Your NIPPLES, may just THANK ME!
A subject that EVERY NEW MOM, has to at least think about. Even, If you think about it and say, "NO, Its not for me.", or if you think about it and say, "Well, I'm gonna at least TRY." or maybe this, "Come Hell or High Water.... I am breastfeeding this baby til he/she is at LEAST 1 year old and if I can get to 2, 3 or maybe 4 years.... Then that's what I'm gonna do..." In my opinion all of those options are just what they are, the CHOICE of the NEW MOM!
Not everyone shares my views on breastfeeding and trust me when I tell you this, everyone will have an opinion and MOST people, won't mind sharing it with you. I am really good at "Nodding and Smiling." I understood that all the "advice" that I was getting; was mostly coming from people that CARE about and LOVE me. Including friends, family, and you know... the random strangers that sees you out with a new baby (them too...) More times then not, it's just easier to be nice. Plus, I have to think.... most people don't realize that you're getting advice from all ends. Therefore, they don't realize that today alone, you may have had 10 people already tell you, the WHO's, WHAT's, WHEN's and HOW's of what YOU should be doing and how YOU should be doing it. Again, get good at nodding and smiling. Take the advice that you want, advice that you think is helpful.... and leave the rest.
Here's MY Nitty Gritty Truth on Breastfeeding....
I am NOT going to sit here and give anyone the FACTS or the statistics about breastfeeding. I chose to do it because I knew it was good for the babes and it would save on money. Sure, I knew that is was good for my babies but the reality is, I was committed to now feeding them from MY body. After 9 months of pregnancy that can be a lot to take for some women. Sure, its a commitment, but I figured at least try... I mean I have already felt like a stuffed PIG for the past nine months, why not feel like a MILK COW now!!!
People will tell you about a "Special Bond" you will feel when breastfeeding and for that reason alone, you should at least try. Unfortunately, I never really felt that time to be MY time of "Special Bonding." It was more their time of eating and ME just providing the nourishment. I LOVE my babies and feel a special bond with each of them, but in my opinion it had nothing to do with the way that I was feeding them. Also, When I was done with MY breastfeeding journey, I stopped. I figured that one day of breast milk is better than NO day of breast milk. While breastfeeding I was very strict on what I ate and drank. Mostly, 'No Caffeine and my diet was always 'Celiac Disease appropriate. (having Celiac, I have NO choice.) All 4 of my children were breastfed until they were 5 months young but when I was ready to get ME back, I would start the stopping process....
When I breastfed Violet, she seemed easy. She attached and I had no "real" problems. Preston also seemed to be a breeze. It was when I got to breastfeeding the twins that's when I started to have all these realizations. They latched on, but never properly. Therefore, I never realized that the "breeze" with Preston and the "easy time" with Violet at that time was a reality, but I still could have avoided some cracked & bleeding spots on my nipples.
Ok, so here's the real deal. Men, if you're reading pay attention, this is going to be helpful for you too!
First things first, your baby is born... after the baby is all cleaned up, the nurses will bring the baby over to his/her Mommy and try to get baby to latch on. This is a natural thing. Don't be freaked out. The first time that they put Violet on me, I felt so awkward. I mean I know that its natural, but it didn't feel natural to me. It actually felt like the complete opposite. It felt completely unnatural and it was foreign to me. But, I pushed through those feelings and did it anyway. Preston is 13 months younger than Violet, so when it was his turn, I was fine with it. Then when Juliana and Parker came along, it was like they were just an extension of my body....
When you are in the hospital.... Most of the Nurses on Mother Baby Unit are BREASTFEEDING NAZI'S! No, Joke. They will encourage you to breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed... and trust me, if you do it and/or at least TRY (while you are in their care), you will be treated like a Queen... They make sure that you are fed, they make sure that you are comfortable, they make sure that everything is PERFECT for this "BREASTFEEDING MOMMY", they will even come in and shove your boob in the babies mouth for you (If you want)....
