Let me preface this post by saying that just because I breastfeed, it doesn't mean I look down upon women who don't or cannot. I know this is a touchy subject among moms, and things like these can get judge-y, but my intention here is not to bash bottle feeding. Yes, I am a huge breastfeeding advocate, but no I will not think any less of any mother who does not.
Moving right along.
I'm going to break this up into what I did at each stage of infancy and other life changes in hopes of simplifying all of this. I think the most important thing to note here is I had really no knowledge or idea of what breastfeeding would be like before I had Kennedy. I was essentially clueless and uninformed. Always researching has helped a ton.
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| 39 weeks pregnant |
I purchased the book Breastfeeding Made Simple (to which my husband made a joke at how a book so "simple" shouldn't be over 200 pages...ha). It empowered me and really made me look forward to getting breastfeeding right. Yes, it can be preachy throughout the book, but really understanding every single aspect of breastfeeding made me feel confident to start. Because, like I said, I was clueless. If you were to only purchase one breastfeeding book, I would totally recommend this one (I researched the heck out of which book to buy and this is the only one I ended up buying besides the What to Expect in the First Year, which has a breastfeeding section). Okay, maybe I'm not that knowledgeable because I only read one book. Does the internet count, too? I will say KellyMom is a good resource, as well.
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| hours after birth |
I think our time in the hospital was crucial to my successful breastfeeding experience. I was lucky to not have any severe birth issues and Kennedy did not have to be in the NICU, thank God. When we were sent to recovery after my c-section, we tried to breastfeed her, but she really wasn't interested in that. The nurses told me not to worry and that I could try again when we are in our postpartum room. So, I practiced her latch over and over. Poor Greg having to help me out of bed or bring her to me every couple of hours (it was impossible after a c-section) was not fun for him but essential for me. I had the lactation consultant come in a few times, and I even called the baby's nurse at 4 a.m. because I was frustrated about her latch. I wanted to take this very seriously, and the encouragement I received from everyone in the hospital really helped. They told me as long as she was dirtying diapers she was fine. What made me feel better is that I was explained that a newborn's stomach is the size of a quarter those first few days of life, and so many people want to overfeed newborns. Just because a baby is crying, it doesn't mean he/she needed to eat immediately. The colostrum was enough for her, even though my milk hadn't "came in." We stayed a total of three nights in the hospital without a pacifier and just me, and she seemed fine!
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| one week old |
When we made it home, we luckily had a lot of help from family members (still recovering from surgery was hard). Like I said, my milk came in the day after we got home. Kennedy actually slept a lot, and even through the night. But since she was jaundiced, I had to feed her every 2-3 hours, even if it meant waking her up. I downloaded a baby feeding log app onto my iPhone to help me keep track of feedings and on which side I started and ended on. Apparently you're supposed to start with one side, and for the next feeding, you start with the other side (even though the previous side ended with that side). The main focus here was to be consistent with feedings in order to build my supply while also helping with Kennedy's jaundice. My nipples definitely were cracked and hurt quite a bit these first couple of weeks, but it was important to push through it (and use a lanolin cream).
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| a little over a month old, swaddled in her bassinet with Dexter's help |
I have to be honest here - it really felt like all I did the first month or two was breastfeed. All the time. At least this gave me time to watch TV and read books. There really wasn't much that Greg could do because we didn't introduce a bottle for almost a month. We also didn't give her pacifiers (she really doesn't care for them and never really took one anyway). At times, it was stressful because I couldn't leave Greg with the baby for very long, because she relied on nursing every two to three hours. Sometimes Greg got frustrated because there wasn't much he could do since I was her main source of comfort, but he still was a great support system and supported breastfeeding. I think it was important to have at least a month or two off for maternity leave so I could really get into a rhythm. Another reason why I love breastfeeding is because I can feed her laying down. So nice during the night for night feedings. Since she was in a bassinet in our room until about four months, I felt much more rested when I was able to pull her into our bed every time she needed to nurse. And sometimes I would fall asleep with her there, in our bed. And that is okay. You gotta do what you gotta do as parents.
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| At her auntie Katie's house while mama was at work |
A few weeks before I had to go back to work, I started pumping to build up a reserve. It was hard to start pumping because I wouldn't get very much, but once I started to be consistent with it, I could get some to save up and freeze. We also tried introducing a bottle right before I went back to work, which was a little difficult at first. What ended up working best was the Playtex Drop-ins with the brown latex nipple. Everyone is different, though. While at work, it is particularly difficult to find a time to pump (teaching is like that), but I ended finding a time during the day and stuck with it. I just made sure to bring home what she would need for the next day, and we never needed to supplement during the day. I will say that Katie was definitely a trooper while taking care of her, because she did have trouble adjusting to the bottle that first week, but Katie pushed through it with her and took care of her so well!
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| Trying blueberries, at around 7 months old |
Once Kennedy started solid food, she started nursing less, since the solids were keeping her fuller longer. We started solids after she reached six months old, and I am glad that we waited that long. She really has only been sick once, and it wasn't that bad. After she started solids, she was nursing probably every 4 hours (which includes her two bottles while I'm at work). We have fed her a mixture of purees and finger foods, and she is capable of both successfully. The reason why I like both for her is that we can get more fruits in veggies into her diet when we give her purees while also incorporate independent eating through finger foods.
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| Daddy makes dinner time fun! |
Kennedy is reaching a year old, and we have had a very successful breastfeeding journey. She now eats three full meals (and sometimes snacks) and then drinks her milk or nurses. She doesn't use a bottle anymore when she is at school - she drinks from a sippy cup. This is awesome so that she doesn't become attached to a bottle. I plan on switching Kennedy to cow's milk after she reaches a year and then maybe nurse her once or twice a day until she weans herself. I don't plan on extending breastfeeding until she's four, but I don't want to cut her off cold turkey. I would like it to be a gradual process. I already do not nurse her at bedtime so she doesn't associate bedtime with nursing and so Greg or anyone else can put her to bed easily.
