Should I Breastfeed? My (Mostly) Successful Experience
What a wild ride my breastfeeding journey has been so far. I'm here to help answer the question, "Should I breastfeed?"
Going from having no idea what I’m doing when it comes to breastfeeding to finally being comfortable with it has been a big transition for me.
Still, it has been hard.
For some new moms, they never could figure it out or the pain was unbearable for them.
For others, it just takes a while.
I’m writing this article to share my breastfeeding journey and to offer pregnant women a glimpse of what it’s like.
Just remember that every mom’s breastfeeding journey is different. Even though you might’ve heard stories from other moms, my story could be different.
I hope reading about my story inspires you, offers you some insights, and helps you decide between formula feeding and breastfeeding.
Let’s get into it.
The First Night of Breastfeeding
In case you don’t know what colostrum is, it’s essentially the first type of milk our bodies produce.
It’s dubbed as “liquid gold” because it’s packed with nutrients. Colostrum lasts about a few days before your “actual” milk starts coming in.
Before my baby was even born, I tried to hand-express colostrum at around 36 weeks pregnant.
It didn’t work and I thought I was already off to a rough start (I wasn’t by the way, there’s no need to pressure yourself to hand express before your baby arrives).
I gave up trying to express milk early because I didn’t want to place undue stress on myself. I decided to wait until my baby was born and just give breastfeeding my best shot.
After my baby was born and his health checks were completed, I got to hold him and give breastfeeding a shot.
Admittedly, I was awkward trying to hold my baby. It was my first time holding a baby in YEARS.
I didn’t understand how to hold him comfortably so that he could latch. It was a struggle.
Fortunately, the nurses and my midwife were incredibly supportive and they helped me adjust my positioning until I got it right.
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The First Week of Breastfeeding
While at the hospital, the nurses encouraged me to hand express milk into a syringe to make sure my baby was getting enough milk since latching was still a work in progress.
Embarrassingly enough, I couldn’t even do that properly. The nurse taught my partner how to do it and he hand-expressed the milk for me!
What made things even harder that week was on the third night with my baby, I couldn’t breastfeed at all.
My nipples were incredibly sore and my baby kept crying at my breast because he was hungry.
I was exhausted and started balling my eyes out.
At this point, my partner went out and bought formula because we didn’t think ahead to buy any in case this sort of thing happened.
Though I was overwhelmed, sad, and discouraged then, I eventually figured it out. My mom stayed the night to help me and my partner so I could get a full night of sleep.
After applying some nipple cream, I was able to try my hand at breastfeeding again.
Breastfeeding Gets Easier
The struggle to hold my baby correctly for breastfeeding continued for a couple of weeks, but at least me and the baby were getting the hang of latching.
Luckily, my midwife did home visits for two weeks and helped me along the way.
Unfortunately, my baby was still not getting enough milk. He lost 10% of his weight within the first week after he came home.
My partner and I had to get to work.
My midwife asked me to hand express an ounce of milk into this tiny cup and have my baby drink it after each feeding.
This was laborious but only lasted a few days. It allowed us to keep practicing with the latch but still ensure he was getting enough milk to gain a healthy amount of weight.
Want to read more articles on motherhood and pregnancy? Check these out:
BEFORE YOU TACKLE MOM GUILT ALONE, READ THIS
MY JOURNEY: THE TRANSFORMATION OF LETTING GO OF MOM GUILT
DEALING WITH SLEEP DEPRIVATION AS A NEW MOM
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
The Second Week of Breastfeeding and Beyond
Though my baby and I finally figured out latching and he was gaining a good amount of weight, we still had our struggles.
First of all, I had a hard time recognizing whether my baby was actually feeding or just nursing for comfort.
So, I would just sit there and he would fall asleep still sucking away and I wasn’t sure if I should unlatch him or not.
It seems like such a silly thing to be worried about, but I was genuinely confused.
The difference started to become obvious but it took me a while to get there.
Secondly, around three weeks and during month 2, my baby started to cluster feed.
I thought I was going insane during this period.
He constantly wanted to be at the breast and I could barely leave him with my partner for a few minutes before he started showing his hunger cues and crying.
During this period I could barely do anything for myself.
So, I gave myself a pep talk and reminded myself that it would only be temporary just a few days.
I made peace with myself that I couldn’t shower or clean around the house.
For those few days, my baby and I just sat on the couch and watched TV.
Finally, I can’t remember how far along postpartum I was, but I did get mastitis.
It happened because I didn’t notice right away that my baby wasn’t sucking on my nipple, but rather the side of my boob.
A purple bruise formed and it was incredibly sore.
I just carried out breastfeeding as normal and luckily, it went away after a couple of days.
My Experience With Pumping Milk
Looking back at when I was first learning how to breastfeed, I was obsessed with the idea that I needed to pump to increase my milk supply.
I was getting too sucked in by influencers telling me I need to do this and that to make sure my baby is getting enough milk.
What I didn’t know was that so long as my baby was gaining weight and was content, I had no reason to increase my milk supply.
My body was producing exactly what my baby needed.
I still pumped on occasion just so I had some milk supply for when I wanted to go out.
But I did stop thinking that I needed to pump after every feeding session.
I was also putting myself through way too much stress using a manual pump, so purchased the Mom Cozy hands-free pump.
Final Thoughts
Despite all of these trials and tribulations, I’m glad I decided to stick with breastfeeding.
There are many benefits to feeding your baby formula; however, the benefits of breastfeeding were more important for my purposes:
- At night time, I don’t have to get out of bed to make up a bottle and warm it up
- I can get to my baby quicker when he is hungry
- I don’t have to buy formula, which is very costly
- I can lay in bed with my baby while he feeds
- It’s an easy way to get him to fall back asleep
There are many more benefits than this, but these are the most important to me.
Of course, some downsides include everything I mentioned in this article plus the possible costs of getting a lactation consultant if you end up needing one.
Other problems can result from breastfeeding such as clogged milk ducts, engorgement, thrush, and too much milk supply.
I did experience engorgement when my milk supply first came in and when my baby started sleeping longer at night.
Please look into these further so you can stay informed.
My hope is that sharing my experience has shed some light on what breastfeeding is like for a first-time mom.
My goal is to give you some perspective so you can decide whether you want to try breastfeeding or formula feeding.
Either way, you’re feeding your baby and taking care of his needs, so don’t feel bad if you don’t want to take the breastfeeding route.
"Should I breastfeed?" is a question only you know the answer to.
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions for me! And don't forget to grab my FREE journal if you're feeling guilty in your breastfeeding journey. Sign up below:
Want to read more articles on motherhood and pregnancy? Check these out:
BEFORE YOU TACKLE MOM GUILT ALONE, READ THIS
MY JOURNEY: THE TRANSFORMATION OF LETTING GO OF MOM GUILT
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