My Breastfeeding Experience

Are you on the fence about whether or not you want to breastfeed your child? I am no expert, but I would love to share my experience and hopefully entice you to nurse your little one.

I hardly had any doubt in my mind that I was going to breastfeed my child. I, myself, was breastfed until I was two years old. This was something I knew that I had to do for my child. Not knowing the benefits or the cons and the pros. I blindly made a firm decision in my mind that this was a must do and I am so proud of myself and this journey.

Breast is Best

“There is nothing better than time spent nourishing my baby” -KindredBravely

My sister just had her baby when I found out that I was pregnant. She decided to breastfeed and told me all about her experience as a breastfeeding mama. She told me about her cracked & bleeding nipples during the first two weeks and how painful it was. Unfortunately, her baby had lip ties which made her latch very painful. Her baby also had a dairy sensitivity which forced my sister to go dairy free. However, her determination was simply inspiring. Despite all that could go wrong, she pushed through the pain and ultimately nourished her baby girl with breastmilk for going on 18 months now.

Don't give up!

What I didn't know was how painful it is to breastfeed right after birth. It promotes the shrinking of your uterus causing contractions when the baby nurses. While I did not have cracked or bleeding nipples, thanks to Earth Mama Nipple Butter. I did experience excruciating pain from those dang contractions. Have no fear, after about a week the pain goes away and becomes a distant memory.

You are a rockstar!

“If in doubt, whip it out”

So far, I've discussed all the cons about breastfeeding. It's time to discuss all the benefits and joy it brings me and my baby. I will dabble into the nutrient side of it later on. For now, I want to talk about the connection I have with my baby. Nursing him day in and day out has furthered our bond and makes my baby feel safe and secure. If he's ever upset, I can give him the boob or as I like to call it, "milkies" and immediately he is soothed. I love that he always has access to a food source. I never have to worry about cleaning bottles or if the milk is at the right temperature. It's always there and it's always exactly what he needs.

Keep on Keeping on

Personally, I don't pump. In the beginning, I did. I didn't know that you are supposed to wait 6 weeks before beginning to pump. I wish I did, because I ended up developing mastitis. Mastitis is not your friend, it is not fun. I remember waking up in so much pain. My baby who was such a good sleeper was asleep and I did not want to wake him. The best thing to do when this occurs is to nurse, nurse, nurse, or in my case pump. I walked to the kitchen and began to assemble the pump. During such time I ended up falling to the floor from the pain and nearly passed out. I was laying there crying and luckily my husband came to help. We pumped as much as we could then went and took a hot bath together while he massaged my boob. As romantic as this sounds, I was still in a severe amount of pain. The next day, I called my doctor and was prescribed medicine for the red, inflamed, and painful boob. What I learned is that, if you can help it, I wouldn't pump for 6 weeks. Instead, simply collect let down with a Haaka. Also, if you start to experience clogged ducts or mastitis, you can help prevent and pass these plugs with the help of a magical supplement called sunflower lecithin. This was a huge help and I would 10/10 recommend.

Now it is time to discuss the health benefits of breastfeeding for your child. I want to be perfectly clear, that while I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding, I also understand that fed is best. Some women dry up or don't produce enough milk to satisfy their baby. While there are efforts to improve production. Sometimes it just isn't feasible to breastfeed your baby. And that is okay. FED IS BEST.

Ultimately, breastfeeding provides natural antibodies for your baby that help support your babies immunes system. Your body naturally changes as your baby grows or becomes sick to help nourish and strengthen whatever it is that your baby needs. It is truly magical. Because I am no expert, I want to attach a link to a source so that you can read up on the differences between formula and breastmilk. I hope after reading this post you feel more educated and confident about whichever decision you choose to make. Feel free to message me with any questions or concerns and I will try to answer to the best of my ability tips that may help you. I will also attach a link to a lactation consultant hotline for Tennessee moms that will hook you up with an expert in the field. Best of luck mamas!

Breastmilk VS Formula Research Click Here.

Lactation Consultant Hotline Click Here. 1-855-4BF-MOMS (1-855-423-6667)