The Girl in the Red Shoes

  • Home
  • About
  • Shop My Favorites
  • Shop My Instagram
  • Breastfeeding Diaries
  • Contact

Uncategorized | October 2, 2013

The Breastfeeding Diaries: Elizabeth from The Elegant Life of E

 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.

 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!

Feel free to contact me with any questions at theelegantlifeofe @ yahoo

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


Follow Me On BloglovinFollow Me On InstagramFollow Me On FacebookFollow Me On Pinterest

« Hudson’s Favorite Tees
It’s the most wonderful time of the year »

Comments

  1. Megan Brink says

    October 2, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    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

  2. Ali says

    October 2, 2013 at 4:54 pm

    Those newborn pictures are beautiful!!

  3. Alycia says

    October 2, 2013 at 8:38 pm

    I love reading all these stories! I can't wait to be able to share mine! 🙂

  4. Christina @ This Woman Cooks! says

    October 3, 2013 at 12:28 am

    What beautiful pictures! I love the purple and pink hat.

  5. Shaju ali says

    October 6, 2013 at 6:00 am

    I like this sexes shoes. Your have greet choice idea. You get now one think about best nurse shoes to our collection. There have new collection many quality nursing shoe.
    Visit here http://www.bestnurseshoes.com/

  6. Rebekah @ Living && Learning says

    October 9, 2013 at 4:24 am

    This is wonderful information!! I love this series!! Thank you!

Lately on Instagram

#sponsored Our first real snow! Thankfully our Sco #sponsored Our first real snow! Thankfully our Scout Elf, Spike, showed up this morning with an @elfontheshelf official Scout Elf Carrier and an Elf Pets Official Carrier for our reindeer too! Now our North Pole pals can safely travel with us wherever we go! The kids had so much fun taking their pals on a winter walk to enjoy the snow! And see that cute little stowaway in Belle’s arms? Meet the Bogie – a brand new friend from the North Pole who is ready for some love and adventures! I just love enjoying all of these magical moments with my kids. It really does not get any better than this! #elfontheshelf #elfpets
#ad It’s that time of year! Time to make sure yo #ad It’s that time of year! Time to make sure your child is up to date on their well-child visits and vaccines! As the chief advocate for my kids, I always want to make decisions that are the best for them and for our family. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for these little loves of mine, and I know all of you can relate! That is why I vaccinate my kids. Vaccinating your child is one of the safest and most effective things you can do to protect them against serious preventable diseases. If you live in Michigan like we do, it’s time to schedule that well-child visit and make sure your kids are up to date on their vaccinations! I’ve done a lot of research and talked to our pediatrician at length about what is best for my family and I would encourage you to do so too. It’s normal to have questions—it makes you a good parent! But make sure you are getting answers from credible sources. Remember, vaccines are safe, effective, and help protect everyone. Ultimately I decided to vaccinate my children because not doing so puts them at risk of contracting a potentially deadly disease. I want the best for my kids. If you have questions or need a reliable resource, check out @IVaccinateMI for information and tools based on real medical science and research to help Michigan parents protect their kids from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Sure to please any sports loving tween! Sure to please any sports loving tween!
#sponsored Our @elfontheshelf is BACK!!!! And the #sponsored Our @elfontheshelf is BACK!!!! And the girls could not be any happier! Every year our Scout Elf, Spike, brings Christmas cheer and happiness to our house along with some special goodies…and this year, he did not disappoint! Spike brought along some Christmas magic through a brand-new Elf Pets reindeer and a new collection of special books from the creators of The Elf on the Shelf. The girls quickly loved on their reindeer and couldn’t contain the giggles while they read In Case of Elftastrophe! #elfontheshelf #elfpets
On the hunt for the perfect tree! On the hunt for the perfect tree!
So very thankful. Happy Thanksgiving! So very thankful. Happy Thanksgiving!
Let’s decorate my mantel for Christmas! All item Let’s decorate my mantel for Christmas! All items linked in my highlights!
Happy birthday to my main squeeze. Thank you for s Happy birthday to my main squeeze. Thank you for serving our family so well. We love you!

Copyright © The Girl in the Red Shoes 2023 · Design by Alpine Lane