All throughout my pregnancy I knew I wanted to breastfeed, and thats all I really thought about it. I didn't expect it to be hard, I thought the baby would latch, and everything would be great... unfortunately, that is not how reality goes. It was actually very very hard, and at times stressful. I eventually switched to pumping because it just wasn't working out for my baby and I. So, here are the top 4 things I wish I would have known about breastfeeding to better prepare myself.
1. A good latch is everything when breastfeeding. Before I had my baby, this was the last thing I thought about...the latch. However, this is what makes the flow of breastfeeding go easily, your baby has to have a good latch. My baby did not latch well and I couldn't get her positioned comfortably and feedings became extremely hard and stressful. My baby would cry because she was hungry but just couldn't quite get the hang of it, which in turn, upset me. I know they have nipple shields to help with this problem (which I wasn't aware of until after I started pumping and giving her a bottle), so if you are going to breastfeed, I would definitely get one!
2. How much milk are they getting? Its easy to know that your baby is getting milk because you can see it on the sides of their mouth. However, I hated not knowing how much she was drinking. Was she getting enough, was she getting too much? I just didn't like that. Now that I'm pumping I am able to know exactly how many oz she is drinking, which I like.
3. It is painful. I couldn't believe how badly it hurt! Sometimes after feedings I would be bleeding (gross, I know..but its true). Babies rub you raw and it got to the point where it was extremely painful even putting a sports bra on. The ointments they give you to help this problem didn't really work for me. Not to mention you have to feed every 2-3 hours, so I don't even think any ointment would have enough time to work. It is also painful when you need to pump, or feed, and can't. You literally start leaking milk and it becomes very uncomfortable. If you don't get the milk out quick enough you can get clogged milk ducts... and this will happen... and it hurts. The only thing that relieves them is just to keep pumping or feeding, eventually the clogged duct will work its way out.
4. Breast feeding/pumping is time consuming. My mom and sister always make fun of me because when they ask what I'm doing, it just so happens I'm usually pumping. They always tell me “story of your life”. And its so true! In order to produce enough for you baby, you are constantly pumping/feeding, especially as they grow and the amount of milk they need rises. I have to pump for about 15 minutes every 3 hours which is very annoying in the night time. There is nothing worse than having to interrupt your sleep, just to get the milk out. I recently got a manual pump, which I mentioned in a previous blog, and it has been a lifesaver for when I go out to the mall, dinner, or just any outing. So, if your going to breastfeed or pump, be aware, it takes a lot of time and get a manual pump for when you aren't home!