At my baby shower, my family and friends were eager to share their best birth and pregnancy advice. I heard all about how to combat pregnancy heartburn and where to find the most comfortable maternity leggings. I was told over and over that most babies go past their due date so as not to be impatient and that birthing on your back isn’t the ideal position for a baby's grand entrance. But no one warned me about breastfeeding.
Even though, under ideal circumstances, I would be pregnant for 9ish months, in labor for a day or so, and then breastfeeding for 1 to 2 years — maybe a little less, maybe a little more. In my early days of mothering, breastfeeding would most likely consume many, many more days than pregnancy and birth combined. Looking back, it was breastfeeding I really needed the scoop on.
So, if you’re planning to breastfeed, here are a few things I wish I would have heard at my baby shower …
My milk didn’t come in until the third night after my baby was born. And it’s normal for it to take up to five or six days, especially if you have a C-section. Before that, moms produce colostrum, which is perfectly designed to sustain baby so don’t let stress creep into your early breastfeeding days. Just keep baby at the breast often to signal to your body that there is a hungry little one waiting for the deluge, and keep in touch with your lactation support to help circumvent any issues that may arise early on.
Nothing beats a breastfeeding mentor — whether it’s a mom friend who has breastfed before, a La Leche League group, or a lactation consultant. To get through the rough patches you really need someone who can handle boob/nipple and related questions or texts any hour of the day. Even a good book with a decent index comes in handy.
If you breastfeed for a year, you’ll clock, on average, 1,800 hours of nursing! A full-time job with three weeks of vacation is 1,960 hours so, yeah, breastfeeding is a HUGE time commitment. In the first few months, your entire life and schedule will revolve around it. I honestly had no idea.
Shopping for breastfeeding-friendly clothing isn’t impossible, but it sure isn’t easy. Most dresses are a no-go, and high-neck tops leave you exposing your postpartum tummy or layering, even in the summer heat. Prepare to let go of some favorites and modify your wardrobe; breastfeeding requires much more flexible fashion. Stretchy, V-neck tops will become your new best friends for the near future.
Finding a comfortable, functional nursing bra is such a task, and although options have increased over the years, the best news in the nursing bra world is that for a small fee, Nordstrom can alter almost any of their bras into a nursing bra.
When the topic of breastfeeding comes up, you’ll hear every single bad thing that has ever happened to a woman. Milk laced with blood from cracked nipples, babies who can’t latch, milk that never comes in, constant thrush, reverse cycling … just remember, like birth stories, you’ll have your own bumps, but generally, every breastfeeding woe won't happen to one mama.
Maybe not everything — mastitis sucks! — but those cozy moments when your baby looks up at you with thankful eyes, or falls asleep with milk bubbles on their lips. Those are such precious memories, so try to enjoy them while you can.
