Breastfeeding; how to survive the early days
I want to start off by expressing, (not boob milk for once) that I really love breastfeeding! Now we have it established, it’s super enjoyable and rewarding and I feel it has helped me bond with my baby. But my goodness was it tough in the beginning. Let’s just take a second though, to appreciate how amazing our bodies and our boobies are! They are pretty remarkable. However, I had no idea of the blood (literally), sweat and tears that can go into getting breastfeeding established and I have a new found respect for all those mummas who have a tough start with this. I presumed it was such an easy process; boob in mouth, milk comes out, happy baby. But I was wrong! Breastfeeding is certainly a journey and there are a number of hurdles that I had to overcome to get to where I am now and I want to provide you with my ultimate survival guide, including some fantastic products you can buy to get you through those early days and weeks.
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The best piece of advice I received is HAVE AN OPEN MIND. This will alleviate some of the pressure and you are more likely to feel less stressed and enjoy bonding with your baby, whether that is feeding her/him on your breast or bottle, there is no right or wrong! I mentioned above that I felt that it helped me bond with my baby, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t have bonded exactly the same should I have bottle fed ….in fact I was always very adamant that I wouldn’t breastfeed, but it just happened! So, I totally wasn’t prepared. Here are some of the hurdles you might experience and with a bit of support, can overcome;
- The social pressures of ‘breast is best‘ – by the healthcare professionals, friends and relatives. From the moment of thinking about how you will feed your child, there will be an element of pressure. Try to not let this stress you out. You have to think about what’s best for you, breastfeeding is not for everyone and these pressures actually hinder and prevent people breastfeeding or giving up quickly, I think!
- The milk supply has to exist – it doesn’t for everyone (so I am told) and also it can be slightly delayed if you have a planned c-section. Mine took 4 days to come through and the good news is you should have some colostrum in there to keep the baby going until your milk comes in. It seems like there is a minimal amount, but it’s great stuff and the baby doesn’t need much of it to keep them going.
- The baby needs to latch correctly – as well as yourself learning positioning and how to hold your baby, your baby will also need to learn with a little help from you (nose to nipple and big wide mouth!)
- I needed to position the baby correctly in order to establish the correct latch – the rugby ball, the cradle, laying next to me, I’ve tried them all! Do your research BEFORE you have your baby! There is definitely a technique, so practice in your antenatal classes or at home. Think about where you might sit to feed your child and set up your ‘feeding station’ before you begin!
- Managing the pain – it is sore sometimes! The midwives kept saying ‘it shouldn’t be painful’, but they clearly either have never breastfed before or they have forgotten. The sensation of the milk drawing through, and the cluster feeding every hour, definitely isn’t pain free. It is important though to make sure the baby isn’t just latched onto your nipple. See below for some great tips on products to use.
- Ensuring the baby is gaining weight – the obvious thing about breastfeeding is that you can’t see how much your child is getting. This stressed me out a little and the weight gain was the only confirmation that she was getting enough, but she did lose 9% of her body weight after birth, which led to further pressures from healthcare professionals about whether I was feeding her correctly. This made me feel really upset and certainly caused me to feel like I wasn’t doing a good job. Expressing milk can help eliminate these concerns and there is an excellent pump you can buy.
- Feeding in public – luckily, I felt pretty confident about doing this, but I still wanted to have something to avoid exposing myself every time. It is still nerve-racking the first time but it’s important to build up confidence and not let anyone make you feel uncomfortable about feeding your child.
- Support – I fortunately had a huge amount of support from my husband, friends and relatives. However, the ‘support’ I received from the midwives was a little over-bearing at times and I felt like there was a little too much intervention, but I could appreciate they were keen to make sure the little one was feeding okay. My husband helped me hand express the colostrum off to syringe some to our little girl. I couldn’t have gotten through that without him. I really struggled with hand expression.
Here are 8 absolute life-saving products to help with the above.
1. Nursing v-shape pillow
My friend bought me a v-shape nursing pillow, what a legend! I can honestly say, it’s been a godsend. I went from using fifty cushions with each feed and spending ten minutes trying to arrange them, to getting set up and ready to feed almost instantly. It’s super duper soft with a washable cover and really comfy. This really helped me with establishing feeding as it enabled us to get the correct positioning. It also prevents the inevitable arm, neck and back ache and perfect for after having a c-section.