DADS - Your Wifey or Baby Momma is going to be exhausted! She just gave birth and now this sweet little baby is going to be feeding off of her. She will need your help! She will need your encouragement! She will need you LOVE and UNDERSTANDING! Mostly when she is sitting there in tears because, "She cant get the baby to latch on." She will need you to read this and remind her, because her brain could be mush. Mostly, She will need your PATIENCE!!! Put your big boy pants on and be her strength when she feels like she has nothing left.... Not to mention that her boobs are about to blow up like balloons and she may or may not ever get her normal breast shape back... Plus, now she has Milk Dripping from her nipples, so do yourself a favor and tread lightly! If you know whats best for you, you will be there as SUPPORT and most importantly, if she is leaking... TELL HER! (just MY words of advice!)
LADIES - IT'S ALL about the LATCH! I breastfed 4 children and didn't realize this tip until the TWINS were born. I feel like this is the MOST IMPORTANT tip and I wish, I would have learned this BEFORE baby 3&4, with baby #1 would have been nice!
Like I mentioned before, the Nurses will come in and shove your boob in the babies mouth and they will think that you have a good latch, they will praise you a little, tell you that you are doing great and ask you to record how long they are on and which side... Then most likely they will be on their way.... Funny thing is, your hospital visit will come to an end and you will then be on your way home. At home your on your own and after 2 or 3 days of breastfeeding, things may be a little more complicated. Your nipples may start to crack, they may bleed and they could be so sore that if ANYONE or ANYTHING touches them, the pain just may send you through the roof! Let me tell you... THIS IS NOT NORMAL!!!
When the twins were just a few days young, I was breastfeeding 2 babies at the same time. My nips were sore, cracked, bleeding, I was in so much pain and I just wanted to cry when they would latch on. I would put the Nipple Cream on, like I was putting icing on a birthday cake. NOTHING was WORKING!
Thank God, Aunt Lori was staying with me. She felt so horrible for me, she could see the pain in my body language, in my face... I could see that she felt helpless.... She would have done anything to help me, but short of busting out her own breast, there was really "nothing" she could do.... So instead of sitting there and watching me in pain, she decided to GOOGLE... She was reading tips and tricks about breastfeeding, she kept saying, "Annie, it shouldn't hurt. If it does, then they are latching wrong" that's all she could find... Oh, Okay... (so basically I'm screwed!) My Aunt and I were still at a loss. We both thought that the babies were latching on properly. I mean they are both eating, so we came to this conclusion, "I am breastfeeding 2 babies and the nipples are not getting a break." (hahahah.... logical, right????)
The following day, my Aunt was about to leave to go home to Illinois. I was putting the babies on again for their morning feeding. Pain going through my body, from head to toe. I am sitting there trying to "Breathe IT OUT." She looks at me and says, "Before I leave we are figuring this out. This is NOT Normal!" She starts her Google search again. Her results the same as before, "If it hurts then they are not latched on properly...." Ok, we are reading this again for the second time... So this time she decided to go an extra step and look up, Tips on HOW to get a baby to latch properly. I often ask myself, WHY is this information SO DIFFICULT to find??? So let the search continue and lets see what is says about HOW TO LATCH PROPERLY.
I find it funny that I nursed 4 babies and NEVER once was TOLD this little trick by ANYONE who was HELPING ME with the nursing process. A lot of mothers QUIT because of these reasons. It's too hard. Baby wont latch. It's painful. My Nipples are cracked, sore and bleeding... etc.... I feel like this should be the FIRST thing that EVERY NURSING MOTHER is told! All anyone ever says, is "Proper Latch, Proper Latch, Proper Latch..." NICE! What exactly does that mean??? SO, I would like to help you "wanna be nursing mothers" and just give it to you straight!
