Breastfeeding is often an afterthought. For me, breastfeeding was something I just assumed would naturally take place once baby was here.
YIKES, was I in for a rude awakening! 🙂
Through my exhausted new mom haze, I had to play catch up and become a full-time student of breastfeeding.
Just a few lessons learned:
- How to maneuver the right position to get a good latch
- What to do for my cracked and bleeding nipples
- How to manage to manage the ravenous hunger you feel when breastfeeding (preggo cravings ain’t got nothing on breastfeeding cravings!)
- How to manage my hefty letdown, so I didn’t drown my child in breast milk (true story)
- What to do to avoid getting mastitis, AND what to do at the first sign of it so that I didn’t end up in excruciating pain with crazy flu-like symptoms and breasts the size of bowling balls (no joke)
- What I could eat and should not eat because it would upset baby’s tummy
- How to keep from getting clogged ducts
- How to keep from producing too much milk
- How to keep my milk from drying up
- How to manage spontaneous letdown and breast milk leakage
- What in the world was happening to my breasts when I developed asymmetrical production, resulting in them being DRASTICALLY different sizes
- The proper support for my very “large and in charge” milk-producing ladies. 😉
- How to do anything that meant she couldn’t be attached to me literally 24/7
- How to ask for help when I was not getting anywhere and was in over my head
- And let’s not forget how to survive colic and the witching hours!
Please understand what I share here is NOT meant to scare anyone from breastfeeding. I am so thankful that I successfully breastfed my first to 15 months, and am now 9 months into successfully and exclusively nursing my second. It has been a blessing and a joy to have the gift of breastfeeding. But like all worthwhile endeavors, I had to put in the work.
I am writing this because I wish that before I was a mom someone had said, “Hey, breastfeeding isn’t necessarily a cakewalk. While you still have the time and energy to learn some new stuff, here are a few things to know. Also, a few things you should definitely have in your arsenal before embarking on this very worthy endeavor into breastfeeding.”
(I would now kiss this person, had they done so)
Once your little love is in your arms, “baby brain” sets in. This “amnesia” of sorts keeps you from remembering or much caring about learning anything new. Some days it’s all you can do to remember your name and what day of the week it is!
That combined with all the hormones and lack of sleep means that trying to master the art of breastfeeding discourages SO MANY moms, to the point that they feel they just can’t continue.
My hope is that a few of these tips help you to have an easier transition into this awesome experience, but even if you get hit with a few curve balls I hope that you feel better prepared & supported.
Let’s dive in, shall we? Included below are my best tips for breastfeeding your babe to ensure they get fed and that you stay relatively sane. 😉 I’ve also included a printable checklist to help you make sure you have all bases covered.
The information provided here is based on my own personal experience successfully and exclusively nursing two babies. However, everyone’s experience with breastfeeding is unique. If you’re struggling you should ABSOLUTELY consult your healthcare provider and/or a lactation consultant for help.
FOR OVER PRODUCTION/CLOGGED DUCTS/MASTITIS
Supplementing with sunflower lecithin helped immensely with preventing clogged ducts. Also, once our baby was gaining weight well, I changed from on-demand feedings to regular interval feeds. I was also sure to do a full 15 minutes on BOTH sides for each feeding.
(Baby needs the more dense, higher in fat “hind-milk” that only comes after the more liquid “fore-milk” lets down.)
I personally took a maintenance dose of 4 capsules of lecithin twice a day, and had only 1 issue with clogging ducts or mastitis with our second babe, verses the 4 times of mastitis I had with our first when I didn’t know about lecithin. With baby #2, if I felt a clog coming on I upped my dose to 6 capsules twice a day, and it would resolve.
(This mom shares more amazing tips on managing Overactive Let-Down HERE if this is a problem for you)
These items are also a MUST to have on hand to help with engorgement, clogged ducts, and sore nipples: heating pad & nipple butter.
