There are so many things I learned along my breastfeeding journey that I wished someone would’ve prepared me for! I’m beyond grateful that my body and breasts can do this for my baby, he gets the liquid gold that I can provide! With that being said, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with some challenges along the way.
I didn’t expect my boobs to hurt like they did! The beginning of your milk coming in is quite the experience. It comes in hot and heavy until your supply adjusts to your baby’s needs. This can be somewhat of a surprise because you only see the beautiful images of moms breastfeeding online. You don’t see the pain and sometimes discomfort that comes along with it.
Speaking of your milk coming in hot and heavy, you likely will leak! Everywhere! The boobs sometimes have a mind of their own and get ahead of themselves with the milk lol: I may have squirted myself and Ben a time or two! It’s also common to leak when baby isn’t even nursing, so it’s helpful to wear some sort of nursing pad at first. While baby is nursing on one boob, the other may leak as well. I loved using a Hakka to catch the letdown and store to use in a bottle later!
Your nipples can get sore too, newborns feed quite often and it can take a little for your nipples to “toughen up!” They do eventually, but it takes a little time. It’s important to note though that breastfeeding shouldn’t be painful while baby is nursing. If so, the latch probably isn’t right! Lactation consultants can be very helpful with getting a proper latch.
Of course, the frustrations of being new to this come in too, which is normal. I was wondering if he was getting enough and if I was even doing it right. I was trusting my body and the way our body’s work, but yet had so many questions! At the end of the day, as long as baby is growing and having those wet/dirty diapers, they are getting what they need.
Having the ability to provide nourishment in such a way to my baby is one of the biggest gifts I could ever give him and I’m so grateful that I’m able to nurse. But it’s okay to know that it isn’t all rainbows and butterflies at first!
🫶 I created a guide for Breastfeeding moms to support you along your journey to educate you and remove the overwhelm and the 2am google search! It's packed with recipes, resources and more to encourage you. GRAB IT HERE!
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