Nursing

Nursing....where do I even begin....

For me, I have never thought about not breastfeeding so I didn't have to go through the decision making that a lot of women I know go through. Although I didn't have to think about this choice, the idea of breastfeeding was overwhelming. These little "A" cup boobies of mine are supposed to be the only things that feed our baby..WHAT?!?! What if they are defective? What if the baby doesnt know how to latch? And then there were a million other "what if" questions that I would constantly drive my husband crazy with. He always had one answer, just wait till the little guy gets here and then freak out. Ha! So off I went to go read about this . I ended up with the "Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by the La Leche League. Ok, so I know this is a great book but honestly, the title. Like there is a manly art of breastfeeding. The book is super informative and a great resource guide for me as the dude grows and changes.

Ok, so the more personal experiences of nursing. Right after the mini-man was born, the nurses handed him right on over to me to feed. Tears started to well up in my eyes. I didnt know what to do. I looked at my boob and the baby. This should be simple. Baby...boob...still no clue. Thankfully our doula propped up all the pillows and made the magic happen. Oh my goodness, it is the weirdest thing to breastfeed. Oddly enough, as soon as the baby comes near the boob, it all just works. Nature is crazy like that. So for the first week, I was feeling pretty awesome about feeding. Well the colostrum part is easy...its the "real'' milk that brings on all the "oy vay" feelings.

Some things that I dealt with the first 6 weeks:

1) Sore nipples: Wow! I have never had anything that sensitive before. All the wonderful creams I own, like "Nipple Cream," help for about a minute and then oww factor is back. This does get better over time. Not a problem at all now.

2) Itchy boobs: Yup! Itchy boobs from all the increased blood flow to your boobs. They itched every where all the time. I couldnt even help myself from scratching. I dont even think I noticed that I did it when I was out of the house. No matter how much lotion you lather on...the itch continues

3) Leaking: Ok, this is an on going problem far beyond the first 6 weeks. I bought the reusable/washable boob pads by bravado in an effort to be eco-friendly. While you can reuse them, the major downfall is leaking right through them within an hour. There is nothing weirder than when you husband motions look at your boobs and you look down and there are some nice milk rings....UGHHH! The ones I currently swear by are by Lasinoh. I have to leak through and they last all day. Fabulous as far as boob pads are concerned

4) Pumping: I totally get why you pump. There are times that the little guy is not hungry and your boobs are hard as rocks full of milk. Just to get rid of that feeling, pumping is the only option; however, for me, pumping makes me feel like a cow. You squeeze your milk into a bag and then label it for a "best used by date." Real womanly right?!?! Another thing, while it is super convenient that my pump has a car adapter...its just not right