you’re considering a potty or catheter. This is a crucial part of being comfortable when breastfeeding and words of wisdom I wish I had listened to long ago.
Have access to a self heating cup of Red Bush tea or glass of water, food and a catheter plus bag. – Dani Stockwell
Ouch – my nips!
You’ve likely been told that if baby is latched correctly breastfeeding will not hurt.
I disagree with this!
Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who never experience pain or maybe you’re like the Hulk of pain tolerance but for us mere humans it CAN hurt. Your body is getting used to something new. This I found completely confusing as a new mother. Breastfeeding did cause me pain at times but I was told that the latch was perfect. It’s important that we are realistic in the advice we offer.
Of course, there is a difference between “hurt” and “excruciating pain”.
If you experience persistent and severe pain, contact your local breastfeeding support as this is not what to expect.
I wish I had know not all babies like to be covered in public and that’s OK. Sometime trying to cover up ends up with both boobs on full display and a crying baby. – Ellie-Mae Gilbert
There are many things that can cause a very painful latch such as issues with positioning and in some cases it could be as a result of a tongue tie. It really is crucial that you make sure to reach out if you feel continual pain and feel it’s a struggle so you can receive the support you’re needing.
Positioning, positioning and positioning!
“Laid back feeding”, or the biological feeding position as it is also called, is my standard advice when I meet a mum who is struggling with positioning.
Apparently this is the way we are supposed to feed, which makes total sense. Yet it’s pretty hard to achieve the right angle and support when you start out and especially if in the M&S cafe with a toddler running amok. I would recommend you to trial this at home initially, at least until you’ve mastered the slide, lean and latch. I didn’t and as a result I landed on the ground, baby in one hand and boob in the other.
There are several reasons why I would happily write a love song in honour of the laid back feeding position, and I will outline some of the benefits below:
- If you, like me, have a killer let down and baby sounds like she’s choking at the start of a feed, you will find that the laid back position reduces speed of flow. It’s ingenious, or maybe it’s just gravity?
- If baby has a shallow latch the laid back position can help achieve a deeper latch which ultimately will make you more comfortable.
- If baby has reflux this can be a beneficial position again, due to the slower flow.
- You can lean back! It won’t hurt your shoulders and it causes less strain on your body.
I used to build myself a throne of pillows, lay back and feel like a nursing Queen!
You and baby are both new to this and like all things we do in life, it takes a bit of practice. Very few mothers can latch baby on and rock breastfeeding from the first feed!
Nursing is something you need to work on together and to give you both an optimal chance of continuing your nursing journey, make sure you respond to your baby’s needs. Skin to skin is an awesome way to calm baby, bond and build supply.
When it comes to breastfeeding it seems that everyone has an opinion but the only opinion that really matters is yours! So follow your instincts and try to ignore unwanted advice.
Breastfeed that baby to sleep, let her sleep in your arms. Only lay her down if you want too. Respond to early feeding cues such as hand sucking and rooting and just let baby take the lead. We don’t give nature enough credit!
There are NO bad habits, only bad advice.
Always remove breast pads when swimming or your boobs look like they just keep getting bigger and bigger. Breast pads can hold a surprising amount of liquid! – Denise Whittaker
See next page for the rest of the article…
