Okay, Okay...to be honest I never even gave breastfeeding much thought in my early twenties or at any point in my life for that matter. I guess, why would I have? When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, my life changed forever at that very moment the pregnancy test showed TWO dark lines. I made the decision to breastfeed my first baby before she was born, I made sure to have all the gadgets and devices cool nursing cover. However I did not know how it would go but I was willing to try. Breastfeeding just came natural to me and Brooklyn. I never realized people truly struggled with breastfeeding and I didn't know this until my first class in the hospital with a lactation consultant. I'll admit I was ignorant. It came easy to us, so why wouldn't it come easy to all mothers, it was after all natural. While sitting in that lactation class I glanced over at the mother and her baby sitting next to us, and I realized in that moment, we were lucky. The baby fussed, the mom got frustrated and the lactation consultant was trying her very best efforts to help, but the baby would not latch, despite all efforts the baby continued to wail. I don't know how that journey went for that mother and her baby but I will say this, if I could give any mom advice it would be, DO NOT GIVE UP! The first month is the hardest! You're figuring it out and the baby is figuring it out. Sometimes they are just using you as pacifier, which can result in raw sore nipples and you feeling like a human pacifier or a cow being milked all day. Your exhausted, your leaking and you don't even know what's going on.
And the worst is if you have visitors over. "Is the baby tired? Is the baby hungry? Why are they crying? Do you have to change their diaper?" Like LADY I don't know! All I know is that you are here and I just want to have no shirt on and be a slave to this baby like the cow (in the milking aspect) that I am! All three of my babies latched right away, so again, yes I was very lucky and fortunate! I tried to not give myself a timeline when it came to nursing, I just followed the babies lead, if I couldn't do it then I couldn't do it. BUT breastfeeding in my eyes ends up becoming EASIER and EASIER which is why I say stick with it! No waking up in the middle of the night to make a bottle. No worrying about buying formula or wasting it if the baby wasn't hungry. Just whip out the boob, if they are hungry they ate if not they didn't! Not to mention the nutrients and the antibodies. Sometimes I almost felt lazy because it is SUPER convenient for me, not having to worry about making bottles! When you get into a groove it actually becomes harder to stop breastfeeding, which is basically the point I am at right now.
Fast forward three babies later and I am currently still nursing my third baby and to be honest I never saw us being here. He is now 13 months. Yes I do want to quit at times because I want my body back and my hormones to settle down and for him to stop ripping down my shirt. BUT its working, he's getting AMAZING nutrients and one day I know that I am going to miss this, so for now I've decided to let him lead the way. One thing people need to stop doing is comparing. Thinking you need to do what the other person is doing. We need to do what works best for us. Recently my 13 month old got the flu. He would not take any fluids or food except breastmilk. His pediatrician told me if I had stopped nursing him he would have winded up in the hospital with an IV getting fluids because the only thing he would take was my breastmilk!
People have made me feel as though it's "not normal" for mothers to nurse as their kids get older, people would give me weird looks or ask "when are you going to stop?" I wanted to scream why would I NOT be nursing him!!! If I'm not judging you for what your feeding your baby then why should I be judged for nursing my infant for however long I want? I understand some people physically can not do it, or they have multiple babies at once or the pumping at work, the pumping at work is terrible; I mean the sound alone from the machine will make you want to quit. We are ALL tired and we are ALL trying are very best as mothers so let's be SUPPORTIVE to each other...the working mom and the SAHM, keep doing you!
Best Nursing products that worked for me:
Medela Breast Pump-I swear by this pump and I have tried several, just make sure you get the right cup size for your boobs because they come in different sizes which some people do not know. Our insurance has covered the breast pump after each one of my babies. They gave it to me right in the hospital. All replacement parts can also go through your insurance or you can buy for cheap on amazon.
The Milkies Milk Saver-when you nurse on one side milk leaks on the other boob, I would get an extra 1-2ounces that would have normally just have been leaked on a nursing pad.
Organic Cotton Nursing Pads-I also swear by these, I didn't like the disposable. These are super comfortable and allow you to reuse.
Lansinoh Lanolin Cream-I've actually used this for multiple purposes mostly for sore nipples and dry skin or lips on the baby.
Avent Bottles-I've used these bottles with each baby and NEVER had an issue. That does not mean they will work for everyone but from my research for a nursing mom they mimic a moms nipple the best.
Kinde Twist Storage Bags-The best storage bags because they have a cap that twists shut so they do not allow for any leaking.
"Imagine that the world had created a new "dream product" to feed and immunize everyone born on Earth. Imagine also that it was available everywhere, required no storage or delivery, and helped mothers plan their families and reduce the risk of cancer. Then imagine that the world refused to use it."
-Frank Oski, M.D.
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