I’m writing this post because I run into, and know personally, so many women who wish they could have breastfed or wished they breastfed longer than they actually did.  For the people who never wanted to breastfeed, this is not directed towards you.  Professionals in our society (especially in America) don’t seem to know much about breastfeeding in some cases and in others, they seem more concerned with forcing us to use formula that many women find themselves in a place where they aren’t getting enough support from their doctors or even the people around them.  After my experience with my first child and from being around tons of other women who have breastfed, here is a list breast feeding basics that will help you to get a good idea of what to expect:

1)  If you are thinking about breastfeeding know this:  If you are willing to only “try it,” you are setting yourself up for not really succeeding with or not going as long as you might intend to go.  Why do I say that? Because in the beginning, for most women, breastfeeding is very difficult.  I know it is a natural thing, but it does take some getting used to and it can be extremely painful.  If you are not determined to do it and you are in the “try it” mentality, you will definitely give up on it before you have a chance to get the hang of it.  Trust me, the women who are determined often give up or think about giving up often in the process because it is just that difficult.  

2)  Get out of your mind that you may not have enough milk or that you aren’t producing enough milk.  Did you know that according to research only 4% of women truly have a low supply and there is nothing they can do about it?  This means that mostly all of the women I’ve run into who say that they just dried up more than likely were just uneducated about how to get the most out of their supply.  No worries.  I’m not blaming them.  This was not their fault!  Our cultures are not very breastfeeding-friendly as I mentioned earlier.  The key is to get help as often as you can.  Talk to lactation consultants constantly while in the hospital.  See them and call them even when you are home.  I also joined a local La Leche League group where the leaders were voluntarily on-call to answer my questions when I needed help.  

3)  Try to make sure you have a support system that is going to help you stick with it and get through the tough times.  My husband was awesome.  The thing about that was, we were both new to the whole idea of breastfeeding.  Neither one of us had experience being around others who had done it before so I was blessed to have gotten a pediatrician for my son who was tough and said “just do it.”  She reminded me of all the women who did it before me who got through the pain of it in the beginning and she said, “it’s the least I can do for the health of me and my baby.”   She gave me that tough conversation when I wanted to quit and told me what I needed to hear and didn’t let me give up when I wanted to because she knew I really wanted to breastfeed.  

4)  Trust in how your body was made.  So many people are quick to assume that we aren’t making enough milk when the babies are cranky and crying.  Babies cry.  It might sound stressful when it’s happening but they do.  The way our bodies work is if we are constantly nursing baby, we will keep producing milk.  Supplementing with formula is almost never necessary to make sure baby is getting enough to eat and what it does is tell your body to stop producing more milk.  

5)  Let’s say you are noticing a dip in your supply because you went with the advice of people around you and started supplementing.  You can actually get your supply back up by just continuing to put baby at the breast.  Pumping too early when your supply isn’t regulated to baby’s needs will most likely cause supply issues.  For at least the first 4-8 weeks you need to keep baby directly at the breast.  The pump cannot get the milk out of the breast as well as baby can. 

6)  Keep your nipples moist.  I never washed my nipple area with soap for approximately the first 3 months because the soap actually dries them out.  I also used the lanolin from the hospital.  A nipple cream that was even better was Mother Love Nipple Cream.  Both of these creams do not need to be wiped off before baby nurses.  You can also leave a little bit of milk around the breast and let it air dry after a feeding.  This heals your nipples from when they are sore and could be bleeding.  

7)  You can alleviate sore nipples with a nipple shield.  Get help with this if you don’t know how to use it for sure.  But it is great to use a couple of times during a day to give your nipples a break when they are bleeding.  I personally never used one, but I know plenty of people who have and it was a lifesaver.

8)  Don’t be ashamed to nurse in public.  This is something that I was so concerned about because sometimes people talk about instances where a mom was asked to leave or something extreme like that.  When I had concerns, I asked a large group of women who had been breastfeeding for a long time and all of them told me that it really is not as serious as people make it seem.  Occasionally, they told me a few of them had gotten a stare or a look but no one really said much.  Often, they told me they had looks of endearment from other moms who probably had been there done that before.  All we have to do is wear layers so that if we do need to lift our shirts, we have a cami or something similar underneath.  But there are many breastfeeding clothes out there too that support you doing it discreetly, especially if your little nursling is opposed to nursing covers like my 16 month old.  

9)  Consider breastfeeding longer than even a year.  There are an astounding amount of benefits for mom and baby the longer you breastfeed.  The World Health Organization actually recommends breastfeeding for the first 2 years of your baby’s life.  Once baby is up to about 12 months or so, you will notice a shift in how often he or she nurses for sure so it most likely won’t be as often as a newborn, but continuing that bond with your little one through breastfeeding can me more rewarding than you think.  Check out some benefits here! 

10)  Don’t feel guilty if you are reading this and you did stop earlier than you would have liked to or if you never breastfed but always wanted to.  My only charge to you would be to either try again next time, if it will be a next time for you, or perhaps point another mom in the direction to learn more and get the support she needs so she will be able to do what’s best for her and her baby.

Do you have anything that you would want to tell women about breastfeeding?  Did you learn something new about it?  I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

XoXo,