i knew from the beginning that I wanted to breast feed. It is the best thing you can do for your baby, it is the most convient (most of the time), and it helps you shed that baby weight. So why wouldnt anybody choose to do it I dont know, but I have an idea.
Nursing hasn't been easy at all for Jackson and I. In the beginning in the hospital it started off good. Jackson would wake up every two to three hours and we would nurse. We had some help from the nurses in the beginnig, and we were on a roll. the fun began when we got home. The first couple of days it still was going good, then my milk came in. Let me tell you this is not fun. My milk came in at night, so I woke up to rocks. We nursed really good during the day, but at night we had a little trouble, so when my milk came in we had a lot of trouble. I had so much milk, and this is were I learned I have very flat nipples. so while being engorged I had absolutely no nipple for Jackson to nurse on. Thankfully my dad was willing to make a five am trip to walmart to get me a breast pump. It helped but only on my left side, (the side both Jackson and I preferred to nurse on). But my right side it didnt do anything. It hurt so bad, and Jackson cried a lot because he was hungry and wasn't getting any milk. This really tested my patience and my sanity. Thank goodness James and my mom were there to help me be strong, and not to give up. I knew I wasnt a bad mother, but I felt so defeated and low. Maybe I shouldnt of given him the pacifier in the hospital, I wanted different nipples, and smaller boobs. But after a few weeks of really working hard, and some help from a lactation consultant, has paid off and now we are champs at nursing. And boy does Jackson LOVE to eat, he would do it 24/7 if I let him.
I learned a couple of tricks during this process for those who are pregnant.
When your milk does come in dont get stressed that doesnt help, also crying makes it worse. the best thing to do is get in a hot shower or dip your breast in a bowl of hot hot water to open up the ducts, both will lt your milk come out relieving some of the load. A manual breast pump will be your friend, get one so you can pump some of the milk out so its easier for the baby to latch on. Btu the best thing is to let the baby nurse, he has the greatest sucking power and will get the most amount of milk out in the shortest amount of time.
I think the main reason people give up is because it hurts, and it will in the beginning. But dont give up, it will pass. I suggest getting some lanolin cream, (it comes in a purple tube and works wonders). It helps heals, and protect your nipples. My nipples were torn up and I had to get some shells to help my sores heal.
But dont give up, it is so worth it. After all the pain and hardship, the thing I enjoy most about nursing is after Jackson is done, he lays on my chest and falls asleep. He looks so peaceful and happy. Sometimes when he is almost done nursing, he falls into a light sleep and he will smile. These little things melt my heart and make me so happy. I would go through all of the pain a thousand times because I love him so much.
Well thats my story.
xoxo Nicole
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