I wasn’t prepared for how challenging it was to breastfeed my newborn son. Although I had heard many times that breastfeeding doesn’t come naturally to some women, that it really was very hard, I have to admit that in the excitement of being pregnant and the realization that I was going to be a Mom, I didn’t heed the advice of nursing Mom friends. With my second child, I will absolutely prepare myself for breastfeeding before my baby actually arrives. Here is what I will do and what I highly suggest other Mom’s do if they plan on breastfeeding their newborn.
Get Lansinoh Lanolin Cream! It doesn’t happen to all nursing mothers, but there is a chance that your baby’s repetitive suckling will cause soreness in your nipples, cracking, in some cases, even bleeding from irritation. One friend of mine had a large sore on her left nipple that hurt very much when her infant would latch on. I was fortunate enough not to have cracking or bleeding nipples, but boy were they sore! Lansinoh cream helps prepare your nipples for the constant friction placed upon them when you nurse your infant. Eventually your nipples will have become used to your baby’s feeding on them and will no longer hurt, but Lansinoh cream is a must in the first couple months! With my second pregnancy, I am going to begin placing small amounts of the cream to each nipple in my second trimester to prepare them as best I can for my newborn baby’s feeding.
Get Support! Some of the cracking, dry, sore nipples may be caused by an inappropriate latch by baby. From firsthand experience, I tell you that your baby latching onto your breast is not something that just happens in the hospital as if you’ve been doing it all your life. Yes, I have had friends who have never had nursing issues, and I am completely envious! More often than not, I speak to Mom’s who have similar stories as mine. You seem to have it all down in the hospital and then you get home and you are in for the sleepless nights. Baby seems to be latching on, but then comes off and is crying hysterically. You rock in your rocking chair and begin to cry. Your breasts are engorged and leaking like super soakers all over your bed and on your stomach as you sit up. What in the world is going on? For any new nursing mom, I would absolutely recommend a support group or person! You can look into your local chapter of Le Leche League (http://www.llli.org/), or you can contact the hospital you are going to give birth at or your baby’s pediatrician’s office, as they would have information for local lactation consultants in your area. If you do not want the support of Le Leche League or a lactation consultant, then I highly recommend getting the support of other nursing mom’s. In those first couple of months, you’ll need it! Even if breastfeeding comes easily to both you and your baby, you may want another mom that you can simply talk to.
Get a sling! Now, a sling may not be for you, but as a former breastfeeding mom, I highly recommend one! I actually did not have a sling for my son and it’s the one and only baby product that I will get for my second child that I don’t already have. If you have a sling, you can carry your newborn baby around in it both in the house and when you are out. When it’s time for baby to nurse, you just simply have to bring baby to your breast and wallah…you’re good to go! A sling that fits you and your baby well will add extra support especially when you are out in public and don’t have access to a nursing pillow. I was also quite discreet when I would nurse my son in public, and a sling will most definitely help you to be so.
Get some nursing shirts! For the first couple of months, nursing shirts were absolutely wonderful for me! Until my son and I were both well-established at nursing, I was able to attach him to the breast in more of a discreet manner than when I did not have a nursing shirt on. I’m sure it was actually quite humorous to have watched me fiddle around when I wasn’t wearing a nursing top. I must have looked incredibly clumbsy! There were two types of nursing shirts that I used with my son. One allowed for a covered slit in the side of the shirt where you could access your breast, and the other type of shirt had an under-layer where there were holes for your breast, and an outer-layer that covered these holes. When it was time to nurse, you simply pulled up the outer-layer but didn’t expose your belly as the under-layer was there. These were my personal favorites. Not only was I covering my belly, but the top layer of the shirt was slightly covering my son’s face so nobody could see my breast when I was nursing in public.
Get some nursing bras! Absolutely, absolutely, get yourself some nursing bras! Since you wont know what size your breasts will be until your milk has come in, it’s recommended that you buy a bra or two in one size larger than what you are wearing during your pregnancy. This is what I did and I ended up buying more bras in a larger size because my breasts grew more than anticipated after I had my son. It may be a good idea for you to have a bra on hand, but if you would rather wait until you know the actual size your breasts will be, that is absolutely fine! That way, you’ll be spending less money. It can just get tough to get out of the house with a newborn,. but hey, if the bra doesn’t fit, then it really doesn’t matter anyway, does it? With my second child, I will probably wait until I know the size of my breasts.
Although nursing may not come naturally to either your or your baby at first, don’t give up! You will get it! And once you are both well-established at breastfeeding, it’s smooth sailing from there.
