I feel like this is the one thing that no one really tells you how hard it is. You birth this baby and they latch on to you right after. They feed for a couple of minutes and fall asleep. You then think that every feeding is going to be like this. Now, I went to the breastfeeding class that I was suppose to. They really didn't teach you everything that I am going to talk about here. So we bring home Jad and as you probably know, you don't have milk right away. It is just colostrum. Well my baby was hungry. Those first two nights he didn't stop eating from midnight till about 5 or 6 am. My poor nipples. Then my milk finally came in and Jad sure did pass out from being drunk off that liquid gold. This is where the breastfeeding journey begins. I constantly have a baby attached to my boob. You also feel helpless as soon as you sit down. You realize you need all these things and you can't get up to retrieve them. When Jad was about 1 weeks old, I had just heated up some chicken soup and it was literally sitting right in front of me on a TV table. It felt like it was in China! Dufda has retrieve remotes that are mere feet from me and it constantly bringing me drinks and food. My baby also has this lovely alarm that sounds when I am heating up any food or about to sit down to eat. He becomes Ethiopian hungry and must eat at that moment.
If this baby is eating a lot, what does that do to your nips? Well you will acquire every breastfeeding product known to man to try to make it more comfortable. We have soothies, 3-in-1 hot/cold packs, nursing pads and nipple butter. All of which I had no idea I even needed. At first it felt like I was breastfeeding a piranha but luckily it has since gotten better. Then we get into all these magic herbs and blends so you can make more milk. I will have to return to work one day and for that I need some kind of stash to feed this little nugget while I am gone. I thought, "Oh hey I will just pump some milk into bottles and baby would be good to go." Wrong! I would try to pump after Jad was done eating and it barely would fill the bottom of the bottle. Should I even save this little bit? It took so much work to get it. Since this just won't cut it, I have started to take...are you ready?...Fenugreek 3 times a day, Blessed Thistle, and drink Mother Milk tea like it is going out of style. If you asked me a month ago what any of these did or was I would think you were talking about some holy Christmas decoration and not some magic herb to make milk. I still can barely pump enough to cover half of one feeding, but maybe I will get there by the time I have to go back. This makes it so your baby is now your 5th appendage...i personally love this, but at times it is overwhelming to not be able to leave.
Another thing that I did not think about...what you have to wear to breastfeed. I am still in my maternity clothes (no one told me this either). So not only can I only wear my maternity clothes, I have to make sure they are nursing friendly. I have had to give up all my pretty Victoria Secret bras for nursing bras. I walk around the house now in just nursing bra and pants...sometimes. Everything that you do wear, will be covered in breast milk. You will smell it everywhere. There will be a time when you snuggle up to you husband after forgetting what it feels like to cuddle to realize that, he too, smells like breast milk.
Your boobs will leak, and they will leak a lot. I had been awesome about putting in nursing pads until I was in a hurry getting ready for my friends wedding. I put on my first non-nursing bra in who knows how long. I went through the ceremony and the start of the reception when I started to notice something wet. Yep, I was leaking breast milk through my dress. What a nightmare, but really what could I do. I know I will never forget my nursing pads again though. You also have to give up being naked or accept leaking breast milk all over your house. A question asked frequently in our house, "Did he pee, or did you leak on him?" Most of the time it is yes, that is breast milk.
I have compiled all of my favorite products into one store. Go check it out and make sure that you have all of these things on hand before the baby!
