So you are having a baby. Possibly the
question has came up as to whether to breastfeed or not? Are there
advantages to breastfeeding? There are several benefits to
breastfeeding.
I want to share with you some of my
breastfeeding tips. I thoroughly enjoyed that journey. It is a
journey like no other. The benefits for my children and myself are
wonderful and quite memorable.
Hospital
My first day in the hospital after my
delivery, it felt as though my milk came in with a vengeance. I
could not sleep through the night I was so full. When they brought
my baby to me, I explained how uncomfortable that I was. The nurse
then tells me, “Oh you could have let us know, we would have
brought your baby to you through the night to nurse her.” I thought now she
tells me. She then informed me that I could keep the baby right in
the room with me. That was a relief, because I was not aware of that
at the time. That just makes it so much more convenient when time to
breastfeed my baby. That was a learning process.
Relief
There is such joy and relief each time
that I breast fed. The feeling of the milk coming in is
indescribable. Each time after breastfeeding, it feels like a relief
and a release. There is even greater joy when I observed by baby
acting as though she was just given a “knock out substance,”
because she was now sleeping and looking so relaxed.
Support
Besides the fact that I did take La
Leche breastfeeding classes, I had previously discussed it with my
family. Sadly enough most of the women were against breastfeeding
adding that it was old fashion. So my basic support for breastfeeding
was my husband and my father. They were both very supportive. So
that helped with my decision to breastfeed. Also, I had already
learned from the classes the important antibodies are passed on to
the baby for immediate protection. I thought that was just awesome, since it is
usually several weeks before my baby would get her shots. I had also
learned that the baby gets the food that you eat in that direct order
that you eat. That was so fascinating, because I used to eat all of
my food in no particular order. I had never considered eating for
example, all my potatoes, then all my green beans, then all my meat,
in separate orders.
Bottles
I liked the fact that breastfeeding
really eliminated a lot of bottles. I did learn form La Leche that
it was suggested to give your baby at least one bottle a day, so that
if I was away, my baby would be used to it. We did do that, however,
one day when my baby was 5 months ago, we were presented with a
problem. I was grocery shopping. When I got home my husband
explained the baby is refusing the bottle. I told him, “Oh she is
just being fussy, she will take it for me.” So I attempted to give
her the bottle, she actually sealed her lips and turned her head
away. So I then breastfed her and no problems. So then the bottle
once a day was becoming a battle. My husband stated, “She knows
the difference, she knows what she wants. I knew of the breast
pumps, but did not consider it at the time, even though we tried
different nipples on bottles. One day it was about 9 hours and she
still would not take the bottle. So we decided the battle was not
worth it, I stopped the breastfeeding and she eventually took the
bottle, but also by 6 months, she was becoming familiar with the sippy cup, which worked out well.
Crying
One of the downfalls I experienced was
when I heard another baby crying, my milk would automatically come
in. I then learned I needed to wear breast pads to absorb any leaks
and prevent my clothing from getting spotting. I also tried to avoid being around other crying babies, but sometimes it was
inevitable.
Soreness
Although I experienced soreness of the
nipples in the beginning and thought to myself what have I gotten
myself into, that soon disappeared, it was only temporarily. I
almost compare it to the pain that may be felt during delivery, but
after the baby comes, you forget about the pain, because of the joy
of your baby.
Comfortable
Although I was comfortable in my home
breastfeeding, I was somewhat uncomfortable during it in public. I
had been taught in La Leche how it can be done indiscreetly in public.
I recall being in the doctor's office waiting to get my baby's first
shots. The office was full. There was quite a wait. I discretely
went to the bathroom and put a cloth over my baby's head and my
breast so as not to be exposed and came back out to sit and nurse my
baby.
Pacifier
Although my husband and I disagreed
about this, our children's teeth came out beautifully straight. He
was worried the pacifier would cause “buck teeth.” I assured
him, they would be fine, because the baby needed something to suck on
other than my breast.
Problems
Although I experienced sore nipples,
womenshealth.gov talks about breast challenges such as low supply of
milk, fungal infections, inverted nipples, flat nipples,
breastfeeding a baby with health problems, and much more, I was
blessed to not experience any of these problems.
Source:
Personal Experience
Common Breastfeeding challenges
Credit: Canva
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