FOR ENERGY & TO MANAGE RAVENOUS HUNGER & CRAVINGS
I experienced such intense cravings and ravenous hunger nursing both my babes. I was also EXHAUSTED when nursing my first, but did some things different with our second that helped a ton (I share what I changed while nursing baby #2 below)!
Our new mom bodies are working overtime to not only heal from childbirth but also produce enough nutrition for our developing baby AND ourselves to power through the demands of motherhood.
It is so important that we fuel ourselves with the best nutrition possible to not only keep our own energy up, but also provide nutrient dense fuel to our rapidly growing babies.
For me, this meant eating a clean, whole foods nutrition plan and supplementing with a nutrient-dense smoothie every day. I highly recommend taking part in my Mindful Nourishment Class to access heathy meal plans and mindset before baby arrives.
Supplementing with a superfood smoothie was something I caught on to just as my oldest was weaning at 15 months old years ago, and has been something I drink daily ever since.
It was a Godsend for managing my ravenous hunger, sweet tooth cravings, and helping with energy both while I was pregnant and now while nursing baby #2. HERE’S THE ONE I USED .
To help you especially in the early days with eating clean whole foods, look into meal delivery services. You can even add them to your baby registry as a gift someone can give you.
Having clean meals delivered during your early “new mom” days is awesome! I love Sunbasket (all farm to table, organic, fresh food meals delivered to your door). There are others that I’ve heard good things about, but Sunbasket is the only one I have first-hand knowledge of.
Lastly, and this is not proven but I SWEAR it helped me, I didn’t do placental encapsulation with my first, but did with my second and I had way more energy and was in much better spirits after baby 2. Even though with baby 2 I had to have a c-section and by all accounts, it was a much more difficult delivery, I had more energy and my milk supply was AMAZING.
TO INCREASE MILK SUPPLY
HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE. Water is so important not only for milk production but also for your healing and for your energy & overall well-being. I admittedly am always needing reminding of this, but by hydrating, I always see a boost in my production.
I also love adding flavor and extra electrolytes without all the added sugar and crap, by adding either Ultima & Hydrate which are my go-to favorites. HERE IS A LINK TO MY RECIPE FOR ELECTROLYTE POPSICLES & other healthy sweet tooth fixes. WHAT YOU EAT MATTERS.
My other tip to help with production is eating fruits & veggies with high water content. Grapefruit, cucumber, celery, tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, watermelon, star fruit, strawberries, leafy greens, broccoli, and baby carrots are some of the top ones to have in the rotation.
I also like to take a shot of Power Greens daily, which I definitely feel helped along with my Super Charged Superfood Smoothie Recipe, which I mentioned above. I firmly believe my daily superfood smoothie was a catalyst to my healthy milk production, and reason that I never have dipped in supply when I started working out again.
I also have worked with numerous friends who swear by using BoobFood Cookies and/or making their own lactation cookies. I personally have found that an amazing bowl of steel cut oats topped with mixed berries and collagen peptides or a cup of Mothers Milk Tea, can be a significant boost too.
SUPPORT YOUR “BREAST” FRIENDS
Having proper support for your large and in charge ladies is so important. Especially for those of you who, like me, are looking forward to getting active ASAP. Doing exercise when your milk-filled breasts are bouncing all over the place is no picnic.
I found a few sports bras that were nursing friendly that I loved. For around the house. casual, easy access I used bandeau bras a lot! Remember, you don’t want anything to be too tight as it will restrict and cause clogs.
Here are a few favorites I live in:
Nursing Sports Bra
VSX Front Zip
Bandeau Bras (great for night time and casual all-day access)
LEAKAGE ALERT!
Like it or not it happens. Be prepared! I had many an occasion where my letdown just happened and ruined my top. I LOVED Bamboobies! I tried several other cheaper brands, but ALWAYS opted for Bamboobies because of how soft they were and you could slide them in with no visible seams showing through your clothes.
POSITION MATTERS
My oldest was such a stickler for being held in “the right” position and favored my right breast. I had to really play with different types of holds to find the right ones for each of my girls.
