I decided to write this post because I was so naive at the beginning. I was the girl who said "nursing has to be so easy, I mean..we're made to do it, how hard can it be?!" I'd read all these blogs that recommended visiting with a lactation consultant, reading up on information, and although I did that with everything else that involved pregnancy and childbirth, I thought the breastfeeding part would be the easiest. I was definitely wrong.
Be prepared for it to be hard. Be prepared for it to take up a l l of your time. I'm not kidding. For the first few weeks you will live in one spot on your couch or bed and you will spend the majority of your time feeding your baby.
Here are some things that might seem pretty obvious to some, but it's really astonishing how much some first time mommas don't know about this:
1. Do not give your baby a bottle or pacifier until at least six weeks. Don't listen to the nurses in the hospital. Don't listen to your mother/aunt/MIL who says your baby needs one. If your baby is sucking on a pacifier, he's not nursing. He should be nursing. These first few days, weeks even, are very important to establishing your milk supply. Also, you don't want baby getting nipple confusion. That's a real thing even though your husband might tell you you made it up.
2. During the first few days, your baby is not hungry! I know, your milk hasn't come in yet and it's been a whole day. Don't worry. It's not supposed to come in until 3-4 days after baby is born. Your baby's tiny tummy is the size of a marble. All he needs is the little bit of colostrum that you're producing. That's ALL he needs.
3. Nurse on demand. Don't give your baby an eating schedule. What if someone told you when you could and couldn't eat/drink/snack/have medicine/be comforted? Your baby has to double his birth weight in a few months. He has to eat a lot! Plus, it's good for your supply. Your baby might nurse every thirty minutes - let him. He's only this tiny for a short while and he's more at home right on your chest than anywhere else, you'll miss him needing you this much in just a short while.
4. Do not supplement with formula! Don't even have it in your house. If you're supplementing, you're not nursing as often as you could be. Your milk is supply and demand. You will only make as much as baby is eating. If you're supplementing, you won't magically start producing more - you will only produce as much as baby eats. The reason I tell you not to have it in your house is this - It's going to get really hard and at one point you're going to say to yourself "I wish I could just give him a bottle and take a nap" and if you have formula in your house, you might give in and do that.
(If your baby hasn't gained his birth weight back by their two week appointment, talk to your doctor or a lactation consultant about maybe supplementing then.)
5. Around four to six weeks in, your baby is going to act crazy. He's going to pull off your boob and act like there's no milk coming out and cry and eat some more and cry. Your milk supply is FINE! You are still producing enough. This is a growth spurt and this will happen at least a few more times in your nursing relationship. I found that when she would start crying, I would hand express a little milk just to make sure it was still coming out. It was. She was just moody. ;)
6. Don't listen to the nurse that tells you to switch sides during every feeding. That's not realistic, plus, it's not right. Your baby needs to get the hindmilk that comes at the end of each feeding. You can switch every feeding if you feel like it, but really, don't even worry about doing that. Use whatever side is comfortable for you at the time.
7. Relax. Those first few weeks, I would write down every bowel movement, every nursing session, every pee-pee. It just stressed me out. Just relax and nurse your baby when he wants to nurse. That's all you need to do. Oh, and sleep when he sleeps.
Your baby is normal, everything you're experiencing is more than likely normal. Unless your baby is pooping blue poop (green is normal, although you need to look up green poop, it can be a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance) or turning yellow polka-dots, everything is probably normal.
Other things you should know as a first time mom.
Some realizations I had as a first time mom.
Are you feeling blue? I was, too.
Edit:
This is for moms who plan to breastfeed exclusively. I realize that some moms plan to formula feed and even do half and half. This post isn't for you. It's for moms who want to only breastfeed their little ones.
Also, I HIGHLY recommend the book The Womanly Art Of Breastfeeding. I wish I'd had it before I gave birth because it helped to put my mind at ease in those first few weeks!
This is so true!
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