Has anyone ever told you that breastfeeding might be hard and frustrating, especially in the beginning? When I was pregnant, I did everything I could to learn about giving birth and taking care of the baby. However, I managed to overlook the importance of getting myself ready for breastfeeding. I thought that breastfeeding is something I will easily do as it should be natural. For some women, it happens to be so. On the other hand, for some women, like me, it might take time and effort. Unfortunately, due to a lack of knowledge, patience, or the right guidance, many moms give up and start bottle feeding instead.
I was pretty much relaxed about breastfeeding in the beginning (better to say oblivious), and I suppose that it made the process a little easier for me. I also strongly believed that God is the primary caretaker of my baby, so it made me calm down in my moments of fear. Being at the hospital with people that know what they do, made the situation much easier as well. So, the first five days of breastfeeding were pretty much great, I would say. However, the moment we went back home with our baby, things started being hard and I faced the reality I knew nothing of.
The list below will cover all the things that are very important for new moms for successful breastfeeding.
- Make Sure Your Baby Nurses Right Away
The moment my baby was born nurses put her on my chest, and she nursed. This is very important to know. That makes breastfeeding and bonding more natural. I did not know the importance of it. I am forever grateful to Allah that He blessed me with amazing people who worked at the hospital. Do your research on how exactly the staff at your hospital handles birth beforehand. You may want to find a lactation professional for a smoother process. 🙂
2. Do Not Use Cotton Disposable Nipple Pads!
If you do, you risk getting your nipples irritated and making your breastfeeding experience harder. If you need to use something, choose reusable nipple pads that are made of 100% cotton.
3. Never Wash Your Nipples Before Breastfeeding
Your baby needs bacteria from the surface of your breasts to develop a gut microbiome.
4. Breastfeeding Will Hurt (Solutions)
You will most likely be in pain during the beginning of your breastfeeding journey. It is not only your nipples that are going to be hurting but also your uterus. I suggest you start preparing your nipples for breastfeeding a little before you are expected to give birth with lanolin. Have your nipples air dry at least for 10 – 15 minutes after each feeding. That helps the healing process. Make sure to wear loose clothes, too.
Breastfeeding causes the uterus to contract, which inevitably hurts (not too much). My mother-in-law eased my pain while I was breastfeeding by massaging my feet and legs.
Here is the link to the video of massage (1:00-1:22). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84T9hD8QV7s
5. Be Careful with Offering Bottles in the Beginning
I did not know how important it is to stay away from offering a bottle until a little before I gave birth. A friend of ours (Gokce, thank you for such a toughtful gift) gifted us with a lesson with a professional nurse that taught us about the things we need to know and have, once we have our child. If you offer the bottle at the beginning the breastfeeding process may become very hard to handle as it is much easier for a baby to suck on a bottle rather than a nipple. Once the baby tastes the easiness of getting her milk from the bottle it might become very frustrating and even impossible to get her used to the breastfeeding.
6. Mastitis
I did not know much about mastitis and to be honest, I refused to learn about anything that might be painful before I gave birth. However, I wish I knew more about this as I am pretty sure I would have been able to prevent it. The first 3 months of my breastfeeding were a little harder because I suffered from mastitis which occurred on the 5. day of my baby’s birth. I have a feeling (note the feeling, not certainty) that it happened because I started pumping (because my baby had jaundice and needed more milk). My breasts became swollen. The nurses explained to me what to do to ease my pain, but it did not go away as quickly as I was hoping. Make sure to get yourself ready for the prevention of mastitis which is much easier than the cure and will make your breastfeeding experience go smoother.
7. Breast Pump is Important
Have your breast pump ready before you give birth. You can either rent it or buy it. Check if your hospital offers to rent them. Do your research. You may not necessarily need it, but it will be a good idea to have it just in case. Pumping might be a challenge too. Also, know that the amount of breastmilk you pump is less than the amount of breastmilk your baby sucks out of your breast.
8. Bedtime Struggle – Have Breastmilk Ready Aside Just in Case
My husband and I lost so much sleep due to this very lack of knowledge. My baby started having sleep problems, especially before bedtime around her 3. month. We did not know what to do because we were convinced that she was not hungry (my breasts had milk at that time) as she would refuse the breast. We thought that something else is wrong (like witching time or teething). Only to realize months later that she might have been hungry. She might have been too tired to suck, and she just wanted a quick meal. The problem I encountered and the time it took me to get a solution extended because my baby refused the formula. Whenever she would refuse the formula, I thought she was not hungry. One night I tried offering her both my breastmilk and formula. First, I offered her formula which she strongly refused and kept crying. The moment I offered her breastmilk she was happy to drink it and fell asleep.
9. Pump Properly
Pumping both breasts as well as not overdoing it is crucial.
10. Drink a Lot of Water and Eat Oats/Dates
To produce enough milk, drinking water is one of the most important things you should do. Oatmeal helps promote milk supply for breastfeeding moms because of its abundance of nutrients. In general, eating more nutritious food is a rule of thumb for breastfeeding mothers.