If you’re having trouble with your latch I highly recommend seeking out a lactation consultant for help with finding the right nursing position for your baby. This is so important to do in person so they can see first hand how baby is latching and how you’re holding them.
Simple tweaks can be made that make a HUGE difference, and in some cases, they can help you detect if baby is having trouble latching because of a physiological reason like a tongue tie which can be easily fixed by the babies health care provider.
Also, invest in a back pillow with arms for you & a nursing pillow. I LOVE our Boppy and back pillow and both were a Godsend for some extra support in properly positioning my babies while nursing.
GET A GOOD PUMP
I was fortunate to be a full-time stay-at-home mama for both my girls. But even though they were both exclusively breastfed, for my sanity I pumped bottles so that in the event I needed to go to an appointment, or have Daddy handle a late-night feeding, we had plenty-o-milk on hand and ready to go.
I personally used the Medela Advanced Pump for both my babies and LOVE it. However, I have also heard amazing things about the Spectra Cordless Breast Pump too. Just depends on your needs. I also recommend getting all the sanitation supplies that come with them, and a hands-free pumping bra if you’ll be needing to pump regularly when going back to work.
Also, I didn’t allow any bottle feeds until both my girls had established an excellent latch. Once I did allow bottles, the only one they would take was Como Tomo bottle which mimics more of a breastfed feed.
COLICY BABIES & SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
I often joke that our oldest “hazed” us into parenthood, but I assure you, as we were living/surviving through it, it was no joking matter. She literally screamed all the time, even if she appeared to be sleeping, she was screaming in her sleep. To say we were tired new parents would be a MASSIVE understatement. I slept upright with her on my chest for 6 months.
Those were the longest 6 months of my life. Here are a few valuable things we learned and implemented with baby 2 that made a world of difference.
- I had to hand express my foremilk before allowing her to latch or she would take on too much at once.
- She couldn’t lay her flat after feeds. So I learned that nursing her to sleep was a big no-no. They now have some devices for sleep that I’ve heard are amazing (but pricey), but had they been around at that time I would have jumped on them – to hell with the cost. You can’t put a price on sleep or your sanity.
Although I have no personal experience with these devices they come highly recommended from some of my closest and most trusted mom friends. The Babo Cush & SNOO are, from what I understand, the most genius devices ever created to help soothe colicky babies.
- We tried gripe water with both my girls, and while my hubby swears it helps, I’m not such a huge believer, but we always have it on hand.
- Avoid certain foods that can cause baby to have an upset tummy. Here is a great breakdown of foods to avoid while breastfeeding that could cause baby to be more gassy.
- Finally, with my oldest, the only thing that finally worked for us was getting her put on medication. It was my absolute last resort and something I resisted until she was 6 months old, since she was gaining weight just fine. But, knowing what I know now I shouldn’t have waited that long for her sake and ours.
NOTE: I had tried changing what I ate, eliminated everything, slowly adding things back in one by one, but nothing helped until she was placed on reflux medication. I share this because sometimes having the option to relieve their distress with medicine is the right answer, when you’ve exhausted all other holistic and natural approaches, which we had.
Once we introduced medicine she FINALLY slept through the night and didn’t look to be in pain after eating and while sleeping. Watch your baby, follow their cues and symptoms, and don’t be afraid to ask for help!
IN SUMMARY
All this is to say that if you’re struggling to make breastfeeding happen, or if you’ve had to switch to bottles, FED IS BEST! I’m currently 9 months into nursing baby 2 and am thankfully still exclusively breastfeeding our girl.
As I had to learn the hard way with our first, PLEASE don’t ever hesitate to seek out the help of a lactation consultant or join one of the many support groups online or in person that openly discuss these topics. I have an amazing Healthy Mom Support Community called Rocking Your Bump and Beyond that is focused on helping mamas who are expecting and recently postpartum be their healthiest selves. If you want more info CLICK HERE!
I love when we mamas can support one another!
NEVER HESITATE TO CONTACT ME IF YOU’D LIKE HELP OR SUPPORT WITH ANY OF THE ABOVE!