Breastfeeding is such a beautiful thing, I am amazed at what our bodies can do and to fuel another human being is such a super power! I do however think breastfeeding is something that is not spoken about enough when you are pregnant/planning to have a baby. We spend a lot of time worrying about the labour and plan for the birth. But little time preparing ourselves for other responsibilities like breastfeeding. Some of my mum friends found breastfeeding the hardest part of the journey, even harder than pregnancy and labour! Whether you choose to breastfeed or not I thought I would share a couple of my tips and THE BEST BREASTFEEDING TUTORIAL VIDEO EVER!
First off all, if you are a new mum and are finding breastfeeding hard – DON’T WORRY YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! It is hard! If you just gave birth and are reading this article to try to learn how to breastfeed – you are in the right place and you can do this! Preserve if you can, it gets better. Or if breastfeeding just isn’t right for you, formula is great too! No judgement here! Or do a mixture of both. You hear all the time: Breast Is Best. Well actually FED IS BEST. Whatever works best for you and your family.
I found the first couple of weeks post birth very hard learning this new skill. It was painful and it was frustrating. When you don’t get it right you feel so hopeless and can’t help but think you are a terrible Mum. When I was at the hospital after I gave birth to Olivia, the midwives in the ward were hopeless at teaching me to breastfeed. Their time was obviously stretched thin and they couldn’t dedicate much time to teach me. Also half of them were in their early twenties and obviously have never done this themselves before! Luckily I had a really great midwife come to my house as one of my post birth check ups and she showed me some really great tips. Then all of a sudden it clicked and I had it down packed. I’m lucky I know this isn’t the case for other mums, there are so many issues that can arise. Whether it be your milk supply, the babies latch, your nipple shape, a block duct or many other reasons it may not work out.
I thought I would put together a few breastfeeding tips for you and at the end link you to the BEST BREASTFEEDING TUTORIAL VIDEO EVER.
Tip 1 – Boobie Products
It’s best to not only mentally prepare yourself, but also make sure you have some products to help your breasts get through. Your body isn’t used to having a tiny human suck on your boobs for hours a day. There is going to be some pain and discomfort until it gets used to this new normal. I was not prepared and only had one of these pre birth. I remember a good friend of mine came to visit not long after Olivia was born and brought me a boobie pack with these items in and it honestly saved me! She was like an angel from heaven coming at just the right time! Make sure you have these on hand before you give birth:
My Mum Friend Must Haves:
- Nipple Cream, this Lansinoh Gel is the best one I have found. It is all natural so the baby can breastfeed straight after you apply if need be. It also doubles as a great lip balm!
- Ice/heat Packs: Lansinoh Therapearl 3 in 1 Breast Therapy is great as you can use the product warm or cold. Cold is life saving when your milk comes in and your breasts are engorged and feeling tender. Warm is great to stimulate milk flow before a feed and during pumping.
- Hydrogel Discs – To help sooth cracked and sore nipples these hydogel discs was so soothing after a feed
- Breast absorption pads – A must! You are definitely going to leak at the beginning so I wore these all the time for the first few weeks. I found these bamboo reusable pads on Amazon really good. They are large enough to cover the area you need to cover, they keep their shape and easy to pop in the wash at the end of the day.
Tip 2: You can do it, don’t put your back into it
It is extremely common for back, wrist and hand injuries from breastfeeding/having a newborn. It is very easy as new mums (or dads!) to hold a baby in a position which is putting strain on the rest of your body. Especially when they look really cosy, you don’t want to move and want to keep them happy! But trust me think of yourself first. Repetitive strain injury can have long term effects so create good habits from the start.
Make sure you are:
- Sitting back into your chair (not hunched over)
- Feet flat on the floor, or resting on a small step stool
- Shoulders back, relaxed and down
- Not curling your wrists too much to hold baby, keep wrists straight where possible and hold the weight on your forearm
- Use a pillow/breastfeeding pillow to help distribute and carry the weight. I used the My Breast Friend pillow and loved it! I feel like it was permanently attached to me the first couple of months! Especially handy at the start when the baby has no neck strength. It also has a pocket for your phone!
Tip 3: Drink plenty of water
Make sure you have a nice big water bottle near because you are going to be thirsty all the time! My husband was asking what he could do when Olivia was a newborn, I just said DIAPERS and always make sure I have a glass of water.
Tip 4: Bottle it up
A controversial topic is when you should start weaning the baby onto a bottle. Some experts say it is fine to do it from day one. Our midwife told us when she is 6 weeks old to avoid nipple confusion, which is what we did. It doesn’t matter when you start, but I urge you to do it within the first two months. I use the Spectra pump and Pigeon Wide neck bottles, which was recommended to me by other mums. Olivia took the bottle really easily and we made sure we gave her breast milk in a bottle 1-2 a week to make sure she gets used to it. Ladies this is important to do. A mum friend of mine waited until 6 months to give her baby a bottle and the baby wouldn’t take it. Which meant the mum couldn’t be away from the baby for more than 3-4 hours. For your own sanity and also so you can enjoy and alcoholic beverage or two. Remember to ensure baby is able to take the bottle
Tip 5: If you are struggling talk to someone and seek help
The National Breastfeeding Help Hotline on 1800 686 268 is great to provide over the phone advice. I called this a couple of times when I had some questions. Or contact your local Child Health Nurse to find out where and when your local breastfeeding clinic is. These are free to attend and you can pop in and someone can watch you breastfeed and give you pointers. Or lastly book to see a lactation consultant, some of my mum friends say this is the best thing they ever did.
Tip 6: Breastfeeding Tutorial
If you need a refresher, you have a newborn right now, or you are pregnant and want to start preparing yourself, here is the best breastfeeding tutorial I have ever seen! One of my mum friends sent this to me when I first had Olivia and I have forwarded it to so many of my new mum friends. It is one of the most detailed videos to show you exactly the right position and how to get a good latch.
It’s long, but trust me when you are learning to breastfeed for the first time it is good to have this much detail!
What are your breastfeeding tips?
Do you have a newborn now? Here is a link to my fourth trimester tips!