Oh Baby!

“So here it is…all my breastfeeding knowledge. I’d like to reach out and help that one mom who is on the verge of giving up even though she REALLY wants to make breastfeeding work but she is stuck. She is tired. She is frustrated and what the pediatrician says to do isn’t working. I’m here for you mama. Let me help.

First of all, YOUR MILK IS FINE. You have enough and it tastes great to the baby. I have heard women say that their friend, sister, mother, aunt, even THEIR DOCTOR suggested that their baby “didn’t like their milk” or “they aren’t making enough and need to supplement”. NO. Horrible advice. Believe in your body. Your body was designed to do this. Have you ever seen a cat worry that their litter of kittens isn’t getting enough milk? No. Your body will make milk for your baby. If you have twins your body knows to make enough for two. Trust me.

Your milk takes a few days to come in fully. So if you pump and see that nothing is coming out that is NORMAL. Your pump isn’t likely to get anything for a few days. My body always takes 4-5 days and it has been a fight with the hospital EVERY TIME. Your baby does not need formula. You do not need to follow the doctor’s suggestions when it comes to supplementing. I normally would never say not to listen to your doctors, but in this case they are not always right. My milk came in on day 4 and my babies are fine. Keep putting the baby to breast and I promise they are getting colostrum. Which brings me to another point…

Your baby is way more efficient at getting milk out of your breast than the world’s best breast pump. Just because you pump for half an hour and all that comes out is a half ounce does NOT mean that that’s all your body is making. Manual expression works better than pumps and baby works best. If you can avoid pumping at all in the beginning, do. Seeing how much you pump messes with your mind. Trust me.

There are times during your breastfeeding journey where your baby will nurse every 5 minutes and act very fussy and you will think s/he is not getting enough milk. These are growth spurts and that fussy behavior and constant nursing are how they increase your milk supply. If you report this to your pediatrician for some reason many of them tell you to supplement with formula and pump every time you give the baby a bottle until your supply increases. NOOOOOOOOO. That is seriously terrible advice. The only way to increase your milk supply is to nurse more. Supplementing almost always will end up decreasing your supply because, as I mentioned before, they pump doesn’t remove milk as well as the baby. If your breasts aren’t emptied it sends they message to your body to make less milk (not empty=baby didn’t finish the milk so it must be too much. decrease supply).

Here’s another tip): Ask to see a certified lactation consultant right away after birth even if you don’t think you need one. They are so knowledgeable and in my opinion should be sent to EVERY mother that wants to breastfeed. They aren’t. In fact the hospital I delivered at only had 1 on staff and it took her 3 days to get back to me. I couldn’t believe a woman trying to breastfeed preemie twins was not considered an automatic candidate for a lactation consultant. Crazy. If your hospital doesn’t have one available ask your pediatrician if they have one on staff. Or call your insurance company for a recommendation. Mine was covered just like any other doctors visit.

Ask the lactation consultant to evaluate your babies suck and weigh the baby before and after nursing. This will give you peace of mind that nothing is wrong with your latch, baby’s anatomy (no tongue or lip tie and a strong suck) and you will know without a doubt that they are getting milk. The lactation consultant can save you a lot of pain by teaching you how to properly latch your baby! This peace of mind is all you need when things get tough. And by reaching out in the beginning of your breastfeeding journey you are creating a resource you can use down the road if you get stuck (mastitis, thrush, reynaud’s, biting, plugged ducts) and often they can help you by email or phone, or in the office the same day instead of waiting to get in to a doctor. Trust me they are worth their weight in gold if you have an issue that is causing you pain!

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