TIP #1 ***** TO GET A PROPER LATCH - Take your nipple, rub it at the bottom of the babies nose, right above the upper lip***** Baby will then open their mouth nice and wide. Then attach them. It's as SIMPLE as that. Your nipple should basically be at the top of their mouth and the bottom of their mouth will consist more of the Areola. Baby will "latch properly" and you can say, "BYE BYE to Pain, Cracked, Bleeding, Sore Nipples" and then you can WELCOME the COMFORT of Nursing.
After, I did this whole "Proper Latching technique" the pain IMMEDIATELY STOPPED. My Aunt and I were in AWE.... It was a MIRACLE!
This week, I proved to myself again that this worked! One of my girlfriends called me and we were chatting about her new sweet little baby which happened to be her 3rd child. I asked her how the nursing was going, she said, "It's good, I am using the Lanolin cream and my nipples are not cracking THAT BAD, but they are still really sore." I stopped her and passed on this wealth of information. She called me the following morning and said this, "MY NIPPLES THANK YOU!"
Ladies, you SHOULDN'T NEED ANY CREAMS if you are doing it PROPERLY! Their is no reason for your nipples to have to toughen up! Cracking and Bleeding is NOT NORMAL!!!
TIP #2 - Get yourself a NICE nursing pillow. A boppy (for nursing) is for the birds. I don't care if you are nursing 1, 2, 3 or more children.... buy a nursing pillow that clips in the back. It's more sturdy, it's more comfortable, and unlike the boppy that moves around every which way while you are trying to get your baby to latch on... IT STAYS PUT!!! Look at My Brest Friend Pillow (its a good example of what I am talking about) and having a more sturdy pillow will also help you when you are choosing your "HOLD" method. Yes, there are a few on them! Ex. Football, across the body, facing up, facing down.... Just kidding, but really.... you may feel a little overwhelmed with all of the information and options that come with "How to Hold a baby" while breastfeeding...
TIP #3 - DRINK WATER and EAT! I was always SUPER HUNGRY after nursing... I mean like so hungry that I could and would eat EVERYTHING... Drink water while you are nursing and make sure that you have something HEALTHY and EASY in your house to eat. I always had lunch meat and cut up fruit.... IF you have parents like mine, you are one blessed little lady, they would swing me by my favorite Chicken Salad (like every other day....)
TIP#4 - If your baby is GAINING WEIGHT, YOU'RE DOING YOUR JOB! Try not to get all caught up in how much milk you're producing. Don't go off and pump to see whats coming out. The minute you start pumping and say, "They are ONLY getting... blah blah blah..." That just may be the beginning of the end for you. You will become consumed in what the PUMP says and NOT what YOUR BABY is doing. If your little love is GAINING WEIGHT you are DOING YOUR JOB.
TIP #5 - Activating MILK DUCTS. Whatever way the babies NOSE is facing is important. The direction of the nose = milk duct activation. So if you have an infection and you need to release an area of your breast, make sure that they baby's nose is facing the direction that you need it to. If you feel like you're not producing enough milk, switch up your hold, face the baby in a different direction!!! Activate other Milk Ducts!!! Again, didn't learn this trick until I had the twins... but it's so important to know!
You may gain weight from breastfeeding. You may lose weight from breastfeeding. You will have to wait and see what YOUR BODY does and how YOUR BODY reacts to it.
There are a lot of BENEFITS from breastfeeding. If you are a mother that is on the fence, I would encourage you to look those benefits up and maybe that will help you make your choice. If it doesn't feel natural to you, you're not alone. Itcan will be an adjustment. You will be tired. It can be a challenge. You will need a support system. Dad's this is where YOU COME IN! I'm not saying get up in the middle of the night and have a conversation with your Wifey, but if she needs a little assistance.... BE THERE!
Ladies, I would take every day as it comes and if you have managed another day on your "Breastfeeding" journey, then try to view it as a VICTORY! I remember saying to friends, "I ONLY made it 5 months...." In reality, I should have been saying, "I did MY BEST for MY BABIES and they got 5 months of MY LIQUID GOLD!" Boom, Bam! I should have felt a sense of ACCOMPLISHMENT, instead I was feeling a sense of "NOT GOOD ENOUGH".... NO GOOD!!! Feel Accomplished. Know that you're NOT alone, and TRY NOT to get caught up in what "Others" are doing.