Purchase V-shape pillow here.
2. Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream
This stuff is fantastic, it’s the number one best selling Worldwide. I’m so glad I bought it! My nipples were bleeding and so sore because I thought we had established a good latch, but actually, we hadn’t and it did not take long for them to become extremely painful. I mean toe-curling sore. I dreaded each feed because of the pain. What’s great about it lanolin, is that you don’t need to remove it before feeding. It’s tasteless, odourless and chemical free. An absolute must have in your hospital bag! It’s such a bargain considering it stops your nipples from feeling like they are going to drop off and I would have paid a lot of money to take that pain away.
Purchase Lansinoh Lanolin cream here.
3. Breast pads
I have to say that I don’t like breast pads in general, they are like sanitary towels for your boobs (the cheapest nastiest sanitary towels you can buy) but unfortunately, they are the most essential item of all, unless you want wet patches on your top, which can be a little embarrassing, trust me. I have a picture of my top which is literally soaked from the top to bottom! The pads are a little itchy and not big enough. They crinkle up in the night and don’t always prevent leakage, but as I said, they are essential. Of all the different ones I’ve tied, Tommee Tippee ones seem to be the best for comfort. You can pick up a pack really cheap and I am going through a box every couple of weeks at the moment. Lansinoh breast pads have been recommended to me and I shall be giving these a go next!
Purchase Tomme Tippe breast pads here.
4. Medela swing electric pump
I have to say, this pump is fantastic and worth the money IF you are going to get use out of it. I personally think, if you are unsure on whether you will express or not, just wait before purchasing a more expensive electric pump. Purchase a hand pump first, you can pick these up really cheap and then if you decide to express regularly, then go for an electric one. I have used this once, so it’s not been worth the we spent on it. My hand pump was really good valu and I have used that several times when my boobs have felt engorged.
Purchase Medela pump here.
5. Nursing bras
These are by far the best bras for maximum comfort and easy access! It’s all about the easy access these days. I searched for a number of weeks before I gave birth for some super comfy bras. These H&M microfibres come in a pack of two. I have six. I LOVE them. The are like a sports bra with no underwire. The last thing I wanted was anything tight near my hugely swollen, engorged boobs. Thank you H&M for these absolute gems. If you are unable to get hold of these, aim for a microfibre material -you won’t regret it!
Purchase nursing bra here.
6. Nursing tops
Let’s be honest. There are some hideous nursing tops out there and maternity clothes for that matter! When you become a mum, why are you forced to wear these sorts of clothes, although I have to say, you don’t really care in the first weeks as you are at home a fair bit, but when you start to go out and about that’s when you look at yourself and think ‘what the hell I am wearing.’ Luckily, H&M sell these plain strap tops with the easy access clips at the top. They have a support built into them which is great and nice to see they aren’t stripey or spotty, like every other nursing top… Nobody wants to spend a fortune on maternity wear and nursing gear, so I think H&M are the best for high street style and price but there are plenty of nice ones out there if you search online.
Purchase similar nursing top here.
7. Nursing cover
I don’t know many women who feel completely comfortable with just whipping a boob out in a public place. Possibly because it’s something we are not used to doing in an everyday situation! So, a nursing cover or shawl is a great idea to protect your modesty. I’ve used mine a fair bit, it’s always in my changing bag just in case I need it.
Purchasing nursing cover here.
8. Muslin squares
You cannot have too many of these! They are multi purpose and I don’t go anywhere without them! My favorite ones are from M&S (UK), they are really soft and good quality fabric, some are super rough and horrible, that’s not what you want when you are mopping sick of your newborns delicate skin!
Purchase muslin squares here.
ONE FINAL NOTE …. You’ll notice I refer to breastfeeding as a journey. I have no other way to describe it. It’s been full of highs and lows so far, but the good news is, it does get easier as the days and weeks go by. What a beautiful thing to be able to feed your child and watch them growing and thriving, whether that’s boob milk or formula milk, it’s such a magical time and you just have to ‘go with the flow’ and absorb every precious second
love
Stacey xx
- Breastfeeding; The Survival Guide - February 16, 2017
