If there was and is one thing that kept putting me off this whole motherhood thing every now and then is breastfeeding! so here i am just putting across some breastfeeding travails etc!
Breastfeeding is best for your baby for sure! But...
1) Breastfeeding DOES NOT come naturally to all women. it can take you anywhere between 1 day to 2 months to actually get the hang of it.
2) Please understand that sometimes your supply may be low or you arent able to breastfeed properly and you will HAVE to depend on supplements. DO NOT feel guilty about it. You ARE doing your best for your own child! :)
3) You might have thought that you have perfect boobs with those perfect nipples. Trust your child to shatter that myth! At times when the baby is not able to latch on chances are you have what they call "flat nipples". In such cases the contraption called "nipple sheild" available at all chemists is a godsend. It not only helps you feed your baby, but also elongates your nipples over a period of time for you to be able to do without one.
4) Nipple sheilds also take time time to get used to and to get rid of! So dont worry too much if it takes you maybe as much as 4 weeks too! The point is you can feed your baby.
5) Sadly there is no Boob-O-Meter to tell you if your baby has got enough from breast and if he needs supplements. Its something we all learn from experience. If your baby isnt crying post feed and seems to be satisfied you are doing fine! just in case he/she starts crying immediately after feed or say after jus 30-45mins it means they havent got enough and need some more! :)
6) Do NOT breastfeed forever because babies dont have the strength to suckle for say a total of 20-25mins during one feed. So chances are that if you are feeding for like 45mins, you are just breaking your back in vain!
7) If you are not sure whether your baby is being under fed, make sure you keep checking their weight say every 2 weeks. Ideally the baby should gain 25gms-30gms per day. If its not then consult your kiddos doc! :)
i went through horrible first month where i could not breastfeed comfortably and then had to keep giving supplement. no one tells you its normal and that its ok! even today my baby is on a combination of breast milk and supplement and i dont feel guilty about it anymore. you cannot, afterall, leave your child hungry because someone told you, you HAVE to breastfeed! so just relax and breastfeed as much as you can and for the rest comfortably use the supplement reccoed! :)
more stories later!! :)