I hope this is HELPFUL.
That's MY Nitty Gritty Truth,
Anne
Not everyone shares my views on breastfeeding and trust me when I tell you this, everyone will have an opinion and MOST people, won't mind sharing it with you. I am really good at "Nodding and Smiling." I understood that all the "advice" that I was getting; was mostly coming from people that CARE about and LOVE me. Including friends, family, and you know... the random strangers that sees you out with a new baby (them too...) More times then not, it's just easier to be nice. Plus, I have to think.... most people don't realize that you're getting advice from all ends. Therefore, they don't realize that today alone, you may have had 10 people already tell you, the WHO's, WHAT's, WHEN's and HOW's of what YOU should be doing and how YOU should be doing it. Again, get good at nodding and smiling. Take the advice that you want, advice that you think is helpful.... and leave the rest.
Nursing the Twinny Twin Twins....
I am NOT going to sit here and give anyone the FACTS or the statistics about breastfeeding. I chose to do it because I knew it was good for the babes and it would save on money. Sure, I knew that is was good for my babies but the reality is, I was committed to now feeding them from MY body. After 9 months of pregnancy that can be a lot to take for some women. Sure, its a commitment, but I figured at least try... I mean I have already felt like a stuffed PIG for the past nine months, why not feel like a MILK COW now!!!
People will tell you about a "Special Bond" you will feel when breastfeeding and for that reason alone, you should at least try. Unfortunately, I never really felt that time to be MY time of "Special Bonding." It was more their time of eating and ME just providing the nourishment. I LOVE my babies and feel a special bond with each of them, but in my opinion it had nothing to do with the way that I was feeding them. Also, When I was done with MY breastfeeding journey, I stopped. I figured that one day of breast milk is better than NO day of breast milk. While breastfeeding I was very strict on what I ate and drank. Mostly, 'No Caffeine and my diet was always 'Celiac Disease appropriate. (having Celiac, I have NO choice.) All 4 of my children were breastfed until they were 5 months young but when I was ready to get ME back, I would start the stopping process....
When I breastfed Violet, she seemed easy. She attached and I had no "real" problems. Preston also seemed to be a breeze. It was when I got to breastfeeding the twins that's when I started to have all these realizations. They latched on, but never properly. Therefore, I never realized that the "breeze" with Preston and the "easy time" with Violet at that time was a reality, but I still could have avoided some cracked & bleeding spots on my nipples.
Mommy & Parker.... Bonding <3
First things first, your baby is born... after the baby is all cleaned up, the nurses will bring the baby over to his/her Mommy and try to get baby to latch on. This is a natural thing. Don't be freaked out. The first time that they put Violet on me, I felt so awkward. I mean I know that its natural, but it didn't feel natural to me. It actually felt like the complete opposite. It felt completely unnatural and it was foreign to me. But, I pushed through those feelings and did it anyway. Preston is 13 months younger than Violet, so when it was his turn, I was fine with it. Then when Juliana and Parker came along, it was like they were just an extension of my body....
When you are in the hospital.... Most of the Nurses on Mother Baby Unit are BREASTFEEDING NAZI'S! No, Joke. They will encourage you to breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed... and trust me, if you do it and/or at least TRY (while you are in their care), you will be treated like a Queen... They make sure that you are fed, they make sure that you are comfortable, they make sure that everything is PERFECT for this "BREASTFEEDING MOMMY", they will even come in and shove your boob in the babies mouth for you (If you want)....
Mommy & Preston.... man I LOVE this kid!!!