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| Almost 11 months old |
If any of you have any stories you would like to share, please do! Or if you have any questions or comments, please leave them and I'll respond!
18 comments:
Thank you so much for this article! I have a 9 week old baby and at her recent appointment, I found out she's only gained a pound since birth! I am feeling really bad that she's not getting enough milk, but I am going to pick up that breastfeeding book now! :-)
Consider this post bookmarked in my internet Baby folder. :) Thanks, Meg!
Thanks for posting this! I will be referring back to it in the coming months. As a note, I took a break from reading "Breastfeeding Made Simple" because Thanksgiving became really crazy, and I stopped right at the part when they talk about breastfeeding while asleep. I found it interesting that in the "How to Sleep Safe" section, they left out the most important piece of information: How do you avoid rolling over and crushing your child while you're breastfeeding asleep?! Seems to me that's the first question on a new mother's mind!
We'll have to talk about that one later :)
I love that you took the time to write this out and you seem to have done such a great job (especially with the no bedtime feeding - because that is hard for all babies - breastfed or bottlefed). It's good that honest knowledge is spread around. And like you said, it does come down to each individual baby - you gotta do what works for you and your little one.
It's really great that you had such a good support team at the hospital. With my first, 3 different LCs came in to see me and my son, but they all got frustrated and told me to pump until he learned to latch. He never did. He was a thrasher. I was only 18 at the time and thought that because the LCs couldn't help the latch that it wasn't going to happen. I ended up pumping with the single manual pump they gave me and dried up within a month. Even with constant pumping, the single manual did not mimic enough of a need for milk. It was definitely one of the most heartbreaking moments in mommyhood for me. I felt guilty and ashamed and so sad for the longest time about it. I felt like I failed my son.
With my daughter, she latched perfectly. She, however, did use me as a pacifier and I was completely drained emotionally and physically. I breastfed her for 6 weeks. I then invested in a dual electric pump and turned into a milk machine. Even though I was a SAHM, I turned to pumping exclusively because I prefer it over actually breastfeeding.
Honestly, breastfeeding is one of the very hardest things I have ever done. It was more challenging than the whole pregnancy and labor/delivery combined. Support, research, and patience are all key to make it happen.
Holy baloney...sorry for the novel :P
I'm truly fascinated as a hopeful mom-to-be someday! I always wondered how long a baby actually was breastfed. It sounds like you've had a really positive experience, and that's awesome!
I love this post! My son is about 6.5 months old and ebf plus purees. My initial "goal" was 3 months b/c I didn't want to disappoint myself and I'm so thrilled things are going so well.
One question though - did you have any issues once K got teeth? Carson doesn't have any yet but he's been showing all of the signs for about a month and I'm super nervous about getting bit!! :/
Love this,
I love, love, love breastfeeding. The first few weeks were tough, but it was worth every tear. Jack is happy and healthy. My pump feels like a ball and chain sometimes, but it's also nice to get a break and watch netflix streaming while at work. We haven't had to supplement yet, either. (Talk about a cost saving!) I know breastfeeding can be a touchy subject, but I'm a big advocate if it's possible. I think it's important to at least give it a shot.
Great post :) I'm a new mom with a 3 months old and have had a positive bf'ing experience as well. I had a natural birth and she took the breast within 2 minutes of birth and has been great ever since. I also read Breastfeeding Made Simple and I agree it was amazing!
I was thinking of starting her on solids by 5 months but after reading your post I'll wait till 6 months :)
I appreciate you taking the time to share your story! I am also very jealous!! I had to pump for almost 3 months before I could try to BF but Olivia had a hard time so I had to keep pumping. Also, because of the stress I was under while Olivia was in the NICU I wasn't producing enough so eventually had to switch Olivia to formula around the time she was 4 months old. I felt HORRIBLE because most people make it seem that BF is the ONLY way to go! If we decide to have another I will DEF try to BF and if it doesn't work out I will try to pump as long as possible, but at least I know that formula isn't horrible! I had put SO much pressure on myself! I remember crying about it and I didn't know who to talk to about it. I also agree with you about the lanolin, thank GOODNESS for that stuff! haha
Your breastfeeding story sounds so, so much like mine. Congrats on hitting the year mark! I just dropped the last nursing session with my 18-month-old last week, so we are officially weaned. I did it gradually starting at 14 months, and it was very easy for both of us. Good luck!
As a (hopefully) future labor and delivery nurse, I love this post! This is amazingly informative, but addresses alot of concerns that mothers have and is very well written. This is such an awesome post and I am so glad that you wrote it!
i'm so glad you wrote this post! we plan on starting a family soon and breastfeeding is something i hope to do for a minimum of a year and then wean like you have chosen to do. I'm saving this post for the future!
I'm not going to lie, breastfeeding terrifies me. I have no idea what to expect and the possibility of it not working has me in tears. One of the many reasons that I am not ready to have a baby just yet! This is a great post though, I'm definitely bookmarking it for the future!
Thanks for the post! Definitely something I needed to read today. :)
Thanks for sharing. I think the most important thing us moms and moms-to-be should see is how different every baby / breastfeeding journey is! I definitely read this post as one of encouragement.
Baby no.3 (1 week old) is doing 100% better than my first two. I'm excited at the possibility of long term nursing instead of solely pumping. Which pumping didn't last long for me with 1 and 2.
I never read a book or took a class ( probably should have!) but the lactation nurses were very helpful with both breast feeding and pumping.
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