Hi, I’m Elizabeth from The Elegant Life of E. I want to thank Julie for letting me share my breastfeeding journey on her blog today. I remember almost a year ago being 30 weeks pregnant and not being able to stop reading her first post on breastfeeding.
January 27, 2013, was the day my husband and I’s life changed forever. We welcomed our first child into the world, a beautiful baby girl by the name of Sophia Margret Grace. Throughout pregnancy and even prior to that, I always knew without doubt in my mind, that I was going to breastfeed! Being a Nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (“NICU”) is emotionally draining, but has given me so much knowledge on how to care for children, including the benefits of breastfeeding. In addition, to working with babies and their mothers, I work with lactation consultants and was even able to take two breastfeeding classes for healthcare workers, which was great because I got to learn more detailed information relating to breastfeeding. I signed up twice for a regular breastfeeding class to take with my husband, but both unfortunately were canceled, so it really was a blessing I was able to attend two at work.
Right after Sophia was born (check out here birth story here) I did skin to skin and got to nurse her right away! She was great; I was so scared that it wouldn’t work, but to my surprise it came easily. After that, I would nurse her every three hours. The next day the lactation consultant came to help me with the different positions and how to pump. The woman who was my lactation consultant was like my best friend, and would stay with me for three hours. She watched me feed Sophia, observed how she latched, and then made sure I was pumping correctly. One of the best tips I learned was, during your first couple of days to help your milk to come in faster, you should nurse the baby for 15-20 minutes then
pump for 15 minutes
after. For the next feed, you should do the same thing, but after you do your
last round of pumping, give the milk to the baby after you’re done, that way it keeps the baby full and happy.
pump for 15 minutes
after. For the next feed, you should do the same thing, but after you do your
last round of pumping, give the milk to the baby after you’re done, that way it keeps the baby full and happy.
Also, like everything in life, it takes time! You don’t become a “Super Nurser” after the first feed. I would say it takes about 7 to 8 weeks before you start to feel really comfortable; both you and the baby. It’s going to hurt at first, and then you will always worry and say to yourself, “is my baby getting enough and latching on right, etc.”
Another tip to moms and mommies-to-be, and what I plan to do with the next baby, is start pumping a few times a day in the beginning. Trust me, it will help build your supply! Having a supply is very important; you never know when you are going to need it. For example, if you get sick and can’t breastfeed or for whatever reason, you will use up your supply quickly. Remember, your supply may look like a lot, but once you defrost it, it is never as much as you thought.
Lastly, the best advice I can give you all you mommies and mommies-to-be, just relax and enjoy this time with your baby, because it goes by so fast and it will be some of the best moments in your life. Try to educate yourself the best you can and all the rest is up to your baby!
Make sure you catch up with the rest of the Breastfeeding Diaries at the top of my navigation bar. If you would like to share your story please email me at thegirlintheredshoes @ gmail
I know I've said this before, but I LOVE these posts. Thank you to you for posting them, and thank you to those who share their stories. It's so beneficial for me to read them as a FTM in the upcoming months!
M
abrinkadventure.blogspot.com
Those newborn pictures are beautiful!!
I love reading all these stories! I can't wait to be able to share mine! 🙂
What beautiful pictures! I love the purple and pink hat.
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This is wonderful information!! I love this series!! Thank you!