DADS - Your Wifey or Baby Momma is going to be exhausted! She just gave birth and now this sweet little baby is going to be feeding off of her. She will need your help! She will need your encouragement! She will need you LOVE and UNDERSTANDING! Mostly when she is sitting there in tears because, "She cant get the baby to latch on." She will need you to read this and remind her, because her brain could be mush. Mostly, She will need your PATIENCE!!! Put your big boy pants on and be her strength when she feels like she has nothing left.... Not to mention that her boobs are about to blow up like balloons and she may or may not ever get her normal breast shape back... Plus, now she has Milk Dripping from her nipples, so do yourself a favor and tread lightly! If you know whats best for you, you will be there as SUPPORT and most importantly, if she is leaking... TELL HER! (just MY words of advice!)
LADIES - IT'S ALL about the LATCH! I breastfed 4 children and didn't realize this tip until the TWINS were born. I feel like this is the MOST IMPORTANT tip and I wish, I would have learned this BEFORE baby 3&4, with baby #1 would have been nice!
Like I mentioned before, the Nurses will come in and shove your boob in the babies mouth and they will think that you have a good latch, they will praise you a little, tell you that you are doing great and ask you to record how long they are on and which side... Then most likely they will be on their way.... Funny thing is, your hospital visit will come to an end and you will then be on your way home. At home your on your own and after 2 or 3 days of breastfeeding, things may be a little more complicated. Your nipples may start to crack, they may bleed and they could be so sore that if ANYONE or ANYTHING touches them, the pain just may send you through the roof! Let me tell you... THIS IS NOT NORMAL!!!
When the twins were just a few days young, I was breastfeeding 2 babies at the same time. My nips were sore, cracked, bleeding, I was in so much pain and I just wanted to cry when they would latch on. I would put the Nipple Cream on, like I was putting icing on a birthday cake. NOTHING was WORKING!
Aunt Lori with Juliana & Parker
Thank God, Aunt Lori was staying with me. She felt so horrible for me, she could see the pain in my body language, in my face... I could see that she felt helpless.... She would have done anything to help me, but short of busting out her own breast, there was really "nothing" she could do.... So instead of sitting there and watching me in pain, she decided to GOOGLE... She was reading tips and tricks about breastfeeding, she kept saying, "Annie, it shouldn't hurt. If it does, then they are latching wrong" that's all she could find... Oh, Okay... (so basically I'm screwed!) My Aunt and I were still at a loss. We both thought that the babies were latching on properly. I mean they are both eating, so we came to this conclusion, "I am breastfeeding 2 babies and the nipples are not getting a break." (hahahah.... logical, right????)
The following day, my Aunt was about to leave to go home to Illinois. I was putting the babies on again for their morning feeding. Pain going through my body, from head to toe. I am sitting there trying to "Breathe IT OUT." She looks at me and says, "Before I leave we are figuring this out. This is NOT Normal!" She starts her Google search again. Her results the same as before, "If it hurts then they are not latched on properly...." Ok, we are reading this again for the second time... So this time she decided to go an extra step and look up, Tips on HOW to get a baby to latch properly. I often ask myself, WHY is this information SO DIFFICULT to find??? So let the search continue and lets see what is says about HOW TO LATCH PROPERLY.
I find it funny that I nursed 4 babies and NEVER once was TOLD this little trick by ANYONE who was HELPING ME with the nursing process. A lot of mothers QUIT because of these reasons. It's too hard. Baby wont latch. It's painful. My Nipples are cracked, sore and bleeding... etc.... I feel like this should be the FIRST thing that EVERY NURSING MOTHER is told! All anyone ever says, is "Proper Latch, Proper Latch, Proper Latch..." NICE! What exactly does that mean??? SO, I would like to help you "wanna be nursing mothers" and just give it to you straight!
MY World
TIP #1 ***** TO GET A PROPER LATCH - Take your nipple, rub it at the bottom of the babies nose, right above the upper lip***** Baby will then open their mouth nice and wide. Then attach them. It's as SIMPLE as that. Your nipple should basically be at the top of their mouth and the bottom of their mouth will consist more of the Areola. Baby will "latch properly" and you can say, "BYE BYE to Pain, Cracked, Bleeding, Sore Nipples" and then you can WELCOME the COMFORT of Nursing.
