Let's chat about breastfeeding shall we?
I actually laugh at how much my whole life revolves around feeding Elijah. Getting ready to go out literally takes half the day because I can only do things in between his three hourly (sometimes two) feeds.
Generally, he feeds every 3 hours (except between 8pm-1.30am, he might sleep a few hours). If I have somewhere to be in the morning, I have to time it with his morning feed. If I have to be somewhere for lunch, I have to feed him before I leave so he doesn't get crazy when we are out and about.
I remember wondering why people with children were always running late - now I am one, and I am definitely always running late and I finally understand. #sorrynotsorry
On top of that life changing fact, I also actually never realised how much effort goes into breast feeding.
I was surprised and thought, what do you mean it's not as simple as putting a baby on your boob and him drinking away?
Breastfeeding is honestly so much harder than I ever imagined it could be.
For the first three or four days, I had no luck with breastfeeding at all. I basically had to express into a syringe so I could feed Elijah. It was so painful and I was so out of it that the midwives had to milk me like a cow! My dignity was out the window by that point anyway, so it didn't really bother me.
A newborn baby's stomach is about the size of a marble, they don't need much to fill up, but it's very important to get something in there as soon as possible. Generally once you give birth, the nurses will try to attach your baby to your boob straight away with some skin to skin contact to begin the bond.
Because your milk doesn't come into your breasts until 4-5 days after you give birth, to begin with - you produce something called colostrum.
Colostrum is like milk, but there isn't a lot of it and it's sort of a weird clearish yellow colour. It doesn't last for very long but it's ridiculously powerful and full of nutrients, antibodies and immunoglobulins (which protects your little bubba from bacteria and viruses).
So next is learning to breast feed! It isn't easy. In fact, there's quite a technique to it. My advice, ask your midwives and nurses to help you as much as possible. Even if you want to ask them every single time if you are doing it right - just ask them. Or even take a breastfeeding class.
This is my technique, but it's better for you to do your own homework as it may not work for you.
First of all, sit up and get comfortable. You want to be sitting up straight or on a 45 degree angle, not hunching over.
Hold your baby along your arm, with their stomach against your stomach and your hand holding at the back of the neck (definitely not the head, just the base of the head/neck under the ears).
Bring your baby to your breast.
Rub your babies bottom lip along your nipple.
If you find the mouth isn't opening, try to express a little and rub again - to get the baby interested.
Once the mouth opens, pull back the head slightly, lift up and push down onto nipple/areola.
Make sure your baby's bottom lip is open (sort of like a fish?) and against most of the bottom of the areola (not just your nipple) and the top of the mouth is covering some of the areola.
You should feel like a bite/suckling and instant let down. Please remember the bite feeling should only last at the beginning and once the suckling is happening and the milk is flowing, it shouldn't be painful at all.
You will be able to hear your baby drinking, if the latch isn't correct you may hear clicking, or air getting in and being swallowed. If this is the case, slip your finger into the side of your babies mouth, it should pop to release the suction and try again.
It's really, really hard to get a hang of it. (for me it was anyway)
For the first week and a half, my boobs were bruised, chapped and bleeding. Elijah wouldn't latch on correctly in the beginning, and because he fed so often it didn't give my boobs a chance to heal. I would actually express a little, and rub it on the chapped areas to help healing. I remember my body would tense up in pain every time he fed, it was excruciating. Over time, once I learnt the correct technique and he understood what he needed to do - the pain stopped.
You might begin to question when your milk may actually come in, and wonder if it has or hasn't. Trust me, you will know when it comes. I felt like I was going to EXPLODE. That, and your hormones go crazy. You are super thirsty, boiling hot and I found I was sweating through my clothes twice a night. This also settled down after a few weeks.
I am very lucky to produce A LOT of milk, and I can only speak from experience as some women are not so lucky, but I definitely produce much more than the little guy needs.
To put things into perspective, Elijah is one of the youngest babies in my mothers group, but is by far one of the biggest. He is so chubby and cute, and he is absolutely thriving.
The problem with producing too much milk is the risk of becoming engorged and developing mastitis.
I thought a way to prevent this was by pumping some breastmilk, but little did I know that the more you pump, the more you produce.
If you are worried about becoming engorged, it should settle down on it's own within the first few weeks. If it doesn't (which mine hasn't), you just have to work it out. Feed one side at a time and make sure the breast is completely empty before putting your baby on the other side. Be very careful with engorgement. It's painful, but it's the first sign that you may be close to developing mastitis. I will do another post on mastitis and engorgement later.
The next thing you need to remember is, if your baby is breastfeeding only - if you ever want to have a life or some time to yourself, get a pump.
How much your baby drinks will depend on how old they are, but for an example - Elijah drinks around 150mls-200mls in one feeding when I have expressed and someone else has fed him by the bottle. As the weeks go on, he will drink more. This is something you should confirm with your midwife/health nurse.
In relation to storage, to make things simple (taken from breastfeeding.asn.au)
I purchased the Avent Electric Breast Pump and it's been amazing. It's also really nice for my husband, it gives him a chance to feed Elijah and bond with him. Remember, if you are using a pump - you must sterilise everything. I hand wash and then sterilise all of my equipment before and after I use it. (including bottles, teats, lids and dummies).
This weekend I am going out on Saturday AND on Sunday (shocking!) and my Mum is coming over to babysit. Would you believe I started expressing and freezing breastmilk A WHOLE MONTH AGO to prepare for this weekend?? I'll also be taking my breast pump in my handbag, try to imagine me sitting in the bathroom a few times in those two days expressing and pouring the milk down the toilet - because that's what I'll be doing.
Long gone are the days of just getting dressed and walking out the door. Welcome to your new life!
