I feel like I could write a book on everything I’ve experienced throughout my breastfeeding journey so far, and I’m only 7 months in! It might just be my favourite thing in the world, but it hasn’t come without it’s struggles! Here are 8 things I wish I’d known before starting my nursing journey:
1. The contractions. Literally. What kind of sick joke was nature playing with this one?! Within the first couple of weeks, it’s very normal to experience uterine contractions when feeding your baby as your uterus starts to shrink back to its normal size. Thank you biology.
2. Cluster. Feeding. Mamas, if you’re planning on breastfeeding, please research cluster feeding and be prepared to spend days on the sofa. This is a very common and often overlooked part of breastfeeding which can cause many women to give up on their feeding journey prematurely, due to thinking their supply isn’t enough. Essentially, your baby will cluster feed for a few days at a time during growth spurts. This could be every 20 minutes, day and night. They’re upping your supply ready for their next stage of development – it’s exhausting, mentally and physically, but it doesn’t last long. As long as your baby is gaining weight and having regular nappy outputs, your supply is just fine. Don’t doubt yourself! To make these periods a little easier, make sure you have some Netflix shows lined up and a snack hamper within easy reach!
3. Your baby will be fussy, they will cry, and they will unlatch. For the first few weeks, there would be times where my daughter would scream, cry and thrash around when feeding. She would latch, unlatch and repeat. I remember sitting and crying for hours thinking there was something horribly wrong. It turns out, all of this is normal infant behaviour. It’s sending messages to your breasts to stimulate milk supply. These periods are incredibly hard, but they will pass.
4. The exaggerated latch – A GAME CHANGER. Not all babies will latch perfectly right away, and not all babies will open their mouth and latch as wide as we’re told they ‘should’. My daughter never, ever opened wide and I tried all the tools and techniques in the book. I then discovered the exaggerated latch. I used this for a few weeks until she got a bit older and more experienced, until one day she just started latching wonderfully herself. Admittedly she doesn’t open her mouth wide, she just sucks it in! But it works for us. I think of latching like childbirth – in theory, your waters break, you have contractions, and you push your baby out. But that isn’t the case for everyone – emergency c sections, assisted deliveries, labouring for days… it isn’t always textbook. The same goes for feeding. As long as your baby is gaining, you aren’t in pain, and their nappies are wet/dirty, don’t worry if their latch isn’t textbook. If it’s working for you, keep doing what you’re doing.
5. Babies nurse for so many reasons – hunger, thirst, comfort, growth spurts, leaps… And every reason is completely valid. As adults, we eat and drink for many different reasons, why should a baby be any different? Remember, dummies were created to replicate nipples, not the other way round. You cannot be “used as a dummy”.
6. EVERYONE will have an opinion. You’ll hear “they can’t be hungry again?” “Why don’t you give them a bottle?” “Are you sure they don’t just want a dummy?” No matter how pure the intention, it can be incredibly frustrating. Just block out the noise and continue your journey however you want to. If they keep offering unwanted opinions, perhaps give them a dummy, that might keep them quiet for a while.
7. The letdown. I’d never even heard of this before and I didn’t experience the sensation until my baby was around 8 weeks old. The letdown is the reflex that makes your milk flow. Some people feel it, some don’t. I feel it in both breasts when my baby triggers it. It feels like a warm/pulling sensation – it isn’t nice, but it doesn’t last long.
8. How incredibly wonderful it is. Honestly, it’s a very demanding and exhausting thing to do, especially the first couple of months. But, once you get past the hurdles, it’s an absolute joy. The bond, the closeness, the knowledge that you’re providing your baby with so much goodness makes every single sleepless night, cluster feeding period and tears shed worthwhile.
Trust your body, trust your baby, and follow your instincts. Breastfeeding is such a rollercoaster of emotions and a journey I would do over and over again. If you’re hoping to breastfeed, please utilise all support available, be it Facebook groups or a local breastfeeding cafe. You’ve got this!
The Unseasoned Mother 