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Hospital
The first milk baby gets is colostrum. It is highly concentrated and full of protein. It is not the same color as breast milk. It may appear light yellow. At the hospital, my lactation coach showed me how to use my pump, breastfeed my baby, and how I can feed him with a syringe or spoon to give my lil one the colostrum that I had pumped out. You want to make sure to give the baby as much colostrum as possible!
Arriving Home
This is where you will need time not only for your lil one to get adjusted, but you as well. After giving life you need to rest, but also take care of your lil one. This is a lot easier said than done. I learned I had to establish a routine set around breastfeeding. This was incredibly hard to do because I was incredibly worried, constantly checking to make sure my lil one was just breathing, and I felt like I had a million things to do. My mind was literally racing.
Once I was able to get a system/routine in place, make lists, and organize my home this really helped ease part of my postpartum. According to Aeroflow Breast Pumps the first 42 days following childbirth are the hardest.
I have now learned almost 2 years later that there are things to help with postpartum such as having your placenta saved and getting it encapsulated in the form of pills and taking tincture. I was also surprised to learn about an FDA approved drug called Zulresso. This is a 1 time 60 hour IV infusion, but I doubt this is covered by insurance and I remember from the news report on CBS This Morning it cost $10,000 or more.
Breastfeeding Schedule & Routine
Wash hands before breastfeeding!
Getting my lil one to latch once home was nerve-racking without the support of my lactation coach. I made sure my lil one’s mouth was wide open by lightly pulling his bottom lip down if needed. I just did not give up, kept at it, and my lil one and I got the hang of it. Practice makes perfect!
If nipples become sore apply coconut oil or nipple cream to them after nursing or pumping session. If they still are sore check to make sure your lil one has a good latch. Check out Very Well Family on signs of a good breastfeeding latch or check with your lactation coach.
Try different positions to find one that suits you and your lil one best. This of course may change periodically so it is good to explore.
Breastfeeding Positions
You will know when your milk drops based upon the color. Your milk will turn from colostrum (light yellow) to a pearl white like regular cow milk. My boobs swelled up and hurt, but with nursing and ibuprofen, the pain went away.
Nurse every 2-3 hours. Set a timer if you need to in order to stay on schedule. If you have a Alexa Echo Dot or similar smart device then it to remind you every 3 hours to breastfeed in order to keep up with feedings. Pump after each nursing session to make sure your breasts are completely empty. This way your breasts get the signal to make more milk. You will base your next nursing session off of the last time your started. For example, if you nursed at 8:00am then you will nurse again at 10:00am. It is not based upon the time the session ended. This will change as your lil one gets older and the time in between sessions will extend.
I started out nursing on one side because my lil one got full off of one boob and would let me know by going to sleep.
I kept track of what boob I left off with so my lil one was alternating boobs and not just getting used to one position throughout the day. For example, if I nurse on the right boob then at the next nursing session I would start off nursing on the left boob and keep alternating throughout the day.
Tip: A tip I learned to keep track of which side you left off with was to wear a rubber band, hairtie, or bracelet on the wrist you left off with and switch after each feeding.
As my lil one got older and tummy got bigger I would nurse on both sides in one session starting with one side until empty and then offering him the other side to get full.
If your lil one falls asleep constantly during feedings to the point they are not getting enough milk check out Very Well Family for details on their switching technique.
Check with your pediatrician as it may require a prescription to start Vitamin D drops. I found these Baby D Drops that do not require a prescription and are safe to use with no harmful ingredients. I have used them for both of my babies. You will apply these Vitamin D drops to the nipple once a day before starting a nursing session.
Don't give a pacifier until breastfeeding is established to avoid nipple confusion so that the baby keeps breastfeeding. Baby will cry so try all things to soothe including rocking, movement, singing, classical music, skin-to-skin, swing, feeding, etc.
Introduce a bottle around 4 weeks after breastfeeding is established especially if you are going back to work to make sure your lil one will take a bottle. Have dad give a bottle in order to help with the transition and avoid feeding confusion. This way baby knows they get their milk from mommy by breast and from dad by bottle so lil one is not potentially trying to suck on dad’s nipples.
At the time I was breastfeeding I worked weekends only so dad was able to bottle feed our lil one on the weekends and I breastfeed him Monday-Friday that way he was able to get used to a bottle. In case you have someone else watching your lil one they do need to know how to feed from a bottle. If a lil one is not used to a bottle they may refuse it and cry. This is something you nor the person watching your child want to deal with.
Tips To Know
The hindmilk may be referred to as “dessert” for your lil one. Hindmilk is at the end of a feeding that has a higher fat content than the milk at the beginning, which is known as foremilk. Check out Kellymom for more details on hindmilk and foremilk.
At the end of a nursing session you may become overwhelmingly tired. According to Multi-mam this is because when you nurse your baby your brain releases oxytocin in order for you to have the let down reflex. This causes you to feel sleepy and relaxed.
Your milk supply will level out to what your lil one needs after breastfeeding is properly established. One boob may contain more milk than the other because of this. For example, my left boob usually produced 4 oz and my right boob produced 2 oz in order to give my lil one 6 oz total.
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