11. Nurse Frequently for More Supply
If you suspect you do not have enough milk, which can only be determined when the baby is not gaining weight, you may try nursing and pumping more frequently. Also, make sure that you nurse or at least pump both breasts. The amount of fat tends to be low if you only use one breast for nursing.
12. Duration of Nursing Sessions
The minimum nursing session should be 10 minutes. That is what I was being told by my doctor. Everybody has a different opinion on this matter. I read quite a lot about babies nursing for 5 minutes and so and not having any problems gaining weight. However, my doctor suggested keeping the session at least 10 minutes long. My baby would start wiggling and refusing to nurse, but I kept my clock because I realized that when I did not, she would have gained a little less than expected. When it comes to maximum nursing sessions, I was told by a medical doctor that specialized in mammaplasty that it should not exceed 30 minutes as it may ruin the nipple’s structure.
13. Cluster Feeding
Cluster feeding is when your baby feeds very often at certain times followed by long gaps without feeding. I remember breastfeeding my baby for 7 hours straight during the night in the beginning.
14. Pacifiers Should Be Avoided in the Beginning
Offering a pacifier before your baby gets used to the nipple may cause disruptions in breastfeeding. That’s why doctors suggest waiting for 3 to 4 weeks.
15. Try Music
I did not know that playing relaxing music while breastfeeding may actually help the baby calm down and nurse smoothly.
Here is the link to the music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy5qdqzN2gc
16. Use Lanolin on Your Nipples Right Away
This is the crème I started using right after I gave birth. However, it is a good idea you start using it a little before you are expected to give birth to prevent any problems that may arise as a result of breastfeeding.
17. Breast Shields May Be Helpful
Breast shields may protect your nipples and make it a bit easier for the baby to latch on. Using it at the beginning, if necessary, may lessen the stress and frustration but you should try to slowly get rid of it as your breastfeeding journey progresses.
18. The Fuller the Breast, the Lower the Fat Content…
which causes low weight gain in babies. The emptier the breast, the higher the fat content of the milk which helps the baby gain weight. Producing uneven amounts of foremilk (lactose) and hindmilk (fat) is common. Some babies tend not to empty the breast during feeding sessions. If that happens to you, pump the breast, and make sure to empty it. Also, some babies do not react very well to more amounts of foremilk. My baby used to be gassy and fussy just for this reason. The pediatrician prescribed medicine to ease my baby’s obvious discomfort. Also, she suggested that I pump a little before I breastfeed and pump after each session because my baby would not empty the breast due to gas caused by foremilk. Oversupply of foremilk may also happen when you do not breastfeed for longer stretches.
19. Breastfeeding in Qur’an
“Mothers shall breastfeed their children for two whole years, for those who wish to complete the term” (2:233)
“His mother carried him, in weakness upon weakness, and his period of weaning is two years” (31:14). In a similar verse, Allah says: “His mother carried him with hardship, and gave birth to him in hardship. And the carrying of the child to his weaning is a period of thirty months” (46:15).
The Holy Qur’an recognizes that there might be women that have a hard time breastfeeding. Here are the following verses:
“If they both (parents) decide on weaning, by mutual consent, and after due consultation, there is no blame on them.
And if you decide on a foster-mother for your offspring, there is no blame on you, provided you pay (the foster-mother) what you offered, on equitable terms” (2:233)
World Health Organization also suggests breastfeeding for two years or beyond. https://apps.who.int/nutrition/topics/exclusive_breastfeeding/en/index.html
20. Breastfeeding Position
You may struggle to find the right position for breastfeeding especially at the beginning when you may feel uncomfortable just by holding your newborn for the first time. I struggled to find the right position for myself and ended up having back pain. You may search for different variations of breastfeeding positions and try them out. Give yourself some time to get used to the new life, and bear in mind that all of this is going to be easy for you after probably a couple of months (It took me around 10 months to feel like I know what I am doing when it comes to breastfeeding and taking care of my baby in general).
21. People Will Comment,
and you will have to ignore them (most of the time). “Your milk supply is not enough…”, “Maybe your milk is not of good quality…” (this is not possible), “Give her a bottle, she is obviously hungry…”.
22. Massage and Squeeze the Breasts While Nursing or Pumping
If you feel like your baby is not happy with the flow of the milk or feel like she is not getting enough, try massaging and squeezing the breast while nursing to help the baby get what she needs. This helped me a lot especially if I did not have breastmilk ready aside.
23. Baby’s Favorite Breast
Your baby, just like mine, can start favoring one breast over the other as you and her progress in breastfeeding. She may be very frustrated if you try to offer her the breast she does not like. That is completely normal. Many moms breastfeed with only one breast and encounter no problems at all. Actually, there might be a little problem. The favored breast tends to be bigger than the other one…If you want to have even breasts pumping the other breast and offering the other breast while the baby is drowsy will help sort it out.
24. You Can Breastfeed Without Giving Birth
Okay, this fact was shocking to me. We can actually breastfeed even if we do not give birth… It just takes some effort (pumping, baby sucking) for the milk to be produced. This actually made me realize that any woman can do this. Some may need to put in a little more effort while for some it may be easier, but it is definitely possible!
Do you have any suggestions? Am I missing something? Please, leave your comments. Thank you for stopping by!