**This post is sponsored by NursElet. However, all opinions and thoughts are my own.**
Often people talk about breastfeeding like it’s a walk in the park but it was actually only since becoming a mother myself and starting the breastfeeding journey did I understand and fully appreciate just how hard it can be. Mostly, at the beginning anyway. Whether your baby be breast fed or bottle fed the fact that you’re feeding your baby and giving him /her everything he/she needs nutritionally then bravo to you mama.
Sorry if there are any dads reading this too from my stats it shows the majority are women 🙂 . Some parents choose to bottle feed their babies from the word go and I know some have no choice in the matter. Whichever path you have to take then as long as your little loved one is being fed then that’s the main thing, isn’t it? Don’t ever beat yourself up over which way you feed your baby as often these choices are out of our control. I tell you, us mamas are great at giving ourselves a hard time sometimes but just remember how fabulous of a job you’re doing and how much your baby adores you already. For the purpose of this post I want to share with you my experience of breastfeeding, the highs and the lows and the things I wished people had told me about breastfeeding before I embarked on this amazing yet sometimes challenging journey.
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The beginning stages. Oh these are the most testing and beautiful times I believe for any mum who wants to start on the breastfeeding journey. Particularly the first two weeks. I remember with Jonah as soon as he was born and was placed on my chest he started feeding straight away and he’s still obsessed with food now so nothings changed there haha. With Noah he fed a couple of hours later after lots of skin to skin and perseverance with helping him latch on. Totally the opposite of this, I watched my friend having to express for days before she actually got to hold her baby for the first time so I know every mum goes through different experiences with their baby. The highs in those initial two weeks: Bonding with your babe, it’s honestly the best feeling ever. I feel incredibly blessed that I have been able to breastfeed both my babies. (Noah was mostly pumped but still breast milk right!). It’s possibly one of the most beautiful euphoric moments I’ve ever experienced. That feeling of providing, nurturing and looking after your baby in the most intimate and caring way is such a wonderful experience. Bigger and fuller boobs, I’ve heard you appreciate this more after you’ve finished breastfeeding (lol). It’s free. Skin-to-skin contact. It becomes easier with time as you both learn what works for you. You don’t have to be organised as you can feed on tap wherever and whenever you like. I don’t want to mention this but it’s true, you lose calories but then again I consume more calories because of this so I guess you win some, you lose some :). It gives you a break from doing chores in the house as you sit down and feed your baby. Winning! (That’s if your not trying to feed one handed chasing a toddler around the house haha).
The things I wish I’d known, I’m going to elaborate more on this because these are things I had absolutely no idea about and thought I must be doing something wrong: Cracked nipples – oh my word! I can’t tell you how painful this is. It’s a toe curling kind of pain every time Noah or Jonah latched on. Once they had started feeding though after a minute or so this pain would generally subside so it was definitely short lived and one of those kinds of pains that you know you have to endure to reap the benefits. Contractions after the birth – I got this the most with Jonah to be honest. For about a week after I gave birth to him, every time he fed I would feel pretty intense contractions across my stomach which was my uterus shrinking back down to normal size. I mean this is amazing that your body will naturally do this but you think after you’ve been through labour surely that’s it regarding putting yourself through anymore pain. No pain, no gain as they say!. Engorged breasts when the milk comes in – it’s as if over night you get a surprise boob job where they go from one extreme to the other. Your hubby may be like woah but if you’re anything like me they will be so uncomfortable and hard that you’re like, back off until you can get some of that milk outta there haha. Blocked ducts: I remembered getting this a few times with Noah and it being very uncomfortable and painful at times. There are few reasons why you might end up with a blocked milk duct usually wearing a nursing bra that’s too tight or the milk not being drained from your breast for longer than usual. How to get rid of a blocked milk duct; they say a warm shower / bath helps as you firmly brush or massage the breast from the top towards the nipple. Also expressing is great for this to release the milk and properly drain it so it doesn’t build up too much again. I always found that massaging the swollen area whilst expressing always worked for me :). Leaking breasts: Yes it happens and I would advise to be prepared, always! As you never know when you’re going to come across a crying baby, even if it’s not yours you suddenly feel that tingling sensation and then yep you got it, out the milk comes! I never leave the house without my breast pads now, I even sleep in them otherwise I would wake up in a sticky milk bath. I usually wear one of those tops with the hidden supports because they’re so much more comfy to sleep in than a bra and the breast pads stay put perfectly. I use these breast pads which are super soft and comfy and stay dry too even through the night! Please remember I’m only highlighting some of the harder times of breast feeding to let any new mamas know that if you too go through any of these like I did then you know it’s completely normal and you’re definitely not on your own!! I honestly had no idea about any of the above so I remember googling everything to find out that they were pretty common things.
After the initial stages. Ok so you’re now a few weeks into breastfeeding and you feel like you’re finding your rhythm and getting to know how and when your baby likes to feed. This is great and this is where it starts to feel easier I’d say.With Jonah (because it got so easy to breastfeed) I only expressed when I needed to, like the painful nights of swollen boobs or just to work on my supply backup. Due to this it actually became more of a faff to go out without him because it resulted in Jonah not really taking the bottle well and then me not feeling confident in leaving him in case he got too upset and hungry as he refused the bottle. It can feel quite restricting when this happens so I was determined to do things differently. I started giving Jonah bottles at night. I probably would have started a little sooner than four weeks but it’s taken us a little longer to get breastfeeding fully established this time around and I didn’t want to confuse matters. As Jonah was so fussy with bottles I thought it best I try a bottle that is most breast like to help aid combined feeding. It’s funny now being on this journey for a second time as both my boys have been so different. Jonah would often feed up to 30 minutes and longer if he was really hungry but Noah was always between 10-15 minutes. Jonah’s a little tinker for pulling off a lot too as he tries to catch his breath again which results in him being sprayed in the face with milk and then me quickly ushering him to latch back on again before we’re both a sticky milky mess haha.
So breastfeeding, it’s actually more of an elaborate subject than I thought. There are so many other things I could discuss about it like breastfeeding in public or what to wear when breastfeeding and how mothers are permanently attached at the hip to their babies. But I will save these subjects for another time and another post.
All I will say is if it is your hearts desire to breastfeed and your facing what feels like the biggest bridge to jump over, persevere, be strong and stay positive! You can do it! I assure you it does get easier! Specially if you decide to add NursElet into your breastfeeding moments, it makes everything so much calm and less stressful. Don't have to worry about holding or lifting your top up or sideways. But… in saying that, I know for some it doesn’t and the last thing you want is to resent feeding time so above anything whether you have to give the bottle or the breast, make it an enjoyable time where you can enjoy connecting with your baby and know that you are being the best mum you can be. You are amazing!! Never forget that! I would love to hear of any tips you have or information that may help me or others after reading this post and your experiences of breastfeeding or bottle feeding and what worked for you! We’re all in this together in this wonderful motherhood journey! Have a great rest of the week.