I nursed my son for the first year of his life, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and I’m now five months into nursing my daughter. It’s been a hard-won battle to learn the art of feeding a child from my body, but it’s been so worth it.
I am blessed to have had so many breastfeeding resources like Fort Worth Mom’s guide to Breastfeeding Resources in and Around Tarrant County at my disposal before and during my first experience with breastfeeding. I know that’s not the case for everyone, though.
I also know that there can be a lot of fear and anxiety surrounding breastfeeding, especially with your first baby. So if you’re experiencing that now, I see you. Here are tips, perspective, and gentle advice for a first-time breastfeeding mom:
>> RELATED READ :: My Story of Surviving Breastfeeding & Bottle Feeding Judgment from My Family <<
1. Breastfeeding is a learn-on-the-job endeavor.
But taking a class beforehand might not be the worst idea. While most of your learning will come as you go, I found it so helpful to take a breastfeeding class before the arrival of my first. It calmed my fears, and gave me information to refer back to in the middle of the night when it felt like a blade of glass was shooting through my nipple every time my son nursed. It’ll take a lot of patience, asking questions, and, likely, tears, but you will get there. You and your baby are learning together.
2. Don’t quit on a hard day.
My husband and I took a breastfeeding class at the hospital where we delivered our babies, and the lactation consultant said something that has stuck with me to this day: Don’t quit on a hard day. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed and want to throw in the towel, but she recommended taking a deep breath, letting cooler heads prevail, and assessing the situation once emotions calmed down. She was so right.
3. It’s going to be hard at first — expect it.
The oh-so-wise lactation consultant also informed us that the first four to six weeks of breastfeeding would be really hard — and they were. But it gets better and easier.
4. Track dirty diapers.
Honestly, breastfeeding can be nerve-wracking. There’s no way to know how much your baby is getting as he or she nurses. There’s no way to see how much foremilk, hindmilk, and milk milk they’re getting. Is it too much? Is it too little? Is this really worth it? Cue more postpartum tears. To help alleviate a little stress, track your baby’s dirty diapers, as the number of dirty diapers correlates to milk intake. Ask your pediatrician for more information on how to do this.
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5. Find a trusted in-person resource.
Be it a lactation consultant (check to see if your pediatrician has one in-house), a breastfeeding group, or your local hospital, a real life person that is qualified to check your baby’s latch and diagnose feeding issues will give you the support you need on your breastfeeding journey. It helped me so much to have someone like this.
6. Find a trusted online resource.
And ignore all others. We live in an age where we can read about the experience of 50 different moms breastfeeding in the span of an hour, and yet, I’ve found all that really did for me was lead to overwhelm. Anyone with a platform can spew misinformation about breastfeeding. However, I have found Kellymom.com to be a rich resource full of evidence-based articles on pretty much anything related to breastfeeding.
7. Feed with pride.
I promise I’m not a breastfeeding extremist with boobs flying everywhere in public, but I believe there is a lot of societal work to be done when it comes to normalizing breastfeeding. I almost always wear a cover when anyone aside from my husband, sister, or close girlfriends are around, but I do not apologize for the fact that my baby needs to eat.
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It’s been my personal choice to feed at brunch while shoveling eggs Benedict in my mouth one-handed, on the beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in coastal New England, and on a farm (yes, this actually happened last month). I didn’t think too much of it at the time but now that I’m breastfeeding a second child, it’s been cool to reflect on all the different places I’ve fed a baby.
8. Fed is best.
There are so many reasons why women can’t or choose not to breastfeed, and that is certainly no one’s business but their own. (Although, every blessed person on the internet may deem otherwise.) If at the end of the day, bottle feeding or pumping works better for you, than that is the best way to feed your baby. There shouldn’t be any shame about that — Fed. Is. Best.
