Fed is best… Pt. I
Fed is best. I said it and I mean it. I’m always hesitant to speak on certain topics because I know every BODY is different, every baby is different, and every journey is different. But I have been asked about my nursing journey a lot and thought I would share for anyone curious. Before I get into my tips, please know I am no expert. There are - in fact - many experts out there (lactation consultants) who I would highly recommend you consult with if you can because they are invaluable!
I breastfed all three of my children exclusively (which for me meant no formula) for over a year. My oldest for 15 months, and my twins for 13 months. With my oldest I traveled for work, sometimes for days at a time, and for my twins I was home all day with them while working, which in and of itself was interesting. I pumped, had freezer stashes, and was able to enjoy drinks when I wanted to with my son and my twins. Truthfully the ability to have an occasional drink, and break free when I needed to, were the main reasons I wanted to build up a freezer stash. Hahahaha! But I say all that to say I had to be flexible and at times I was figuring things out along the way. The tips I am sharing are what I personally did each time, without fail. But do what works for you. At the end of the day, fed is best, but I am more than happy to continue sharing for those who would like to embark on a breastfeeding journey of their own.
1) Nurse as soon as possible after delivery - Trust me I completely understand that there are about a million and one things going on right after you have your little one. So many emotions, so much activity. Feels like you are on pause while the world is moving at lightning speed around you. That said, nursing is likely far from your mind even if you went in with a plan to do it. You are exhausted. Maybe your labor and delivery didn’t go as you anticipated. But if you are physically able to, try to get a nursing session in as soon as possible after delivery. Make sure you let the staff know your wishes, remind them before, during and after delivery so they can make it a priority to allow you the opportunity to nurse when you can. I have heard that it takes a little longer to do this after a c-section, but I had a c-section with both pregnancies and as soon as I was able to I got a nursing session in. I believe it was probably an hour or so after delivery each time because… you know… I had to get sewn back up and such. In these early sessions your baby is getting colostrum - aka - concentrated breast milk full of everything your baby needs to get off to the right start. This is also the time you are giving your body the signal to do what it needs to do.
2. Don’t introduce any bottles or pacifiers for the first 3 - 4 weeks - This probably sounds like an eternity but those weeks will be a blur and will pass before you know it. The main concern with introducing pacifiers or bottle in the first few weeks is that you will cause nipple confusion. Basically your baby will learn that it’s much easier to get milk from a bottle than it is to get milk from the breast. A pacifier will create confusion as the sucking mechanism differs from a pacifier to breast. In either scenario your baby might refuse the breast sooner than you would like if a pacifier or bottle is introduced prematurely.
3. Slowly add pump sessions into your routine - The first several days/weeks of breastfeeding are all about telling your body how much milk to produce based on how much your baby/babies are seemingly consuming. I double pumped (meaning pumped on both sides) for a total of about 15 minutes, every other day for the first week. During the second week I added one pump session in a day. I usually snuck my session in during the morning which was when I was the fullest. I always pumped at least an hour before a feeding session, and in the morning I was able to pump almost immediately after my babies nursed because I was still relatively full. Cliff notes version of this tip - extra pump sessions, when done correctly, tricked my body into making more milk than needed, but not so much that I was uncomfortable.
4. Allow someone else to give the first bottle (of pumped milk) - Babies are funny little humans. They are wiser than you think, and if mom attempts to give them their first bottle they will likely wonder WTH is going on and where is the boob. So, have a partner, friend, family member, anyone other than you give the first bottle. If they seem to refuse the bottle don’t quit just yet. You may need to try different nipples/bottles to find one that works. For some reason my kids were never particular about bottles and we lucked out with the first brand/brands we tried (Avent and Medela bottles for my oldest, and Dr. Browns for my twins).
5. Don’t go overboard with pumping - as tempting as it might be - Once I graduated to one extra pump session a day I kept it for as long as I could. When bottles came into play I pumped every time I, or someone else, gave the babies a bottle. Basically a bottle = a feeding session. If you skip a pump session your body thinks you no longer need as much milk, and you will see how quickly you can run through your stash of pumped milk. As I mentioned above, the more you express milk (either through feeding your baby or through pumping), the more milk your body will produce. Sounds amazing that you can power pump and turn yourself into a milk machine, until your are painfully engorged, or worse, end up with mastitis. Engorgement happens to everyone at various points in your breastfeeding journey, e.g. if you skip a pump session and give a bottle, first thing in the morning, etc. But pumping too much can be miserable for you and your baby.
Okay… those were a lot of words, but I hope you stayed with me because I do feel the details are needed. Lol. In the coming weeks I’ll be following up with a part two but hear me when I say, breastfeeding wasn’t easy. It was emotionally and physically draining AF. I didn’t love it (though I did enjoy the special bonding time), I had D-MER with the twins (more on that later), but I kept on my journey each time simply because I was able to. I had the support, my body was producing the milk. I had the resources, so I did it and I took sh*t day by day. Period. Don’t pressure yourself and always remember you can’t pour from an empty cup. If it works for you keep going, if not, no big deal. :)