Breastfeeding - What I didn't know...

When it comes to breastfeeding, I'm a devotee. I learned as much as I could pre-baby to make sure I was prepared and educated on what to do, how to get a good latch, etc. Yet, everything I read could not have prepared me for the challenges and frustrations of breastfeeding... I never anticipated it would be so difficult for both baby and I to figure out.

Here are some things I did not know before I started breastfeeding -

• You will know when your latch isn't right... it hurts like hell if the baby is sucking on your nipple only and not a big chunk of your areola. Plus it is hard as hell to get babe off your nipple if their latch is good.
  
• There are two types of milk - foremilk and hindmilk. Hindmilk is the fatty milk at the "end" of your boob and it's important for baby to get this. I knew this part... what I didn't know is how challenging it is to make sure baby gets this. Who knows when you're near the "end" of your boob? And Jane often only fed for short spurts in the beginning. AND you're told to alternate boobs each feed, but if baby is only feeding for 10mins and then feeding again an hour later, should you alternate? Personally, I haven't been. I've been going back to boob #1 if that's the case. I think I've got it on track now... think being the key word. Every day is a new adventure with bf-ing.
  
• You are going to get pressure from everyone about everything (soothers, bottles, etc)... stick to your guns.
  
• Your baby will lose weight while they are living off your colostrum. Until your baby reaches their birth weight again you're supposed to feed them every 3-4 hours... this means waking a sleeping baby to feed! INSANITY!
  
• You have no idea how hard it is to wake a sleeping baby, and to keep them awake!
  
• The art of burping is a science. I assumed I knew how to burp from seeing others do it... My advice: Look up some techniques, learn them well and do them often.
  
• Vitamin D drops SUCK. Jane literally choked on them when she was one week. Now I split the dose into four smaller doses but I'm constantly forgetting to give it to her four times. I tried yesterday to just give her the one large dose again and she vomited on me immediately after. Awesome.
  
• When one boob feeds, the other leaks and boobs leak often. God forbid you forget your nursing pads or one falls out of place!
  

In pregnancy I was worried about two simple things (1) how do I know when the baby's hungry? and (2) how do I know when she's full? ha ha ha. Hilarious to think about it now. The answer, if any one has a similar fear, you will know. Jane wakes me up with her lip smacking in the middle of the night when she's hungry and literally pushes the boob away with her hand when she's full... she also pulls her head back to avoid going back on the boob. It's amazing how this little bugs communicate!

I introduced my first bottle yesterday (waited until the 4 week point) and all went well. I had gotten pressure to introduce it earlier and pressure to wait longer... but nonetheless, Jane's latch isn't ruined and she didn't refuse the bottle. On the other hand, it was no big life changer either. I thought perhaps she would sleep even better through the night but no change. Really, at this point, the only benefit is that I can go to the grocery store without worrying she'll get hungry and be stranded while I'm gone and I can have a glass of wine if I pump beforehand - YIPEE!

The other thing I am finding for me - manual pumping works better than electric. I have a pump that allows for both and I get much more milk from manual... plus, it makes me feel like less of a cow! When it's on electric it literally sounds like it's making a "moo-oooo" noise, sexy.

Ok, that's it for now... I'm sure I will be able to add to this list regularly as I continue bf-ing. If you have something to add, go for it, comment!

Jen :)