After, I did this whole "Proper Latching technique" the pain IMMEDIATELY STOPPED. My Aunt and I were in AWE.... It was a MIRACLE!
Mommy & MY VilyCakes
This week, I proved to myself again that this worked! One of my girlfriends called me and we were chatting about her new sweet little baby which happened to be her 3rd child. I asked her how the nursing was going, she said, "It's good, I am using the Lanolin cream and my nipples are not cracking THAT BAD, but they are still really sore." I stopped her and passed on this wealth of information. She called me the following morning and said this, "MY NIPPLES THANK YOU!"
Ladies, you SHOULDN'T NEED ANY CREAMS if you are doing it PROPERLY! Their is no reason for your nipples to have to toughen up! Cracking and Bleeding is NOT NORMAL!!!
TIP #2 - Get yourself a NICE nursing pillow. A boppy (for nursing) is for the birds. I don't care if you are nursing 1, 2, 3 or more children.... buy a nursing pillow that clips in the back. It's more sturdy, it's more comfortable, and unlike the boppy that moves around every which way while you are trying to get your baby to latch on... IT STAYS PUT!!! Look at My Brest Friend Pillow (its a good example of what I am talking about) and having a more sturdy pillow will also help you when you are choosing your "HOLD" method. Yes, there are a few on them! Ex. Football, across the body, facing up, facing down.... Just kidding, but really.... you may feel a little overwhelmed with all of the information and options that come with "How to Hold a baby" while breastfeeding...
Papi w/ baby Juliana
Nani w/ baby Juliana
TIP#4 - If your baby is GAINING WEIGHT, YOU'RE DOING YOUR JOB! Try not to get all caught up in how much milk you're producing. Don't go off and pump to see whats coming out. The minute you start pumping and say, "They are ONLY getting... blah blah blah..." That just may be the beginning of the end for you. You will become consumed in what the PUMP says and NOT what YOUR BABY is doing. If your little love is GAINING WEIGHT you are DOING YOUR JOB.
TIP #5 - Activating MILK DUCTS. Whatever way the babies NOSE is facing is important. The direction of the nose = milk duct activation. So if you have an infection and you need to release an area of your breast, make sure that they baby's nose is facing the direction that you need it to. If you feel like you're not producing enough milk, switch up your hold, face the baby in a different direction!!! Activate other Milk Ducts!!! Again, didn't learn this trick until I had the twins... but it's so important to know!
You may gain weight from breastfeeding. You may lose weight from breastfeeding. You will have to wait and see what YOUR BODY does and how YOUR BODY reacts to it.
There are a lot of BENEFITS from breastfeeding. If you are a mother that is on the fence, I would encourage you to look those benefits up and maybe that will help you make your choice. If it doesn't feel natural to you, you're not alone. It
Ladies, I would take every day as it comes and if you have managed another day on your "Breastfeeding" journey, then try to view it as a VICTORY! I remember saying to friends, "I ONLY made it 5 months...." In reality, I should have been saying, "I did MY BEST for MY BABIES and they got 5 months of MY LIQUID GOLD!" Boom, Bam! I should have felt a sense of ACCOMPLISHMENT, instead I was feeling a sense of "NOT GOOD ENOUGH".... NO GOOD!!! Feel Accomplished. Know that you're NOT alone, and TRY NOT to get caught up in what "Others" are doing.
I hope this is HELPFUL.
That's MY Nitty Gritty Truth,
Anne
Anne,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your mommyhood journey! Such great info, questions you wouldn't think to ask and things no one will probably tell you! As my husband and I are planning to start our family soon, I'm enjoying your posts, taking it all in and look forward to having something to look to and reference when the going gets tough. Keep it up, and much love to you and Bill!
- Brittanie Begeman