Breastfeeding was a strange thing for me. At first, I didn’t think that I would be comfortable with it. Then, I decided to try it. Then I began to learn all the things about it that no one wants to tell you.
In the hospital, you will have LOTS of help trying to learn how to breastfeed. Each nurse will ask you if you need help and lactation specialists are available if you need them. There are so many people offering their “breastfeeding techniques” that you begin to lose your modesty. One night a hospital employee knocked on my door with my dinner. He was visibly embarrassed and apologetic when he walked in on me nursing my son. I barely looked away from the tv except to say thank you. I wanted to ask him if he knew any breastfeeding tips, everyone else did.
It is very hard to get your baby to latch on correctly, and if you don’t, you will know it. In a day or two, you will wish for your old nipples back instead of the swollen, painful red ones that now belong to you. It is exhausting and frustrating to try to get your baby to latch on correctly. It could take many tries until they finally latch, then they get a couple good gulps and then they fall asleep in your arms. (And by the way, don’t forget to use your little finger to break their latch seal before you try to move your baby away from your chest. If you don’t, you will feel like your nipples are stretching across the room. OUCH!)
Your baby will eat every 2-3 hours and you will know that it is time because you will feel like your bra is carrying two large rocks or melons and your chest will ache. If you are late for a feeding, there will be so much milk that your baby may have a hard time latching on. The good news is once he/she starts drinking, you will feel comfortable again. It also took me until my second child to understand what the “let down” is. Once your baby starts to drink from one side, you will feel this warm, releasing sensation from both breasts. You may also experience leaking from the side that they haven’t gotten to yet. Oh yeah, and you will be wearing your nursing bra all day and all night for the remainder of your breast feeding time. Buy a couple of comfortable ones.
Leaking can also occur if you hear them cry. Hearing your baby cry can make your chest ache and you may find yourself with two round wet spots on your shirt. And it doesn’t have to be your baby. Any baby crying will trigger this. Shortly after our third son was born, my husband and I took our new sleeping baby to lunch with us. He did great and slept through our entire lunch. Somewhere around the dessert, a baby at the table next to us began to cry, the next thing that I know I am sitting with my arms crossed in front of my chest. “It’s not that bad” my husband tried to reassure me. “Oh sure,” I answer. “You are right. I could have just been resting them on the table by two drinks that didn’t have coasters. Thanks.” Hey lady! This is a restaurant, NOT a wet T-shirt contest.
Newborns eat all the time and if your baby is not tolerant about taking a bottle, you will be restricted in how long you can be away from them. Not only do they eat all the time, but they also eat for long periods of time. My newborns would eat sometimes for an hour. In the first couple of days home from the hospital, I would fall asleep feeding the baby. Sitting up, laying down. It didn’t matter. My husband would find us. Our baby was eating furiously while I slept through it all. Already, I was multi-tasking.
If you are lucky, you will never experience a clogged milk duct. It has happened to me a few times and each time is the same. I experience pain on the side of the breast and a small tender lump starts to form. The area has always looked red and splotchy. I have developed these during times of extreme lack of sleep and stress. I would suggest contacting a doctor if you experience these symptoms.
The night sweating was something that I never understood. It happened for at least a month after I delivered and may have been even longer. When I would get up during the night to feed the baby, I would be sweating. My chest, my neck, my back, my body. Wet with sweat. Sometimes I would even change clothes. What was it? Did it go along with breastfeeding? Was it extra fluid that my body was releasing post delivery? I don’t remember it happening during the day but what an annoyance at night. Luckily, it seemed to end as quickly as it started.
These were just some of the more memorable things that I learned on my own and in talking with other Moms, found that I wasn’t the only one experiencing them. My husband used to tell me that between the constant feedings (and lack of sleep), soreness, leaking, and clogged milk duct pain, he didn’t know how I could keep up with the baby’s feedings. My answer was simple, I am the Mom. I could do what it takes.