Though I have been a bit removed from breastfeeding, I exclusively breastfed two children beyond the age recommended. I was successful throughout and it has remained one of the best experiences of my life.
Here are some of my tried and true breastfeeding tips:
- Not all babies are born knowing what to do when they come out. It’s sometimes the blind leading the blind because they have never done this before and you have never done it before. Lots of women give up here because they have a screamy, hungry, frustrated baby and a hormonal mommy whose nip nops feel like they’re going to fall off.
- It is totally acceptable if you give up here. Everyone else in my family was formula fed and they turned out just the same as the rest of us.
- Should you choose to go on, you and your baby can always choose to stop whenever you want.
- Your baby’s mouth needs to be really open wide and you will have to open it up and stick it on your breast. Imagine the areola fitting all the way to the back of the throat. Then your baby is compressing the breast and sucking the milk into the back of the throat.
- There are at least six holes in your nipple, which allows for a very efficient emptying of your breast. Your baby is getting a lot more than you think. They know when they are done.
- Breastmilk changes all the time depending on your baby’s specific needs. It’s always going to be enough and is exactly the right thing.
- Think of milk as a supply-and-demand scenario. The more demand, the more supply. Babies are generally always on the boob in the beginning until your supply is better. They need to stimulate your breasts a lot to get to the amount they need.
- No, most babies don’t just eat every three or four hours and then stop after 10 minutes. Milk means a lot more than just nourishment. Imagine all the emotions you have surrounding food and comfort food. All of that is wrapped up in only one food, which comes out of the only person who is familiar to you. Yeah, you will not want to leave the food truck, as I refer to a nursing mom.
Our society doesn’t understand or appreciate the complexities of breastfeeding. As with all things, use your heart and your baby as your guide.
