When I started breastfeeding I wasn’t completely naive, I knew that the process of breastfeeding was a learning experience for both me and my baby and for the first few times I fed I made sure I had a midwife in the room with me to help. Most were wonderful, instructing me without judging or imposing their opinions upon me. One was horrible all I can remember was being on the verge of tears as my breasts were still only producing colostrums and I was struggling to get Eli to latch on correctly the first time This horrible midwife grabbed my nipple to get a drop of milk out to coax a fussy Eli and grabbing my newborns head and rammed it on. I was very uncomfortable with this and obviously made my complaints.
Latching on is something baby and you have to learn. They obviously have their natural born instincts and I found it actually easy to wait until Eli was fussing before putting him on as I was guaranteed a 9 times out of 10 time of a perfect latch. (if they don’t latch on the best advice I was given was to use your little finger to lease the little suction cap they’d created and try again.)
The third day when my milk came in I remember being so teary and over the idea of breastfeeding. My breasts were so painful. I can remember wanting to cut them off and grab a bottle! What was all this rubbish about breastfeeding being a beautiful thing?
But I was too lazy to learn about bottles and formula and I was convinced I would attempt to give my baby the best of the best and I am very, very big on “breast is best” and I adamant at having a red hot go at this!
I am not going to lie as I am doing this breastfeeding blog for mothers I know who have asked me about my experiences with it. Breastfeeding for me, was painful to start with, after Eli and I had conquered the latching on, which until he mastered that brought on a few tears, there was the milk coming in! The painful engorged leaky breasts, the bed being wet, constantly having to change breastpad’s and nursing tops, not being able to breathe properly due to the two massively engorged painfully stretched rocks sitting on my chest. When was this torture going to end?
My milk finally settled down within a week My body had finally learnt when Eli would want a feed and I now had the challenge of coping with the hot sensation of the letdown and feeling my uterus contract every time Eli latched on, I also had to deal with the fact that my right breast was cracked sore and bleeding.
If this happens to you I strongly recommend lanasolin cream for your nipple you don’t need to wash it off before feeding and it prevented the nipple drying out and your poor cracked part sticking to the breast pad (cringe)
This pain was the worse. I gave myself a month.
I swore I would give it a red hot go. If this pain wouldn’t go away after a month of applying lanasolin so regularly I went through so many tubes then I would give up and try bottles.
Nevertheless the pain stopped and Eli and I became pros
We learnt to be able to feed in the dark, he learnt to find my nipple himself without my guidance, and the bonus of breastfeeding for me was, on a very rough night I could just bring him right back to bed with me, lie down and latch him on and snooze off! No warming bottles and I hardly even had to wake up!
There were other obstacles, for the first few months I had to really watch what I ate. Nothing to gassy no cabbage, I couldn’t eat chocolate !!! argh! I’m a new mother, sleep deprived with no chocolate!
A common misconception is that breastfed babies will not sleep through the night as well as bottle fed babies. This is untrue, If you have baby on a proper routine (I chose Tizzie Hall Save our sleep and I swear by it!) then a full night’s sleep doesn’t have to be an issue at all.
Tizzie Hall Save our sleep was a godsend for me. Through the use of this book and following its routine Eli slept from 7 to 7 from 3 months on. Eli went down at 7 every night after a feed and I would then give him what is called a dreamfeed at 1030 ( a dreamfeed is getting your baby out of the cot , latching them on and giving them the 1030 feed without waking them up. Feeding is an instinct so he will not choke.)
I ended up feeding Eli with no issues until he was 14 months old, he started weaning himself from certain feeds at about 9 months when I fell pregnant, (not sure why but maybe my milk tasted differently? Or maybe he just didn’t need it?) but, we still had the upset feeds and the night time feed.
Finally weaning Eli off the night time feed was the hardest. Don’t get me wrong, he was fine and at 14 months he was more than ready to leave that feed in his baby days but I didn’t cope so well, the first night he went without a feed I cried, I missed our moment together, looking down and staring at my beautiful little baby boy feeding.
Breastfeeding , to me, is the most beautiful natural thing I have ever done.
I’ve been asked a few times about my experience with breastfeeding, and before I continue I’d like to make sure people know am not an ABA counsellor, I have no qualifications, and am no kind of lactation specialist, but, my answers to the following are honest stories and answers from what I have had to learn through my 14 months of breastfeeding.
Also keep in mind, everyone’s bodies are different and every baby and breastfeeding experience is different.
Questions I have been asked
Did your baby bite when he got teeth?
I was petrified of this one and felt lucky Eli didn’t get his first tooth until 9 months old (I was dreading it, so many people told me horror stories) but don’t worry my baby didn’t bite especially with only his bottom teeth. His tongue covered them. Even with 8 teeth he didn’t bite except the occasional time he was being a cheeky bugger rtoward the end and hed bite and look up at me with the devil in his eyes and not just laugh, he would CHUCKLE!!!
Can you get pregnant when you are breastfeeding?
Yes.
Look at my belly!
I’m pretty sure under 6 months old and for a fully demand fed baby that it can be considered a contraceptive but don’t quote me on that but I fell pregnant when Eli was on 4 feeds daily and I knew I was pregnant instantly .
Eli started feeding strangely, not as much and not really enjoying feeds and holy moley was I tired.
He soon adapted and just slowly weaned himself off
Is breastfeeding bad on your unborn child?
I was worried about this too but the doctor reassured me unborn bub would take first dibs on the goodness then Eli, through breastfeeding and then I could have whatever nutrients were left.
I don’t believe, if I were to ever get pregnant again whilst breastfeeding, that I would ever breastfeed as long but as I am not planning on any more children I am hoping to breastfeed Fyn at least until he is two.
Shock horror! Yes, I said it breastfeed until he is two!
Why not? Breastfeeding is possibly the best bonding experience out and so good for our little ones
Don’t you want your own body back? I’m asked..
Breastfeeding was the best weight loss I went back to smaller than my pre pregnancy body within a month breastfeeding and frankly (except for the occasional night)
I don’t care about drinking and when put on a proper routine I can plan my life and not be locked in the house I can go clubbing (sober of course) and I can do everything other 22 year olds do but I became a mother to be a MOTHER and if that means losing my “party animal” identity for a while then it is worth it to provide my baby with breast milk the best thing for them!
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